Puppy vaccinations in the Netherlands: which shot when?

What is the puppy vaccination schedule in the Netherlands?

If your pup has his first shot at 6 weeks, there are usually at least three rounds: at 6, 9 and 12 weeks, and possibly a fourth at 16 weeks. A booster follows at 1 year. So says the LICG, the Dutch information centre for companion animals, which is backed by the Utrecht veterinary faculty among others.

Distemper, infectious hepatitis and parvo together are the core diseases. Every dog should be vaccinated against them. On top of that, dogs in the Netherlands get a shot against Weil's disease (leptospirosis) every year. That disease can also pass to people.

Weil's disease is caused by bacteria and spreads through urine or water contaminated with urine. Rat and mouse urine is a well-known source. If your dog likes to drink from or swim in ditches, puddles or ponds, that yearly shot is no luxury.

Whether your vet stops after the 12-week shot or adds an extra one at 16 weeks depends on how likely your pup is to be infected. A blood test can also show whether your pup has already made enough antibodies after the 12-week shot. That blood is then taken 4 weeks after that last shot. Such tests aren't 100% reliable, but they do give useful information.

Why does a puppy need several shots?

Because in his first weeks a pup is protected by antibodies from his mother, and those antibodies can switch off a vaccine. You can't know in advance when they will have gone. So the vet repeats the shot every two to four weeks, so that pups whose maternal antibodies last longer still build their own protection.

A pup gets most of those antibodies from the first milk. How quickly they fade differs from pup to pup. According to the LICG, some pups are already less protected at around six weeks, while in others the protection lasts longer than twelve weeks.

• At 6 weeks only a small share of pups respond to the shot.
• At 9 weeks a larger share have lost their mother's antibodies.
• At 12 weeks most pups have lost them, but a small share still have too many.
• At 16 weeks almost all pups have lost them.

That is why the series is only complete after the last puppy shot, usually between twelve and sixteen weeks. A single early shot says little about how well protected your pup is.

Which vaccinations should a pup from a breeder already have?

If your pup comes from a business, such as a professional breeder, he must be vaccinated against parvo and distemper within 7 weeks of birth. That is set out in the Dutch Regeling houders van dieren, the rules for animal keepers. If the pup is sold or handed over, that vaccination must be given at the latest 7 days before.

So when you collect your pup, ask for the vaccination booklet or the pet passport, and check which shots are in it and on which date. If your pup comes from a business, it should show a shot against parvo and distemper given at least a week before collection day. If there is nothing in it, or the date is yesterday, ask why.

The rule covers pups kept in a business. If you buy from a private person, the booklet is your only proof, so always ask for it. Then take it to your own vet. The LICG advises having your pup checked by your own vet as soon as possible after you get him. What else to look at when choosing a pup is in which dog suits my life.

When can a puppy meet other dogs?

Before every shot is done. The LICG advises letting your pup meet other dogs from the day he comes home, because otherwise the sensitive period for socialisation with dogs is already over. Do choose vaccinated dogs belonging to people you know, and skip the off-lead dog field for now, where unvaccinated dogs may be walking.

That sensitive period starts at around three weeks and ends somewhere between week 9 and week 14, partly depending on the breed. In those weeks a pup learns most easily that new things are not scary. It largely overlaps with the weeks of the puppy shots. Here is how:

• Yes: walks with people you know whose dog is vaccinated, or inviting them and their dog to your home.
• Not yet: an off-lead dog field or any other place where lots of dogs go and you don't know whether every dog is vaccinated.
• At the vet: if you can, book the shot at the start of consulting hours, so your pup doesn't come straight into contact with lots of other animals. If that isn't possible, keep him on your lap and let him look around calmly.

Can your pup go outside yet?

Yes, but choose where. Parvo spreads through faeces, and the virus can stay infectious outside the dog for a very long time: according to the LICG, at least a year. Our advice: until the last puppy shot, treat places where lots of dogs relieve themselves, such as a popular beach entrance, a dune car park or the dog field, as 'not yet'.

A quiet street is different. If your pup still finds everything outside a bit scary, the LICG suggests picking him up and walking through the neighbourhood with him in your arms. That way he gets used to traffic, people and dogs passing by. How to build that up step by step is in puppy socialisation. And for the first days at home, see your puppy's first night.

Does your puppy also need a kennel cough or rabies vaccination?

That depends on what you will do with your dog. A kennel cough vaccination is needed if your dog comes into contact with lots of other dogs, for example at a boarding kennel, a training class or a dog walking service. A rabies vaccination is required if you travel with your dog to another EU country.

Kennel cough

Kennel cough, also called infectious canine cough, is a kind of cold with several possible causes. The vaccine can be given as nose drops or as an injection, and your vet makes a separate schedule for it. A boarding kennel will usually ask for it.

LuckyPaw also asks for the cocktail vaccination and the kennel cough vaccination for group walks, daycare and boarding, and group walks and daycare are for dogs from around half a year old. If your dog will later join the LuckyPaw group walks, bring the vaccination booklet to the meet-and-greet.

Rabies

Rabies hardly occurs in the Netherlands any more, except in bats. For travel to any EU country a valid rabies vaccination is required. The vet must give it at least 21 days before you leave, and it can be given from 12 weeks of age. So your pup can cross the border at 15 weeks at the earliest.

In young dogs the rabies shot doesn't always take well, and some countries require a blood test. Depending on the vaccine, the shot is valid for one or three years. So plan a holiday with a young pup well ahead, together with your vet. For the same reason, a pup can only be brought in from abroad from 15 weeks: younger pups may not be imported.

How often does a dog need vaccinating after the first year?

After the booster at around 1 year, a core vaccination every three years is enough, according to the LICG. Only the shot against Weil's disease protects for just a year, so that one is repeated every year. A yearly vet visit is therefore normal, even though your dog won't get the same vaccines every year.

The booster at 1 year is mainly meant for pups who didn't respond, or didn't respond enough, to the puppy shots. Your vet can also give it when your dog is half a year old, so such a pup isn't left unprotected for long. Either way, give your pup a general health check at around a year, even if no shot is due then.

A blood test instead of a shot?

For the core diseases, your vet can measure after 3 years how many antibodies your dog still has, with a blood test called a titre test. If there are enough, the shot can be postponed by at least a year. There is no reliable blood test for Weil's disease or kennel cough. More and more boarding kennels accept a titre test, but check first.

What side effects can a puppy vaccination have?

Side effects are very rare, the LICG writes. Sometimes a swelling appears where the shot was given. It usually goes down again after a few days. Your pup may also have a temperature for a while after the shot and feel off, or be briefly sick to his stomach and have diarrhoea. A hypersensitivity reaction is very rare.

After the kennel cough vaccine given through the nose, you sometimes see mild signs that look like kennel cough itself. Before every shot your vet does a health check first. If your pup is ill, it can be better to postpone the vaccination until he is free of symptoms again.

Frequently asked questions about puppy vaccinations