Every responsible dog owner should take his or her pet to a local veterinary clinic soon after buying the animal. This initial checkup will allow the veterinarian to assess the animal's health, as well as talk to you about dog vaccinations. Depending on certain circumstances, some vaccines may be administered right away, while others could be scheduled for the months ahead. Dogs will often get a wide range of vaccines that will keep them healthy and allow them to live long lives. It's valuable to take an active interest in these vaccines by confirming several details about each of them with your veterinarian. Here are some things to check.

How Long Each Vaccine Lasts

You'll find that different vaccines are effective for different lengths of time. You don't want to run into a situation in which you think a vaccine is good for life, but it's actually only good for one year. This could put the health of your pet at risk in a completely avoidable manner. Make sure that you know how long each vaccine lasts — for certain vaccines, a pet won't need another vaccination until later in life. For others, you'll need to revisit the veterinary clinic annually. You should also confirm that the clinic will call you when a vaccination appointment is approaching.

Potential Side Effects

It's responsible to get an overview of any potential side effects that your dog will face after receiving certain vaccines. Generally, any side effects for common vaccinations are low to non-existent, but you'll save yourself some stress by understanding any changes that may occur in your pet in the hours or days after the appointment. For example, your pet may seem tired and sleep a lot. If you've learned that fatigue is a common side effect of the vaccine, you won't have to worry about what might be wrong.

Additional Steps To Take

Even though your pet will be vaccinated against certain threats, you can reduce the risk of problems by asking your veterinarian if there are any additional steps that you should take. For example, while a rabies vaccination will be effective, you want to prevent your animal from coming into contact with another animal that may potentially be rabid. The veterinarian could suggest some simple steps to take. For example, before letting your pet out in the backyard, you should quickly look to ensure that no other animals are present.