Vaccinations and Parasites in Pets

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All pets need regular healthcare including vaccinations and treatment for parasites such as worms and fleas. Taking care of this is vital to ensure that your pet lives a full and happy life.

Vaccinations

A vaccination contains a harmless form of a virus or bacterium that causes the disease being inoculated against. This triggers your pet’s immune system without making them ill, so that they produce antibodies which prevent contraction of that particular disease in the future.

Vaccinations and booster injections do cost money, but they are vital to protect your pet from unnecessary suffering, and will be much cheaper in the long run than treating a sick animal. You won’t just be protecting your pet – a sick pet can pass its illness onto other animals and even humans!

Minimise the risk:

• Keep your pet away from other animals until it has been vaccinated
• Check which regular booster injections are required – speak to your vet
• Ask about additional vaccinations and health checks needed if you want to take your pet abroad

Side effects from vaccinations are rare and usually minor but do consult your vet if you are worried. Vaccinations vary between animals, so consult a vet for advice about your particular pet. For an idea of what is available see below for info about vaccinations for common pets.

Dogs

• Vaccines are available for canine distemper, canine parvovirus, infectious canine hepatitis, kennel cough, and leptospirosis
• Can be vaccinated from around six to eight weeks of age Cats
• Vaccines are available for cat flu, feline Chlamydia, feline infectious enteritis and feline leukaemia virus
• Can be vaccinated from around nine weeks of age

Rabbits

• Vaccine available for myxomatosis and viral haemorrhagic disease
• Can be vaccinated from around six weeks of age

Horses

• Vaccines available for common conditions including tetanus and equine flu
• Vaccination is compulsory for many competition horses

Treating parasites: fleas and worms

• As well preventing these serious diseases, you will also need to treat your pet for common parasites. Dogs, cats and other animals are very likely to get fleas at some stage during their lives and these are often passed between pets.

• Fleas can cause skin irritation in pets and they also bite humans when given the chance. If you can’t spot the fleas themselves, look out for flecks of dried blood (flea dirt) in the animal’s fur. Fleas can jump from pet to pet and can live in your house without feeding for long periods of time, so treat all the pets and the house at the same time or the flea problem will just recur.

• Fleas also add to the problem of worms (an internal parasite) as they can pass tapeworms onto cats and dogs. Follow a worming regime recommended by your vet and take extra precautions if your animals have fleas. Worms cause digestive problems but symptoms are often not obvious. Worming preparations are available in vets and pet shops and are cheap and easy to use.

Further Information

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