Vaccinations for your Cat & Dog

Why vaccinate your cat or dog?

Vaccination is a very simple, safe and useful way to protect your pet against a range of nasty diseases. All the diseases vaccinated against are either untreatable, fatal or both. A vaccination also combines an annual health check which is a great way of finding problems early, the best time to treat any disease. We are very aware of people's worries about over-vaccinating their pets. Although there is no evidence that this causes a problem, we have chosen our vaccine supplier carefully. Intervet UK are the largest supplier of pet vaccines in this country and they continue to research how long the effects of vaccinations last. We now only vaccinate dogs against distemper, parvo virus, infectious hepatitis every 3 years, rabies (where given) every 3 years but still need to give booster against leptospira and parainfluenza every 12 months. For more information on cat or dog vaccines see below.

Dog Vaccines

Distemper

Distemper is fortunately a rare disease nowadays thanks to vaccination but has been a big killer in the past. Distemper is a virus that can affect many organs in the body but usually causes a fever, dullness, loss of appetite and a discharge from eyes and nose. It can also cause a thickening of the pads (called Hard Pad) and if the dog survives, will cause brain damage in later life. The biggest problem, though, is that Distemper reduces the body's ability to fight other infections and dogs will commonly get pneumonia and other infections. Young dogs are more commonly affected.

Infectious Hepatitis

This is a relatively new disease, discovered in 1985. It is a virus that is closely related to one which causes an infectious cough, so vaccination gives protection against both diseases. Infectious Hepatitis can affect any age of animal but is most common in young dogs. Symptoms commonly seen include fever, dullness, wasting, vomiting, diarrhoea and coma. Jaundice may also be present where the dogs gums, eyes and ears appear yellow. Internal damage to the liver and intestines also occurs

Parvo Virus

When Parvo Virus first appeared in 1978, it devastated the dog population and deaths were very common. Vaccination has controlled the disease but is is still seen commonly. Symptoms include bloody diarrhoea and vomiting (often containing fresh blood). Weight loss, dehydration and anorexia also occur. Untreated, parvo virus is fatal and even with the best care, death still occurs in 25 - 30% of cases. The disease is worst in young and old animals.

Parainfluenza

This is a viral infection that is the dog equivalent to human 'flu. It is a form of kennel cough and gives similar symptoms to human 'flu.

Leptospirosis

Leptospirosis is a bacterial disease commonly caught by contact with infected rat urine. As the wild population of rats is very high in this country and dogs are commonly walked in parks and the countryside this is a serious concern. In humans this infection is known as Weill's Disease and is a worry for anglers. Lepto (as it is more commonly known) causes liver and / or kidney failure and although it is treatable in the the early stages, is fatal if the damage to liver or kidneys is severe. A dog will commonly be seen with jaundice and has bright yellow gums and eyes.

Kennel Cough (Bordatella)

The Kennel Cough vaccine asked for by boarding kennels provides protection against a bacterial infection of Bordatella bronchisepticum. It is a highly contagious infection that can be caught anywhere two dogs might meet, not just in kennels. The condition is easily diagnosed by your vet as it causes a characteristic retching cough. In most otherwise healthy dogs it is not usually serious and often improves with a course of antibiotics. However it can lead to a chronic (long-term) bronchitis. It is an unusual vaccine to administer as it is squirted up the nose. The immunity now lasts for 12 months with the new Nobivac KC vaccine rather than just 6 months with the old vaccine, giving better protection with less distress for your dog. Vaccination still needs to be given at least 1 week before your dog goes into kennels.

It is also worth considering vaccinating your dog even if he or she is not going into kennels. Every week we see new cases of kennel cough and a large number of these dogs have been nowhere near a boarding kennels. Dogs walking up and down the Lines in Tottington or down at the Burrs or Jumbles country parks are equally at risk. If your dog spends a lot of time at these places or plays with other dogs, vaccination against Kennel Cough is an excellent idea.

Rabies

Rabies vaccination is not needed in the UK but is commonly given when pets travel abroad. The Pet Passport scheme requires a rabies vaccination and many foreign countries also require vaccination. It is best to discuss this with your vet when you have decided to travel. No recorded cases of rabies in cats or dogs have been recorded in the UK (except in quarantine) since the 1920's and vaccination is designed to continue this record.

Cat Vaccinations

Cat Flu

This is a combination of 2 viruses, Calicivirus and a herpes virus. They both cause a (usually) non-fatal disease with sneezing and a snotty discharge from eyes and nose. It is usually a very distressing condition and can be serious if the cat's nose becomes blocked and it stops eating. The main problems with cat flu are that it allows other infections to take hold and that it can never be completely removed from the body. Sufferers of cat flu will often come down with the disease at times of stress throughout their lives (like a human cold sore which is also a herpes virus). It is a disease that is much easier to prevent than to treat.

Feline enteritis (Panleucopaenia)

This is a condition similar to parvo virus in dogs (see above) but is fortunately rare, thanks to vaccination. It is often fatal when caught.

Feline Leukaemia Virus (FeLV)

This virus was discovered in 1964 and causes cancers, especially lymphosarcoma, in the intestines, skin and other organs. It also suppresses the immune system, reducing the cat's ability to fight other infections (like HIV in humans). A number of cats will obtain a natural immunity to FeLV but at the moment this is not something that we can test for. When the cat catches FeLV, it can take 4 to 6 years before any problems occur and symptoms can be almost anything before the cat eventually dies. A simple blood test is available to detect active infection with FeLV. It is recommended that all kittens be vaccinated and advised that older cats should be tested for the disease before vaccination. FeLV can not be caught by humans or other pets.

Chlamydia

A common bacterial infection in cats with conjunctivitis but is only a problem in breeding colonies. Most cats do not need vaccination against it and your vet will advise you if your cat needs vaccinating against this.

Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV)

FIV is a similar disease to both HIV and FeLV in that it suppresses a cats immune system and allows other infections to occur. There is a very new vaccine available in the USA but it is only 60% effective and not available in Europe. It is expected that an improved vaccine will become available in the UK in the next 10 years and will be a very useful vaccine. There is no cure for FIV and it cannot be caught by humans or other pets.