Vaccines are a means to stimulate the body’s immunity to different bacterial and viral infections. A vaccine prepares the body’s defenses to attack invading pathogens and to prevent or reduce severity of the diseases they cause. Vaccines are an important way to prevent certain diseases from invading and harming your dog or cat. Pet vaccinations have been around for a very long time. But modern vaccines are the most effective and safe that has ever been made. In order to protect your precious pet from contagious diseases it is essential to keep his or her vaccinations up-to-date. Bringing in your pet to a Veterinary clinic will keep your pets on track with their vaccines and wellness care.
Many contagious diseases are airborne and your pet could easily be exposed even through an open window. Others are passed from animal to animal by direct contact with bodily fluids or excrements (urine, feces, saliva, sputum from coughing, nasal discharge, etc) or inanimate objects that have also been contaminated.
Boarding kennels, dog parks and grooming salons are all areas where your pet is likely to be exposed to contagious diseases, so be sure to consult with your veterinarian before taking your pet to any of these places. The vaccines routinely used for dogs are: Rabies, Distemper/Hepatitis/Parvo/Cornoa/Parainfluenza or DHPCP for short, Canine Influenza and the Bordetella Vaccine. Depending on lifestyle, location of residence, travel, etc, then Leptospira vaccine, Lyme vaccine and others may be recommended.
For cats the vaccines include; Feline Viral Rhinotracheitis, Calicivirus and Panleukopenia virus, which is called FVRCP vaccine for short, the Feline Leukemia vaccine and the Rabies vaccine.
If your pet has been vaccinated before, there could be an option to not having them vaccinated again or to minimize the frequency or number of vaccines needed. A vaccine titer test can be done to measure if your pet has become immune against a disease with his or her own antibodies. A titer test is not an injection, shot, or vaccination. Instead, a vaccine titer test is a small blood test that measures if antibodies were produced by your pet. Vaccine Titer tests measure a level of specific antibodies to previously administered vaccines in your pet’s blood. If tested positive for the specific antibodies of a certain vaccine, there wouldn’t be a need for that specific vaccine to be administered to your pet.
Keeping your pet safe from disease is definitely one of our biggest priorities. Having them vaccinated as required and on schedule, are important steps to keeping them disease free, happy and healthy. But the most important, is twice a year for life physical examinations.
