At Beachside Veterinary Hospital, we follow the World Small Animal Veterinary Association(WSAVA) recommendations for both canine and feline vaccinations.
Dog Vaccinations
Dogs are prone to a number of infectious diseases, some of which can be protected against by vaccination. We advise an initial vaccination at 7-8 weeks, followed by a second vaccination at 12 weeks, and a final vaccination at 16 weeks of age. A booster may be required at six months of age, then again at 15months of age. Each visit we will update the record of vaccination on our database and provide you with a printed vaccination certificate as evidence for boarding kennels, daycare or personal records.
After these initial vaccinations, core vaccines consisting of Parvo, Distemper and Hepatitis will be required every 3 years. Other vaccines will remain annual. A full health check will be performed at every vaccination consultation.
We also offer antibody titre testing for the canine core vaccinations to assess when/if the vaccination cover has declined to a level that a booster is required for protection.
Routine vaccination offered by us when you adopt a puppy includes protection against all of the following diseases:
- Distemper
- Parvovirus
- Infectious Hepatitis
- Canine Parainfluenza (one of the multiple causative agents of tracheobronchitis, otherwise known as Canine/kennel cough).
- Canine Bordetella bronchiseptica (one of the bacterial agents of Canine/kennel cough)
- Leptospirosis; animals infected with pathogenic forms of Leptospira excrete the organisms in urine, and are highly infectious to humans who come into contact with them. The bacteria causes both kidney and liver failure and if left untreated will be fatal. If treated in the early stages of an infection, antibiotic treatment and intensive hospital care CAN be successful.
Cat Vaccinations
We recommend that all kittens have a primary vaccination course at 8 and then 12 weeks of age for the following feline diseases. A booster may be required @ 6 months of age and again at 15 months of age. Boosters should then be administered annually thereafter.
Vaccinations for your cat include the following:
- Feline Infectious Enteritis (FIE) Feline Viral
- Rhinotracheitis Feline Calicivirus
- Feline Chlamydia
- Feline Leukaemia (FeLV)
- Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV)
Heartworm Prevention
Here at Beachside Veterinary Hospital, we are in a heartworm endemic area and see heartworm cases on a regular basis. As such, we recommend that our patients are on a regular heartworm preventative program. If prevention is not being administered, we advise an annual heartworm test to ensure early intervention and the best chances of survival should your pet become infected.
Beachside Veterinary Hospital recommends the yearly heartworm injection for dogs, and a monthly spot on treatment for all our feline patients. The annual injection is the only preventative with 100% effectiveness when administered as per the registered schedule.
It is important to note that if your pet has not been on a regular preventative treatment for heartworm, or their method of prevention has lapsed, a heartworm test should always be carried out prior to any further treatment to ensure that your pet is healthy and fit for the medications administered.
What is Heartworm?
Heartworm, also known as Dirofilaria immitis, is an endo-parasitic organism spread by mosquitoes.
How is it spread?
Once a mosquito bites an infected pet (a cat or dog), developing microfilariae are transferred from the pets bloodstream to the mosquito where they are incubated. The infected mosquito is now a host vessel for the spread of heartworm disease and is capable of infecting healthy pets with subsequent bites.
What happens once a pet is infected?
Microfilariae larvae introduced via the mosquito bite travel through the tissues and into the circulatory system where they continue to develop.
The circulatory system transports the maturing larvae around the body to finally settle in the tissues of the heart and lungs, where maturation of the larvae continues into adult heartworms.
What are the signs of heartworm?
An accumulation of heartworm in the heart and lungs may cause lethargy and inappetance, an enlarged abdomen, persistent coughing and a reduction in cardio-vascular fitness. These signs, if left untreated, will eventually result in the death of an infected patient through cardiac failure or thrombosis (a blood clot).
Treatment
Heartworm infection is treatable, however the treatment is quite risky, expensive and takes over 12 months to ensure a heartworm fee status. Preventative care is the best and safest option for your pet.
