Our Recommended Vaccination Schedule for Dogs, Cats, Puppies and Kitten

Puppies and Kittens need vaccinations early in life as antibodies they receive from their mother start to decrease around 6-8 weeks of age. It is during this time that puppies need to start building their own immunity through vaccinations. 

All puppies should receive core vaccines as well as certain non-core vaccinations depending on the pet’s lifestyle and breed.

Puppies, Adult Dogs, Kittens and Adult Cats should follow the vaccination schedule below. Discussing your pet’s needs and medical condition will help you decide what is best to help your pet live a long and healthy life.

We recommend following the pet vaccination schedule below as a general guideline. Where you live and your pet's lifestyle will determine specific vaccination and testing needs

CORE VACCINATIONS Recommended for all dogs and cats	DOGS	CATS
8 Weeks Old	DHPP (4-in-1: Distemper, Hepatitis Parvovirus, Parainfluenza)  Start Heartworm Prevention (such as Heartgard, Advantage Multi, etc.)	FVRCP Vaccine (Feline Viral Rhinotracheitis Calicivirus and Panleukopenia)
12 Weeks Old	DHPP Booster	FVRCP Booster FELV Vaccine* (Feline Leukemia Virus)
16 Weeks Old	DHPP Booster Rabies Vaccine ( 18 weeks)	FVRCP Booster FELV Booster Rabies Vaccine** ( 18 weeks)
COMMON NON-CORE VACCINATIONS Recommended based on pet's lifestyle	DOGS	CATS
8 Weeks Old	We typically do not recommend non-core vaccinations at this age due to their sensitivity.	We typically do not recommend non-core vaccinations at this age due to their sensitivity.
12 Weeks Old	Bordetella Vaccine (kennel cough) Lepto Vaccine
16 Weeks Old	Bordetella Booster Lepto Booster
TESTS and DE-WORMING Recommended based on pet's lifestyle	DOGS	CATS
8 Weeks Old	De-worming for Hookworm, Roundworm Start Parasite Prevention  (flea, tick, heartworm)	De-worming for Hookworm, Roundworm Start Parasite Prevention  (flea)
12 Weeks Old	De-worming for Hookworm, Roundworm	De-worming for Hookworm, Roundworm FeLv / FIV
6 MONTHS Old	Heartworm, Erlichiosis, Anaplasmois and Lyme Test (4Dx)

*Feline leukemia virus vaccine may not be considered a “core vaccination” by some veterinarians. However, it has recently been recommended that kittens are at the highest risk of contracting feline leukemia virus more so than adult cats, therefore many vets are reconsidering making Felv a “core vaccination”.

Boosters
It is necessary to boost vaccinations (vaccinating again in a certain time period) to allow for the growth and expansion of the immune response in order to fight off infection upon exposure to the actual disease. 

It is recommended to keep your puppy away from unvaccinated dogs while the vaccination process is going on and away from places of multiple dog exposure, if vaccination status of all dogs is not known.