Category: Pet Health

Puppy Vaccines

4/30/2025

Puppies need vaccinations early in their life as the antibodies from their mother start to decrease around 6-8 weeks old. During this time, they need to start building their own immunity with the help of vaccinations.

Q: I have a new puppy, where do I start?

We begin the puppy vaccination series at 6-8 weeks old. The chart below gives the vaccination timeline we recommend.

Q: What are the diseases the vaccines prevent?

Rabies

Rabies is a zoonotic (transferable between animals and humans) virus that causes neurological symptoms. It is a fatal disease which is transferred through a bite from an infected animal.

Distemper

Distemper is a highly contagious disease that can cause severe neurological symptoms, pneumonia, encephalitis, and death.

Lyme

Lyme is a disease caused by the bite of a tick. It can cause fever, lethargy, decrease in appetite, leg lameness, and kidney failure which can result in death. We recommend using this vaccination if your dog is outside (even to go potty), you live in the country, and if they have previously been diagnosed with Lyme Disease.

Bordetella

Bordetella is also known as kennel cough. This disease will cause a horrible cough that can lead to pneumonia or more severe respiratory disease if untreated. We recommend this vaccine if you plan to board your pet or having your dog around other canines in situations such as grooming, obedience school, dog parks, etc.

Q: Why does my puppy need vaccines boosted?

It is necessary to boost the vaccinations to continue helping the immune system in order to fight off infection of these diseases upon possible exposure. The vaccines need to be boosted yearly.

More Information About Rabies

Per the Iowa Rabies Resource Manual:

Rabies revaccination Iowa law directs veterinarians to follow vaccine manufacturers’ USDA-approved label recommendations for rabies vaccine administration. An initial rabies vaccine should be boostered within one year.
If a 3-years rabies vaccine is administered as the booster vaccination, the animal should be re-vaccinated prior to the 3-year vaccine’s expiration date.
If an animal is overdue for a rabies vaccination, the rabies vaccine that is administered should always be boostered within one year (regardless of the rabies vaccine that is administered).

Link to the Compendium for Animal Rabies Control

Call us to schedule your new puppy visit!

Katie T, RVT

Lyme Disease

4/1/2025

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April is a very busy month for pet related awareness events. The month of April is considered Prevention of Lyme Disease in Dogs Month and National Heartworm Awareness Month. It is also Pet First Aid Awareness month, Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Month, and there are weeks in the month that celebrate Dog Bite Prevention and Animal Control Officer Appreciation. There are also specific days in the month such as Earth Day, World Veterinary Day, Kids and Pets day, as well as National Bat Appreciation day, (those bats, although creepy to me, do a lot of good for us). Since I can't write about all of those things, I will devote this article to Lyme Disease. If you are interested, please check out the Eastview Animal Hospital Facebook page for further information on Bite Prevention, Pet First Aid, and Heartworm Disease.

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Iowa Bird Flu Notice

2/14/2025

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The Iowa Department of Agriculture & Land Stewardship is recommending Iowan's to keep their pets away from wild birds and animals. This is due to the ongoing threat of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (H5N1 HPAI).

How does this affect me?

H5N1 HPAI is a viral disease that is often fatal in wild and domestic bird populations. This viral disease can also impact dairy cattle and other animals such as dogs and cats. Cats and dogs can both get H5N1 HPAI but cats are more susceptible.

Clinical Signs:

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Puppy Vaccines

Q: I have a new puppy, where do I start?

Q: What are the diseases the vaccines prevent?

Rabies

Distemper

Lyme

Bordetella

Q: Why does my puppy need vaccines boosted?

More Information About Rabies

Call us to schedule your new puppy visit!

Lyme Disease

Iowa Bird Flu Notice

How does this affect me?

Clinical Signs:

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Categories

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BLOG

Puppy Vaccines

Q: I have a new puppy, where do I start?

Q: What are the diseases the vaccines prevent?

Rabies

Distemper

Lyme

Bordetella

Q: Why does my puppy need vaccines boosted?

More Information About Rabies

Call us to schedule your new puppy visit!

Lyme Disease

Iowa Bird Flu Notice

How does this affect me?

Clinical Signs:

Archives

Categories

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