You may have heard your veterinarian talking about the importance of getting your pet vaccinated. Often, pet owners are confused about whether or not to get their pets vaccinated and which kind of vaccinations are essential and which types can be optional. Before examining the necessary and non-essential vaccinations, here are the associated benefits and risks of getting your pet vaccinated.
Benefits of Pet Vaccination
In principle, vaccines are created to stimulate the natural protective immune responses in pets. It may be either against specific diseases or some disease-causing agents. Typically, once the immune system is stimulated to create antibodies against the disease, even if the pet is exposed to that particular disease, body’s autoimmune response would ensure that the pet would develop little to no infection. Your pet’s veterinarian will recommend protecting pets from highly contagious and fatal diseases. And without vaccination treatments to such diseases will be highly complex and expensive, not to mention quite painful for the pet. Moreover, some treatments may also prove fatal to the pet in the absence of vaccination.
Vaccinating your pet can help you to protect you and your family from diseases such as rabies, which is usually passed from pets to people. A rabies vaccination is required by law in many countries and states. In most parts of Ontario, your pet must be vaccinated against rabies before it reaches three months of age. Pet owners could also face a severe penalty if the vaccinations and follow-up booster shots are not adhered to.
The core Vaccinations
As a pet owner, it can get confusing to decide which vaccinations are the must-haves and which may be optional. Our leading vet team at Aquitaine Vet have put together the mandatory and optional vaccinations for your reference:
- Recommended for dogs: DHPP, Leptospirosis, Bordetella, and Rabies
- Recommended for cats: FVRCP, FELV, and Rabies
Although these are some core recommendations, depending on your pet’s overall health, there could be numerous other vaccines which are essential for the health and well being of your pooch. It is best to let your doctor recommend the right kind and dose of vaccination for your pet.
The Risks of Pet Vaccination
Just like people experience post-vaccination reactions, pets too are prone to mild and short-lived fever, sluggishness, reduced appetite, temporary pain, or even subtle swelling at the vaccination spot. However, the post-vaccination reactions vary from pet to pet, and many pets may not have any reaction at all. A response to vaccinations can occur quite promptly, sometimes even within a few minutes or hours. Prolonged symptoms such as repeated vomiting or diarrhea, whole body itching, swelling of the face or legs, difficulty breathing, or collapse must be brought to your vet’s attention immediately.
If you need to know about the vaccines that you must administer to your pet, or are looking for a clean and safe environment to administer vaccinations to your pet, speak to our experienced and qualified vets at Aquitaine Vet for professional and sound advice.
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