Vaccines are a terrific way to keep your pet healthy and happy, but not all owners understand exactly what those vaccines are meant to prevent. The American Animal Hospital Association recently revised its recommendations for canine preventatives and divided the vaccines into three categories: 1) core (recommended) vaccines; 2) noncore (recommended but optional) vaccines; and 3) vaccines that are not generally recommended.

1. Core vaccines

Those that are considered necessary for all dogs to maintain optimum health. Some of these vaccines may be combined into one shot, allowing your veterinarian to cover multiple diseases, while giving fewer injections to your pet. Here are some core vaccines:

Canine Distemper Virus is a highly contagious and often fatal disease. Due to effective vaccine programs this disease is seen only rarely in the United States, usually in shelters where the dog population may not be fully vaccinated. Symptoms range from fever, runny nose, cough and vomiting to twitching, seizures and death.

Canine Adenovirus/Hepatitis are two viruses that can affect a dog’s liver, kidneys, spleen and lungs. It is most often fatal in young dogs, although dogs of any age may become infected. Symptoms include fever, diarrhea and respiratory disease.

Canine Parvovirus is highly contagious and attacks the cells that line the intestines, causing fever, dehydration, vomiting and a characteristic bloody diarrhea. In rare cases, the heart muscle can also be affected, leading to long-term health problems.

Canine Parainfluenza Virus causes chronic respiratory disease and is more serious when accompanied by other viral or bacterial infections. Parainfluenza is passed by coughing dogs as airborne particles, allowing it to spread easily.

Rabies is a fatal viral disease that can affect most mammals, including dogs, cats and humans. Because it is a public health issue, all dogs and cats are required to be vaccinated against rabies by state and local laws. Treatment is available for humans exposed to rabid animals but for our pets prevention is the only option.

2. Noncore vaccines

Given to dogs at risk of exposure to the disease. The decision to vaccinate for these diseases is based on the lifestyle of the dog and can vary with what part of the country a dog is living in, what activities the owner engages in with the dog, and how often the dog is exposed to other dogs. These include:

Bordatella brochiseptica, the bacteria most often associated with infectious cough in dogs. It is commonly referred to as the “kennel cough” vaccine, although dogs need not go to a kennel to be infected. Affected dogs have a characteristic dry hacking cough, often described by owners as a choking noise. Bordatella is usually found in dogs with upper respiratory tract infections in conjunction with other bacteria and viral diseases.

Lyme disease is acquired from the bite of an infected deer tick. Deer ticks are very tiny and nearly impossible to find on a dog. This is the most commonly reported tick disease in the United States, however not all animals that are exposed will show signs of illness. Lyme disease may cause joint infections, damage to the kidneys and other organs, and may be accompanied by a fever.

Leptospirosis is caused by a spiral shaped bacteria and can result in damage to the kidneys, liver and other vital organs. This bacteria is acquired from contact with infected urine and can be transmitted to people.

3. Vaccines currently on the market not useful.

These include: the Corona Virus, Giardia and Adenovirus 1 vaccines.

All dogs need vaccinations to ensure their health. How frequently and with which vaccines are determined by the veterinarian based on the dog’s age, immune status, risk factors, history of vaccination or vaccine reactions, travel habits and lifestyle. Young puppies require a series of vaccines to teach their developing immune systems how to handle disease exposure, while older dogs generally do not require more than once or twice a year boosters. Some vaccines are capable of stimulating a longer duration of immunity than others—these require less frequent boosters than those that provide only temporary protection. Together, you and your veterinarian can determine a vaccine protocol appropriate for each dog in your household.