03/01/2023
🐶🐱Vaccination of dogs and cats
Vaccines help prevent many diseases that affect pets. Vaccinating your pet has long been considered one of the easiest ways to help your pet live a long and healthy life.
There are not only different vaccines for different diseases but also different types and combinations of vaccines.
Vaccination is a procedure that has risks and benefits that need to be weighed for each pet based on their lifestyle and health.
Your veterinarian can determine the vaccination regimen that will provide the safest and best protection for your animal.
Why are vaccines needed? How do they work?
☝️Vaccines help prepare the body's immune system to fight invading disease-causing organisms. Vaccines contain antigens that look like pathogens to the immune system but do not actually cause disease. When the vaccine is introduced into the body, the immune system is evenly stimulated. If a pet is ever exposed to a real illness, its immune system is now ready to recognize it and fight it off completely or reduce the severity of the illness.
Vaccines are very important for keeping your pet healthy. However, not every animal needs to be vaccinated against every disease. It is very important to discuss with your veterinarian the vaccination protocol that is right for your pet.
Factors to be examined include age, medical history, environment, travel habits, and lifestyle. Most veterinarians recommend administering core vaccines to healthy pets.
🧐Types of vaccines. Essential Vaccines
Core vaccines are considered vital for all pets based on the risk of infection, the severity of disease, or transmission to humans.
🐶For dogs: Vaccines for parvovirus, distemper, canine hepatitis, and rabies are considered core vaccines. Non-essential vaccines are given depending on the risk of the dog becoming infected. These include vaccines against the bacteria Bordetella bronchiseptica, Borrelia burgdorferi, and Leptospira.
🐱For cats: vaccines against panleukopenia (cat distemper), feline calicivirus, feline herpes type I (rhinotracheitis), and rabies are considered core vaccines. Non-core vaccines are given depending on the cat's lifestyle; these include vaccines against the feline leukemia virus, Bordetella, Chlamydophila felis, and feline immunodeficiency virus.
Your veterinarian can determine which vaccines are best for your pet.
👨⚕️Vaccination frequency
The veterinarian can better determine the vaccination schedule for your pet. This will depend on the type of vaccine, your pet's age, medical history, environment, and lifestyle.
For puppies: If their mother has a healthy immune system, the puppy is more likely to get antibodies in its mother's milk while breastfeeding. Puppies should receive a series of vaccinations starting at six to eight weeks of age. The veterinarian should give at least three vaccinations three to four weeks apart. The final dose should be administered at 16 weeks of age.
For adult dogs: Some adult dogs may receive certain vaccines annually, while other vaccines may be given every three years or longer.
For Kittens: Kittens automatically get antibodies in the milk their mother produces if they have a healthy immune system. When the kitten is six to eight weeks old, the veterinarian may begin administering a series of vaccines three to four weeks apart until the kitten is 16 weeks old.
For adult cats: Revaccination of adult cats is carried out annually or every three years.
🤔Risks associated with vaccination
Vaccinations should gently stimulate the animal's immune system to create protection against specific infectious diseases.
This stimulation can cause mild symptoms ranging from pain at the injection site to fever and allergic reactions.
There are other less common side effects such as swelling at the injection site and immune disorders associated with vaccination. However, it is important to be aware that vaccines have saved countless lives and play a vital role in the fight against infectious diseases.
As with any medical procedure, there is a small chance of side effects. In most cases, the risks are much less than the risks of the disease itself. But before getting vaccinated, it's important to talk to your veterinarian about your dog's or cat's medical history.
Most pets are not adversely affected by vaccination. Vaccine reactions can be minor and transient or require immediate veterinary attention.
😷Clinical signs include:
Fever
lethargy
Loss of appetite
Facial swelling and/or urticaria
Vomit
diarrhea
Pain, swelling, redness, scabs, or hair loss around the injection site
lameness
Difficulty breathing
convulsions
After vaccination, monitor the health of the cat or dog.
❗️If you suspect your pet is having a reaction to a vaccine, contact the wind immediately.
