Pet Vaccinations at the Animal Hospital of Sullivan County
As a loving pet owner, you'd do anything to keep your pet in optimal health -- and vaccinations are one of the simplest, yet most important, steps you can take toward that goal. Here at the Animal Hospital of Sullivan County, our veterinary team is proud to provide a lifetime of pet vaccinations that can help your best friend enjoy life to the fullest.
An Essential Aspect of Pet Preventative Care
A vaccine can be thought of as a kind of "start button" for the immune system. This substance bears a close resemblance to the disease organism it's designed to protect against (and many even be a killed version of the organism itself). When the vaccine is introduced into the bloodstream, the immune system mistakes it for a genuine threat and creates antibodies to fight it. With this protection in place, your pet is now safely immunized against the real thing for the duration of the vaccine's potency. This pet preventative care measure is infinitely preferable to allowing a deadly disease to do its worst before your pet's immune system has a fair chance to fight back.
Pet vaccinations are especially critical for puppies and kittens. Not only are these baby animals more fragile than adults, but they're simply "borrowing" antibodies from their mother's milk instead of producing their own. That's why your veterinarian at the Animal Hospital of Sullivan County will urge you to start scheduling vaccinations from 5 or 6 weeks of age.
Pet Vaccines Administered by Your Animal Hospital of Sullivan County Veterinarian
The most important pet vaccines are the "core" vaccines that protect against common killer germs. Dogs and cats have somewhat different core vaccination needs:
- Core dog vaccines - Core dog vaccines protect against canine hepatitis, distemper, parvovirus, and rabies. Except for the rabies vaccine, all these vaccines can be delivered in a single injection. At the Animal Hospital of Sullivan County we have added the lyme vaccine to our core list due to the high prevalence of the disease here. We have also added leptospirosis to the core list due to its zoonotic potential and a lot of our patients spend a lot of time outdoors enjoying the Catskill Mountain region.
- Core cat vaccines - Core cat vaccines protect against rabies, rhinotracheitis, calicivirus and panleukopenia. These vaccines all also are combined into one shot, with the exception of the rabies vaccine.
Puppy and kittens will need these vaccinations repeated during the first year of life until their immune systems have been thoroughly strengthened. We will advise you as to when you should schedule booster shots to help your pet enjoy ongoing disease protection.
Certain non-core or elective vaccinations may also be recommended if your pet faces additional disease risks. This may be especially true for pets who will be boarded in close contact with other pets, or who will be spending lots of time in outdoors. Your veterinarian at the Animal Hospital of Sullivan County can determine whether your pet needs vaccinations against kennel cough, canine influenza, feline leukemia, or other diseases.
Contact the Animal Hospital of Sullivan County to Schedule Pet Vaccinations
Give your treasured companion the best possible chance for a happy, long, healthy life. Call the Animal Hospital of Sullivan County in Ferndale at (845) 292-6711 to schedule pet vaccinations with our veterinarian on our team!
