My dog got two initial canine flu shots. Does he still need a booster?

The Canine Flu vaccine is initially two vaccines given 3-4 weeks apaRt. After that, it is a yearly vaccine. If your dog has increased risk of exposure, she should be vaccinated. Dogs with increased risk are dogs that board frequently, go to daycare or dog parks regularly or get groomed regularly.

Hi there. In general, it's recommended to give the second booster in 3-4 weeks because this is the optimal window of time for the immune system to respond appropriately. You can't wait too long, or the initial response will have completely died down and the booster won't be effective. It's generally okay to wait up to 6 weeks to give the booster if needed, but I wouldn't recommend waiting longer than that. Waiting until April 27th would likely be pushing it a bit, so I would try to get her in within the 6 week window if possible.

I'm not sure what exactly your veterinarian told you that was confusing, but there are two strains of canine influenza that have caused disease in recent years: H3N8 and H3N2. The second seems to be the most clinically relevant and as far as I know is the cause of all flu outbreaks this year. There is a newer vaccine that covers both H3N8 and H3N2, or you can get each vaccine separately. Parainfluenza is indeed a different virus. The canine influenza vaccine (both strains) is not considered a 'core' vaccine, meaning that dogs who are not at risk (primarily those that are not around large groups of other dogs) probably don't need this vaccine. This might be why your veterinarian said FlynnLee was up to date on vaccines but potentially did not have the influenza vaccine.

The first annual booster vaccine is very important to maximise long term protection and it is likely a course of 2 vaccines may be required to reinforce immunity. This depends in part on what she had already and the local disease risk in your area, your vet can advise further at your check up

Vaccine recommendations to partially depend upon his lifestyle and where you live. Also, that second vaccine should have been given in a 2 to 4 week window from the initial vaccine. If it was given later than four weeks after the first vaccine, he will need booster vaccines within a 2 to 4 week window. Assuming he was given the vaccines at the appropriate time, Kai should get another DHLPP and a rabies vaccine. If he gets groomed, goes to the park or has contact with other dogs in general, you may consider getting a kennel cough vaccine. Other vaccines are for Lyme disease and Influenza (dog flu). Your local veterinarian can discuss if these diseases are present in your area and what potential risk factors exist. You may be able to find lower cost vaccinations at a low-cost vaccine clinic or a vaccine clinic in general. You can generally find information online. Please feel free to post any additional questions.

If Max will have exposure to a lot of other dogs in close quarters like doggie daycare, boarding, grooming, dog parks, training classes, etc. then he should probably be vaccinated against influenza. If he is mostly a house dog with minimal exposure to other dogs then it is not really necessary.

The first time a pet receives the Lepto vaccination they should get the initial vaccine and then a booster 3 weeks later. After that, then they just get one yearly booster. If the pet received the initial vaccine but did not get the booster 3 weeks later, then essentially you should start over with two vaccines three weeks apart. Hope this clarifies. If not, please feel free to post again.