Vaccinations

• Dog Vaccinations
• Cat Vaccinations
• Rabbit Vaccinations

Dog Vaccinations

Routine vaccination protects your dog against 5 major infectious diseases. Your pet also receives a full clinical examination at booster time so that any problems can be spotted early and treated appropriately. This check up also gives you the chance to discuss any aspects of health or care of your dog.

What diseases are covered?

Distemper causes a high temperature, cough, sore eyes, runny nose and diarrhoea. The footpads may become hard and cracked, and so distemper is sometimes also known as hardpad. The disease though treatable is often fatal.

Canine hepatitis attacks the liver, kidneys, eyes and lungs of infected dogs. It usually causes respiratory failure and death.

Canine parvovirus causes a high temperature, vomiting and bloody diarrhoea. Puppies that are infected often die in spite of treatment.

Leptospirosis is picked up from rats (for example when swimming in canals or rivers) and causes severe liver damage which is frequently fatal.

Parainfluenza is one of the causes of "kennel cough" or infectious bronchitis and is highly infectious.

We can also vaccinate your dog against another major cause of "kennel cough", namely Bordetella. This vaccine is given as drops trickled into the dog's nose and needs to be repeated every 12 months.

When should my puppy be vaccinated?

Puppies are given 2 injections, the first at 8 weeks, the second at 10 weeks of age. They are fully protected one week later. This regime allows your pup to be taken out a little earlier than in past years, which helps in the important socialisation period when puppies are learning so much from their surroundings, including how to interact with other dogs and people, making for a well-balanced happy dog.

What about boosters?

Booster vaccinations are given each year. Leptospirosis and parainfluenza protection are included every year, with hepatitis, distemper and parvovirus protection being given every third year.

Old dogs especially need their boosters regularly as they become more susceptible to disease with increasing age.

Are there any side-effects?

Very few adverse reactions are reported despite the very large numbers of vaccinations given to dogs each year. A dog may occasionally appear a little quiet and under the weather for a short time after vaccination, or possibly develop a small swelling at the site of the injection. These effects are rare and usually minor, but if in doubt, please contact the surgery.

Regular check ups and vaccinations are an important part of routine health care for your dog ensuring he or she remains fit and well.

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Cat Vaccinations

Why does my cat need vaccinating?

Routine vaccination protects your cat against a number of infectious diseases, including cat flu, feline infectious enteritis, and feline leukaemia. Your cat also receives a full clinical examination at booster time so that any problems can be spotted early and treated appropriately. This check up also gives you the chance to discuss any aspects of health or care of your cat.

What diseases can vaccination protect against?

Cat "flu": a common respiratory disease in unvaccinated cats caused by feline herpes virus or feline calicivirus. The symptoms include eye and nose discharge, unwillingness to eat, breathing difficulties and can in some cases be incurable leading to death or to chronic ongoing "snuffles". Feline infectious enteritis: a less common disease which causes severe and potentially fatal gastroenteritis.

Feline leukaemia virus: a virus that can have a range of effects including tumours, leukaemias, suppression of the immune system, and recurrent infections. Feline Leukaemia is a common cause of premature death in cats in the UK.

Feline Chlamydiosis: Chlamydia is a condition causing severe conjunctivitis (red, sore and weeping eyes). This is a relatively common cause of eye disease in cats but thankfully is not a fatal disease.

Which vaccines do we recommend for your cat?

We recommend that all cats are protected against feline flu and infectious enteritis and we will discuss fully your cat's requirement for feline leukaemia on an individual basis.

We do not currently recommend routine vaccination against Chlamydial infection. This vaccine is however readily available so please feel free to discuss this with your vet.

When should my kitten be vaccinated?

Kittens can be vaccinated from 9 weeks of age. A second dose is required, given 3 weeks later. The kitten will be fully protected by about 10 days following the second injection.

What about boosters?

Booster injections are given each year throughout life. Susceptibility can increase as cats get old, and their immune system becomes less efficient.

Are there any side-effects?

Some cats show a mild reaction to their inoculation and may be a little off colour for a short time after vaccination. If you have any worries regarding your cat please contact the surgery.

Regular check ups and vaccinations form an important part of ongoing health care for your cat helping to keep him or her healthy and happy.

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Rabbit Vaccinations

We routinely advise vaccination of rabbits against two life threatening diseases in rabbits.

Myxomatosis

Myxomatosis is a life threatening viral disease of wild and pet rabbits causing many clinical signs including blindness and severe respiratory disease. It is transmitted by blood sucking insects, primarily fleas and mosquitoes, and as such rabbits do not have to come into direct contact with diseased animals to become infected. Vaccination against myxomatosis is given every 6 months.

Viral Haemorrhagic Disease (VHD)

This is a highly infectious viral disease of rabbits causing sudden onset gastroenteritis often presenting as sudden death. Vaccination against VHD is given every 12 months.

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