Why vaccinate? It’s a question we hear often at our clinic and at the root of all the information–and misinformation–out there about vaccinating your pet, it is very important to managing your pet’s overall health.
In a nutshell, vaccines teach the body’s immune system how to fight the invasion of disease-causing organisms. Vaccines contain antigens, pathogens that appear to be a disease to the body, but don’t cause disease. In response, the body stimulates the immune system, essentially learning that specific disease and preparing to fight off the real thing should it ever be introduced to the body.
Even if your pet is kept indoors, he can still contract a contagious disease that is airborne via an open window. Also, he could be exposed to disease while at a boarding kennel, dog park or grooming salon.
When deciding on a vaccination regime for your pet, we take into account his age, medical history, environment, travel habits and lifestyle. Not every pet needs to be vaccinated against every disease known, but there is a routine core set of vaccinations for each species. We highly recommend the core vaccines for each pet. Included in the core vaccines for both dogs and cats is the rabies vaccine which protects against a fatal neurological disease. Each state has its own laws governing the administration for the rabies vaccine, and in nearly all states, proof of a current rabies vaccination for your pet is mandatory.
Keeping your pet up-to-date on his vaccinations is a key component to living a healthy lifestyle and one way to help ensure many happy years together. If you have any questions about vaccinations or need to set up an appointment to get your pet up to date, contact us.