Oh, happy day! Your puppy has just received his first vaccine! That should mean that he can now play with other dogs with a protected immune system. There are a million and one places you can think of for your first adventure. He’s already shown signs he is a water dog, braving the kiddie pool and worshiping the garden hose. The lake at the state campground is perfect, and the trout stream on the grounds of the local liberal arts college is beckoning…
But wait! Whoa, Nellie! Stop for a moment and consider this very important concept: vaccines do not stimulate immunity immediately after they are administered.
This is something many people do not realize. Once a vaccine is administered, the antigens in the vaccine must be recognized, responded to, and remembered by your pup’s immune system.
Full protection from a vaccine usually takes up to twenty-one days.
Not only that, I recommend you wait until three weeks after your pup’s final vaccine to go gallivanting about town or playing fetch at the local watering hole. Believe me, it’s worth the wait to know that he is protected as he snuffles around at the dog park or climbs out of the car at the rest stop on Interstate 40.
Your handsomest little four-legged sidekick is totally worth the wait, so you guys enjoy your time hanging close to home as his immune system revs up!
