Vaccination of pets is the crucial factor to prevent lethal disease attacks to your loving pet. Regular vaccination boosts the immune system of your pets against life-threatening consequences. More over, we will explain the vaccination age of your pet, the best available pet vaccines, dog and cat vaccines price, vaccination types and frequency.
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Author: Dr. Haris Iqbal
M.Sc. – Veterinary Medicine
All the above factors are important things to keep in mind before vaccination and will be discussed briefly. Proper managemental practices of pets involve scheduled deworming, pet vaccinations and proper nutrition to keep your pet healthy and long life. Each disease needs to be vaccinated separately to keep your pet immune.
However, a Regular booster dose is also necessary to maintain antibody titer at the threshold level. Have you noticed that your pet was infected with the same disease instead of proper vaccination? Well, it mostly occurs due to the lack of a booster dose.
Now we discuss different parameters which you should keep in mind before going to your pet vaccination.
1. Vaccinations types:
Two major types of pet vaccinations are commonly administered throughout the globe. The first one is called the core vaccine.
a. Core vaccines of a dog:
The mandatory vaccines are known as core vaccines. Without core vaccines, your dog may suffer serious life compromising diseases at any age of life. For dog vaccinations, core vaccines are mostly done against
- Canine distemper
- Infectious canine hepatitis
- Rabies
- Parvovirus
b. Non-Core vaccines of a dog:
Non-core vaccines are not mandatory but considered optional. This type of vaccine is commonly administered in case of a disease outbreak. Sometimes, core vaccines are used in specific areas, season and breed only. However, the preferred protocol is to do both core and non-core vaccines to prevent any type of health risk to your pets.
Three main non-core vaccines of dogs and puppies are listed below.
- Leptospira
- Borrelia burgdorferi
- Bordetella bronchiseptica
c. Core vaccines of a cat:
The most common cat vaccinations are of four diseases. Hence, these four are considered as core vaccines and listed as
- Feline panleukopenia
- The calicivirus Feline
- Feline herpes virus
- Rabies
d. Non-core vaccines of a cat:
- Feline leukemia virus
- Bordetella bronchiseptica
- Feline immunodeficiency virus
- Chlamydophilia felis
2. Pet age and frequency of vaccine:
a. Puppy and kitten vaccinations:
The puppy vaccination age factor is dependent on the mother’s immunity status. The puppy vaccination for dog schedule is different for inherently immune animals. In case, a mother was vaccinated the cute little puppy vaccination should be done after 6 weeks of age. Before 6 weeks mother transfers antibodies to offspring via breastfeeding. Three vaccination shots with 3-4 weeks intervals are required for a puppy and also for a kitten. The last dose is administered at 16 weeks of age.
b. Adult vaccinations:
For adult dogs and cats at the age of 3-4 months, only two shots of vaccine with 3-week intervals are administered as vaccination for dog and cat schedule. Then booster dose is repeated every year. Some vaccines require their booster shot every 3-4 years.
3. Point to ponder before vaccination:
- The first point to consider is the age of your pet.
- If your pet age is more than 6 weeks you should go for your pet vaccinations.
- Never ever forget to deworm your pet before administering the vaccine.
- If you are taking out vaccines from a long distance then always put the vaccine in ice packs. The cold chain is necessary otherwise vaccines will become ineffective.
- Never vaccinate your ill pet, you may think of vaccination for cat allergies.
- Never inject deep intramuscular if you are doing self-medication. The recommended route for a vaccine is sub-cutaneous.
- Never forget to give booster dose.
- Try to minimize vaccination stress.
- Always prefer the veterinarian for your puppy vaccines or kitten as well.
4. Complications of pet vaccinations:
Vaccination of pets leads to mild complications e.g. fever, rashes, injection site swelling, and allergic signs. However, you should not worry about these mild complications because most of the time pets get recover automatically. If symptoms are still there after 2 days then go to a nearby veterinary clinic.
In some pets, complications get severe but in very rare cases. If, your pet is facing some serious consequences of the vaccine then immediately contact a nearby veterinarian. The following may be some serious complications of a vaccine.
- High fever
- Swelling of face
- Pain & redness
- Vomiting or diarrhea
- Dyspnea
- Vaccination for cat allergies
- Seizures
- Hair loss
- Lameness
5. Best available pet vaccines and price:
Best vaccine brands, their availability, and price vary from area to area, company to company, and time to time. So, we will not discuss here brand names and prices. However, always use a well-reputable company which is manufacturing multiple diseases pets vaccine in a single dose.
Your pet will face a huge stress situation after vaccine injection. So, single-dose having multiple vaccinal strains should be preferred to administer. Never prefer low-cost vaccination of pets otherwise you will get a poor quality vaccine or serious complications after administration.
FAQs:
How often should I do pet vaccinations?
First vaccination shots are given at different ages depends upon immunity from the dam. Mostly first vaccine protocol is given at 6-8 weeks of age. A booster dose is given 1 year later. After that vaccine should be induced after every 3 years.
Why vaccination is crucial to my pet?
Vaccination of pets! Vaccine saves your pet life as well as heavy expenses of treatment after the onset of disease. So, vaccinated pets never face these life-threatening diseases.
Which vaccine shots are necessary for my dog?
On the other hand, you should administer core vaccines to your dog. These are necessary for your pet’s life. They include canine distemper, Infectious canine hepatitis, rabies and parvovirus.
Does my dog need vaccinations every year?
No, after every three years vaccine is necessary to be repeated. However, in the case of seasonal outbreaks of leptospira, Lyme disease and Bordetella you should give shots every year.
Which are the best puppy vaccines?
Puppy vaccines may vary from country to country. So, contact your local veterinarian or veterinary store to find the best puppy vaccines.