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Pet Vaccinations

Vaccinations stimulate your pet’s natural defence mechanisms

How do vaccinations work?

Vaccinations work by stimulating your pet’s natural defence mechanisms. It works in a similar way to a fire drill i.e. a practice run. First you have to instruct the people where to go and what to do, then you repeat it regularly so people are prepared. The primary course of the vaccination sets up your pet’s immune system to recognise specific diseases and protect it by building up antibodies that will combat that particular disease. The booster vaccinations act as a drill to keep the systems in place and keep the antibody production going. Therefore, if a real fire/infection occurs the preparation will save lives. If the drills/boosters are not repeated at the correct intervals the memory of the drill will wane.

Why do we recommend routine vaccinations?

The diseases that we routinely vaccinate against are chosen because they are all serious and often life threatening illnesses. Treatment of any of the diseases is very lengthy and costly. Furthermore, treatment is often unsuccessful in many cases and therefore prevention by vaccination is the only sensible way to protect your companion.

Vaccinating your dog

The vaccination protocol that we recommend covers the following canine diseases:

  • Parvovirus
  • Distemper
  • Canine Infectious Hepatitis
  • Leptospirosis
  • Primary Vaccination course

The initial vaccination course for puppies consists of 2 injections given between 2 and 4 weeks apart. The second injection must be given when your puppy is at least 10 weeks old - therefore the course is normally started at 8 to 10 weeks of age. We would prefer if your puppy has had time to settle in with you and is not incubating any illnesses before starting the vaccination course, so we advise that you wait at least a few days before the first injection. Your puppy won’t be fully covered by the vaccinations until at least 7 days after the second injection.

Boosters

After the primary course, the vaccinations are repeated annually to ensure that your dog's immune system is ‘boostered’ (or reminded to protect) against the diseases mentioned above. If your dog has started their vaccinations with us you should receive a postcard before your dog's booster is due, to prompt you to book an appointment. Telephone (Usk) 01291 672637 (Caerleon) 01633 430053

Kennel Cough

Kennel cough is a syndrome not a disease – any one of several different bacteria and viruses cause the clinical sign of a harsh cough. As the name suggests it is common in dogs that are kennelled and that is why many boarding kennels require the vaccination for entry. However it is a dog-to-dog transmitted syndrome so wherever there are a lot of dogs in one area such as training classes, dog-walking groups or a busy dog walking park, it is possible to pick up an infection. In mild cases the dogs can get better by themselves, but this can take several weeks. In more severe cases the clinical signs can warrant the use of antibiotics. The vaccination available doesn’t cover all the possible strains of bacteria or viruses; it only stimulates the immune system to the most common agents. However this does give a generalised defence to other agents. This means the vaccination cover is not 100% but it will certainly reduce the severity of any disease if your dog is unlucky enough to develop clinical signs. The vaccination works by stimulating local immunity up the nose, and therefore drops are instilled intranasally. The vaccination starts to provide cover from 72 hours after application and the cover lasts for a year. If you are placing your dog in kennels please contact the boarding kennels well in advance to ensure that you comply with their vaccination requirements - some boarding kennels do not accept pets with kennel cough vaccinations undertaken less than 2 weeks before.

Rabies

Rabies vaccinations are needed as part of the UK Pet Travel Scheme (PETS). 

For more information see our Pet Passport page.

Vaccinating your cat

The vaccination protocol that we recommend covers the following feline diseases:

 

  • Feline Panleukopenia (enteritis)
  • Feline Calcivirus (FCV) a strain of the common cold.
  • Feline Rhinotracheitis (FVR) or Cat Flu.
  • Feline Leukaemia (FeLV)    

Primary Vaccination course

The initial vaccination course for kittens consists of 2 injections given 3 to 4 weeks apart. The first injection must be given when your kitten is at least 9 weeks old. We would prefer if your kitten has had time to settle in with you and is not incubating any illnesses before starting the vaccination course so we advise that you wait at least a week before the first injection.


Boosters

After the primary course, the vaccinations are repeated annually to ensure that your cat's immune system is ‘boostered’ (or reminded to protect) against the diseases mentioned above. If your cat has started their vaccinations with us you should receive a postcard before your cat's booster is due, to prompt you to book an appointment.


Rabies

Rabies vaccinations are needed as part of the UK Pet Travel Scheme (PETS). For more information see our Pet Passport page.

Vaccinating your rabbit

The vaccination protocol that we recommend covers the following diseases:

  • Mxyomatosis
  • Viral Haemorrhagic Disease (VHD)

Myxomatosis is a viral disease of wild rabbits which is transmitted by the wild rabbit flea, midges or the common fly, to your pet rabbit. With warmer weather, numbers of fleas and other insects increase so there is a higher risk of contracting infection. The virus causes conjunctivitis, swelling of the eyelids and genital areas, and eventually rabbits become blind and very distressed. Most affected rabbits die within 3 weeks of contracting the disease. 
Myxomatosis vaccination is effective. All rabbits, unless pregnant, can be vaccinated from 6 weeks of age onwards. The rabbit is fully protected after one injection, which lasts for one year. For rabbits in high risk situations (eg. in close proximity to wild rabbits) we recommend boosters before that ‘high risk time of year’ i.e. in the spring. 
VHD is a highly infectious viral disease of domestic rabbits causing 100% fatality in those rabbits exposed to it. At present it is uncertain how the virus is transmitted. Often the first sign of disease is the sudden death of the infected rabbit. The vaccination against VHD is given together with the myxomatosis vaccine, from 9 weeks of age. Annual vaccination is also recommended.

Nurse Clinics

Clients can book a free nurse consultation at the same time as their pet's booster vaccinations.  A fully trained nurse will be able to discuss your pet’s diet and parasite control, and do a complimentary dental check.

Please ask the nurse if you have any concerns about your pet's weight and behaviour.
If you would like further information on vaccinations or boosters then please contact one of our Veterinary Nurses on (Usk) 01291 672637 (Caerleon) 01633 430053.

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