When to vaccinate.

The best advice is to call your veterinarian before you pick up that new member of the family and ask to have the puppy examined as soon after you become the owner as possible. On your way home from the breeder/seller is actually a good time to have the pup seen by your veterinarian, and if you are able to you should bring in a stool sample from the pup for analysis for worms. Getting rid of any intestinal parasites is the first step in having the pup's nutritional efficiency at an optimum level.

During the examination the veterinarian will look at the pup's medical/vaccination history. If the breeder has given vaccinations just recently, and your veterinarian is confident that it was done properly, a recommendation will be made regarding when to come in for the next "booster" injection of vaccine. If the pup is healthy and unvaccinated, your veterinarian will suggest vaccinating right away. One or more of the vaccines listed in the table above will be administered and a suggestion made as to when the next visit should be scheduled.