Vaccines 101: what dog vaccinations really do for your dog (and you)

The minute you bring a dog into your home you begin to understand just how special your four-legged friend really is: your dog doesn’t judge or hold a grudge; and more often than not, she’s pretty happy to follow your lead, wherever that may be. Naturally, you want to do everything in your power to help your dog stay healthy and protected throughout life.

Dog vaccines are like armour for your dog. They help the body muster the strength and ability to fight disease-causing bacteria or viruses that your dog may encounter at any age. It’s important to protect your dog. Your vet will explain which vaccines are essential, along with which ones are required by law in your country. Vaccination is highly successful at controlling debilitating and often deadly diseases, so much so that in some cases the diseases may no longer appear to be a threat. Infection is always a threat to a dog that is not vaccinated. Nevertheless serious infections continue to put unvaccinated dogs at risk and keeping the least common infectious diseases at a low level very much depends on continued vaccination.

Vaccination protects every member of your family from the threat of serious diseases, along with all of the other animals as well as other pets, that your dog socialises with.

Vets agree that your pet should be protected against diseases that are most common, highly contagious, and cause serious illness. The vaccines that protect against these diseases are considered core vaccines. These include canine distemper, infectious canine hepatitis, canine parvovirus, leptospirosis and in many countries outside the UK, rabies. Other vaccinations may be recommended, based on your vet’s evaluation of the risks posed by such factors as your dog’s particular environment and lifestyle. These are referred to as non-core vaccines.

Need: Core

Canine distemper is a highly contagious viral infection mainly spread by discharge from the nose and eyes of infected dogs. This virus affects a dog’s gastrointestinal, respiratory and often also its central nervous system causing neurological signs such as fits. Vaccination is highly successful in preventing distemper. There is no specific antiviral treatment available for dogs that become ill from this often-fatal disease.

Need: Core

Canine parvovirus is a contagious viral disease that affects unvaccinated puppies and adult dogs through direct or indirect contact with the faeces of an infected dog. The virus is shed in the faeces. This virus is highly resistant to many disinfectants and may remain in the environment for several months which makes it easily transmittable. The infection spreads through the bloodstream and attacks areas such as the bone marrow and the small intestine. Some dogs show no signs of infection, while others can be very seriously affected with complete loss of appetite, severe vomiting, and bloody diarrhoea. Although there is no specific treatment, dogs can recover with intensive nursing and veterinary care. Vaccination remains the best means of prevention.

Need: Core

Infectious canine hepatitis (ICH) is a highly contagious disease caused by canine adenovirus type 1 which can range from mild to fatal. This disease is transmitted among dogs by contact with secretions, such as saliva, infected urine, or faeces. Signs vary from a slight fever and congestion to severe depression, marked leukopaenia, and coagulation disorders. The disease causes liver failure and eye damage. In recent years, the disease has become uncommon in areas where routine vaccination is done, but periodic outbreaks, which may reflect maintenance of the disease in wild and feral hosts, reinforce the need for continued vaccination.

Vaccination also protects against canine adenovirus 2 which, alongside other viruses and bacteria, is a significant cause of infectious respiratory disease (contagious cough)

Need: Core (in countries where rabies is present); Required by law in some countries

Rabies is a disease that is both 100% fatal and 100% preventable. It is a virus that infects the central nervous system of all mammals. Once infected, the animal (such as jackals, foxes, meerkats, and bats) begins to behave erratically, for instance, nocturnal animals become active during the day, others become unusually aggressive, and they spread the disease through bites or scratches on the skin. The rabies vaccine for dogs provides added protection. Rabies vaccination is required by law for dogs in many countries. For many countries, you will need to provide vaccination records when boarding or travelling with your dog. People can also be affected by Rabies by being bitten by a rabid animal. The disease is 100% fatal in humans once signs of the disease appear.



While rabies is not present in the UK, dogs who travel to countries where rabies are present, are at risk of contracting it.

Need: Core vaccine, recommended in dogs with access to outdoor areas frequented by wildlife, especially rodents.

Leptospirosis is a bacterial infection that attacks the kidneys, lungs, and liver of infected dogs. The infection is shed in the urine of various wildlife species, especially rodents who are referred to as ‘reservoir hosts’ for leptospirosis.  Dogs mainly contract the disease by coming into contact, either directly or indirectly, with infected urine, mainly by drinking from or swimming in contaminated water sources (puddles, streams, rivers, swamps and artificial lakes). Following infection, leptospires travel through the bloodstream and end up in various tissues and organs. Signs of disease vary from mild to severe, which can result in liver or in kidney failure and sometimes haemorrhagic lung disease. There are a large number of different pathogenic serogroups (similar to strains) of leptospires but most canine disease in Europe is caused by strains from four serogroups; vaccination is available and recommended to protect against the strains from these four different serogroups.

Need: Non-Core

This highly contagious condition, also known as Kennel cough or more correctly, Canine Infectious Respiratory Disease Complex (CIRDC), upper respiratory disease or kennel cough, is spread through coughing and sneezing. Several different viral and bacterial organisms can cause this disease. Parainfluenza virus and the bacteria Bordetella bronchiseptica are common primary causes of infectious respiratory disease in dogs. Although infected dogs can recover on their own if there is no secondary infection or damage to the lungs, they may be quite ill for some weeks and sometimes develop more severe diseases such as pneumonia as a result. Contagious cough spreads quickly among dogs in close quarters in kennels, dog parks or while travelling. Proof of vaccination is often necessary for places where dogs come in contact with each other, such as daycares or kennels.  Although these are considered high risk places for disease to spread, any dog that mixes regularly with others will be at risk and vaccination would be recommended.


Your vet can advise on vaccination and all aspects of preventive healthcare that help maintain your dog’s health and wellbeing . Take time to discuss your dog’s lifestyle with your vet who can provide tailored preventive advice on vaccination, dental care, weight management and many other aspects of keeping you dog healthy.

Hopefully, we’ve answered some of your questions about what dog vaccines should be considered, by outlining what types of diseases pose the greatest risk to your dog throughout life. It’s essential to discuss vaccination with your vet. Be sure to share your and your dog’s lifestyle habits with your vet so that you can plan a course of prevention that will enable your journey together to be a safe and happy one.