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- What You Should Know About Vaccinations For Your Pet
- Vaccines for Dogs
- Vaccines All Cats Should Have
What You Should Know About Vaccinations For Your Pet
What are vaccines?
- Vaccines are health products that trigger protective immune responses in pets and prepare them to fight future infections from disease-causing agents. Vaccines can lessen the severity of Mure diseases and certain vaccines can prevent infection altogether. Today. a variety of vaccines are available for use by veterinarians.
Is it important to vaccinate?
- Yes! Pets should be vaccinated to protect them from many highly contagious and deadly diseases. Experts agree that widespread use of vaccines within the last century has prevented death and disease in mil/ions of animals. Even though some formerly common diseases have now become uncommon, vaccination is still highly recommended because these serious disease agents continue to be present in the environment.
Does vaccination ensure protection?
- For most pets, vaccination is effective and will prevent future disease. Occasionally, a vaccinated pet may not develop adequate immunity and, although rare, it is possible for these pets to become ill. It is important to remember that although breakdowns in protection do occur, most successfully vaccinated pets never show signs of disease, making vaccination an important part of your pet’s preventive health care.
Are there risks?
Although most pets respond well to vaccines, like any medical procedure vaccination carries some risk. The most common adverse responses are mild and short-term, including fever, sluggishness, and reduced appetite. Pets may also experience temporary pain or subtle swelling at the site of vaccination. Although most adverse responses will resolve within a day or two, excessive pain, swelling, or listlessness should be discussed with your veterinarian.
Rarely, serious adverse responses occur. Contact your veterinarian immediately if your pet has repeated vomiting or diarrhea, whole body itching, difficulty breathing, collapse, or swelling of the face or legs. These signs may indicate an allergic reaction. In very rare instances death can occur. Visit with your veterinarian about the latest information on vaccine safety, including rare adverse responses that may develop weeks or months after vaccination.
Remember that while vaccination is not without risk, failure to vaccinate leaves your pet vulnerable to fatal illnesses that are preventable.
Why do puppies and kittens require a series of vaccinations?
- Very young puppies and kittens are highly susceptible to infectious diseases. This is especially true as the natural immunity provided in their mothers’ milk gradually wears off. To keep gaps in protection as narrow as possible and to provide optimal protection against disease for the first few months of life, a series of vaccinations are scheduled, usually 3-4 weeks apart. For most puppies and kittens, the final vaccination in the series is administered when they are 12 to 16 weeks old.
Which vaccines should my pet receive?
- Discuss with your veterinarian your pet’s lifestyle, access to other animals, and travel to other geographic locations, since these factors affect your pet’s risk of exposure to disease. Not all pets should be vaccinated with all vaccines just because these vaccines are available. “Core” vaccines are recommended for most pets in a particular area. “Non- core” vaccines are reserved for pets with unique needs. Your veterinarian will consider your pet’s particulars, the diseases at hand, and the application of available vaccines to customize a vaccine recommendation for your pet.
How often should my pet be vaccinated?
- Your veterinarian will tailor a vaccination schedule to suit your pet’s needs. For many years, a set of annual vaccinations was considered normal and necessary for dogs and cats. Veterinarians have since learned more about diseases and pets’ immune systems. and there is increasing evidence that immunity triggered by some vaccines provides protection beyond one year. The immunity triggered by other vaccines may fail to protect for a full year. More than one successful vaccination schedule is possible. Talk with your veterinarian about what is best for your pet.
A final thought
- Many factors are taken into consideration when establishing a pet’s vaccination plan. Your veterinarian will tailor a program of vaccinations to help your pet maintain a lifetime of infectious disease protection.
Vaccines for Dogs
Vaccinating Your Dog Can Prevent These Diseases
Distemper
- A widespread, and often fatal disease which can cause vomiting, diarrhea, pneumonia and severe brain damage.
Adenovirus
- The cause of infectious hepatitis and respiratory infections, respectively, CAV-1 virus produces severe damage to the cells of the liver. CAV-2 virus is part of the kennel cough complex in dogs.
Leptospirosis
- A bacterial infection which often leads to permanent kidney damage. It is very contagious and spreads through contact with nasal secretions, urine or saliva of infected animals.
Parainfluenza
- Another part of the kennel cough complex. It is often a mild respiratory infection, but can be more severe in puppies and debilitated dogs.
Parvovirus
- A widespread and potentially fatal disease which may cause severe vomiting and diarrhea. It is especially dangerous in young dogs and those susceptible to the effects of dehydration
Coronavirus
- A highly contagious viral infection of the gastrointestinal tract which causes vomiting and diarrhea. Young puppies are particularly susceptible to this disease.
Rabies
- A fatal viral infection of the central nervous system that can affect all mammals, including man. The virus is transmitted from animal to animal and animal to man primarily through the bite of an infected animal. Routine vaccination is the key to controlling this dreaded disease.
Bordetella
- A bacteria that infects the upper respiratory tract. It is one of the many important contributing infectious agents in the kennel/canine cough complex.
Lyme Disease
- A disease carried by ticks which infects both man and dogs. The disease can damage many of the dog’s body systems but most often causes fever, loss of appetite, and lameness.
Vaccines All Cats Should Have
All cats should get vaccinations against the following common diseases:
- Panleukopenia virus (distemper)
- Feline calicvirus (FCV)
- Feline herpes virus (rhinotracheitis)
- Rabies
The first three are typically given when kittens are about 8 weeks old, followed by annual booster shots for a few years thereafter. The rabies vaccine is usually done when a cat is 4-6 months old, with boosters every 1-3 years depending on the type of vaccine used.
Non-Core Vaccines
Non-core vaccines are a good idea if the cat is at risk for certain diseases. Such vaccinations include:
- Feline chlamydiosis-this vaccine is not necessary unless the cat is at high risk of infection due to living among other infected cats.
- Feline immunodeficiency virus (feline AIDS or FlV)-this disease is spread through bite wounds, so only outdoor cats and cats that live with other aggressive cats are likely to be at risk. Original FlY vaccines are given 2-3 weeks apart, with annual boosters afterward. The vaccination is not always effective in preventing the disease.
- Feline leukemia virus (FeL!] -first vaccinations are given at 9 and 12 weeks of age, with booster shots annually or at longer intervals. Cats should receive this vaccination if they are allowed to go outside, if they mingle with large numbers of cats, if they live in a household with a FeLV-infected cat, or they live in a household where the infectious status of other cats is unknown. Indoor cats that live alone or with cats that do not have FeLV, particularly if they are past the age of 4 months, do not need FeL V vaccinations.