Vaccinations play an important role towards the long-term health of our pets. Vaccinating your pet is one of the simplest ways to keep them protected against a range of serious, life threatening diseases and is important to throughout all stages of their life. Keeping your pet’s vaccinations up to date is crucial towards maintaining their protection and also the safety of your family (as some animal diseases can be transferred to humans).
Woofpurnay Veterinary Hospital can help protect your pet by offering vaccinations for your puppy, kitten, dog and cat. Did you know we offer vaccinations for rabbits and ferrets too?
Why is it important to vaccinate my pet?
Disease prevention – regular pet vaccinations is one of the simplest ways to keep your pet protected against a range of serious, life threatening diseases that they can encounter in other animals or their environment.
Protects pets and family – keeping your pet’s vaccinations up to date helps protect your pet, other pets and your family (as some animal diseases can be transferred to humans).
Puppy school and dog training – Woofpurnay Veterinary Hospital offer both puppy school and dog training sessions. It is a requirement that your puppy or dog is up to date with their vaccinations to attend these training sessions for the protection of all participants.
Pet boarding - our clinic features purpose built boarding facilities for your pet cat or dog whilst you are on holidays, at work or just away for the weekend. All pets that board with us need to be up to date with their vaccinations and parasite control. So give us a call well ahead of the boarding period if your pet is due for their booster or if you need a top up on your flea and worming treatments.
When should I vaccinate my pet?
Generally an initial series of three vaccines are required for puppies and kittens over a 6-month period, followed by an annual booster to maintain immunity against disease. For rabbits and ferrets, depending on their age, an initial series of one to two vaccines may be required, followed by an annual booster.
Our vets will give your pet a full examination before administering any vaccinations. We recommend that you schedule at least one yearly appointment with your vet, for a general health check and to ensure a current vaccination program is in place. For puppies, kittens, young rabbits and ferrets or pets that have had no prior vaccinations, they will need more frequent visits for their initial series of vaccinations.
What if I missed a vaccination?
If you have accidentally missed a vaccination, get in touch with us as soon as possible to discuss restarting your pet’s vaccination program.
If you are unsure about your pet’s previous vaccinations or when their next vaccination is due, give us a call. It’s never too late to start a vaccination program for your pet.
Vaccinating your dog
Dog vaccinations commence when they are a puppy and continue as a yearly booster throughout their life.
Vaccinations can help protect your dog against a number of diseases including canine distemper, canine hepatitis, canine parvovirus and canine cough (commonly known as kennel cough).
Puppy vaccination schedule:
8 weeks - temporary vaccination
12 weeks – permanent vaccination
16 weeks – booster puppy vaccination
Every 12 months after - annual booster vaccination
Adult dog (never vaccinated) schedule:
First visit – first vaccination
4 weeks later – booster vaccination
Every 12 months after – annual booster vaccination
Vaccinating your cat
Similar to dogs, cat vaccinations commence when they are a kitten and continue as a yearly booster throughout their life.
Vaccinations can help protect your cat against a variety of diseases including feline panleukopaenia, feline rhinotracheitis virus and feline calicivirus. Recommendations for vaccinations against other feline diseases depends on individual circumstances. For example, it is recommended to also incorporate feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) vaccine for cats that spend a lot of time outdoors or those exposed to neighbouring cats.
Kitten vaccination schedule:
8 weeks - temporary vaccination
12 weeks – permanent vaccination
16 weeks – booster kitten vaccination
Every 12 months after - annual booster vaccination
Adult cat (never vaccinated) schedule:
First visit – first vaccination
4 weeks later – booster vaccination
Every 12 months after – annual booster vaccination
Vaccinating your rabbit and ferret
Regular health checks are essential for your pocket pets too. Vaccinations are important for rabbits and ferrets, helping protect them from disease.
Rabbits are vaccinated against Calicivirus (RHDV). Ferrets are vaccinated against Distemper. There are no vaccinations recommended for guinea pigs.
Young rabbit and ferret vaccination schedule:
8 weeks – first vaccination
12 weeks – booster vaccination
Every 12 months after – annual booster vaccination
Adult rabbit and ferret (never vaccinated) schedule:
First visit – first vaccination
Every 12 months after – annual booster vaccination
If you would like to know more about pet vaccinations, book an appointment or simply confirm when your pet’s next vaccination is due, give us a call on 03 8784 4444.