Innoculations — When Should They be Done?

Inoculations are a very important part of a puppy’s health.  They protect our canine loved ones from several potentially fatal illnesses.  But as important as it is that our dogs are inoculated, it’s equally important that it’s done in such a way as to not overwhelm the immune system of the puppy.  The recommended inoculation protocol is for your Havanese puppy to receive their first Distemper/Parvo (DHPP) shot at 8-10 weeks of age, the second at 12-14 weeks of age, and the final one at 16-18 weeks of age.  This allows your puppy’s immune system sufficient recovery time between each shot.  Due to high instances of adverse reactions in the breed,  the Leptospirosis vaccine is not recommended for Havanese unless your puppy is in a high risk area or environment.  If your vet does deem it necessary, the leptospirosis shot should be administered separately from any other inoculations to minimize the stress on your puppy’s system.   The rabies shot should be given 3-4 weeks apart from any other vaccines, at around 18 weeks of age.  After one year, a DHPP booster should be given, and rabies 3-4 weeks later.  It is strongly recommended that titers be drawn every three years after that to determine whether further inoculations are necessary, when allowed by law.  This ensures that your dog is not over inoculated, which research is showing might be a contributing factor to life threatening conditions such as cancers and auto-immune diseases.  If you’d like more information, this is a great website.