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Dog Vaccinations

Pet Healthcare > Dog Healthcare > Dog Vaccinations
 
 
 


Immunity levels do decline over a period of time and therefore it is essential to vaccinate your pets against these life-threatening diseases every year. It is also a requirement of boarding kennels that your pets are up to date with their vaccinations & they may refuse them if you can't prove this.
Your pets can be vaccinated against the following:

Disease Clinical signs Characteristics of disease
Canine Distemper
Signs vary, but may include fever, diarrhoea, vomiting, depression, muscle tremors and paralysis.
Dogs of any age can be affected by this virus, with young puppies at greatest risk
Infectious Hepatitis
Signs include fever, depression, abdominal pain, vomiting and diarrhoea. Severe cases are rapidly fatal.
Dogs of any age can be affected, but most severe cases occur in dogs less than two years of age.
Canine Parvovirus
Signs include sudden death in young pups, bloody smelly diarrhoea, abdominal pain and uncontrollable vomiting.
Most severe in the very young and very old but dogs of all ages may be affected.
Kennel Cough
Hacking cough. Not usually fatal, but can be severe and prolonged.
Dogs of any age can be affected.
Leptospirosis
Signs include high temperature, severe thirst, lethargy, abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhoea & Jaundice.
Can effect any animal of any age, causes long term kidney problems when cured, but usually results in death.

 We recommend the following vaccination schemes.

Puppy course

The puppy vaccination course involves two injections given 2 weeks apart

• The earliest age for the first vaccination is 8 week

• If the puppy has had a first vaccination with a vaccine made by a different manufacturer to our vaccines (Internet, NOBIVAC range), then a repeat vaccination against leptospirosis may be required 2 weeks after the standard second vaccination

• It is possible to give a parvovirus vaccination at 6 weeks of age, but this is normally only considered if the puppy is thought to be at increased risk

• The diseases vaccinated against are leptospirosis, parvovirus, parainfluenza virus, distemper virus and canine hepatitis virus

• The puppy achieves sufficient protection from the vaccinations within 1 week after the second vaccination. At this point it is safe to take the puppy outside and start mixing him with other dogs.

following this vaccinations will be given for each disease on alternate years, with the exception of Leptospirosis which is given annually.

Annual booster

• Dogs require an annual booster, which is given up to 18 months after the last vaccination. If the dog has not had a vaccination within the last 18 months, Intervet recommend restarting the vaccination course and giving a course of 2 injections 2 weeks apart (i.e. treating the adult dog as if he were a puppy).

• The components of the vaccination change in alternate years, due to the differing length of protection achieved. The first year after the puppy course, vaccination against all five diseases is given.

 

Kennel cough

• A vaccination is available to protect dogs against kennel cough for periods of increased risk (such as going into kennels)

• The vaccination can be given from 3 weeks of age, and protection is achieved within 3 days

• Protection is not thought to last more than about 3 months

• The vaccination is administered directly into the dog’s nostril

• There are two forms of virus, responsible for infectious bronchitis (kennel cough), Parainfluenza virus and Bordetella Bronchiseptica

• A Vaccination is given against Parainfluenza, routinely as part of our normal vaccination scheme.

• The Vaccination against Bordetella Bronchiseptica, must be given separately. We recommend re-vaccinating against this, when in a high risk environment such as boarding kennels.