Vaccinations

A vaccine is given by injection into the skin at the back of the neck and can make some animals sleepy for a few hours afterwards. It is extremely rare but possible that an animal can have an allergic reaction to a vaccine. While this can be a possibility, the risk of disease greatly outweighs the possibility of an allergic response! In cats we very occasionally see injection site reactions where there is a small lump at the site where the vaccine was given but these generally disappear in a few weeks.

An initial course is needed to stimulate the correct level of immunity required. This is then topped up yearly (for free on our easivac!).

1^st vaccinations for puppies and kittens are given at 8-9 weeks and the 2^nd at 10-12 weeks in puppies and 9-12 weeks in kittens.

Bunny rabbits can be vaccinated from 5 weeks old and require annual vaccination to maintain protection.

Get ready for the fancy definition! A vaccine is a compound that stimulates an active immune response against a specific disease. This basically means that when your pet next comes in contact with that disease, the immune system will recognise it and has the defence mechanism in place to destroy it before it causes any harm.

When it comes to the health and happiness of your precious pet, prevention is ALWAYS better than cure. And there’s no better way to protect your furball against illness than by getting them vaccinated. Vaccinations save lives – it’s that simple! After all… a healthy fur-friend is a happy fur-friend – and that’s the most impawtant thing we care about as loving pet-owners.

If you miss a vaccine, don’t panic! You have a 3 month window in which you can still get a booster. If you miss this, it just means that we need to do an initial course again like we do for puppies and kittens. This will be the 2 vaccines, 2-4 weeks apart with the yearly boosters (3-4 weeks apart in cats).