Pet Vaccination Service - All you need to know about our Cat and Dog Vaccinations
Why do my pets need to be vaccinated?
Vaccines are very important to manage the health of your
pets. Vaccinating your pets is one of the easiest ways to protect your pet from
highly contagious diseases and even deadly diseases. Also, vaccination prevents
diseases that can be passed between animals and also from animals to people,
like rabies and leptospira. Lastly, the vaccination of animals makes pet owners
avoid costly treatments for disease.
At Grah Kingston, we are providing quality Dog & Cat Vaccination Service. We are known as one of the
best dog Vaccination vet clinics in Kingston.
Vaccines help prepare an animal’s immune system to fight future infections from disease-causing viruses or bacteria. Vaccines contain antigens (killed virus or modified live virus or modified live bacteria). When vaccines are injected into animals, they can stimulate the immune system in an animal’s body but do not cause. Thus, the animal’s immune system can be prepared to recognize the pathologic virus or bacteria and fight against them quickly and effectively to reduce the severity of illness in the future.
Which vaccines should
my pet receive?
Which vaccines your pet should receive is decided by animal’s age, lifestyle,
exposure risk, animal’s health condition, and regulations. In most countries,
Rabies vaccines are required by law for all cats and dogs even though they are
living indoors only.
Vaccines are divided into “core” vaccines that every pet
should have, and “noncore” vaccines that a pet should have depending on
exposure risk. Core vaccines are recommended for all puppies and
kittens and adult dogs and cats with an unknown vaccination history. These
vaccines protect pets from a disease, significant illness, and/or death.
These include vaccines for canine parvovirus (CPV), canine distemper virus (CDV), canine adenovirus (CAV), and rabies in dogs and for feline panleukopenia (feline distemper), feline calicivirus, feline herpesvirus types I (rhinotracheitis) and rabies in cats. Noncore vaccinations are given for individual pets that have a greater chance of exposure to those diseases. These diseases can cause serious illness or even death of your pet in some cases.
Depending on where you live, some of these may be can be
categorized as “core” vaccines due to higher disease prevalence in that area
(i.e. Lyme vaccines or Leptospirosis vaccine). Canine noncore vaccines include
Bordetella, Leptospirosis, Lyme, Canine Influenza (H3N8 and H3N2),
Parainfluenza. Noncore vaccines for the cat are those that protect against
feline leukemia virus (FeLV), Chlamydophila felis, and Bordetella
bronchiseptica. Vaccines against feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) and feline
infectious peritonitis (FIP) are currently not recommended for use.
How often should my
pet receive vaccinations?
1.Core- vaccines
For puppies, one dose of Canine DAP (distemper virus, adenovirus, and
parvovirus) vaccine is recommended every 3-4 weeks from 6-8 weeks of age, with
the final booster being given around 16- 20 weeks of age. For kittens, one dose
of FVRCP (feline panleukopenia, feline calicivirus, feline herpesvirus type 1)
is recommended with the same interval as puppies. For dogs and cats older than
16 weeks of age, two doses of the same vaccine given 3-4 weeks apart are
recommended. And then, animals need a booster every three years. For rabies
vaccines, it is also generally recommended that a single dose of rabies vaccine
can be given around to puppies when they are 16 -20 weeks.
Kitten receive the vaccine even though they can receive rabies vaccine at the earliest at 12 weeks old. After the first rabies vaccine has been given, an animal must have a booster one year later regardless of the duration of immunity of first rabies vaccines used (1 yr rabies vaccines vs. 3-year rabies vaccines). After a one-year rabies booster, subsequent booster intervals are determined by the type of vaccine used (1 yr. vs. 3 yr.).
2.Non- core vaccines
When most noncore vaccines are given for the first time for puppies, kitten, or
adult animals, we recommend administering two sets of vaccines 2-4 weeks apart.
The vaccination is an important part of your pet’s routine. It protects them
from potentially severe or deadly disease and improves their quality of life.
Pet owners are welcome to visit our Animal
Hospital in Kingston. The veterinary team at GRAH will assess which
inoculations are required, specific to your pets needs as well as age and stage
of development, different
vaccination packages are available at the clinic.