• I have a four-month-old puppy who now has his Bordetella and just got his second Distemper shot. He will also get his Rabies shot when he gets Neutered. How many more Distemper shots does he need, and does he need another Bordetella shot also?

  Vaccinations for puppies and kittens are unfortunately more complicated than a simple matter of getting them the right number of shots. The matter of age and timing are what is really critical when it comes to building the foundation for a full year’s worth of immunity.
  
  In order for Cody to be considered vaccinated for the year with the distemper combination, he will need to have received his last vaccine after 16 weeks of age (for some breeds like pit bulls, German Shepherds, or Rottweilers, it can actually be older than that) and have received his previous vaccine between 2-4 weeks prior to that. If he has not received the previous vaccine in the right time frame, he will need another booster vaccine.
  
  In terms of the bordetella vaccine, it really varies depending on the specific vaccine. Some of the intra-nasal vaccines are considered good for 6 months after only one administration, whereas most of the injectable vaccines will need an initial vaccine at roughly 12 weeks and then a booster vaccine 2-4 weeks later.
  
   

Answered by:

John Smith, DVM
Veterinarian

Dr. John Smith is a graduate of LSU, Class of 1998. He has over 10 years of experience...

Tags

Behavior