Your pups have always received the DHPP vaccine for dogs. You go into your veterinarian and routinely make sure they have all the shots they need to stay healthy. You know vaccines are essential to your dog’s health. While you may know your dog needs vaccines like the DHPP one, have you ever wondered exactly what this 5-in-1 vaccine is for?
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The DHPP Vaccine Really Contains 5 Vaccines In One Shot
The DHPP vaccine is a 5-in-1 vaccine for dogs, so one shot helps prevent against five different diseases. I am going to guess your dog probably isn’t the most excited to get shots. This vaccine helps mitigate the amount of shots your dog has to receive, but ensures the layer of protection needed for five diseases. The DHPP vaccine is one of the core vaccines since they protect against contagious and serious diseases.
What Diseases Does The DHPP Vaccine Protect Dogs From?
This vaccine has the acronym DHPP (also referred to as DAPP or DA2PP) to signify the diseases it helps to protect your dog from. One of the reasons it’s so important to ensure all dogs receive this vaccine is that there currently is not a cure. So these highly contagious viruses could prove fatal for dogs. The DHPP vaccine protects against the following:
- Canine distemper virus
- Two type of adenovirus (hepatitis and kennel cough)
- Parainfluenza
- Parvovirus
Descriptions Of What Vaccines DHPP Stands For
So now you know that this vaccine protects against a multitude of different diseases. Let’s find out what each one means.
- Distemper virus: This is a serious virus that usually spreads via coughing and sneezing in dogs. Itaffects the dog’s respiratory, gastrointestinal, and nervous systems.
- Parainfluenza virus: This is a contagious disease that can cause kennel cough. It’s essentially the dog version of colds we get.
- Parvovirus: While parvovirus is most common in puppies, dogs at any age are susceptible to this. Parvovirus attacks the gastrointestinal tract and suppresses the dog’s immune system. It can also trigger many types of infectious diseases. Dogs who have parvovirus have a high likelihood of not making it.
- Hepatitis/Adenovirus-2: This infectious dog hepatitis is caused by canine adenovirus. This disease can be deadly and targets organs like blood vessel linings, liver, and kidneys.
How Often Should Dogs Receive the DHPP Vaccine?
Dogs receive their first DHPP shot as puppies when they are around 6 weeks old. These puppies then receive additional DHPP shots every 3-4 weeks until they are 16-20 weeks old. Their initial booster shot should occur one year following their final DHPP shot they had as a puppy. And then dogs should receive additional booster shots every 3 years following that first booster shot.
Vaccines play such an essential role in your dog’s health and well-being. Make sure you know exactly what is needed from your veterinarian for your pup to keep them as safe as possible. Check out more health posts to maintain the awesome dog parent lifestyle you have in our Basic Dog Mom Health section.
