Vaccinating is one of the simplest and most useful things you can do for your dog or cat. Even so, there is a lot of confusion: which vaccines are essential, how many doses a puppy or kitten needs, whether they all need to be given every year, or if rabies vaccination is mandatory. Let's break it down.
Essential vaccines and vaccines according to lifestyle
The World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA) publishes vaccination guidelines that serve as a reference for many veterinarians. They distinguish two groups:
- Essential vaccines: those that every dog or cat should receive, wherever they are, because they protect against serious and widespread diseases.
- Non-essential or optional vaccines: whether they are given depends on where the animal lives, who it interacts with, and what it does. Your veterinarian decides this with you.
In dogs
Essential vaccines protect against distemper, parvovirus, and canine infectious hepatitis (adenovirus). They are usually combined in a single polyvalent vaccine.
In addition, there are others that are very common in Spain:
- Leptospirosis: the 2024 guidelines consider it essential in areas where it circulates, and in Spain it is usually included in the vaccination plan. Its booster is annual.
- Rabies: it depends on the autonomous community (we'll see this below).
- Kennel cough: recommended if they go to boarding facilities, daycares, shows, or hang out with many dogs.
- Leishmaniasis: there is a vaccine, and the veterinarian may recommend it in areas where the disease is common, as a complement to repellents, not as a substitute.
The puppy schedule
Puppies are born with defenses they receive from their mother, but those defenses also interfere with the vaccine, and it is not known exactly when they disappear. That is why several doses are given:
- First dose between 6 and 8 weeks.
- Boosters every 3-4 weeks until they are 16 weeks or older.
- A booster around 6 months, to cover puppies that did not respond well to a previous dose. Some veterinarians do it at one year.
- Rabies, from 12 weeks, where it is mandatory or if you are going to travel.
Until the course is finished, it is best to avoid areas with a lot of traffic of unknown dogs, although it is advisable to socialize with healthy and vaccinated dogs.
In cats
Essential vaccines protect against feline panleukopenia, herpesvirus, and calicivirus (the latter two cause a good part of feline colds). The kitten schedule is very similar to the puppy schedule: it starts at 6 weeks, is repeated every 3-4 weeks until 16 weeks, and a booster is given around 6 months.
The feline leukemia vaccine is especially recommended for kittens and cats that go outdoors or live with other cats of unknown status. Before giving it, a test is usually done.
Do you have to vaccinate every year?
Not necessarily, and this is the most common mistake. According to the WSAVA guidelines, after the puppy or kitten course and the booster, essential vaccines for adults are generally repeated every 3 years, because the protection lasts much longer than one.
- Dogs: the essential polyvalent vaccine, every 3 years. Leptospirosis, on the other hand, every year.
- Low-risk cats (indoor, no contact with other cats): every 3 years.
- Higher-risk cats (that go out, go to boarding facilities, or live with many cats): the veterinarian may recommend annual boosters against herpesvirus and calicivirus.
That does not mean you don't have to go to the veterinarian every year. The annual check-up is still important, and it is the time to give the vaccines that are due and decide if any more are needed.
Rabies in Spain
In Spain there is no single rule: each autonomous community decides. In the vast majority it is mandatory for dogs, although not in all, and the frequency of revaccination also changes: in some it is annual, in others every two years, or as indicated by the vaccine manufacturer. In cats and ferrets it is voluntary in most communities, but mandatory in some.
If you are going to travel with your dog or cat through the European Union, they will need a microchip, a European passport, and a valid rabies vaccine, given at least 21 days before the trip if it is the first one. Your veterinarian will tell you exactly what is required where you live and where you are going.
After vaccinating
It is normal for them to be a little tired or for the injection area to be sensitive for a day. If you see facial swelling, vomiting, difficulty breathing, or extreme lethargy, call the clinic.
If you have just adopted, in our puppy welcome pack you have the basics for their first weeks at home while they complete their vaccines.