Vaccination
Dog and Puppy Vaccinations
Why it is important to vaccinate your best friend!
Vaccination Regime
Vaccines boost immunity which reduces the chance and severity of a disease. We will vaccinate your dog with an initial course that consists of:
- A C4 Vaccination includes: – Canine Parvovirus – Canine Distemper – Canine Hepatitis – Canine Parainfluenza
- A C5 Vaccination includes: – C4 + Bordetella bronchiseptica
What are the infectious diseases?
- Canine Parvovirus is a virus that attacks and strips the gastrointestinal tract causing severe bloody diarrhoea, uncontrollable vomiting, abdominal pain and is often fatal without treatment. Parvovirus is highly contagious. Unvaccinated dogs and puppies are at a high risk. Parvovirus is spread either, directly from dog to dog or from ground contaminated with faeces. The ground may remain infectious for several years. Thus, the need to avoid exercising your puppy where other dogs have been until fully vaccinated.
- Canine Distemper is a contagious and very serious viral infection that affects dogs of any age but especially young puppies. It can be spread from nose to nose contact, and coming into contact with urine, vomit or faeces that are from an infected animal. It affects many body systems including the respiratory, gastrointestinal, nervous and lymphatic systems. Treatment is usually ineffective and the recovery rate is very low so it is very important to vaccinate your dog.
- Canine Hepatitis is an often fatal acute liver infection. The virus is extremely contagious and is spread in the faeces, urine, blood, saliva, and nasal discharge of infected dogs. Surviving dogs may suffer ongoing liver and eye disease.
- Canine Cough (also known as Kennel Cough) is a highly contagious respiratory disease similar to whooping cough in people. It is an inflammation of the trachea and bronchi called tracheobronchitis. Dogs with Canine Cough have a dry hacking cough which can persist for several weeks and if untreated can cause pneumonia. Canine Cough can be spread any place dogs meet such as parks, kennels, beaches etc.
After Vaccination Care
Side effects are rare (less than 2%) the common side effects are short term:
- Mild lethargy
- Reduced appetite for a couple of days
- Slight swelling and tenderness at the injection site
If these symptoms persist you should seek Veterinary help.
Puppy School
Give your puppy a great start to their education at Greenfields Vet Hospital! Let us help you make your puppy an amazing family pet.
- One hour, one night a week, for 5 weeks!
- Puppies can come as soon as they have had their first vaccination.
*Fun Facts*
- A dog’s sense of smell is 10,000 times better than ours.
- There are more than 150 dog breeds, they are divided into 8 groups; sporting, hound, working, terrier, toy, non-sporting, herding, and miscellaneous.
- The tallest dogs are the Great Dane & Irish Wolfhound. The smallest dogs are the Chihuahua, Yorkshire Terrier and Toy Poodle
- Dogs have a visual range of 250 Degrees, human range is 180 Degrees
- The Greyhound is the fastest dog and can run 72km/h for short periods of time.
- Puppies develop a sense of smell at 3 weeks of age
- Dogs turn in circles before lying down out of instinct. In the wild they did this action because it would turn long grass into a bed.
Cat and Kitten Vaccinations
Why it is important to vaccinate your feline friend!
Vaccination Regime
Cats We need to vaccinate your cat with an initial course to cover cat flu’s (Calicivirus, Herpes virus and Chlamydia), Panleukopenia (Feline Parvovirus) and the two AIDS viruses (Feline Leukaemia and Feline Immunodeficiency (FIV)).
This course consists of:
- 8 weeks or older – F6
- 2 weeks later – FIV
- 2 weeks after – F6
- Then a yearly dose of an F6
What are the Viruses?
- Cat Flu’s
Calicivirus and Herpes virus both cause similar symptoms with conjunctivitis, mouth ulceration, gingivitis, nasal discharge, fever and secondary bacterial infection all being common. A very common disease and all cats should be vaccinated for it. - Chlamydia
Chlamydia causes many different diseases in various species but in cats it primarily causes a severe conjunctivitis. - Panleukopenia
This virus destroys bone marrow and gut cells resulting in the loss of immunity and a frequently fatal Diarrhoea. The vaccine is fantastic and now we rarely see cases of Panleukopenia. - Feline Leukaemia (FeLV)
Felv is spread when cats have close contact, typically via fighting. It is estimated that 4% of cats in WA are infected. Infected cats die within 2 years, often through the development of malignant tumours. - Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV)
It is estimated that up to 20% of cats in WA are infected with FIV. Unlike in humans, FIV cats often can live for prolonged periods with infection but are predisposed to infections by other organisms.
After Vaccination Care
Side effects are rare (less than 2%) and common side effects are usually short term:
- Pain on injection
- Temperature
- Lethargy
- Vomiting and/or Diarrhoea
- Anorexia
These are all unusual, tend to be short lived and rarely require treatment.
Fun Facts
- Cats have been domesticated for around 4,000years.
- There is only 48 recognised cat breeds in Australia.
- Cats can see up to 6 times better than humans.
- They have 32 muscles in their ears!
- The ear also has the job of maintaining balance and the ability to right themselves when falling – which is where the phrase ‘Cats always land on their feed” came from.
- Cats can travel speeds up to 30km per hour.
- The largest breed of cat is a Maine Coon. Males can weigh up to 12kgs!
- The longest lived cat died at the age of 38!
- Did you know that cats actually sweat through their paws!
- Cats can’t taste sweet things.
- The SMALLEST cat in the world is 7.5inches long and the LARGEST cat in the world in 42 inches long!
