Simply put, vaccinations are one of the easiest ways to help your pet live a long, healthy life. They help prevent many common pet illnesses and can help avoid costly treatments for preventable diseases. Not only are there different vaccines for different diseases, but there are also different combinations of vaccines. While vaccines sometimes carry some risks, the benefits far outweigh them regarding overall lifestyle and health. Our vets at Jacksonville Community Pet Clinics can determine a vaccination regimen to provide your pet with the safest and best protection.
How Do Vaccines Work?
Vaccines contain antigens that mimic the actual disease in your pet’s system but don’t cause the disease. This helps their body’s immune system prepare to fight an invasion of specific disease-causing organisms. Vaccinations mildly stimulate your pet’s immune system, so if they are ever exposed to an actual disease, their immune systems are prepared to recognize the threat and either fight it off entirely or reduce the severity of the illness.
Most vets recommend administering core vaccines to healthy pets. Discussing the proper vaccination protocol for your pet with your veterinarian is always a good idea. Recommendations should take into consideration factors like age, medical history, environment, travel habits, and lifestyle.
What Are Core Vaccines?
Core vaccines are considered vital to all pets based on their exposure risk, the severity of the disease, and its transmissibility to humans.
Core vaccines for dogs help ward against:
- Canine parvovirus
- Distemper
- Canine hepatitis
- Rabies
- Yellow fever
Core vaccines for cats help prevent:
- Feline distemper
- Feline calicivirus
- Feline herpesvirus type I
- Rabies
What Are Non-Core Vaccines?
Your veterinarian might also recommend non-core vaccines depending on your pet’s potential exposure risk. For instance, dogs can spread Bordetella to each other, a disease that can lead to kennel cough, an inflammation of the upper respiratory system that can lead to coughing, illness, and secondary infection. Dogs frequently exposed to other dogs in boarding or social settings should get a Bordetella vaccine.
Non-core vaccines for dogs include:
- Bordetella bronchiseptica (kennel cough)
- Borrelia burgdorferi (Lyme disease)
Non-core vaccines for cats include:
- Feline leukemia virus
- Bordetella
- Chlamydophila felis (conjunctivitis and respiratory infection)
- Feline infectious peritonitis or FIP (feline coronavirus—completely different from Covid 19)
Non-core vaccines are usually recommended for pets who travel, who are around other animals not from their household, or who are active outside. The most serious diseases are spread through a few key methods: aerosolized, nasal or oral contact, contaminated water, or from a bite by an infected animal or insect.
What is a Typical Vaccination Schedule?
Puppies
If the mother has a healthy immune system, a puppy will most likely receive antibodies in the mother’s milk while nursing. Puppies should receive a series of vaccinations starting at six to eight weeks of age. A veterinarian should administer a minimum of three vaccinations at three- to four-week intervals. The final dose should be administered at 16 weeks of age.
Adult Dogs
Some adult dogs might receive certain vaccines annually, while others might be given every three years or longer.
Kittens
Kittens automatically receive antibodies in the milk their mother produces if their mother has a healthy immune system. When the kitten is around six to eight weeks of age, your veterinarian can begin to administer a series of vaccines at three- or four-week intervals until the kitten reaches 16 weeks of age.
Adult Cats
Adult cats might be revaccinated annually or every three years.
Is it Illegal Not to Vaccinate My Pet?
Each state has its own laws governing the administration of the rabies vaccine. Some areas require yearly rabies vaccination. Other sites call for vaccines every three years. In almost all states, proof of rabies vaccination is mandatory.
Section 828.30, Florida Statutes, “Cruelty to Animals,” requires that all dogs, cats, and ferrets 4 months of age or older must be vaccinated by a licensed veterinarian against rabies with a vaccine that is licensed by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) for use in those species.
What Are Vaccine Risks?
Because vaccines mildly stimulate the immune system to provide protection, your pet might have some mild symptoms after vaccination. These can range from soreness at the injection site to fever to allergic reactions.
Vaccines have saved countless lives and play a vital role in the battle against infectious diseases. In most cases, the risks are much smaller than those of contracting the disease. It’s important to remember that a bit of discomfort is a small price for a lifetime of protection.
If your pet appears distressed, it should be seen by a veterinarian immediately. Clinical signs that would merit a trip to the veterinarian include lameness, difficulty breathing, seizures, vomiting, and diarrhea. But again, remember, such severe side effects are very rare.
We Can Recommend the Vaccines Your Pets Require and How Frequently
At Jacksonville Community Pet Clinics, annual check-ups and preventative measures such as vaccines are part of the recommended protocol for every pet we see. Let us create a vaccination schedule just for your pet to help ensure many years of disease-free time together. To learn more, visit www.mycommunitypetclinic.com.
