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My dog's vaccines are due. Can I get them earlier than scheduled?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Shih Tzu | Female | spayed | 1 year and 2 months old | 14 lbs

My dog is due her annual vaccines the first week of August. What is a safe time frame to get her the vaccines? Can they be given prior to the year and how much before?

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

Answered By Dr. Heidi DVM, CVA, CCRT, CVTP, CVSMT, CVCH

Veterinarian, Certified Veterinary Acupuncturist, Certified Canine Rehabilitation Practitioner

Published on July 10th, 2018

There is no magical expiration date for vaccination (except for the Rabies vaccine as required by law). We have a strict time frame for which the puppy vaccination series must be done based on puppy immunity. After that, we used to vaccinate every year, but have found that many dogs are protected for years, so we have changed our recommended vaccination protocols. I am attaching a link to the American Animal Hospital Association's vaccine guideline below.
https://www.aaha.org/guidelines/canine_vaccination_guidelines/practice_vaccination.aspx
If Gracie had her last puppy series vaccination in August, you could booster her vaccinations at any time. It is not a problem to do them a month early. Then after that, it will only be recommended to repeat her distemper/parvo vaccination booster in 3 years. Other vaccinations may need to be boostered more frequently.
I hope that was helpful and answered your question. Thanks for using PetCoach.

1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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