This content was reviewed by veterinarian Dr. JoAnna Pendergrass, DVM.
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Vaccines are an important component of a dog’s health and wellness. Although dog vaccines are developed in different ways and come in various formulations, they all serve the same purpose: to protect dogs from diseases that can cause serious illness and even be fatal.
There are many vaccines available for dogs, so you may be wondering which vaccines your dog actually needs. Plus, different vaccines have different vaccination schedules, making it a little confusing to know what vaccines your dog needs and when.
No one wants to put their dog through discomfort, and you may question whether all of these vaccinations are really necessary. We’ll help you learn about core (required) and non-core (not required) vaccinations.
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Vaccinations protect your dog against an array of illnesses. The basic premise of a vaccine is to prepare the immune system to recognize an infectious organism and effectively fend off that organism when it invades the body. That preparation involves developing antibodies that will specifically recognize and target infectious foreign invaders.
