Pet Vaccination Service - Why vaccines important to keep pets healthy
In light of the rabid bats outbreak in the Santa Clarita area, the urgency has increased to vaccinate your pets, and keeping your pets’ vaccinations up to date is crucial for protecting and preventing further outbreaks, veterinarians say. Vaccines are important because they protect your pet from acquiring certain diseases, some of which can be fatal.
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.
Dogs and cats alike can start getting vaccines at 6 to 8 weeks of age, according to Vega, with booster vaccines recommended every three to four weeks until the pet reaches the age of 16 weeks. Vaccines are done this way as both puppies and kittens receive passive immunity from their mothers via colostrum. This passive immunity protects them from acquiring certain diseases.
That immunity starts to slowly disappear between 6 to 16
weeks of age. Therefore, it is during this time we vaccinate to build up
individual immunity. The American Animal Hospital Association has developed dog
and cat vaccination guidelines, separated into core and non-core animal vaccines.
Core vaccines include every dog and cat should receive, such
as rabies. A non-core pet vaccine, such as the rattlesnake vaccine, is given
based on lifestyle or environment. On average, core pet vaccines can range from
$10 to $28 per dose while non-core vaccines are more expensive.
The distemper/parvovirus vaccine and FVRCP is usually one of the first core vaccines given to pets. A rabies vaccine is required by law to be updated every three years. When a puppy receives their first rabies shot they need to receive a booster one year later. After that, they are due for a rabies booster every three years.
“If an owner brings in a dog that was attacked or bitten by
a wild animal, I always vaccinate them with the rabies vaccine just in case,”
said Dr. Laura Ekman.
If an adult pet’s vaccine history is unknown, they will be
vaccinated with the first shot, and expected to come back a year later for the
booster and triannually after. Animal Vaccinations prevent pets from not only
getting diseases but also from spreading them to other animals or potentially
to humans.
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.