Dog Vaccinations: What Vaccinations Does My Dachshund Need?
Vaccinations for dachshunds, as for all dogs, are an incredibly important way of protecting against some of the most serious, infectious diseases that can affect your pets. Typically your dachshund should receive their initial course of vaccinations when they are a puppy, and then most vets offer an annual booster programme, where they will receive a top up boost to their immunity depending on which vaccines require a booster at that time.
Like with vaccines for humans, dog vaccinations expose the immune system to a small amount of bacteria or virus (usually in a dead or modified form) to help train their immunity to recognise and fight against that virus if they encounter it later in life. It is an effective way of preventing disease not only in your own dog, but also protecting other dogs in your community from the spread of infectious disease.
Vaccines for dogs in the UK cover infectious diseases such as:
Canine Parvovirus
Distemper
Canine Adenovirus
Leptospira
With other vaccines like Kennel Cough recommended if your dog is regularly in contact with other dogs, but not essential, and usually not given as part of core vaccines - our vets for example offers this for an additional charge. Rabies is another optional vaccine which is a requirement needed for travel abroad.
When should I vaccinate my dachshund puppy?
The first vaccines for puppies are usually given around 6-8 weeks old. There will be a booster at 12 weeks old, and sometimes another booster at 16 weeks old, depending on the vaccines administered by your vet.
When our boy Rocky came to us at 8 weeks old, he had started an initial vaccination course while with the breeder, however this differed to the vaccines offered by our vets, so we actually had to restart the course again. This meant that we had to keep him inside for an additional couple of weeks before we could start walking him. You should always wait until the full course is complete with the initial puppy vaccinations - usually two weeks after the second vaccine - before exposing them to any unvaccinated dogs (or doing so unknowingly out on walks) to ensure that your puppy is fully protected against disease at a time when they are most vulnerable.
Your dachshund should then receive an annual booster jab from your vets to top up their vaccines. Some of the vaccines last for a year, others up to three years, so your dog may not receive all vaccines every time.
If you miss an annual booster, sometimes you may also need to restart the course with your vets. This actually happened to us in 2022 where we had missed rebooking a booster appointment in 2021 where we had missed it due to covid, and then in 2022 found that our boy’s vaccination status had lapsed. Our vets require an annual vaccination before they will dispense some routine medications such as flea and worming treatments, which is how I found out we were overdue on our last vaccination, although there is typically a grace period after that annual due date (we had gone well beyond it). It is best to find out from your vets practice what their policy is for boosters and talk to them as soon as you realise you might have missed an appointment.
What is titre testing?
Some veterinary practices may offer a procedure called titre testing, which is a type of blood test used to detect whether antibodies are still present for the diseases that are being vaccinated against, and therefore indicate whether revaccination is actually needed or not when it comes to administering booster jabs, as there are some arguments that boosters may not always be required as frequently for some diseases and therefore potentially saving you some cost on annual boosters. However we have found this doesn’t seem to be routinely offered - our vets doesn’t use this practise for example - and from what we have seen it tends to be more expensive than vaccine boosters, as many vets offer some sort of health plan that covers you for vaccination. At our vets for example, we were able to sign up for a “vaccines for life” plan for an initial one of cost that then covers us for an annual booster for free, for life. So it’s worth talking to your vets practice about what they offer.
What happens at a vaccination appointment?
Vaccination booster appointments are typically combined with an annual health check, so the vet will check the weight and general health of your dog and ask you some questions about how the dog has been behaving recently to help identify anything of concern. They will then administer the required booster vaccinations for your dog.
Are there any side effects?
Adverse reactions to dog vaccinations are rare.
We often find our dachshund Rocky is a bit lethargic for 24 hours or so after receiving a booster, and sometimes develops a temporary lump at the injection site that goes down after a few days. Some dogs may be off their food or generally not themselves for a day or two after receiving booster vaccinations. This usually passes quickly, however the vets should give you instructions on what to do if any reactions are severe or continue beyond a couple of days.
