Vaccinations

Vaccinating your pet is one of the most important things you can do to ensure they lead a healthy life.

Here are our top reasons for vaccinating your pet:

  • Vaccinations protect against preventable diseases
  • Vaccinations are substantially less expensive than the cost of vet treatment for the diseases they protect against
  • Vaccinations protect your pet from transmissible diseases in boarding facilities, at parks and even when they visit the vet. If your pet has to be hospitalised for any illness, their immune system may already be compromised so you want to make sure they are protected.
  • Two weeks after the final puppy vaccination your pet will have active immunity against the diseases we have vaccinated against
  • We recommend that you limit socialisation until 2 weeks after their final vaccination at 16 weeks
  • Some of the diseases we vaccinate against are widespread and long lasting in the environment and means your pet may be able to contract the illness by simply sniffing or licking where an infected animal has been.
  • Transmission of some of these preventable diseases does not always require direct infected animal contact

Your pet’s health, lifestyle and exactly where you live may affect which vaccinations are necessary, so our expert vets will work with you to develop a simple and effective vaccination program for your pet

Vaccinating Your Dog

A puppy’s first vaccinations are at 8 weeks, then 12 weeks, 16 weeks, and then annually after that. Only two weeks after the final puppy vaccination should your puppy be allowed to go outside and socialise with other dogs

What your dog is vaccinated against:

  • Parvovirus: causes potentially fatal diarrhoea, especially in pups and dogs under 2 years
  • Distemper: coughing, diarrhoea and sometimes twitching, seizures, loss of balance and blindness
  • Hepatitis: vomiting, diarrhoea, abdominal pain and possibly liver failure
  • Canine Cough: also known as Kennel Cough, but NOT only a risk if your dog is boarding
  • Parainfluenza: a viral disease causing a nasty cough
  • Bordatella bronchiseptica: bacteria causing a harsh, dry cough and lethargy

Vaccinating Your Cat

A kitten’s first vaccinations are at 8 weeks, then 12 weeks, 16 weeks and then annually after that. Only two weeks after the final kitten vaccination should your kitten be allowed outside and socialise with other cats.

The main feline vaccinations are known by the codes F3 and F4, and common cat vaccinations are:

  • Enteritis (Feline Panleukopenia) can be very severe especially in unvaccinated kittens younger than 12 months of age. It causes fever, vomiting, diarrhoea, liver failure and sudden death
  • Feline Calicivirus is part of the cat flu strain
  • Feline Rhinotracheitis (Feline Herpes Virus) is another cat flu strain and can lead to permanent nasal and sinus infection
  • Chlamydia is a bacterial disease causing conjunctivitis, respiratory disease, infections arthritis and even abortion
  • Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV or Feline AIDS) must be vaccinated against if your cat EVER goes outside. It is a potentially fatal disease spread between cats via bites, for which there is no treatment or cure.
  • Feline Leukaemia and FIV are both viral diseases which suppress the immune system and can predispose cats to fatal infections. There is no treatment for infected cats.

It is highly recommended that any cat spending time outdoors should be vaccinated against these potentially fatal diseases.

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