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How long can I safely delay my 6-year-old dog's annual vaccines?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

How long vaccines can be delayed for 6 years old dog

4 Answers

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Answered By Dr. Elizabeth

Veterinarian

Published on March 25th, 2020

For most normal healthy dogs in households with humans who are not immunocompromised and don't partake in doggies daycare, dog parks or groomers, 4-6 weeks is generally fine. If however your pet does not meet this profile, you need to discuss the situation with your veterinarian. Also, the Rabies vaccine should always be kept up to date and never late. I hope this helps.

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    Answered By Laura Johnson VMD

    Veterinarian

    Published on May 6th, 2018

    Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Yes, it is safe to give the full dose of the 5 in 1 vaccine. It is not recommended to give less or more of the vaccine, it is not based on the animals size. He should get the 5 in 1 every 3-4 weeks until he has had 3 of them. The 3rd is good for 1 year. He will need to see a Vet for his Rabies vaccine. Since he is small I would give that separately. At what age the Rabies should be given depends on your State's laws. In PA it is around 12-16 weeks. I wish you the best!

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    Answered By Linda G, MS, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on June 17th, 2019

    Hello. I would wait 1 week & start over with your vaccinations. Because of the strong immunity a puppy receives in the first milk from their mothers, any vaccinations before 7 weeks of age are a waste of money. Start Dexter at 8 weeks of age, give his second booster at 12 weeks & the third booster at 16 weeks. Make sure you have someone helping you by holding Dexter firmly, otherwise if he jumps again from pain , you may make him fearful of being held for all future vaccinations. Any doubts, please consider having your veterinarian do the vaccinations, especially the rabies. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

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    Answered By Jenny, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on February 11th, 2018

    The distemper/parvo combination (5 in 1) is given every 3 weeks until they are older than 16 weeks of age. Depending on your area, a lepto or lyme vaccine may be needed and those are started at 8 or 10 weeks. A rabies vaccine is required by law and given at 12-16 weeks of age.

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Related Questions

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I had my puppy vaccinated first shot by june 8, second shot at june 23 and supposedly the third and final shot should be on july 7 which i forgot. Is it just okay if the last shot will be in july 11? Thanks
The recommendations for puppy vaccinations are every 3-4 weeks until they are 16 weeks old. In fact, the immune system is more likely to respond favorably if you wait greater than 2 weeks in between vaccinations. Best of luck and enjoy your pup! Thank you for using Pet Coach.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
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hello- vetco referred me to you. My dog has been receiving his shots through vetco- He Louie Buchanan is due for his Bordella Shot- on 9/1/19, his Canine 6 N 1 on 9/7/19 and his Rabies shot in October 2019. I am wondering if I can wait to get all th
In general, it is fine to get them all done at once and at the end of September should be fine. Only if Louie has grooming appointments or goes to doggy care (or any instance where any vaccine needs to be up to date to allow Louie to participate) would this be a problem. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
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Is it okay if 5in1 vaccination is delayed for 3 days?
It depends on the vaccination protocol. I don't think there will be an issue. We often have to delay vaccinations for 3 days and postpone them after a week-end for example,however to be on the safer side, I would check with your vet as well.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
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is it safe to give dog shots if there 6yrs old and never had shots will she get immune and how do you know if a dog has a heart murmer iwas reading a post of a 14 year old dog gots shots and 3months later it had to be put down
Good questions. After your vet examines your pet and deems them healthy for vaccines, then its ok to proceed. There is no way to predict if a pet is going to have a reaction, and the fact that the pet never had vaccines before does not increase their chances of having a reaction. The best thing to do is to monitor Princess accordingly for 24 hrs after her vaccines for signs of a reaction, which include: vomiting, diarrhea and facial swelling. A heart murmur is detected with a stethoscope used by your veterinarian in certain locations on the chest. I am unsure of what was going on with the other pet that received vaccines. However if it took several months for the pet to perish, then this certainly was not caused by the vaccinations and likely was an unrelated underlying condition. Vaccine complications occur within 1-7 days at the most, if they are going to occur. Therefore if my pet were unvaccinated at the age of 6, I would proceed with going forward with the necessary vaccinati
Updated on September 24th, 2025
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I took my two small dogs in for shots the other day, only to be told you can't give both rabies and distemper at the same time, I have to go back in a week. Is that exactly 7 days or will 6 or 5 days work?
Thank you for submitting your question regarding your dogs. I typically give these vaccines at the same time so this is just your veterinarian's preference to separate them. So the precise number of days should not matter. If 5 days is more convenient for your schedule, then that should be fine. I hope this information helps!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
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I don't have the money right now to get my puppies vaccinated..they are 7 weeks and 4 days old there are 8 in the litter could I wait til March 2018 to get their vaccinations I will have the money then?
Yes, it would be possible to wait but you should keep them indoors, away from all other dogs and wildlife to prevent them from being exposed to the contagious diseases that vaccines are used to protect them against
Updated on September 24th, 2025
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My dog got his first shots at 5 months old. They wete his rabies shots. In one month he is finally vetting hus Distemper and Parvo combo shots, along wuth Bordatella and Lepto. Since he will be about 6 months old.... when will he need to go back to g
Great question! Cane will need to go back four weeks after getting his rabies shot for a booster. As for the combo shot, he will need to return four weeks after that initial shot to get a booster. Once he gets both of those boosters, then he will need to return in a year for another booster. The Bordatella and Lepto will both need to be booster in a year after the initial shot. I hope this helps! Good on you for getting it done :-)
Updated on September 24th, 2025
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My dogs yearly vaccinations expired late June however I can’t get her into the vet til august 12 will that put her at Risk with a gap of a month
Hello and thank you for reaching out to Boop by Petco. It is unlikely that being late by a month will increase Riley's risk of becoming infected with any of the diseases that are prevented by the vaccines. The vaccines work to increase Riley's immune protection, and this should last long enough until she gets her next vaccine in August. Based on what state you are in, there are different laws for the Rabies vaccine. If she is late even by one day, some states require her to get the Rabies vaccine that only lasts 1 year, rather than the one that lasts 3 years. That is the only issue I can think of that could apply, but again, this depends on what state you are in. I hope this is helpful!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
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My dog missed her annual vaccination it’s been 4 months. Her vaccination was missed because I read online that dogs need to be vaccinated every 3 years. I think i misread that info. What should I do?
Thank you for submitting your question regarding Chanel. I recommend that she sees her veterinarian. Some vaccines are licensed for 3 years and others need to be given annually. It also depends on her if vaccines are current or not if she can be eligible for a 3 year vaccine. For example, a 1 year rabies vaccine is given to a puppy. Then she would receive the 3 year vaccine as an adult. If her vaccines stay current, she would need a booster every 3 years. If she is overdue, then she may receive a 1 year vaccine again to start the series over. I hope this information helps!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
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Health & Wellbeing
My dog is supposed to get a vanguard boost tomorrow but I'm out of town till a week later. Will my dog still be safe and healthy if it misses its vaccine tomorrow and be taken when I return
It's likely that she will be safe to wait an extra week; especially if she received all her previous vaccines. However, I must warn that at this age they are the most vulnerable. This would be more concerning if she has contact with other dogs. One thing to consider is that the vaccines can be given 2-4 weeks apart. If it has been more than two weeks since her last vaccine, then she can have a booster before you leave. If it has been less than two weeks since her last vaccine, then she should be well protected to wait an extra week. I hope that helps and all is well with Sasha.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
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