Puppy Vaccines
Protection from disease depends on the immune system's
ability to respond to a vaccine. Some puppies can respond
at an earlier age than others; therefore start early
and repeat the vaccines to give protection for all individuals
as quickly as possible. A good vaccination program starts
at six to eight weeks of age, with booster vaccines
being given every three to four weeks until the puppy
is over 16 weeks of age. Your Pet Vet doctor will recommend
the appropriate vaccines but they include Distemper,
Parvo Virus, Corona, Bordetella, Lyme's Disease and
Rabies. Heartworm and intestinal parasite preventives
are also recommended at six to eight weeks of age.
Annual Vaccines for Dogs
The vaccines to prevent Distemper, Parvo Virus, Corona,
Bordetella and Lyme's Disease are recommended on an
annual basis. Also, Texas state law requires that Rabies
vaccine be given every three year. Please check with your veterinarian to verify the law in your specific area.
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Kitten Vaccines
A good vaccine program for a kitten starts between eight
to nine weeks of age with boosters given every three
to four weeks. Boosters are given to ensure the kitten's
immune system responds to the vaccine and the pet is
protected from disease. A vaccine for Feline Distemper
(a 4-in-1 vaccine that contains Rhino tracheitis, Panleukopenia,
Chlamydia and Calici) is given initially. Feline Leukemia
vaccine is started after 10 weeks of age and Feline
Infectious Peritonitis after 14 weeks. Rabies vaccine
is given after the kitten reaches 12 weeks of age.
Pet Vet also recommends heartworm prevention for our
feline patients. Once thought of as solely a disease
of the dog's heart, heartworms are now known to produce
completely different problems in cats - it
is primarily a disease of the cat's lungs. Ask your
Pet Vet doctor about heartworms in cats.
Annual Vaccines for Cats
Current manufacturer's recommendations are for annual
boosters for cat vaccines. This includes (1) Feline
Distemper - a 4-in-1 vaccine that contains Rhino tracheitis,
Panleukopenia, Chlamydia, and Calici components, (2)
Feline Leukemia, (3) Calici VS and
(4) Rabies. Although most counties in Texax require that the Rabies vaccine be given every three years, you should check with your veterinarian to confirm. In addition to vaccine boosters, your veterinarian
may also recommend heartworm prevention because of it's
role in preventing intestinal parasites and to prevent
the drastic respiratory effects of heartworm microfilaria.
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