Why does my pet need vaccinations?

Vaccinations are recommended as an essential part of a healthcare program. Your pets’ ‘needles’ are to protect them from serious & potentially fatal diseases. These diseases are mainly viral & don’t respond well to medications & treatment is expensive and sometimes unsuccessful.

What diseases do I need to protect my dog against?

Parvovirus

A viral gastroenteritis which is highly contagious spreading through the infected faecal material of dogs. It can survive for long periods in the environment including garden soil, contaminated cages or shoes with faecal material. The clinical signs include depression, loss of appetite, severe vomiting & diarrhoea containing blood. Death can occur rapidly (within 24hrs of clinical signs being apparent) & treatment is often ineffective. Puppies are especially prone to this disease which is more often than not fatal.

Distemper

A highly contagious disease which can cause conjunctivitis, nasal discharge, convulsions (seizures) and spinal cord damage. If dogs do survive the acute stages of infection they are often left with permanent brain damage.

Canine Kennel Cough

A complex disease caused by bacterium & viral components spread through casual contact with other dogs. While not usually fatal, the harsh, hacking cough can persist for weeks even months & can lead to further health problems especially in puppies & senior pets.

Hepatitis

In puppies this disease can cause sudden death, whilst as adults dogs can experience weakness, fever, diarrhoea & loss of appetite. Once exposed, recovered dogs become carriers, shedding virus in their urine & other secretions.

What diseases do I need to protect my cat against?

Feline enteritis

A highly contagious gastroenteritis which progresses very rapidly & is often fatal. It is particularly severe in kittens & pregnant cats with symptoms such as high fevers, depression, vomiting & diarrhoea, birth defects or miscarriage. Cats can simply collapse & die with little warning.

Feline respiratory disease

Known as cat flu this complex disease causes sneezing, coughing & discharge from the eyes & noses. Ulcers on the tongue & mouth can occur. There are several viruses responsible for “cat flu” most of which we can vaccinate for. The disease is debilitating & can cause death in very young or old cats.

Feline leukaemia virus & feline immunodeficiency virus (cat AIDS)

These viruses attack the immune system leaving the cat prone to infections & some forms of cancers. Spread through close cat to cat contact (fighting, grooming or sexual transmission), a blood test can show if your cat has been infected. There is no known treatment for these viral infections.

How often does my pet need vaccination?

Vaccinations rely on stimulating the immune system or put simply activating the body to produce antibodies to the diseases that we want to protect against. As young animals shouldn’t have ever been exposed to to disease they require a series of injections or a “primary course”. As adult animals should have already had this primary course a “booster vaccination” is usually all that is required.

Kittens

8 weeks – Initial F3 vaccination (Covering Viral Rhinotracheitis & Calicivirus/Feline Flu, and Panleucopenia) or F4 (Covering Viral Rhinotracheitis & Calicivirus/Feline Flu, Panleucopenia and Leukaemia)

10 – 12 weeks – Second F3 vaccination (Covering Viral Rhinotracheitis & Calicivirus/Feline Flu, and Panleucopenia) or F4 (Covering Viral Rhinotracheitis & Calicivirus/Feline Flu, Panleucopenia and Leukaemia)

Adult cats

Adult booster F3 or F4 vaccination yearly