Shots

[Walliered]

Is it OK to give rabies, kennel cough, etc. on the same day or should they be spaced out? Thanks

[OwnedBySummer]

I prefer to space everything out as much as I can.

[brandimom]

I would space everything out just to be on the safe side of things.

[Newgreymom]

Space them out...that's what i do..

[KF_in_Georgia]

Aside from multiple shots on one day giving your dog perhaps too much to cope with at once, if you give all the shots at once and the dog reacts badly to one injection, you don't know which one was the problem.

 

By law in lots of jurisdictions, the rabies shot must be administered by the vet. That often means an office visit charge. I do the rabies shots during the well-dog visit, or on one of the other have-to-see-the-doctor visits my two wind up having.

 

Then I can schedule much cheaper visits to the vet techs for DHLPP and bordatella (which is usually a squirt up the nose rather than an injection). There's no office visit charge then; just the cost of the injection.

 

You might want to schedule your appointments early enough in the day that there's time for you and the dog to hang out in the waiting room for 30 minutes or so after the shot. An anaphylactic reaction to a shot will be fast; you don't want to be whipping around in traffic and driving back at high speed as your dog is having problems in the back seat.

 

Also, see whether your dog can have a 3-year shot rather than a 1-year. Fewer injections generally means fewer risk of bad reactions, but some areas do not accept 3-year shots.

[brandimom]

Aside from multiple shots on one day giving your dog perhaps too much to cope with at once, if you give all the shots at once and the dog reacts badly to one injection, you don't know which one was the problem.

 

By law in lots of jurisdictions, the rabies shot must be administered by the vet. That often means an office visit charge. I do the rabies shots during the well-dog visit, or on one of the other have-to-see-the-doctor visits my two wind up having.

 

Then I can schedule much cheaper visits to the vet techs for DHLPP and bordatella (which is usually a squirt up the nose rather than an injection). There's no office visit charge then; just the cost of the injection.

 

You might want to schedule your appointments early enough in the day that there's time for you and the dog to hang out in the waiting room for 30 minutes or so after the shot. An anaphylactic reaction to a shot will be fast; you don't want to be whipping around in traffic and driving back at high speed as your dog is having problems in the back seat.

 

Also, see whether your dog can have a 3-year shot rather than a 1-year. Fewer injections generally means fewer risk of bad reactions, but some areas do not accept 3-year shots.

 

Great advice!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Guest jbbuzby]

Yeah, I typically try to not have more than 2 done at a time, and wait a few weeks in-between.

[kudzu]

KFinGA gave great advice.

 

We always try to separate vaccines, usually by a minimum of a couple months. (No scientific basis for that timing.) Also, remember that there are 3 yr rabies & 3 yr distempter/parvo vaccines. So for the core vaccines, after the initial set, my dogs get one shot a year at their regular appts. That is two years in a row with a year off in between. Most of mine get two rounds of that. At that point they are usually seniors & then only the legally required rabies vacc. If my dogs are well & they going somewhere that requires it then they get kennel cough vacc. It's done as a tech appt as KFinGA suggests.

[Batmom]

Doesn't matter except for knowing which vaccine the pet reacted to, if there is a bad reaction. Serious adverse reactions to the bordetella vaccine are exceptionally rare. I wouldn't worry about giving that one at the same time as another unless you have a dog who's had a serious reaction (and if you knew it was to bordetella, I just wouldn't give it).

[sweetdogs]

As a reminder, vaccines should only be given to healthy dogs. So if you're at the vet because your hound isn't feeling well, that's not the day to give any vaccines. If your dog is chronically ill, I'd rethink vaccines altogether. Depending on the dogs age & where you live, rabies may be one you have to give. But think before you jab.

[GeorgeofNE]

I don't give kennel cough (I did this year, only because I anticipate my father dying soon and maybe needing to kennel George) but I've never had any issues getting shots done at the same time--

 

I suppose I might have just been lucky--

 

One of my cats is absolutely terrified of leaving the house, so he really needs everything done at once, as infrequently as possible. He's nine now, so he's only getting rabies as he has never been outside and has only been boarded one night in his life. Seems silly to load him with vaccines.