Vaccines are Important!

Vaccinations are a vital part of what keeps our dog and cat population healthy and protected.  There are a lot of different diseases we vaccinate for – mostly upper respiratory and gastrointestinal viruses.  The most important vaccine a dog and cat will get is their Rabies vaccine.  Rabies is a virus that can be transmitted to humans and is deadly, so we definitely want to be protected from that.  Any dog or cat can get Rabies – even indoor ones!  There have been instances where a bat gets into a house and the cat or dog decides to play with it.  Bat bites are too small to see so if they have played with it, we generally assume they have gotten bit by it.  If this happens we can send in the bat to have it tested.  We may have to quarantine the dog/cat and booster its Rabies vaccine depending on the individual situation.

In the initial series of vaccines, timing is important!  Once a puppy/kitten is weaned from its mom is a great time to start vaccines. To provide optimal protection against disease in the first few months of life, a series of vaccinations is scheduled.  In many instances, the first dose of vaccine serves to prime the animal’s immune system.  This response is relatively weak and short-lived.  Subsequent doses (about 2-4 weeks apart) help further stimulate the body’s immune system to provide protective antibodies against the diseases.   
Here is a breakdown of the timing and type of canine and feline vaccinations we recommend.

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