Pet vaccinations
Core and lifestyle vaccines for dogs, cats, puppies and kittens, chosen from your pet's age, species and how they live.
Which vaccines your pet needs depends on their age, their species and how they actually live. A dog boarded over every school break and walked on desert trails does not carry the same risk as one who goes out to the same backyard twice a day.
What happens during a vaccination visit
Vaccines work by showing the immune system a modified or inactivated piece of a disease-causing organism, so it recognizes the real thing and can respond quickly if your pet is ever exposed. They fall into two groups.
Core vaccines are recommended for essentially every pet, because the diseases they prevent are severe or a matter of public health. For dogs that is rabies and DA2PP, and for cats rabies and RCP.
Lifestyle vaccines depend on real exposure. A dog who boards, goes to the groomer or spends time at dog parks carries different risk from one who mostly stays home, and an indoor-outdoor cat carries different risk from a strictly indoor one. For dogs that is Bordetella, leptospirosis and canine influenza, and for cats feline leukemia.
Which are due now and which come later depends on your pet’s age and history. If records from a previous practice exist, bring them. A new puppy or kitten should be seen at seven to nine weeks old, and the series starts from that visit.
The rattlesnake vaccine
We do not carry it.
AAHA’s 2022 canine vaccination guidelines state that there are no published data documenting the efficacy of the rattlesnake venom toxoid vaccine in dogs, and note reports of severe allergic reactions in some previously vaccinated dogs that were later envenomated. The manufacturer does not publish independent efficacy data either.
A dog that has been bitten needs emergency care immediately, vaccinated or not, including antivenom where it is indicated. There is more in the guide to rattlesnakes.
The injections
The injections come at the end of the visit, once the exam is done and your pet has settled. They happen while your pet is eating, usually from a lick mat. Where there is more than one to give, they are sequenced to keep the time your pet is held to a minimum.
What vaccines cost
Vaccines are priced individually.
Dogs. Rabies, DA2PP and leptospirosis are $45 each, as is Bordetella, which is given by mouth. Canine influenza is $79.
Cats. RCP and feline leukemia are $52 each. Rabies is $58 for the one-year vaccine or $148 for the three-year, and which one suits your cat is decided at the visit.
Ready when you are
Puppies and kittens starting their first series, adults due for boosters, and pets whose lives have changed all book the same visit. Bring any vaccination records from a previous practice.
Vaccinations — common questions
Which vaccines does my puppy or kitten need first?
Bring a new puppy or kitten in at seven to nine weeks old and we will start the series then. It is a course of visits a few weeks apart rather than one appointment, because the immunity a young pet gets from its mother also blunts the early doses. Which vaccines, and when, depends on their age and on what they have already had, so bring any records from a breeder, shelter or previous practice.
Does my indoor-only cat still need vaccines?
Usually yes. Strictly indoor cats do get out, through a door held open by a delivery or during a move, and bats get in. The viruses RCP protects against travel in on shoes and objects. If an unvaccinated cat tangles with wildlife, the rabies question is answered by a long quarantine, where a vaccinated cat gets a booster and a short observation period. Feline leukemia depends on contact with other cats, so a single indoor cat often does not need it. Tell us how yours lives and we will work out what makes sense.
Do vaccines have side effects?
Reactions are uncommon. Some pets are a little sore where the injection went in, quieter than usual that evening, or skip a meal. That passes within a day or two. Call us if it does not, if your pet is still flat after two days, or if a lump at the injection site is still there a few weeks later. Call us right away, and go to an emergency hospital if we are closed, for swelling of the face or muzzle, hives, repeated vomiting, difficulty breathing or collapse. Those come on within minutes to hours.
Is rabies vaccination legally required in Arizona?
For dogs, yes. Arizona law requires dogs to be vaccinated against rabies from three months of age, boosted a year later and then every three years on a licensed vaccine, and Maricopa County will not license a dog without it. For cats it is not required by state law or county ordinance, but the state's own rabies guidance recommends it anyway, because cats roam and hunt and are the pet most likely to meet wildlife.
Related
Book online, or call and speak to someone in the clinic
20801 N Scottsdale Rd, Suite 101 · Scottsdale, AZ 85255
480-585-3512