Pet Vaccinations

Prevention is always better than cure. Vaccinations stimulate your pet’s immune system to produce antibodies, which work against the virus or bacteria we vaccinate for. Most vaccines are not 100% effective but are your pets best chance at fighting a potentially fatal disease. They decrease the likelihood of your pet contracting the disease and for those animals that do contract it, they usually show less severe symptoms. Most boarding kennels, catteries and daycare facilities will require an up-to-date vaccination record for admittance of your pet.

Protection provided by vaccinations declines over time, so regular boosters are recommended.

We recommend annual vaccination checkups. These enable us to provide your pet with the most appropriate vaccinations (some vaccines last 3 years, some need boosters every year – this depends on what brand of vaccine is being used, and what disease is being vaccinated for). It also enables us to give your pet a thorough health check, and to discuss any concerns you may have. Please contact your nearest VHG clinic to discuss the vaccination protocol best for your pet.

Some animals may be a little sleepier than usual the day after their vaccination. This is nothing to be worried about. Ensure they have access to food and water, and a comfortable area to rest. But feel free to call with concerns.

Dogs

We routinely vaccinate dogs against:

• Canine Parvovirus – is a highly contagious, and often fatal disease. Signs are sudden vomiting and diarrhoea. This usually affects puppies and elderly animals more severely.
• Canine distemper – is uncommon but still vaccinated against as it is usually fatal if caught. Signs include fever, respiratory disease with a cough and nasal discharge and nervous system symptoms including muscle twitches and seizures.
• Canine hepatitis – can cause a variety of symptoms and is often fatal.
• Canine infectious cough – is rarely fatal but can cause loss of appetite and lack of energy mainly causing severe coughing that can persist for over 1 week. Dogs that mingle with other dogs are at high risk of catching the infectious cough – those in boarding kennels, at doggy daycare, at the park or beach.
• Leptospirosis – damages the liver and kidneys. Leptospirosis can be passed to humans, so protection against this is vital.

Cats

We routinely vaccinate cats against:

• Feline panleukopenia – is a severe disease (often fatal in kittens) that can cause fever, vomiting, dehydration and weakness.
• Feline respiratory disease – is often termed ‘cat flu’. The vaccine covers feline herpesvirus and feline calicivirus. Kittens can die from this disease. It causes watery eyes, nasal discharge, inflamed eyes and fever.

We can also vaccinate cats against feline aids (FIV) and feline leukaemia (FeLV).

Rabbits

We routinely vaccinate rabbits against:

• Viral hemorrhagic disease (calici virus)