Vaccinations
Vaccination
Protecting Your Pet’s Health at Every Stage
Vaccinations are one of the most important ways to protect your pet from serious and preventable diseases. At St. Paul Pet Hospital, we create personalized vaccination plans based on your pet’s age, lifestyle, and risk factors—so they receive the right protection at the right time.
From core vaccines to lifestyle-based recommendations, our goal is to keep your pet safe, healthy, and thriving. Regular vaccinations also help prevent the spread of disease within the St. Paul pet community.
Our team will guide you through your pet’s vaccination schedule, answer your questions, and ensure your pet stays up to date with the care they need.
Customized Cat & Dog Vaccinations in St. Paul, MN
Personalized protection for your pet’s health
Vaccinations play an essential role in protecting your dog or cat from a wide range of infectious diseases—some of which can be serious or even life-threatening. At St. Paul Pet Hospital, we take a personalized approach to vaccinations, tailoring each plan to your pet’s individual needs.
While certain vaccines are considered core and recommended for most pets, others are based on lifestyle and potential exposure risks. That means your pet receives only the vaccines that are truly necessary for their health and environment.
During your first visit, we’ll take the time to learn about your pet’s daily routine, habits, and risk factors. This helps us create a vaccination plan that fits their lifestyle. As your pet grows and their needs change, we’ll continue to review and adjust their vaccination schedule during annual visits.
Our goal is simple: provide the right protection at the right time—so your pet stays healthy, safe, and thriving.
When Does My Pet Need Vaccinations?
A simple timeline to keep your pet protected
Vaccinations begin early in your pet’s life and continue throughout adulthood to maintain strong protection against disease. Puppies and kittens typically start their vaccine series within their first few months, receiving a series of boosters to build immunity.
After their first year, pets will need ongoing booster vaccines to stay protected. Depending on the specific vaccine and your pet’s lifestyle, these boosters may be given annually or every three years.
To make things easy, we’ll walk you through your pet’s recommended vaccination schedule and adjust it as needed based on their age, health, and daily environment.
Below is a general timeline of what to expect, along with other important preventive care your pet may need to stay healthy.
6-8 Weeks
- 1st DHPP (distemper-hepatitis-parainfluenza-parvovirus), booster in 3-4 weeks
- Intranasal Bordetella (noncore) (kennel cough), booster annually
- Dewormer, booster in 3-4 weeks
- Fecal exam
- Start flea/tick and heartworm prevention.
10-12 Weeks
- 2nd DHPP, booster in 3-4 weeks
- 1st Leptospirosis vaccine, booster in 3-4 weeks
- 1st Lyme disease vaccine (noncore), booster in 3-4 weeks
- Dewormer (if needed), last one
- Fecal exam
- Continue flea/tick and heartworm prevention.
14-16 Weeks
- 3rd DHPP, booster in 1 year
- 2nd Leptospirosis vaccine, booster annually
- 2nd Lyme disease vaccine (noncore), booster annually
- Rabies vaccine, booster in 1 year
- Fecal exam
- Continue flea/tick and heartworm prevention.
6 Months
- Start ProHeart heartworm prevention (injection that lasts 6 months)
- Heartworm test
- Weight check
- Bravecto 12 week, given every 12 weeks.
1 Year Later
- DHPP, booster in 3 years
- Rabies vaccine, booster in 3 years
- Bordetella (noncore), booster annually
- Leptospirosis, booster annually
- Lyme disease (noncore), booster annually
- Fecal exam, annually
- Heartworm test, annually
- Proheart every 12 months
- Flea/tick prevention (Bravecto)
- Comprehensive blood work annually
Recommended Tests
- Fecal exam
- Comprehensive blood work (chemistry panel, complete blood count, electrolytes)
6-8 Weeks
- 1st FVRCP (feline viral rhinotracheitis, panleukopenia, calicivirus), booster in 3-4 weeks
- Dewormer, booster in 3-4 weeks
- Fecal exam
- FeLV/FIV testing
- Heartworm/flea prevention (Revolution)
10-12 Weeks
- 2nd FVRCP, booster in 3-4 weeks
- 1st Feline Leukemia vaccine (noncore), booster in 3-4 weeks
- Dewormer (if needed), booster in 3-4 weeks
- Fecal exam
- FeLV/FIV test
- Heartworm/flea prevention (Revolution)
14-16 Weeks
- 3rd FVRCP, booster in 1 year
- 2nd FeLV vaccine (noncore), booster in 1 year
- Rabies vaccine, booster in 1 year
- Strongid-T (dewormer), last one
- Fecal exam
- Heartworm/flea prevention (Revolution)
1 Year Later
- FVRCP, booster in 3 years
- FeLV vaccine (noncore), booster
- Rabies vaccine, booster in 1 year
- Fecal exam, annually
- Heartworm/flea preventative (Revolution), monthly
- Comprehensive bloodwork annually (chemistry panel, complete blood count, electrolytes)
Recommended Tests
- Fecal exam, annually
- Comprehensive blood work annually (chemistry panel, complete blood count, electrolytes)