Vaccinations

As the saying goes “prevention is better than cure”. The most important preventative measure you as owners can take to prevent certain serious diseases is through the use of vaccines.

Vaccines contain small quantities of altered or ‘killed’ viruses, bacteria or other disease-causing organisms. When these particles are administered to your pet they stimulate your pet’s immune system to produce disease-fighting cells and proteins (antibodies).
Responses to vaccines can be variable. Some animals may develop a very strong response with good antibody production and others much less.

Although vaccines are administered daily to thousands of pets, reactions and side effects are extremely rare. Most of these reactions are merely a swelling at the injection site. Very rarely, more serious adverse effects such as an allergic reaction to the vaccine do occur. However, the benefits of vaccination far outweigh the risks.

All vaccines must be transported and stored between +2 and +8 °C and reconstituted correctly to be effective.

Puppy and Kitten

When in the womb a puppy or kitten receives antibodies through the mother’s blood and then through the mother’s milk. This immunity is only of short duration and generally starts waning at about 4-6 weeks. At this time an initial vaccination is given to boost immunity. This vaccination is repeated monthly for two months to ensure there is no break in immunity as the maternal immunity wanes and the vaccines start to work.

The protocol is not cast in stone and many variants are available. Valley Farm follows the drug company’s recommended protocol:

• 6 weeks 1st vaccination – standard vaccine
• 10 weeks 2nd vaccination – standard vaccine
• 14 weeks 3rd vaccination – standard vaccine + Rabies\
• One more Rabies booster at approximately 6 months of age
• The booster vaccine is repeated every year

Dogs

Dog diseases we vaccinate against:

The vaccine manufacturers have different combinations of these. At Valley Farm we use DHPPi (Distemper, Hepatitis, Parvo and Parainfluenza) which comes as a powder. This is mixed either with a plain fluid (Diluent) or with a fluid containing Rabies and Leptospira.
Bordetella bronchiseptica as well as Parainfluenza virus are both intranasal vaccines. This means that once the vaccine has been mixed with the diluent and it is in a liquid form it is administered by being dropped into the nose.

Cats

Cat diseases we vaccinate against:

Feline calici virus – high temperature; mouth ulcers; anorexia
Feline rhinotracheitis – sneezing; high temperature; ocular/nasal discharge
Feline panleucopaenia virus – anorexia; high temperature; vomiting. FATAL IN YOUNG KITTENS
Bordetella bronchoseptica – high temperature; sneezing; nasal discharge
Chlamydia psittaci – severe conjunctivitis; sneezing
Feline leukaemia virus – diseases associated: anaemia; cancers; immunosuppression. EVENTUALLY FATAL
Rabies – change of temperament; muscle weakness; difficulty in swallowing. FATAL. CAN BE TRANSMITTED TO HUMANS

At Valley Farm we commonly vaccinate against Panleucopaenia, Calici virus, Rhinotracheitis as well as Rabies.
Certain situations, such as breeding colonies, multi-cat households and show cats may require the addition of Chlamydia, Bordetella and Leukaemia vaccines.

The future

As more research is done, we are finding out that the effects of some vaccines last longer than a year. It is said by some researchers that vaccines should only be repeated every three years. Each patient is different and will have different vaccine requirements. To err on the side of caution, annual vaccination will be continued until it is proven that almost 100% of animals need less frequent vaccinations. Some develop good immunity whilst others don’t. Other factors have to be taken in to consideration, such as the disease risk in the area, the prevalence of disease, the patient’s age and vaccine risk factors.

Annual health examination

Dogs and cats age much faster than humans do and changes occur in a very short period of time. The annual vaccination is a perfect time for your pet to receive a full clinical examination by a doctor. This allows us to catch many diseases in their early stages and start treatment. Other preventive health issues, such as intestinal worms, can also be dealt with at this time if owners have forgotten to deworm their pets throughout the year.

The emphasis in the future may shift more to annual check-ups than to annual vaccinations but we will still provide the best care and will always keep your pet’s health as our main priority.