Vaccine Requirements
What the law requires
Only two vaccines are actually required before grooming: distemper/parvo and rabies. Nothing else is needed to book.
Why we don’t require the Bordetella vaccine
Bordetella is typically required for long-term boarding, not for a grooming visit. Most groomers require it because dogs are co-mingled and kenneled together over extended stays, which is exactly the environment where airborne illness like kennel cough spreads. A grooming appointment here doesn’t create that kind of prolonged exposure, so the vaccine that exists to guard against it isn’t required.
Puppies
A puppy’s earliest groom can happen after two sets of distemper/parvo vaccines, typically around 12 weeks old. Rabies vaccination is required after 16 weeks, which lines up with standard puppy vaccine schedules most owners are already following with their vet.
How to send your records
Sending vaccine records is simple. Just email them over ahead of your appointment, and they’ll be kept on file so you don’t need to bring paperwork every visit.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
I don’t require Bordetella, because it’s meant for long-term boarding, not a grooming visit. The vaccine protects against kennel cough, which spreads through prolonged, close contact between dogs in boarding environments. Since I groom your dog and send them home the same day rather than boarding them, that level of exposure doesn’t apply.
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Before you book
