Canine Vaccination Protocol¹

Vaccine	Initial vaccination <16W	Initial vaccination >16W	Booster
Combination vaccine CPV-2+ CDV+ CAV-2+ CPiV + Leptospira canicola-icterohaemorrhagiae bacterin (MLV) (CORE) / SC	Starting at 6W of age: Administer at 2-4W interval until 16W of age *High risk dogs (where incidence of CDV and CPV is high) should receive final dose at 18-20W of age	Starting at 16-20W of age: Administer 2 doses 2-4W apart Starting at >20W of age: Administer 1-2 doses 2-4W apart. A single dose should provide full protective immunity despite living in a high-risk area	Booster within 1 year following last dose of the initial vaccination protocol. Thereafter booster every 3 years or longer Consider measuring antibody levels to assess for protective immunity against CDV, CPV and CAV2
	If the booster interval is 4-6W, administer 2 further doses 3-4W apart with last dose administer between 16-20W of age If the booster interval is >6W and dog is <20W of age, reinitiate the protocol again based on the above Dogs who are >20W of age with unknown or incomplete vaccination history should receive a single dose and booster every 3 years
Rabies (Killed vaccine) (CORE) / SC	Starting at 12W and no older than 20W of age (5months) A microchip must be present or placed at time of vaccination. A license must be applied to the AFCD at point of vaccination		Booster every 3 years* The license must be renewed with the AFCD every 3 years at time of each re-vaccination
	*Guideline based on AFCD requirement
Bordetella bronchiseptica + CPiV + CAV-2 (NONCORE) / IN	Starting at 8-16W of age: Administer as a single dose	Administer as a single dose	Booster every 1 year if living in a high-risk area
	The onset of protective immunity can be as early as 48-72hrs. The duration of protection for B. bronchiseptica can be 12-14months following a single dose of IN vaccine The duration of protection for CPiV is expected to exceed 12months following a single dose of IN vaccine
Leptospira Serovar canicola Serovar icterohaemorrhagiae Serovar grippotyphosa Serova Pomona Bacterial extract (Killed vaccine) (NONCORE) / SC	Starting at 8-9W of age: Administer 2 doses 2-4W apart	Administer 2 doses 2-4W apart	Booster every 1 year depending on exposure risk
	There is no published data regarding booster interval >6W, for safety reason, reinitiate the protocol again Dog that had only a single vaccine within 1 year should not be considered immunized. Cross-protection among serovars is limited
12017 AAHA Canine Vaccination Guidelines, 2017

Feline Vaccination Protocol²

Vaccine	Initial vaccination <16W	Initial vaccination >16W	Booster
Combination vaccine FHV-1+ FPV+ Chlamydia Psittaci (Killed vaccine) (CORE) / SC	Starting at 6-8W of age: Administer at 2-4W interval until 16W of age	Administer 2 doses 2-4W apart	Booster in 6-12month following the last dose of the initial vaccination protocol. Thereafter booster not more often than every 3 years Consider annual booster for high-risk cats
2Guidelines For The Vaccination Of Dogs And Cats Compiled By The Vaccination Guidelines Group (VGG) Of The World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA), 2016

Why do we vaccinate?

Vaccination helps to reduce the incidence of specific infectious disease caused by certain virus and bacteria. Not all vaccines have the same level of protection, for example vaccine against feline parvovirus provide excellent protection while vaccine against feline respiratory tract infections only reduce the severity of the disease. Nonetheless a vaccinated cat in general is much less likely to die from the disease.

In dogs, we aim to achieve herd immunity in our community so that by vaccinating your dog who will get protection from the vaccine, we also reduce the number of individual dogs that are susceptible to the disease. We know that dogs that receive CORE vaccination every 3 years can gain as much protection as dogs that receive the same vaccine every year because it is the percentage of vaccinated dogs within the population that matters the most!

How come my kitten/puppy need so many vaccines when they are young?

Naturally newborn kitten/puppy receives its protection against infectious disease from their mother’s milk. Milk contains maternally derived antibodies (MDA) that provide early protection while the kitten/puppy’s own immunity is still immature. Vaccination aims to stimulate the kitten/puppy’s own immunity, but this might be interfered by MDA. By vaccinating the kitten/puppy every 2-4 weeks before the age of 16weeks, we aim to stimulate the immune system while the MDA weans down, providing adequate opportunity for these newborns to develop immunity against possible infections.

Possible adverse reaction to vaccination

We know that some kitten/puppy might develop adverse reaction(s) to vaccine, but the benefits greatly outweigh the risk just like in human.

In general, we ask our clients to monitor their kitten/puppy for the first few days after each vaccination, if symptoms persist for more than that we ask you to contact us for veterinary attentions.

Generally, some kitten/puppy might experience temporary and mild reactions such as malaise, reduced appetite, vomiting, diarrhea and fever that will resolve without treatment. Vaccination through the nose might cause some transient sneezing or coughing. More serious reaction might include local reactions at the injection site such as swelling, skin rashes, hives, facial swellings, difficulty breathing, seizure or collapse. These symptoms usually occur within minutes to hours after vaccination, immediate veterinary attention is required.

Sometimes an uncommon tumor will form at the injection site few months after the vaccine, you should contact your veterinarian if you notice this matter.