Vaccinations

We feel that vaccination is an important element of responsible pet ownership.

Vaccination provides a huge contribution to the health of our pets, as it does to livestock, horses and indeed to the human population. It is thanks to vaccination that diseases such as Distemper and Hepatitis are now a rarity, but continued vaccination of the pet population is necessary to protect individual animals and to prevent major epidemics of disease in this country through the establishment of ‘herd immunity’.  Other fatal diseases such as Parvovirus, Leptospirosis, Feline Leukaemia and Myxomatosis are an ever present threat for which vaccination provides the only protection.

After your puppy or kitten’s initial primary vaccination course, we invite you for a free check up when they are six months old to discuss feeding, growth rates, neutering or any other queries or concerns. We strongly recommend annual vaccinations for all dogs, cats and rabbits. The protection these vaccines give does not last forever so keeping up the annual boosters is very important.  During the appointment your vet will perform a complete health check looking for early warning signs of illness and will answer any concerns or questions you may have.

As pets grow older, we follow the recommendations of vaccine manufacturers to give a full booster every three years and minor boosters in the intervening years.  The importance of the annual health check becomes more significant as many diseases or ailments start to become more apparent with advancing age.

When to have vaccinations

• Dogs & Puppies require a primary vaccination course of two injections: the first at 6-8 weeks old and the second from 10 weeks old. An annual booster is necessary thereafter
• Cats & Kittens require a primary vaccination course of two injections: the first from 8 weeks old and the second from 12 weeks old. An annual booster is necessary thereafter
• Rabbits. The new vaccine we have available means only one injection is needed, instead of three injections over a year. The diseases that are vaccinated against are very common in the wild rabbit population and they are fatal in the majority of cases.  Your rabbit does not need to have direct contact with a wild rabbit to catch these diseases. Fleas from cats picked up whilst hunting wild rabbits can easily spread these diseases. One injection is needed annually from 5 weeks old.

Optional additional vaccines

Kennel Cough is a highly contagious bacterial disease that causes a harsh cough. It can be treated with antibiotics, but vaccination represents a superior form of prevention and control. Vaccination may be required before boarding your pet in kennels, but don’t forget other times of high risk when several dogs are kept together at close quarters, such as at dog shows or in the back of the Land Rover when out beating for the day.  Rabies vaccination is a compulsory requirement for travelling abroad to most countries under the PETS passport scheme (see below).

Chlamydia causes severe contagious conjunctivitis, usually in young kittens and is an optional component in some primary vaccination courses.  However, its availability has been limited recently.