# Booster/distemper and Rabies Shots at 3 months?



## deyainrdy4ds (May 9, 2010)

The breeder I purchased my pup from says to get rabies and booster shots at 3 months...is that too soon for the rabies shot especially? some people have recommended getting it at 6 and 4 months, so I just wanna make sure 3 months isn't too soon..?

also, we plan on getting the bordatella shot at the same time...is this ok?

also, any feedback on the CIV influenza shot?


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## Cracker (May 25, 2009)

Most veterinarians will do Rabies anytime after 12 weeks (3 months). So no, it's not too early and yes you can do bordetella the same time, it is an intranasal so not an extra needle. Remember though that the bordetella vaccine does not necessarily prevent ALL kennel cough type viruses so may not be necessary UNLESS you plan on doing classes, boarding, groomer visits etc that require it.


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## Mr. V (Jan 28, 2010)

I'd go ahead and do the rabies at around 15 weeks or so.


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## deyainrdy4ds (May 9, 2010)

whats the harm in doing it "too early" ?


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## Binkalette (Dec 16, 2008)

deyainrdy4ds said:


> whats the harm in doing it "too early" ?


No harm really other than the fact that the vaccine probably won't "take" because the puppy would still be protected from his mother's antibodies, and not creating any of his own yet.


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## deyainrdy4ds (May 9, 2010)

so 12 weeks is ok? i want to socialize him with other dogs now that ges about to hit 3 months, which means dog parks etc which require proof of rabies shots... ive read this age is when they should be socialized with other dogs, otherwise i wouldnt mind waiting a bit longer


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## Poly (Sep 19, 2007)

Rabies vaccination are usually regulated by law.

In our area, rabies vaccination is required *BY* six months of age. For rescue dogs older than six months with unknown backgrounds, a rabies vaccination must be given immediately.

If the dog was under a year old for the first vaccination, then a booster at one year.

Then every three years after that.

In most places, the rabies vaccinations are not something where you can do very much scheduling on your own.


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## RedyreRottweilers (Dec 17, 2006)

I refuse to vaccinate for Rabies under 6 months of age, regardless.

The Rabies vaccination is HARD on dogs. I will not combine it with ANY other vaccination within 4 weeks before or after the Rabies vax.


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## deyainrdy4ds (May 9, 2010)

RedyreRottweilers said:


> I refuse to vaccinate for Rabies under 6 months of age, regardless.
> 
> The Rabies vaccination is HARD on dogs. I will not combine it with ANY other vaccination within 4 weeks before or after the Rabies vax.


why is that? 

and hard on them how?



we went ahead and got the rabies vaccination yesterday because i want to make sure to socialize him with other dogs at the right time....also we got the booster/distemper shot yesterday along with the bordatella nasal drops and did another deworming...

also picked up a 12 month supply of heartgard plus


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## RedyreRottweilers (Dec 17, 2006)

Because 1) I want to wait until a puppy's immune system has completely recovered from the puppy vaccines, and 2) I want the dog to have a little more physical maturity before it is subject to this vaccine.

http://www.squidoo.com/rabiesvaccine

http://www.vin.com/proceedings/Proceedings.plx?CID=WSAVA2003&PID=6547&O=Generic


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## animalcraker (Nov 9, 2006)

At my work we wait til 16 weeks and wont do it any sooner, not even 1 day early. The reason for this is because the humane societies require the vax to be done between 16 and 20 weeks. Any sooner and they wont accept the vaccine and will make the owner get it done again. After 20 weeks they start fining owners late fees, but some of the breeders that we work with tell the owners to wait until 6 months and pay them for the late fees.


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## deyainrdy4ds (May 9, 2010)

animalcraker said:


> At my work we wait til 16 weeks and wont do it any sooner, not even 1 day early. The reason for this is because the humane societies require the vax to be done between 16 and 20 weeks. Any sooner and they wont accept the vaccine and will make the owner get it done again. After 20 weeks they start fining owners late fees, but some of the breeders that we work with tell the owners to wait until 6 months and pay them for the late fees.


so should we get it done again at 16 weeks to be safe? isnt it dangerous to give it too much or too often?


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## RedyreRottweilers (Dec 17, 2006)

deyainrdy4ds said:


> so should we get it done again at 16 weeks to be safe? isnt it dangerous to give it too much or too often?



ARE YOU READING HERE???? DO YOU WANT TO KILL YOUR PUPPY?

NO do not get it done again!!!!!


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## deyainrdy4ds (May 9, 2010)

animalcraker said:


> At my work we wait til 16 weeks and wont do it any sooner, not even 1 day early. The reason for this is because the humane societies require the vax to be done between 16 and 20 weeks.* Any sooner and they wont accept the vaccine and will make the owner get it done again. *After 20 weeks they start fining owners late fees, but some of the breeders that we work with tell the owners to wait until 6 months and pay them for the late fees.





RedyreRottweilers said:


> ARE YOU READING HERE???? DO YOU WANT TO KILL YOUR PUPPY?
> 
> NO do not get it done again!!!!!


bold section is why i asked....and if u read the second question in my post, you can see that i was skeptical about that...calm down...


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## RedyreRottweilers (Dec 17, 2006)

IMO you will be quite lucky if your puppy does not show any signs from being bombarded at such a tender age with all those pathogens at once.

What do you think vaccines do? They make the immune system work. When it is working hard to mount a response to a vaccine, it has less time to pay attention to other things.

SOmetimes vaccines can put the immune system into overdrive, and cause things like auto immune hemolytic anemia, or other auto immune diseases which can be fatal.

I simply can NOT believe that any vet would pump all that stuff into a 12 weeks old TOY PUPPY.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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## Patt (Feb 12, 2008)

CA law, rabies cannot be given any earilier than 4 months of age. 

Dr. Jean Dodds' protocol is a good one to follow, note the vax not recommended. 

Do not give Lepto it can be fatal in small dogs.

http://www.weim.net/emberweims/Vaccine.html


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## Bordermom (Apr 28, 2010)

I agree with Red. Also keep in mind that the vaccine given to your toy dog is the same dose given to a giant breed puppy - even if that pup is 20 times the size. 

If and when I have to vaccinate (and I avoid it as much as possible but that's another thread), it would be ONE disease at a time and at least a month between each. I would not agree to any combination vaccines used on my dogs. Or cat. Or kids for that matter.

Do some reading on vaccines and the issues related to them, both for humans and animals. There's a reason (IMO) that suddenly there's all of the dangers of peanut allergies and so on that didn't exist 30 years ago. 

Bottom line is, vaccines are not completely save and come with some major health risks that most vets won't admit to. Simply vaccinating over and over again is not going to mean your pup is going to be that much healthier, quite the opposite!

Lana


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## deyainrdy4ds (May 9, 2010)

the initial responses i got seemed like it was ok so we went ahead with it....now i know for next time and i hope hes ok....yesterday and today he's been perfectly normal except for some diarrhea, but i hear thats normal after the booster shots.....we'll be sure to keep a close eye on him and to not do anything similar in the future....hopefully he'll be okay


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## RedyreRottweilers (Dec 17, 2006)

No, diarrhea is NOT a normal response to vaccines, but with all that was pumped into your puppy I would keep a close eye on it. VERY close.


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## deyainrdy4ds (May 9, 2010)

RedyreRottweilers said:


> No, diarrhea is NOT a normal response to vaccines, but with all that was pumped into your puppy I would keep a close eye on it. VERY close.


his stool went back to normal this morning


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## CoverTune (Mar 11, 2007)

I think Red's reaction was quite harsh.

I've worked at two vet clinics in different provinces and neither will give the Rabies vax prior to 16 weeks of age.


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## deyainrdy4ds (May 9, 2010)

CoverTune said:


> I think Red's reaction was quite harsh.
> 
> I've worked at two vet clinics in different provinces and neither will give the Rabies vax prior to 16 weeks of age.


agreed.

and yeah i had originally heard about 6 months and that some people do 4 months....but then the vet papers said at 12 weeks (roughly 3 months) and saw that a lot of local vets do it at 12 weeks..... hence why my original post as to the confusion...


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## Patt (Feb 12, 2008)

deyainrdy4ds said:


> his stool went back to normal this morning


Perhaps the vet visit was a little stressful for him, and now he's back to normal. YAY


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## deyainrdy4ds (May 9, 2010)

he didnt even seem any different right after the vet visit....was playful and active just as usual...so its looking positive and hopefully it is


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## Leiha (Jun 5, 2010)

Hey there!

I know it's a bit late, I wish I would have seen this thread earlier, but I wanted to say that I waited till Valentino was 16 weeks to get his rabies shot (and I was totally terrified about doing vaccinations ANYWAYS), but still met his socialization in several other ways. It's important to read up on the myths and facts about socialization. I find http://www.4pawsu.com to have superb info that has really helped me to understand the process. 

It's so very important to properly socialize your pup but truly doesn't need to be done at dog parks too soon or by putting the pup at risk. 12-14 weeks is the best time to meet AS MANY new people as possible in positive ways where he gets a treat from each new person he meets. Remember, he's already learned quite a bit about being a dog from his litter mates. He'll learn all about dog parks and other dogs but should do it in a positive way. 

I was SOOOOOO wound up on this issue when I got Valentino. He got sick when I first got him and I was CRAZED about the "socialization window" closing before he got better! It turned out fine. He got better quick enough and got to meet plenty of a wide range of people and dogs in a positive way and he's now 1 1/2 years old, LOVES people and dogs and is just fine. 

Take a deep breath and enjoy your puppy. Socialization should be a FUN thing for you and your pup. If it's scary it won't work. Remember to start small and be extra patient and loving. The most important bond will be between you and him and he needs to trust that you're the "safe zone"


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## animalcraker (Nov 9, 2006)

deyainrdy4ds said:


> so should we get it done again at 16 weeks to be safe? isnt it dangerous to give it too much or too often?


I think you misunderstood what I was saying. We don't do it before 16 weeks of age so that they won't have to get it done again. Rabies is one of the harsher vaccines for dogs and we don't want to give it any more than we have to. If he's already gotten it done and it's legal in your state to have it done at that age then there's no need to get it done again.


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## deyainrdy4ds (May 9, 2010)

i had read that 8-12 weeks is a good socialization period during humans and he should meet as many as possible during that time.....and 12-16 weeks for socialization with dogs...we'll continue to do both...

he does really well with both thus far...not aggressive or anything toward people and wants to play with them so it seems like he likes people.....

same with other dogs...when he sees them, he just wants to playfight with them...not too aggressive and uses his mouth but wont bite hard.....when the pitbull thats at home with him doesnt wanna play, he may bark a bit to get her attention lol...

heres a vid from a few hours after the shots when he was introduced to my friends 4 month old pup...hes usually more active and playful but he just woke up lol...and then we had to separate them when the other dog started getting a little too rough (probably without realizing it)...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aDY_odLaBaE



n heres a vid of Enzo playing with Alize the pit

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7XNWnhQlcOk




and ill be sure to browse through that website..thanks!


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## Poly (Sep 19, 2007)

RedyreRottweilers said:


> I refuse to vaccinate for Rabies under 6 months of age, regardless.



I would think that a dog that appears to be or is known to be under four months old would not be a candidate for the rabies vaccination. 

The state law here requires the rabies vaccination be given at _no later than_ seven months old. As a practical matter, many vets actually do it at the "six-month" visit because generally they will not be seeing the dog again until it is much older than seven months. My apologies if my previous answer was confusing. 

That's for a 'private patient', by the way - where the birth date can be easily established. Rescue pups will sometimes end up getting it earlier than that. 

As far as I know, there is no legal minimum age age here. However, the "practical minimum" is three months old because you really can't get it done anywhere any younger than that.


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## Poly (Sep 19, 2007)

Patt said:


> Dr. Jean Dodds' protocol is a good one to follow, note the vax not recommended.


Please note Dr. Dodd's own caveat - OK for California - maybe not so good for other parts of the US. 

Also, I think the bordetella recommendations are much too limited. Yes- this is a disease of boarding kennels. But in many areas, it is also a disease of training facilities, day-cares, dog shows, dog trials - in fact, just about anywhere where numbers of dogs congregate.

If that is your doggy life-style, you should consider it at least yearly.


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## cshellenberger (Dec 2, 2006)

deyainrdy4ds said:


> i had read that 8-12 weeks is a good socialization period during humans and he should meet as many as possible during that time.....and 12-16 weeks for socialization with dogs...we'll continue to do both...
> 
> he does really well with both thus far...not aggressive or anything toward people and wants to play with them so it seems like he likes people.....
> 
> ...


You should socailize him in a Puppy K class, but not in dog parks. Most puppy K classes do not require the rabies vacc's as they are supposedto be given later. Also it allows a more structured place for interaction with other dogs and is far safer, I don't do dog parks AT ALL.


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