We believe in the judicious use of vaccinations to help prevent contagious disease in our pet population and recommend having pets vaccinated on a regular schedule at every life stage. With regular immunizations, your pets will be equipped in case of disease exposure, such as rabies, parvo, distemper, and influenza.
Acorn Hill Animal Hospital is dedicated to offering preventive care that keeps your companions as healthy as possible and is affordable.
Recommended Dog Vaccines
There are certain vaccines that every dog needs, in addition to optional vaccines given based on lifestyle, age and risk level.
Those vaccines listed below are part of the core immunization category, which means they're essential to your dog's health and well-being.
- Rabies
- Distemper
- Hepatitis
- Parvovirus
- Parainfluenza
- Leptospirosis
- Bordetella
Recommended Vaccines for Cats
If your cat lives out its days indoors, you might think that means they are safe from infection. That is not the case. Harmful bacteria and viruses can be brought into their homes, which puts them at risk. If your cats is an outdoor cat, he or she needs their vaccines, no exceptions.
Our recommended vaccines for cats include:
- Rabies
- Panleukopenia (feline distemper)
- Herpesvirus
- Calicivirus
- Feline leukemia (recommended for kittens and indoor/outdoor cats)
Core vs. Non-Core Vaccines — What Your Pet Actually Needs
Vaccines are not one-size-fits-all. Some are essential for every pet because the diseases are common, severe, or transmissible to humans. Others are recommended based on lifestyle — where your pet goes, what they do, who they meet.
Core vaccines for dogs (recommended for every dog):
- Rabies — legally required in Texas, fatal once symptoms appear, transmissible to humans
- DHPP (or DAPP) — protects against distemper, adenovirus (hepatitis), parvovirus, and parainfluenza. Parvo is especially common and especially deadly.
Non-core vaccines for dogs (lifestyle-based):
- Bordetella — recommended for dogs in boarding, daycare, training classes, dog parks, or grooming
- Leptospirosis — increasingly recommended in Texas due to wildlife exposure and water contact; can be transmitted to humans
- Canine influenza — for dogs in boarding or social settings during outbreaks
- Lyme disease — depends on tick exposure and travel
Core vaccines for cats (recommended for every cat):
- Rabies — legally required, fatal, transmissible to humans
- FVRCP — protects against feline herpesvirus, calicivirus, and panleukopenia. Even indoor-only cats need this protection.
Non-core vaccines for cats (lifestyle-based):
- Feline leukemia (FeLV) — strongly recommended for kittens and any cat with outdoor access or exposure to other cats of unknown status
- FIV — situational, used only in specific high-risk circumstances
We don't vaccinate by default. Every pet's vaccine plan is built around their age, lifestyle, health status, and exposure risk — and we re-evaluate it at every annual wellness visit.
FAQs for Pet Vaccinations
The rabies vaccine is required by Texas state law for both dogs and cats. Other vaccines are not legally required but are strongly recommended based on disease risk.