[lissa10977]

I got a 12 week old puppy from my cousins friend and he hasn't had his shots yet.what shots do I give him first?

[Wondergirl]

Your vet will know and will give them to the puppy. I suggest you get this done very soon.

[lissa10977]

Your vet will know and will give them to the puppy. I suggest you get this done very soon.

I want to give the shots to him myself but I'm not sure the exact ones to get!

[shazamataz]

All the more reason to have a vet do it and give the puppy a full examination.

Any time you buy a new puppy whether it be from a backyard breeder or a reputable on it's wise to get that puppy booked in to see a vet for a full health check.

I'm still a little shocked that people in America give dogs shots themselves! Pretty much unheard of in Australia!

[Sariss]

If you do not know what shots to give, then you should not be giving them. Take your dog to the vet.

[Aurora_Bell]

I have never heard of people in Canada giving shots either, sounds too dangerous for me. I am going to echo every one else's advice here and recommend you go to the vet for his initial once over and his set of shots.

You can always ask your vet about administering them yourself for the follow up shots. Make sure to get this done asap. Parvo is the leading puppy killer disease, and it's so easily preventable with the vaccine.

Good luck! :)

[simoneaugie]

Giving a puppy shots is easy, in theory. Finding out what shots to give, when, and where in the country a risk is higher is a bit complex.

At 12 weeks your puppy should have received 2-3 sets of vaccinations. At 16 weeks, they say that the shots given then are extremely important.

Since the pup has not had any shots yet, take him to a vet and ask her for her opinion about giving your own shots. Allow the vet to vaccinate the puppy. Once he is up to date with vaccinations and older, shots get "simpler." Rabies must be administered by a veterinarian in the US.

[mogrann]

I have never heard of people giving their dogs needles. I feel better when Owen goes to the vet and gets weighed checked over and his shots. It just makes me feel like a good mommy for doing it and I also love all the people saying how handsome he is :)

After all that I think a vet visit is in order just to make sure your baby is healthy.
Susan

[lissa10977]

Thank you for the advice!! He has an appointment for the vet on Friday!!

[shazamataz]

Excellent! Keep us updated on how he goes. We would love to see some photos :)

[Alty]

I just want to say that many of the farm people in my province do their own shots for their dogs. It's never the puppy shots though, only the yearly ones after that.

The vet teaches them how to do it, sells them the vaccine and syringes, and they do it at home. Saves them a trip to the vet, also, many of these dogs are working dogs, not accustomed to being in a car so a trip to the vet would be really alarming and stressful.

I worked for an animal microchipping company around 7 years ago. One of my parents friends was part owner, the other owner was a vet. When I mentioned that Indy had to go in for his shots the vet told me he'd show me how to do it myself. I cringed. It was bad enough giving my dad vitamin K shots for a week.

You do save a lot doing it yourself, but the shots aren't the only reason for a yearly visit. They do a complete health check which no vet can teach you to do at home. I'm glad you decided to go to the vet and yes, we love pictures. :)