Vaccinations

Why Vaccinate Your Pet?

Locally, there are several dangerous infectious diseases which can affect our pets. All of them cause suffering, can result in permanent health issues and can be fatal.

Vaccinating your cat, dog, puppy, kitten or rabbit, is one of the most important things that you can do as a responsible pet owner.

Vaccinations provide antibodies against the most common infectious diseases that your dog or cat will come across during their lifetime. Many of these diseases can be fatal, or in best case scenario will have long, expensive and often unsuccessful treatments for your furry family.

When should I vaccinate?

During the first few weeks of life, your puppy or kitten will be protected from disease by immunity passed on by the mother before birth, and through her milk.  After approximately 12 week your pet must form its own antibodies which can only happen with exposure to the disease.  Vaccination provides exposure to the infective agent in its least harmful form allowing them to develop immunity without risk of disease. This is why it is so important to get the vaccinations completed as soon as possible.

We recommend having the first vaccination at 8 weeks old in puppies, and 9 weeks old in kittens.

The second vaccination is then given between 2-4 weeks later.

This means that the protection provided by these vaccines starts at the approximate time that the immunity passed on by your pet’s mother runs out.

After the primary course, an annual ‘booster’ vaccination is essential, providing your loved pet with continuous protection. Annual boosters are very important as, unlike in humans, the effect of vaccination only lasts a limited time.

 

What Diseases Does The Vaccine Cover?

Dogs

Canine Parvovirus

  • Spread via infected faeces dog to dog
  • Highly contagious and often fatal
  • Causes fever, vomiting, and diarrhoea with blood
  • The disease can stay in the environment for months, continuing to infect other dogs

 

Canine Distemper

  • Often fatal and very difficult to treat
  • Spread dog to dog by eye and nose discharges
  • Causes fever, neurological problems, skin disease, coughing, diarrhoea, vomiting.

 

Infectious Canine Hepatitis

  • Spread dog to dog by infected urine, faeces or saliva
  • Symptoms similar to Distemper
  • Causes Liver failure, eye damage and breathing problems
  • Can be fatal

Leptospirosis

  • Infected dogs can suffer from Liver and Kidney damage
  • This disease will need a long period of treatment if they are to fully recover
  • Often fatal and can be transmitted to you!

Infectious Tracheobronchitis – ‘Kennel cough’ )

  • Transmitted from dog to dog easily
  • Caused by various airborne bacteria and viruses just like the human cold
  • Causes a dry, hacking cough – often resulting in vomiting
  • Requires a separate vaccine given by squirting liquid up the nose

 

Rabies

Rabies is an exotic disease to the UK and Ireland.  Your dog will only require vaccination  if you travel to mainland Europe or further afield. (link to passports)

Cats

Feline panleucopenia / enteritis –

-this virus destroys your cat’s white blood cells

-often causes a fatal diarrhoea.

 

Cat flu

– the vaccine protects against two strains of cat flu, calicivirus and herpesvirus.

– Cat flu causes severe sneezing, coughing, infected eyes and mouth ulcers.

– Some cats which have had cat flu will have chronic signs of respiratory disease and    end up chronic ‘snufflers’

– Can be fatal in young kittens and older cats

 

Feline leukaemia virus (FeLV)

– this virus causes cancers in the body and bone marrow.

– It is only spread by bodily fluid contact from another infected cat so if your feline family are indoors 24/7 this may be unnecessary.

-FeLV virus is very prominent within the Omagh area so vaccination is strongly recommended if your cat leaves the house- even if only as far as the garden.  If you have an older unvaccinated cat.

-we may recommend an Felv blood test prior to vaccination.

 

Rabies

Rabies is an exotic disease to the UK and Ireland.  Your cat will only require vaccination if you travel to mainland Europe or further afield. (link to passports)

 

Rabbits

Rabbits should be vaccinated against myxomatosis and viral haemorrhagic disease.

This is now available as a single injection given yearly.

It is especially important to vaccinate your rabbit as Omagh is a HIGH RISK area due to its large wild rabbit population.

The diseases are spread by biting insects rather than direct contact with an affected rabbit so house rabbits are at risk too.

 

Vaccination concerns

Many people are concerned about potential problems with vaccination of their family, both children and animal.  Whilst we can’t say there will never be any side effects of vaccination, we can assure you that side effects from vaccinations are amongst the rarest of any medication.  Routine vaccinations have been used for many, many years in millions of animals with minimal problems.

However, to minimise risk of potential issues, Our Family Vets are extremely careful with our vaccination regimes, minimising the level of vaccination your pet is administered.

Dogs-  Distemper, Infectious canine heptatis, parvo virus vaccinations-  only administered every 3 years

Rabies- only administered every 3 years as required

Kennel cough-  administered nasally annually

Leptospirosis – administered annually.

Cats – FeLV-  only administered every 3 years

Rabies-  only administered every 3 years.

Cat flu-  administered annually

Rabbits –  myxomatosis and HVD-  administered annually.

Alternatives to vaccination

Whilst annual vaccination is the cheapest and safest way to ensure your pet is protected from infectious disease, we can offer titre testing if you feel strongly against vaccination.  Titre testing involves checking the levels of antibodies against the common diseases circulating in your pets blood.  We still strongly recommend an early vaccination course and if subsequent testing shows low levels of immunity, we will recommend further vaccinations.