Vaccinating is one of the simplest and most useful things you can do for your dog or cat. Even so, there's a lot of confusion: which vaccines are essential, how many doses a puppy needs, whether they all have to be given every year, or whether rabies vaccination is mandatory. Let's take it step by step.
Core vaccines and lifestyle-based vaccines
The World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA) publishes vaccination guidelines that many veterinarians use as a reference. They distinguish two groups:
- Core vaccines: those that every dog or cat should receive, wherever they live, because they protect against serious and widespread diseases.
- Non-core or optional vaccines: whether they are given depends on where the animal lives, who it mixes with and what it gets up to. Your vet decides these with you.
In dogs
Core vaccines protect against distemper, parvovirus and canine infectious hepatitis (adenovirus). They are usually combined in a single multivalent vaccine.
In addition, there are others that are very common in Spain:
- Leptospirosis: the 2024 guidelines consider it core in areas where it is present, and in Spain it is usually included in the plan. Its booster is annual.
- Rabies: this depends on the autonomous community (we'll look at it below).
- Kennel cough: recommended if your dog goes to boarding kennels or daycare, attends shows or mixes with lots of dogs.
- Leishmaniasis: a vaccine exists and your vet may suggest it in areas where the disease is common, as a complement to repellents, not as a substitute.
The puppy schedule
Puppies are born with antibodies they receive from their mother, but those antibodies also interfere with the vaccine, and it isn't known exactly when they disappear. That's why several doses are given:
- First dose between 6 and 8 weeks.
- Boosters every 3-4 weeks until the puppy is 16 weeks or older.
- A booster at around 6 months, to cover puppies that didn't respond well to an earlier dose. Some vets 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's best to avoid places with lots of unfamiliar dogs coming and going, although it is a good idea for your puppy to socialise with healthy, vaccinated dogs.
In cats
Core vaccines protect against feline panleukopenia, herpesvirus and calicivirus (the last two are behind a good share of feline colds). The kitten schedule is very similar to the puppy one: it starts from 6 weeks, is repeated every 3-4 weeks until 16 weeks, and a booster is given at around 6 months.
The feline leukaemia vaccine is especially recommended for kittens and for cats that go outdoors or live with other cats of unknown status. A test is usually done before giving it.
Do you need 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, an adult's core vaccines are generally repeated every 3 years, because protection lasts much longer than one.
- Dogs: the core multivalent vaccine, every 3 years. Leptospirosis, on the other hand, every year.
- Low-risk cats (indoor cats with no contact with other cats): every 3 years.
- Higher-risk cats (those that go outdoors, stay in catteries or live with lots of cats): the vet may recommend annual boosters against herpesvirus and calicivirus.
That doesn't mean you don't need to see the vet every year. The annual check-up is still important, and it's the moment to give any vaccines that are due and decide whether 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, though not in all, and how often revaccination is needed also varies: in some it's annual, in others every two years or as indicated by the vaccine manufacturer. For cats and ferrets it is voluntary in most communities, but mandatory in some.
If you are going to travel with your dog or cat within the European Union, they will need a microchip, a European pet passport and a valid rabies vaccination, given at least 21 days before the trip if it's the first one. Your vet will tell you exactly what is required where you live and where you are going.
After vaccinating
It's normal for your pet to be a little tired or to have a tender spot where the injection was given for a day. If you notice swelling of the face, vomiting, difficulty breathing or severe listlessness, call the clinic.