Own a pet
and want to give them the best life? Get them vaccinated! Vaccinations play a
crucial role in maintaining the health of your pets and also prevent the
infection from spreading among the members of your family. The cost of
vaccination to prevent the disease is much lesser than what you would have to
pay if your pet gets diagnosed with one of the severe infections. Without
proper vaccinations, your pets remain prone to fatal infections and diseases.
As a thumb of rule, you must regularly visit a
vaccination centre for pets to keep your pet healthy.
How do
the vaccines work for pets?
When your
pets get vaccinated, their immunity system produces specials substances known
as antibodies. These antibodies work against the disease-causing bacteria and
viruses and can be regarded as the “fighters” of the body. What you must
remember is that vaccines perform the function of prevention and not curing. If
your pet is already sick when you decide to take them to a vaccination centre,
vaccinating them will not help and is certainly not advised. Your pet must be
healthy at the time of getting the vaccine so that their antibodies can be
produced.
How often
should you get your pets vaccinated?
The
protection provided by antibodies as a result of the vaccination may decrease
over time and as such regular re-vaccination is essential for continued
protection. Such vaccines are termed “booster vaccines”; these vaccines are
important to remind the immune system that it needs to produce protective
antibodies for protection against bacteria or viruses that cause diseases and
infections.
Diseases
for which I should take my pet to a vaccination centre?
The pets
are administered two types of vaccines for immunity against diseases- core
vaccines and non-core vaccines. Core vaccines are given to all the pets all
over the world because they provide protection against diseases that are
widespread among pets and severely impact pet’s health. Non-core vaccines are
usually given when a particular disease is commonly spreading in some region or
when the circumstances are such that point towards the spreading of the
disease. Non-core vaccinations can only be given after consulting an
experienced veterinarian to learn about the risks involved.
- Core
vaccinations for dogs: Canine
adenovirus infections, Canine distemper, Canine parvovirus
infections, Rabies
- Non-core
vaccination for dogs: Kennel
cough, Canine herpesvirus, Leptospirosis, Canine
coronavirus
- Core
vaccinations for cats: Feline
herpesvirus infections, Feline panleukopenia, Feline
calicivirus infections, Rabies
- Non-core
vaccinations for cats: Feline
leukaemia, Chlamydiosis, Feline immunodeficiency virus
In
general, puppies require 3 initial vaccinations and kittens require 2. The best
time for these vaccinations is at six, nine, and twelve weeks of age for
puppies; and nine and twelve weeks of age for kittens. To avoid any unfortunate
incident, do visit a vaccination centre for pets to properly immunize your
pets.
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