Vaccinations are a vital component of preventative care in veterinary medicine, and protect your pets from various serious and potentially life-threatening diseases. For pet owners in Maple Valley, it is key to know the importance of vaccinations, the types, and the recommended schedule. Here’s what your veterinarian wants you to know about pet vaccinations as advised by an animal hospital in Maple Valley, WA.
About Vaccines
Vaccinating your pet is essential to keep him or her healthy, and to protect against infectious diseases. Vaccines work by initiating an immune response in their bodies, which becomes familiar with particular pathogens — so that if their bodies do come into contact with the illness, they’ll be better equipped to fight it off. Vaccinating your pets not only protects them individually but helps keep contagious diseases from spreading in the area and improves the health of the Maple Valley pet population as a whole.
Benefits of Vaccinations:
- Disease Prevention: Vaccines protect against serious diseases like rabies, distemper, and parvovirus in dogs, and panleukopenia, calicivirus, and herpesvirus in cats.
- Community Health: Vaccination protects pets, as well as populations of people around them.
- On the Legal Side: Some vaccinations are legally required, like rabies, while others are important for travel and to take advantage of boarding and grooming services.
Core Vaccinations vs. Non-Core Vaccinations
Pet vaccines are divided into core and non-core vaccinations. Knowing the difference between the two can help make sure your pet is getting the proper immunizations to meet his or her specific needs.
Core Vaccinations: Core vaccines are designated as critical for every pet owing to the prevalence and intensity of illnesses they protect against.
Dogs:
- Rabies: A transmissible and fatal viral disease of the nervous system.
- Distemper: A virus that affects the respiratory, gastrointestinal, and nervous systems.
- Adenovirus: This leads to infectious hepatitis and respiratory illness.
Cats:
- Rabies: Essential for prevention from this life-threatening virus.
- Herpesvirus: These are common causative agents of respiratory infections.
Non-Core Vaccinations
Non-core vaccines are given according to factors including a pet’s lifestyle, environment, and individual risk factors.
Dogs:
- Bordetella (Kennel Cough): Recommended for dogs who are frequently boarded, groomed, or who frequent dog parks.
- Lyme Disease: Recommended in places with high tick populations for dogs.
- Leptospirosis: Recommended for dogs that have come in contact with wildlife or bodies of water.
Cats:
- Feline Leukemia Virus (FeLV): Recommended for outdoor cats or those living with multiple cats.
Vaccination Schedule: Keeping up with an appropriate vaccination schedule is integral to your pet staying safe for their entire life. Your vet will create a personalized vaccination schedule based on your pet’s age, health condition, and lifestyle.
Puppies and Kittens: Young animals get a series of vaccinations beginning at six to eight weeks, with boosters every three to four weeks until about 16 weeks of age. It is this initial series that is important for inducing immunity.
Adult Pets: Adult dogs and cats need booster vaccines to keep up immunity. How frequently these boosters are needed will depend on the vaccine as well as your pet’s health. Core vaccines need boosters every one to three years; non-core vaccines sometimes need annual updates.
Comprehending the significance of immunizations and following a suggested schedule is essential for both your pet’s health and the community’s overall health. You can make sure your pet gets the vaccinations they need to fend off dangerous illnesses by collaborating closely with your Maple Valley veterinarian. You can promote your pet’s long-term health and pleasure by keeping up with the latest vaccination best practices through routine checkups and open conversations with your veterinarian.
