Preventive healthcare is the cornerstone of keeping your pet healthy and routine vaccination is a vital component of this. The diseases we vaccinate against are extremely severe, and sometimes fatal, so preventing your pet from succumbing to these infections is obviously better than trying to deal with the problem if it arises. The other benefit of regular vaccination is to improve the health of the pet population as a whole by reducing the overall level of disease, and therefore reducing infection for all our pets.
We have seen the benefits of this over the last 20-30 years when Parvo virus outbreaks were common but with the introduction of vaccines, the often fatal infection is much less common. It is important not to become complacent though, as there have been problems in recent times with Measles outbreaks in children in areas where the level of vaccination had dropped. This could easily happen with our pets too, if the number of vaccinated animals falls.
Of course we don’t want to “over-vaccinate” either and recent advances in vaccine technology and research has provided us with improved understanding and better vaccine protocols. The World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA) has provided comprehensive guidelines for vaccination and we strive to follow this advice, taking account of our local disease prevalence rates etc.
Cedarmount Vets are now pleased to offer our new vaccine Nobivac DHLPPiL4 which provides protection against a multitude of diseases:
- Canine Distemper
- Parvovirus 2b, Adenovirus
- Para-Influenza with the option of Bordetella bronchiseptica (Kennel Cough). NB.This intranasal vaccination is included FREE OF CHARGE for all Members of our Pet Health Club. The new vaccine is licensed to not only protect from clinical signs of Leptospirosis, but importantly to reduce excretion of the bacteria in the urine, reducing the risk to human and other animal’s health
- Leptospirosis (serogroups Icterhaemorrhagiae, Canicola, Australis and Grippotyphosa)
Your pet will receive different combinations of vaccine each year, to provide continuous protection in a single injection (kennel cough is extra for non-Pet Health Club pets) but without “overvaccinating”.
These vaccines are very safe with only very rare reactions. These are generally mild and short lived. The most common reaction is a small lump which will resolve after 7-14 days with no treatment.
- Puppy vaccines start from 6 weeks with a second 2-4 weeks later when at least 10 weeks old
- Both dogs and cats need annual booster vaccinations, of which the 1st at just over a year is especially important, to maintain the immunity.
- We can do blood samples to check the antibody status of your pet if you prefer, to check if they need to be vaccinated or not. With the low level of side effects from the vaccines we feel that this is usually not necessary.
Your dog will need a Kennel Cough vaccine before entering a boarding kennel, and also may be best done before going to training classes. Our Pet Health Club members get this vaccination free.