How early can puppies be safely vaccinated?

Question

I have a litter of 4 week old puppies. They are still nursing, but I am very paranoid about parvo and other diseases. I want to socialize the pups and introduce them to new places and situations, but I am afraid they will contract something.

Answer 1

The clinic I work for will do the first set of shots and deworming at 8 weeks of age. But some clinics will do them at 6 weeks.

Answer 2

Socializing the puppies iat this age is not an option until they have had their shots. It is not safe to give them the shots until they 6 weeks old. Many times if you give shots too early they do not work at all. In other cases when given a modified live virus they can actually come down with the very thing you are vaccinating for. If your mother dog was up to date on her shots, your puppies will have some protection for a week or so. You should not let your puppies on the ground in your own front yard. You don't know if a dog that is carring parvo might have walked through it the night before. Parvo is spread by direct contact, it is NOT air borne. If you keep your puppies in you house they will be safe. Even after getting their shots they are not 100% safe outside of your home. You are right to be paranoid about parvo. Very few, if any puppies that young survive parvo. So you must be careful. Even when you take them to the Vet, do not let them on the floor, in case someone was in earlier that had parvo. Keep them confined in a kennel and take one at a time out for the shots and then right back in the kennel. Don't let a lot of people handle them either. You just never know what they might have been in contact with. I had a friend who had a litter of Siberian Huskies. Someone came to see them who had just been at another location looking at other puppies who had been exposed to parvo. She lost her whole litter. Please be very careful! Good luck, and thank you for being so concerned. You need to be.

Answer 3

"GOMEREARLE" is so incredibly wrong, it hurts. ANY puppy (breed makes no difference) should be vaccinated between 6-8 weeks. Maternal antibodies are still circulating before this age bracket so vaccinating before then is useless ( NO MATTER WHAT BREEDER'S SAY....BREEDER'S ARE NOT DOCTORS). Start with the Canine "combo" vaccine that has the following:
Distemper
Parvo
Lepto
Parainfluenza
Coronavirus
Hepatits
Adenovirus type 2
(all these will be in the same injection)

then every 21 days, your puppy should be boostered with the distemper combo as well as bordetella, giardia, rabies (between 12-16 weeks) and lyme disease if you live in a tick-infested area.
the final set of vaccines should be given when the puppy is between 18-22 weeks old. also remember to gt your puppy's stool checked until you have 2 negative tests in a row. start on heartworm prevention at 8 weeks and don't forget about flea control. a spay/neuter surgery is recommended between 4-6 months, depending on how big your puppy is. if you don't plan on showing or breeding your dog (there are 20 million puppies and kittens put to death every year that don't have homes), then GET IT FIXED. Not only does this reduce the risk of accidental puppies, it greatly aids in the health and longevity of your dog. A spayed female with reduce her risk of breast cancer (yes it does happen), uteran cancer, and a dangerous uteran infection called pyometra that can kill a dog. a neutered male will be less likely to escape to go mate, go mark on your furniture and territory, be aggressive, and will reduce his risk for testicular cancer, and enlarged prostate (prostatic hypertrophy).
the first 6 months is very busy and can be expensive, but a healthy, happy puppy is SO worth it.
GOOD LUCK!

Answer 4

Here in CA, we recommend that puppies start their vaccines at 6 weeks of age and that they be repeated every 3 weeks until the age of 4 months, at which time they can also have a rabies vaccine and be spayed or neutered.

Please be aware that although a single vaccine has been given, you should not allow the puppies around other dogs (or for that matter out of your backyard) until the full series of shots is complete. The vaccines are designed to build your puppies immune response and that is not accomplished until the full series is done. Before that time, they will still be vulnerable to all forms of viral diseases including Parvovirus, Distemper, and Kennel Cough.

Talk with your local veterinarian to get your puppies started.

Answer 5

You sound like a very responsible dog owner. Puppy shots usually start from 6 to eight weeks. Rabies at 4 months. Puppies need shots every three weeks until they are 20 weeks old. Very important not to miss. Never take your puppy anywhere strange and sit him on the ground. Also, make people wash their hands before they handle your puppy. Good Luck

Answer 6

Since the puppies are so young I would wait sometime before you socialize them and /or bring them to new places. I recently got a puppy and my vet felt very strongly about keeping them home until the are vaccinated. They start their vaccinations pretty young depending on the health of the puppy. I would call your vet and make an appointment for the puppies. Good Luck!!!

Answer 7

6 weeks for everything but the rabies. They give the rabies in Tennessee at 3 months. You should not take the pups out to public places before they have had 2 sets of shots.

Answer 8

You can call a vet and tell them what breed of puppies you have, and they will give you a vaccination schedule. Please don't take your puppies out around other dogs until they are fully vaccinated, which will be at around 6 months old. Depending on the breed, you may be able to start vaccinations soon. If the mother is up-to-date on her vaccinations, the immunization will pass to the puppies through her milk. Please call a vet's office asap for information.

Answer 9

Here are the recommendations from the American Animal Hospital Association. This is the protocol that all 27 vet universities in the US are following.

www.aahanet.org

Answer 10

The first time is around three months old and several trips for the first year