Need help figuring out Puppy Vaccinations; also, Neuter Reccomendations?
ByQuestion by Maria: Need help figuring out Puppy Vaccinations; also, Neuter Reccomendations?
I bought a 3-month old Maltipoo (turns 4 months in April 3rd) and I’m looking at his vaccinations list.
In his papers, it says this about vaccines:
“DOG/DHLPP
Vaccinated: 2/10/08
Vaccinated: 3/16/08
WORMING
round/tape: 2/9/08″
I looked over the available vaccinations list, but the ones I see in there do not include DHLPP? It says DA2PP and DA2LPP. What does this mean? Is it the same? I’m assumming that what he has listed means that he already got his two series of shots; how many are there remaining?
I bought Insurance for him from PetPlan (maximum coverage), but I am aware it does not offer preventative care or spay/neuter procedures. I’m getting the rest of his vaccinations at his vet.
Also, at what age do you reccomend for me to neuter him? I know there’s a couple of low-cost neutering programs out there, so if you know about them it would be great. Not necessary though — I’ve already decided on a vet for him, so I’m just looking at other options.
Thanks! 
Almost forgot! (Or ran out of space, either of the two)
How much does the procedure usually cost, and which company do you reccomend? I know there’s 24-hour-pet-watch, homeagain, ect… any experiences with these?
I’m really bad at additional details; I was asking about Microchipping! Oops!
Best answer:
Answer by Arei
I thiiiinnkkk there are 2 or 3 more of that first series shots remaining for your puppy. I think, I would ask your vet though.
What do you think? Answer below!
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7 Comments
June 10th, 2011 at 10:01 am
Our guy was neutered at 8 weeks, but he was already 7 lbs at that point. Don’t let a vet tell you “6 months” – any dog can be done as early as 8 weeks, provided they’re big enough. Especially males, its like a 15 min job for the vet – snip! snip!
June 10th, 2011 at 11:01 am
they are all distemper. you also need bordetella which is whopping cough and rabies. Which he will get all if you have a vet. Most recommend 6 months to neuter though there doctors who will perform it at five sometimes four months. I wouldn’t recommend the discount places the ones I am come across were dirty and unprofessional.
June 10th, 2011 at 11:56 am
The letters represent what vaccination combos are in that vaccine.
D is for Distemper
H is for canine Hepatitis
L is for Leptospirosis
P is for Parvo
the other P is for Parainfluinza (sp?) (typically, if you only see one “P” its for Parvo)
A is for Adenovirus (sp?) the 2 indicates that it is for 2 strains
Some vaccines also contain C, which is coronovirus.
You should talk to your vet about which vaccine would be best to use, since your vet would know which diseases are most common in your area.
Neutering is done around 6 months of age. It really doesnt matter if you go with low-cost or pay full price at your vets. The low-cost programs are still being done by vets who are volunteering their time to help control the population. Do whatever you feel comfortable doing.
As far as microchipping, go with either Avid or Homeagain. DO NOT use the chips offered at Banfield Animal Hospitals (Petsmart or Petco, I forget which has the vet) Avid and Home Again run on the same frequency, and most shelters have a scanner for one or the other. The chips offered at Banfield run on a different frequency, and not as many shelters have their scanners. When I asked about Chips on the petfinder forum, many shelter workers told me Avid or Homeagain. Chips cost around $35-50, plus another $15 to register.. dont forget to register the chip in your name, and to keep it updated if you move or change numbers!
June 10th, 2011 at 12:55 pm
The DHLPP vaccine contains Dispemper, Hepatitis, Lepto, Parvo, and Parainfluenza.
Puppies need to be vaccinated every three weeks until they are 16 weeks of age. So depending on how old he was when he received his first two vaccines, that will tell you if he needs another booster vaccine.
The DA2PP contains Distemper, Adeno Virus, Parvo, and Parainfluenza. And the DA2LPP contains the same, plus Lepto. If your puppy got the DHLPP, he will be fine. Your veterinarian will look over your pups records and let you know if he feels he needs to be vaccinated for anything else.
And he also needs his Rabies Vaccine.
And while a neuter is considered a routine procedure, it really isn’t as easy as ’snip snip.’ Your pup is still undergoing anesthesia and having a surgical procedure done. So I would follow your veterinarians recommendation on when it should be done. Most veterinarians recommend to have a puppy neutered at 6 months of age. And the cost of a neuter really depends on the clinic, and what you have done. Some clinics will be less expensive. While some clinics will be more expensive, but they might also offer more care, like preanesthetic blood work etc. So you will want to call around to the different clinics to get prices, and also find out what is included in those prices, and decide what you want to do.
Microchipping, this can be done while you pup goes in to get neutered. I would also recommend Avid or HomeAgain. At the clinic where I work we use HomeAgain, and it costs $45. Each clinic is going to be slightly different.
June 10th, 2011 at 1:53 pm
dhlpp: distemper, hepatitis, leptospirosis, parinfluenza and parvovirus. they also need bordatella, which is kennel cough.
da2pp: This vaccine protects against Canine Distemper (neurological or brain disease), Adenovirus (liver disease), Parvovirus (severe intestinal damage), and Parainfluenza (respiratory disease). They also have a lyme disease vaccine and a Porphyromonas, a vaccine against the bacteria that causes periodontal disease.
Also worm him again and include tape worm meds.
June 10th, 2011 at 2:46 pm
You have one more set of shots to do at 4 months, along with the rabies. You will also need a booster at 1 year. Then I personally do not do shots except every 3 years after that.
As for neutering, I would wait until 12 months or more. The dog’s growth plates are controled by testosterone. If you remove the testes, you remove much of his testosterone. He will not grow to the proper size if you neuter him too early. Also, early neuter has been linked to causing bone and heart cancer later in life. I personally waited until my male was 12 months to fix him and will be waiting until 18-24 months for my female.
June 10th, 2011 at 3:04 pm
For small dogs I think 7-8 months is a good time to neuter. Just because it CAN be done earlier doesn’t mean that it should be. I prefer to wait until 14 months with larger dogs, but for smaller dogs 8 months IMO is optimum.
As far as microchips. I like homeagain or Avid. Those are the most widely used. $40-60
Those are the appropriate vaccinations as far as I know. They cover Distemper, Hepatitis and Parvo. Personally I think those two are the ones that should be covered for now. If you think it’s best to vaccinate for Leptospirosis, Coronavirus or Bordatella. *I* recommend those are done seperately and spread out. Those are less common than distemper and parvo and when you do individual vaccines and they have a reaction to one, you will know exactly what the reaction is to. I prefer this method to combo vaccines. That is just my opinion though and you should do what you feel is best for your puppy. Vaccines have been linked to allergies, cancer, and weakened immune systems. There’s no way to really know but I’d rather be safe than sorry.
You may also look into titres for the future. I’ve decided this is a better option for my pets.