Pet Vaccinations From Our Veterinarian

If you are a new pet owner, you may have a lot of questions about pet vaccination and why it’s so important. Vaccinations are critical for protecting your pet against a contagious and potentially fatal disease. A vaccine is designed to trigger your pet’s immune responses, which ultimately helps your pet fight against future infections. It’s important to talk with your veterinarian about the recommended vaccines for your pet; they differ between cats and dogs and what the recommended schedule is for your pet’s vaccination series.

Major Diseases Pets Face

First, it’s important to remember that all pets need to be vaccinated, regardless of the breed. Pets are typically vaccinated when they are puppies and kittens, and depending on vaccine, they may need boostered annually. Some major diseases your pet may contract without vaccinations may include:

Common Disease for Dogs

• Distemper, which is a life-threatening illness that causes pneumonia, seizures, diarrhea, and vomiting
• Parvovirus, a life-threatening illness that causes destruction of the white blood cells, vomiting, and diarrhea
• Leptospirosis, which leads to liver and kidney failure
• Adenovirus is a life-threatening virus that typically causes hepatitis
• Rabies, an extremely dangerous and fatal disease that affects the central nervous system and it can be spread to humans. There is no treatment or cure for rabies, and it is required by law.
• Parainfluenza is a known cause of kennel cough and it is highly contagious. Although the symptoms are not life-threatening, the coughing and runny nose can be miserable for your dog.
• Influenza is a virus that can cause pneumonia, and serious respiratory illness.

Common Diseases for Cats

• Feline leukemia virus causes chronic suppression of the immune system, which may lead to cancer
• Feline distemper is a life-threatening disease that causes dehydration, low white blood cell count, diarrhea and vomiting
• Herpes virus which is a highly contagious disease, although it isn’t life-threatening, it can cause excessive runny nose, runny eyes, malaise, and fever
• Feline immunodeficiency virus is a retro viral disease that will cause chronic suppression of the immune system. Cats that infected with this disease may not show symptoms for several years; however, it will reduce their ability to fight off other potentially fatal infectious diseases

The best way to prevent the risk of your pet developing one or more of these potentially fatal diseases is with pet vaccination. There are generally no serious side effects with vaccinations, but your pet may experience mild irritation at the injection site, a slight fever, and loss of appetite. All of these side effects are mild and temporary, they will diminish within a day or two after being vaccinated.

To schedule an appointment to begin your pet’s scheduled vaccinations, contact Crow Hill Veterinary Hospital.