Core vs. Lifestyle Vaccines: What Florida Dogs and Cats Actually Need
Skyway Animal Hospital
Veterinary Team
Core vaccines are the ones every dog and cat should have, however they live: at Skyway, that's rabies and DHLPP for dogs, and rabies and FVRCP for cats. Lifestyle vaccines depend on where your pet goes and who it meets, such as Bordetella and canine influenza for dogs that board or go to daycare, and feline leukemia (FeLV) for cats that go outdoors or live with other cats. Rabies is the one Florida law requires owners to keep current.
Vaccine questions rarely arrive that tidy, though. A kennel asks for a shot you've never heard of, or a shelter record says DHPP where ours says DHLPP. Here's how we sort it for St. Pete pets, and where living in Florida changes the answer.
Core Vaccines: What Every Dog and Cat Gets
A core vaccine protects against a disease that is widespread, serious or legally required, so every pet gets it unless there's a medical reason not to.
For dogs:
- Rabies, required by Florida law.
- DHLPP, one combination shot covering distemper, hepatitis, leptospirosis, parainfluenza and parvovirus, the most common and serious infectious diseases of dogs.
For cats:
- Rabies, required by Florida law, indoor cats included.
- FVRCP, covering feline viral rhinotracheitis and calicivirus, the main causes of upper-respiratory infections in cats, plus panleukopenia (feline distemper), which is highly contagious and most dangerous to young kittens.
Puppies and kittens get these as a series. We start at 6 to 8 weeks and repeat every 3 to 4 weeks until about 16 weeks, because the antibodies they absorb from their mother block vaccines and fade on an unpredictable timeline. Repeating the dose makes sure one lands after that protection wears off, as the AAHA canine and AAHA/AAFP feline guidelines lay out. Our puppy and kitten care page covers the first-year visits.
After that, each vaccine runs on its own clock. A follow-up booster comes within a year of the series. From there, some vaccines are yearly and others every three years, depending on the product, your pet's history and, for rabies, Florida law. We track the schedule and send reminders.
Lifestyle Vaccines: What Depends on Your Pet's Week
A lifestyle vaccine is worth giving when your pet's routine brings it near the disease, which is why we ask about daily life before recommending one. Our vaccinations page lists everything we offer.
Bordetella (kennel cough). For dogs that board, visit groomers or go to dog parks, anywhere dogs share air at close range.
Canine influenza. The national canine guidelines don't recommend it for every dog. They point instead to dogs that board, go to daycare or dog parks, attend shows or travel, and to whether flu is circulating. If that's your dog's calendar, ask us.
Feline leukemia (FeLV). For cats that go outdoors, even part-time, and cats in multi-cat homes. FeLV spreads through close contact between cats (bites, mutual grooming, shared bowls and litter boxes) and doesn't survive long outside the body, so a single indoor-only adult cat has little chance to catch it. One wrinkle: the feline guidelines recommend FeLV for every kitten in its first year, when kittens are more susceptible and their adult lifestyle is still unknown.
Leptospirosis, the one that crossed over. Lepto is a bacterial infection spread in the urine of infected animals, rats and other wildlife included, and dogs pick it up from contaminated water and soil. It was long treated as a lifestyle vaccine for dogs exposed to wildlife or standing water, and that's still the exposure we ask about. In 2024, AAHA moved it to core for dogs across North America. In Florida that changed little: standing water and wildlife are part of nearly every dog's week here, and the CDC notes the risk climbs after hurricanes, heavy rain and flooding. At Skyway, lepto is already the L in our core DHLPP.
Heartworm and fleas belong on neither list: there's no vaccine for either, only prevention, covered on our heartworm prevention page.
Rabies, Florida Law and Your Pinellas License
Rabies is the vaccine Florida law requires owners to keep current: Florida Statute 828.30 says every dog, cat and ferret 4 months of age or older must be vaccinated against rabies by a licensed veterinarian. (The statute covers ferrets; we see dogs and cats only.)
The details that trip people up:
- The second shot is due 12 months after the first. After that, the interval follows the manufacturer's directions, so it depends on which product your pet received: a one-year or a three-year vaccine.
- A titer can't stand in for it. The statute says antibody levels can't substitute for current rabies vaccination.
- Medical exemptions are narrow. A licensed veterinarian must certify in writing that vaccinating now would endanger the pet's health; the shot follows once health allows.
- The certificate is the proof, not the tag. The vaccinating vet gives one to you and one to the animal control authority.
Pinellas adds a license. The county requires one for dogs and cats, and for a pet over four months you'll need a rabies certificate or a vet's exemption letter to get it. The license expires when the rabies vaccination does, so the two renew together, and the tag number stays with your pet for life.
Your Vaccine Visit Checklist
A few minutes of prep makes the vaccine conversation shorter and the plan more accurate.
- Bring every vaccine record, including shelter, rescue and previous-clinic paperwork.
- Find the rabies certificate. A collar tag isn't proof.
- Describe your dog's real week: boarding, daycare, groomer, dog parks, road trips.
- Mention water and wildlife: a backyard pond, ditches along your walk, raccoons passing through the yard.
- Describe your cat's real life: indoor-only, indoor-outdoor or harness walks (the feline guidelines count those as outdoor access), plus how many cats share the home.
- Tell us about any past vaccine reaction. Serious reactions are very rare, and we can pre-treat if your pet has had one.
- Get kennel or groomer requirements in writing before the booking, not at drop-off.
- Put the Pinellas license renewal on the same calendar as the rabies booster.
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the difference between DHPP and DHLPP?
The L: DHLPP includes leptospirosis and DHPP doesn't. Both cover distemper, hepatitis, parainfluenza and parvovirus. Lepto spreads through water and soil contaminated by infected animals' urine, which Florida has plenty of, so it's part of our core combination for dogs. If records from a shelter or another clinic say DHPP or DAPP, bring them in and we'll check whether lepto was given separately.
Do indoor cats really need vaccines?
Yes, at minimum rabies and FVRCP. Rabies is required by Florida law regardless of lifestyle, and indoor cats can still be exposed through an open window, an escape or a new pet in the house. FeLV is where indoor life does change the answer: a single indoor-only adult usually has little exposure, though the feline guidelines recommend it for kittens in their first year.
Does my dog need the kennel cough vaccine?
If your dog boards, sees a groomer or goes to dog parks, yes. That's who we recommend Bordetella for, and many kennels, daycares and groomers require it anyway. A dog that rarely meets other dogs may not need it.
Most pets end up with a short core list and one or two lifestyle additions, and a new cat or a first boarding stay is a good reason to revisit the plan. If you're not sure where your pet lands, call us at (727) 327-5141 and bring whatever records you have. Two more worth reading: summer water dangers for Florida pets, including leptospirosis and the feline viral diseases every cat owner should know about.
Written by the Skyway Animal Hospital team. Skyway has served Pinellas County pet families since 1961.
