The first vet visit and the vaccination schedule

Why the first visit is in week one

A new animal arrives with an unknown history. The first visit confirms it is healthy, finds parasites before they spread to the household, starts or continues the vaccine series, and gives you a veterinarian who knows the animal before anything goes wrong. It is also the visit where a seller's promises are checked. If the animal is sick, you want to know inside the return window, not after.

What to bring

• Every paper from the seller or shelter: vaccination card, deworming dates, any test result.
• A fresh stool sample in a clean bag, if you can collect one that morning.
• The name of the food the animal eats now.
• Your questions, written down. Diet, sterilisation timing, parasite plan, cost of the year ahead.
• A carrier for a cat, rabbit, or bird. A leash and collar for a dog.

What the veterinarian does

A physical examination from nose to tail: weight, temperature, heart and lungs, eyes, ears, mouth and teeth, skin and coat, joints. A check for fleas, ticks, and ear mites. A stool test for worms. A first deworming dose, and the first or next vaccine if the animal is old enough. A plan for the next visits, written on the vaccination card.

Core vaccines for dogs

Core means every dog should have it. For dogs the core vaccines protect against canine distemper virus, canine adenovirus, and canine parvovirus. Rabies is core wherever the disease exists, and in the Philippines it is required by law. Leptospirosis is recommended as core in regions where the disease is common, and the Philippines, with its floods and rats, is one of them.^{[2] [3]}

Core vaccines for cats

For cats the core vaccines protect against feline panleukopenia virus, feline herpesvirus, and feline calicivirus. Rabies is recommended for cats in the Philippines although the law names only dogs. Feline leukaemia virus vaccine is treated as core for cats under a year old and for adults that go outdoors or live with cats that do.^[4]

The schedule

1. 6 to 8 weeks First core vaccine dose. Deworming. First check-up if the animal is already home.
2. Every 2 to 4 weeks after Repeat core doses. Antibodies from the mother can block a dose, which is why the series repeats.
3. 16 weeks or older Final dose of the puppy or kitten series. Rabies vaccine at the age the veterinarian and the law set.
4. 26 weeks, or 6 to 12 months Booster dose, to cover the few animals the earlier doses did not protect.
5. Adult Core vaccines no more often than every three years. Rabies and leptospirosis on the interval the law and the product require, which is yearly for most rabies vaccines used here.

The WSAVA publishes a one-page table for dogs and one for cats that summarise this schedule.^{[5] [6]}

Rabbits and birds

There is no fixed core schedule for a rabbit or a pet bird in the Philippines. Which rabbit vaccines a clinic can import changes from year to year, and most companion birds are not vaccinated at all. The first visit still matters: it finds parasites, dental problems in a rabbit, and nutritional disease in a bird. Ask the veterinarian what they recommend for the animal in front of them.

Parasites

Deworming starts at the first visit and repeats on the schedule the veterinarian sets, more often in young animals. Ticks, fleas, and heartworm are year-round in the Philippines, so a monthly prevention plan is part of the same conversation. Choose a product with the veterinarian; a dog product on a cat can kill the cat.

Records

Keep the paper vaccination card the clinic signs. For a dog, the rabies certificate from the clinic or the city veterinary office is the document the law and any airline want to see. Photograph both and attach them to the animal's IAGD profile, so the record travels with you. See how to get a free anti-rabies shot from your LGU and how IAGD records complement your government paperwork.

Common questions

The seller said the puppy is fully vaccinated at eight weeks.

It cannot be. A dose at six to eight weeks is the first of a series that ends at sixteen weeks or later. Bring the card to the veterinarian and continue from there.

Can my puppy go outside before the series ends?

Carry it to see the world, and let it meet vaccinated adult dogs you know. Keep it off public ground where unvaccinated dogs have been until the series is complete. Parvovirus lives in soil for months.

Do indoor cats need vaccines?

Yes, the core three. Panleukopenia and the respiratory viruses arrive on shoes and hands. Rabies is a judgement call the veterinarian makes with you; a cat that ever meets a bat or a stray dog should have it.

Are vaccines free?

Anti-rabies for dogs is free at most city and municipal veterinary offices, especially during the yearly campaigns. The other core vaccines are paid at a private clinic.

See also

• The first week at home
• Why and when to spay or neuter
• When to go to the vet now
• Is rabies vaccination required by law in the Philippines?

References

1. ^ World Small Animal Veterinary Association, Vaccination Guidelines.
2. ^ World Small Animal Veterinary Association, 2024 Guidelines for the Vaccination of Dogs and Cats.
3. ^ American Animal Hospital Association, 2022 AAHA Canine Vaccination Guidelines.
4. ^ World Small Animal Veterinary Association, 2024 Guidelines for the Vaccination of Dogs and Cats.
5. ^ World Small Animal Veterinary Association, Core vaccines for pet dogs, vaccination table.
6. ^ World Small Animal Veterinary Association, Core vaccines for pet cats, vaccination table.