Can I bathe my dog ​​after the vaccine?

One of the things that most worries the owners of dogs, especially if they are new, is bath time: when to give them their first bath, how often should a dog be bathed ... And the bath after the vaccines is a very debated topic. A simple bath will not hurt anybody and a dog either, but it is true that you have to have certain considerations. Most vaccines are given when they are puppies and the animal's immune system is not yet fully prepared. This added to the fact that with the vaccine all their defenses are acting in that area, it is not the best time to bathe him since he could catch a cold and end up worse. The same goes for adults, even if they are not puppies, their defenses are acting because of the vaccine and that is why they are lower. Therefore, bathing your dog after a vaccination is not ideal, but it is better not to do it at this time and in this article we explain all the details about this frequent question: Can I bathe my dog ​​after the vaccine?

Bathing in dogs and vaccination

Although we think that a warm bath or a shower will relax our animal we are wrong. Bathing is a stressful time for the dog, especially if they are not used to it or if it is the first time when they do not know what is happening. It is not their natural state to bathe, so it creates a state of alarm and anxiety.

Then, you wonder why we bathe dogs? It is good to bathe the dog from time to time because this way we avoid some bacteria and fungi, but we must take into account the fur of our animal to know whether to bathe more or less and follow a series of indications.

If your dog has very long hair his is to bathe every month or every month and a half. If it is excessively long and really requires a bath you can do it every month instead of waiting for something else. If you have short hair it is better to do it every two months. You may be thinking that it is a long wait to bathe our pet but, repeat, bathing them is not normal in a dog and we only do it to avoid fungi and other parasites in dogs. Although, it is clear that if your dog has got dirty in the mud you can give him a bath immediately.

When we bathe dogs we are eliminating the natural protection of their skin, so in addition to not doing it in excess we must take into account the soap we are going to use. The skin of people is rather acidic but that of dogs has a more neutral pH, so if you ask yourself "Can I bathe my dog ​​with my shampoo?", The most direct answer is that it is not advisable that Use the same soap that you use normally to bathe your pet. To do this use a neutral soap or specific for animals and that is odorless. The fact that it has no perfume is because dogs do not like strange smells, however well it smells to us. Therefore, if you soap your dog with a product that smells like something you do not like, it will run to the floor to get rid of that smell that is a pest for him.

We must also take into account allergies in dogs, which also have them. So if you see that you have an allergic condition on your skin or irritability at any time it is best to consult the veterinarian, as even the specific soap may be causing a reaction.

What can happen if I bathe my dog ​​after a vaccination?

The important thing is to bathe it with a warm water temperature, neither too cold nor too hot, and to dry it very well with the dryer and the towel so that it does not get wet, since this would make it cool and catch cold. That's why, when vaccines your dog and his defenses are acting on the vaccine if you give him a bath, which also changes his body temperature, you could be causing a possible cold or illness due to low defenses . Likewise, another possibility besides facilitating the appearance of a disease is that even the side effects of the vaccine are accentuated.

The first bath of a puppy is very important, because in this time it is when more is vaccinated. Later, in the section on puppy care, we tell you how to make your bathroom as pleasant as possible and at what age it should be.

Vaccines and side effects

The vaccines protect our dog from diseases such as hepatitis, distemper or rabies, although as in people can have side effects . Your veterinarian will tell you what the vaccination schedule is so you can have your pet vaccinated completely. Most vaccines are given during the first five months, although some of them, such as rabies, have reinforcements every year or every few years.

In each country there are legal regulations for vaccination and some vaccines are mandatory so if you are thinking of traveling with your pet, it is safest to ask for your vaccination card and, if you require more, they will ask you to vaccinate before travelling.

The side effects of the vaccines can last up to three days and can cause fever or vomiting in the animal. It is recommended that after the vaccine you are more aware of your pet to see if it has given any reaction. If yes, if the symptoms last more than three days or are more serious go to your veterinarian.

What happens with vaccines, both in animals and in people, is that the virus itself is introduced into the body so that the immune system generates defenses. The immune memory of the organism means that if it ever suffers from this disease, antibodies are created to fight it. Therefore, when we vaccinate our pet we are making the immune system and its defenses are working and submit them to a bath where their body temperature changes can make the defenses, which are busy, do not react and our pet takes a cold that could derive in something more serious, for example in pneumonia in dogs.

Puppy care: vaccines and bathing

When we welcome a puppy, whether adopted, given away, bought or found, we must take into account a series of specific care . It is true that an adult dog also has to have some care, such as taking him out to the street to do his needs and move and relate, but a puppy needs much more attention and care and two of the issues to consider is the issue of vaccination and his first bath .

As we have seen before, the veterinarian will indicate the vaccination schedule so that we can immunize our pet. Likewise, nursing puppies do not have to be vaccinated until they are breastfed. For this reason, puppies should not go outside until they have finished receiving all vaccines. This is because, even if you only take out the terrace or the street from your house, you could catch any illness. Their defenses are not fully prepared and their immune system will not react to diseases in the same way as in an adult dog so that not only could catch a disease or cold but also, this will be accentuated because it does not have enough defenses and the situation could get worse.

Therefore, you also have to take into account the bath time. It is convenient not to do it until after being vaccinated for the same reason, your defenses are not ready and you could catch a cold. And we return to the issue of this article that is the bathroom after the vaccine, which, as we have seen is not a good option and less in a puppy, so it will be better to wait a while before bathing after vaccination.

To give your first bath, in addition, once you are vaccinated you have to prepare the moment. The bathroom, as we have seen, is a stressful situation so if you are going to bathe for the first time the best thing is that you do it with the puppy in your lap inside the bath or shower. Do not put too much water in the bathtub, in fact it would be better to put a little water and take a shower. Get in the bathroom with your pet to sit next to you and do not panic and regulate the water very well so that it is warm. Use the specific soap as we have mentioned and then dry it very well with the dryer at a medium temperature and at a certain distance so as not to burn it unintentionally. The best thing is to have a quiet moment and be as comfortable as possible. Do not leave him alone in the bathtub or in the shower and throw in the pressure water or he could get stressed and afraid of that moment, besides having a very bad time.