Is lepto vaccine a good idea

Q: I have a 5 month cavapoo that lives in NYC. I was wondering if you recommend having get the leptospirosis vaccine? I saw research that said a lot of dogs have adverse side effects, but I also see the disease is very dangerous.

A: Leptospirosis is a serious infection of people and pets. As with much of preventive care the recommendations vary with lifestyle and location. Lepto does tend to be more of a problem in urban areas due to a higher density of rodents which serve as a host and spread the organism to other mammals. We recommend lepto vaccination but we do not give it until at least nine weeks and often not until 12 weeks which seems to reduce the incidence of side effects. Your veterinarian can guide you based on the area you live.