Dog, Cat & Rabbit Vaccinations

Vaccinations for Dogs

C3 Vaccine – Canine 3 (three stands for the diseases covered)

• Protects against Parvovirus (gastroenteritis, potentially fatal vomiting and diarrhoea, especially in dogs under 2 years).
• Hepatitis Virus (a liver disease, causes vomiting, diarrhoea, abdominal pain and possibly even liver failure).
• Distemper Virus (a neurological disease, causes coughing, diarrhoea and sometimes twitching, seizures, loss of balance, blindness).

C5 Vaccine – Canine 5

• Protects against Parvovirus.
• Hepatitis Virus.
• Distemper Virus.
• 2 pathogens involved in Canine Cough (aka Kennel Cough, an upper respiratory infection).
  Parainfluenza: the viral component of Canine Cough
  Bordatella bronchiseptica: bacterial component of the cough.

C6/7 Vaccine – Canine 6/7

• Protects against Parvovirus.
• Hepatitis Virus.
• Distemper Virus.
• 2 pathogens involved in Canine Cough (aka Kennel Cough, an upper respiratory infection).
  Parainfluenza: the viral component of Canine Cough
  Bordatella bronchiseptica: bacterial component of the cough.
• Leptospirosis (bacterial disease, causes fever, vomiting, weakness, diarrhoea, yellow eyes)
• Tetanus – a potentially fatal infectious disease that releases neurotoxins causing muscle spasms, lockjaw, increased sensitivity to noise and an inability to eat.

Tetanus commonly caught by infection through open wounds, and is especially common in dogs that go out bush, such as pigging dogs and when camping.

A C5 vaccination is the minimum requirement for most boarding kennels and is recommended when mixing frequently with large numbers of dogs (eg Obedience training).

Things to know

Fortunately, vaccine reactions are rare in pets.  Most dogs never experience adverse reactions to their vaccines, but please notify us right away if you notice any the following symptoms: facial swelling, hives, itching, sneezing, vomiting, diarrhoea, lethargy, difficulty breathing, pain at the injection site, lethargy, collapse or seizures.

Some vaccinations cannot stop an animal from becoming infected by that virus, but they do reduce the chance and severity of infections and make recovery quicker. This is the reason that dogs may still pick up Canine Cough, even when vaccinated with a C5. The benefits are that they are generally less unwell than an unvaccinated animal, and more resistant to the development of disease.

If you adopted an older dog and you don’t know if it was vaccinated you have two options:

1. Treat it as it never has been vaccinated, by giving two vaccinations four weeks apart (this is not going to harm your dog), or;

2. Let us do a Titre Test. – A Titre Test measures your dog’s immunity levels to the core diseases they are usually vaccinated against – this helps determine if they need to be vaccinated or not.

Puppies

Puppies can be vaccinated against a variety of diseases, including parvovirus, distemper, hepatitis, kennel cough and leptospirosis (lepto). There are different levels of vaccination but for maximum protection we recommend being vaccinated against all seven diseases (a C7 vaccination.)

The typical vaccination schedule is a course of three injections.

First vaccination is at
6-8 Weeks: C3 Vaccination
10-12 Weeks: C7 Vaccination
14-16 Weeks: C7 Vaccination

The Ark Animal Hospital is offering discounts for puppy litters.

Things to know

Parvo is extremely common and extremely deadly to young pups. This infection is a highly contagious viral illness. The major symptoms associated with the intestinal form of a canine parvovirus infection include severe, bloody diarrhoea, lethargy, anorexia, fever, vomiting, and severe weight loss and dehydration.

At this point in time there is no real cure for it and treatment is focused on managing the symptoms and preventing secondary bacterial infections.

Vaccinations for Cats

Many serious and life-threatening diseases can be prevented by vaccination. Kittens should be first vaccinated at 6 to 8 weeks and then every 4 weeks until they are 16 weeks or older. For most kittens this will mean 3 vaccinations. A kitten will not be fully protected until 7-10 days after the last vaccination.

We recommend that after the initial series of kitten vaccinations that cats be vaccinated every 12 months.

Regardless of the vaccines that your cat may require, we recommend a physical exam every 12 months to evaluate your pet’s health. Every vaccination appointment is also a consultation so we perform a thorough physical examination to check your cat’s health and we can look at any problems you may have noticed.

F3 Vaccine – Feline 3 (three stands for the diseases covered)

• Feline herpes virus  (Causes for disease commonly known as ‘cat flu’.  Often in unvaccinated cats. Can cause long-term problems, including chronic sneezing, nasal discharge, inflamed eyes and severe gum problems.)
• Feline calicivirus  (Second cause for disease commonly known as ‘cat flu’.)
• Feline panleukopaenia (Causes a severe and often fatal gastro-enteritis)

Direct contact with other cats is the main source of cat flu spread, so keeping your cat indoors away from other unvaccinated cats will greatly minimise the risk. Being stressed and in places where there are lots of other cats increases the possibility of exposure and the chance of cats becoming sick.

Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV)

For outdoor cats, we also recommend vaccination against feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV). The primary modes of FIV transmission are deep bite wounds and scratches but there is also an occasional transmission of the virus at the time of birth

The initial vaccination is followed up by two more vaccinations 2-4 weeks apart and then with annual boosters. FIV vaccines can be given at the same time as regular F3 vaccinations.

What vaccinations does my new kitten need?

Vaccinations for your new kitten are extremely important, as the diseases against which they protect can be be serious and even fatal if contracted.

Kittens can be vaccinated against a variety of diseases, including feline enteritis virus, cat “flu” (actually 3 different diseases Feline calicivirus, feline herpes virus and Feline chlamydia), feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV)and feline leukaemia virus.

There are different levels of vaccination but for maximum protection we recommend being vaccinated against all six diseases (a F6 vaccination.)

The typical vaccination schedule is a course of three injections.

First vaccination is at 6-8 Weeks: F3 Vaccination
10-12 Weeks: F6 Vaccination
14-16 Weeks: F6 Vaccination

This course is then followed by annual boosters.