Dog ate chocolate?

ask a vet

Not sure if first shots done.

Species: Dog
Breed: Pomeranian
Age: Less than 3 mon
I just bought a 7 week old pomeranian from a local family. They told me he has had his first shots, but they did not give me an records. I have tried to call and go to their house and still nothing. Should I just believe them about the shots or should I go to a vet and get shots for him?


Online vet, Dr. Marie

Dr. Marie replied:

This actually happens quite often. I will commonly see puppies who came with no papers, but the owners have said that they have had their first shots.

What I usually do is wait till 3 weeks after the first shot was supposedly given. (If you don't know when the first shot was given, then wait 3 weeks from when you got the puppy). Then, we do the second shot then.

If it turns out that the dog has actually not had any shots, there is no harm done other than the fact that he hasn't had protection against viruses up until this point.

However, if we vaccinate too soon (i.e. let's say he had a shot yesterday and we give another 2 days later) then the vaccine that we give will not be effective and could be potentially harmful.

Then, a month after we give our shot we will give another. After this point the dog should be good for vaccines for a year.

With all of this being said, there may be variations depending on your veterinarian's vaccine schedule. Ultimately, the best bet is to contact your vet for their advice.

Dr. Marie.

---This question was asked in our Ask A Vet For Free section.---


Do you have a pet website? Interested in learning more about SEO for Wix?


Check out our dog age calculator and cat age calculator.

Want to receive pet coupons, vet advice and info on new pet products in your inbox?

* indicates required

We'll only send you great stuff, never spam. Unsubscribe any time.

Disclaimer: Although Dr. Marie is a qualified veterinarian, the information found on this site is not meant to replace the advice of your own veterinarian. AskAVetQuestion.com and Dr. Marie do not accept any responsibility for any loss, damage, injury, death, or disease which may arise from reliance on information contained on this site. Do not use information found on this site for diagnosing or treating your pet. Anything you read here is for information only.

Search for similar questions:

ask a vet

Popular questions...

Dog doesn't drink much and burps. We recently adopted our boxer mix from a vet and she appears to be in very good... (23785 views)

Peeing outside of box. Hi Dr Marie, My Cat Nikki is 21 yrs old......he was shot in the mouth when he was... (11435 views)

Facial lymph nodes and teething. Hi Dr. Marie, After a lot of investigating w/ my own regular vet (very... (15373 views)

Fly a puppy in cargo? Hi Dr Marie. We live in Halifax and are buying a pup from a breeder in Winnipeg.... (7653 views)

White urine in guinea pig. My Guinea Pigs urine is a white color (or possibly cloudy). Is this something we... (52444 views)

Tapazole not working. Miss Kitty who is spayed and about 13 yrs old (we rescued her) was recently... (10760 views)

Panting at night on steroids. my 12 year old black lab is on steroids for an auto immune disease and the medicine... (9341 views)

Wounds not healing. My cat is mostly an indoor cat, but on occassion, he goes outside. Last time he went... (6672 views)

Lump on dog's anus. Dr Marie-- My dog had a lump on his behind just by his anus. It never seemed to get... (60290 views)

Vomiting and not eating. Buster was throwing up for over two weeks. I had him to an emergency pet hospital,... (26199 views)

See all questions...

Dr. MarieDr. Marie is a veterinarian who practices in a busy animal hospital in Ottawa, Ontario. She created Ask A Vet Question as a resource for good, accurate veterinary advice online. Dr. Marie treats dogs, cats, hamsters, guinea pigs, and rats. She has been a vet since 1999.

Is an online vet visit just as good as a trip to your veterinarian? No! But, many times, asking an online veterinarian a question can help save you money. While Dr. Marie can't officially diagnose your pet or prescribe medications, she can often advise you on whether a vet visit is necessary. You can also ask Dr. Marie for a second opinion on your pet's condition.