Vaccination Policies
We firmly support your rights to choosing what you feel is the safest and most effective vaccine schedule for your pet. Personally, we have done hours upon hours of research to educate ourselves and ensure that we are making informed decisions for our own dogs and their care; and will support our clients in having the freedom to make their own decisions with respect to vaccinations. Our furry charges health and happiness is our utmost concern, and our vaccination policy has been created to reflect that.
(We’ve added some links at the bottom of this page if you are interested in reading up further on vaccination and the information we’ve used to help shape our policy)
Adult dogs: For Distemper, Parvovirus and Rabies, if you choose not to vaccinate beyond the 12 month booster, we will accept titre test results from within the last 12 months for admission to daycare and annual titre testing beyond that point
If you do not titre, for all core vaccines (DHPP, DAPP, Rabies), we require veterinarian proof of vaccinations to date and require that they are kept up ongoing. Your veterinarian will be able to provide proof of vaccination to you or email them directly to us..
Puppies: Puppies must have a series of 3 DHHP (distemper/parvovirus combination) shots completed at 4 week intervals prior to attending daycare. The general schedule is 8 weeks, 12 weeks and 16 weeks. We require all 3 puppy vaccinations to be completed in order for your puppy to attend daycare (minimum 15-16 weeks of age). If your puppy has had early vaccinations, starting earlier than 8 weeks, some veterinarians will recommend a fourth vaccination. In all cases, we will rely upon your vet’s recorded vaccination expiry date.
Kennel cough is a risk at any doggy daycare, kennel, dog park, pet store or vet office – when you have groups of dogs together, there are germs around; the same as there are for people. The kennel cough vaccination will only offer limited protection (similar to a flu shot for humans, it does not cover all strains) and though it is a vaccination we recommend, we no longer require it for attendance at CCR. We do recommend that you do some research and talk to your vet to make an informed decision regarding the Bordetella vaccination.
If you opt to vaccinate for Bordetella, our preferred method is to have the initial Bordetella vaccination done via intranasal application at least 2 weeks (14 days) prior to your dog attending daycare. The intranasal form usually includes added protection for other viruses that can cause kennel cough, such as Parainfluenza and Adenovirus.
**PLEASE NOTE: The information provided here is not veterinary advice. You need to speak with your veterinarian and determine the vaccination schedule and program you are most comfortable with following for your pet. There are additional vaccinations available through your veterinarian that we have not discussed here, and it’s a good idea to go over the risks and benefits with your vet. None of the vaccines above can boast 100% protection, as is the case with many preventative measures we take for our furkids. Please ensure you’ve done your homework and are aware of the risks involved both with vaccinations and with relying on titre test results as an indication of immunity.
Some interesting reading regarding vaccination and over vaccination and titres:
WSAVA Summary of guidelines (focuses on puppies, but really good info on the lifelong effects of puppy vaccinations): http://www.wsava.org/sites/default/files/New%20Puppy%20Owner%20Vaccination%20Guidelines%20Updated%20July%2029%202013.pdf
WSAVA detailed Vaccination Guidelines: http://www.wsava.org/sites/default/files/VaccinationGuidelines2010.pdf
Pet MD, info on Kennel Cough: http://www.petmd.com/dog/general-health/evr_dg_kennel_cough_an_indepth_look
CVMA position statement on vaccinations: http://www.canadianveterinarians.net/documents/vaccination-protocols-for-dogs-and-cats#.U9gEmfldWS