Vaccinations
Puppies/Dogs
Your puppy will need an initial course of 3 vaccinations at 6-8wks, 10-12wks & 14-16wks. After that yearly vaccinations are advised. Alternatively we now have the option for dogs over 2 years old to have a parvo titre test which measures whether your dogs immunity against parvo is still adequate and thus may not need a vaccination that year.
The vaccinations we use for puppies/dogs are C3, C5 and/or C2i. These cover for Parvovirus, Distemper, Canine infectious hepatitis, Bordetella, Parainfluenza virus, Leptospirosis and Coronavirus respectively.
Parvovirus is a highly contagious and deadly disease which causes severe bloody diarrhoea, depression and/or vomiting. This disease is prevalent in the hunter valley and disease outbreaks are a common occurrence. Dogs can be treated with intensive care & hospitalisation but not all dogs will survive. Vaccination is the best way to prevent your puppy or young dog from becoming sick with this disease.
Distemper is a viral disease which causes respiratory, gastrointestinal and neurological symptoms most dogs will not survive infection, vaccination is the best prevention for this disease.
Infectious Canine hepatitis is a highly contagious disease caused by canine adenovirus. It can be particularly severe in young dogs and is often fatal in puppies. A carrier dog may recover, but continue to spread the virus via its urine for up to six months.
Severely affected dogs will have a fever, loss of appetite, depression, diarrhoea, tonsillitis and acute abdominal pain due to an inflamed liver. Death may result within 36 hours. Corneal opacity known as “blue eye” may follow infection.
Bordetella and Parainfluenza Virus combine to cause Kennel Cough. This results in a strong hacking cough, lethargy and depression and sometimes can lead to more serious lung diseases such as pneumonia. It is a requirement of most boarding kennels and dog obedience schools to vaccinate against this disease.
Coronavirus and Leptospirosis are vaccinated against together. Animals that come in contact with rat or pig urine are most at risk of developing Leptospirosis. This is a protective vaccine against some strains of leptospirosis. Coronavirus is a highly infectious intestinal infection in dogs, especially puppies. Coronavirus is usually short-lived, but may cause considerable abdominal discomfort for a few days in infected dogs. It’s greatest significance is if it combines with Canine Parvovirus and intensifies both of the diseases.
Rabies is not in Australia . It affects the central nervous system and results in death to 99% of animals that contract it. Domestic dogs are the main source of human infections . Rabies is responsible for around 50,000 human deaths a year , mainly throughout Asia and Africa. We usually vaccinate animals traveling overseas to countries like America, Canada, Europe and parts of Asia.
Cats
Feline Rhinotracheitis virus ( Feline Herpes virus) and feline calicivirus combine to cause a Feline Respiratory Disease Complex. These viruses cause upper respiratory tract infection. They are highly contagious and whole litters of kittens can be affected. Even if a cat recovers they can retain the herpes virus and be a carrier for life and spread the disease to other cats. Vaccinations can reduce the symptoms caused by these flu viruses.
Feline Enteritis (panleukopenia) is a disease that causes fever, lethargy, inappetence vomiting, diarrhea and sometimes death. This usually affects younger kittens.
Chlamydia in cats causes a persistent conjunctivitis for many months, The eye discharge can range from clear through to pustular and will spread from one eye to the other. It can combine with calicivirus to cause nasal discharge, fever and inappetance. Prevention may be achieved by vaccination but you need to discuss with us your specific needs.
Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV) is a viral disease which affects the immune system of domestic cats. Whilst FIV cannot be transferred to humans, it acts in the same way as the human form of HIV, destroying the immune system and leaving a cat susceptible to infections and disease. Once the cat has been infected, FIV can then progress to feline acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, otherwise known as Feline AIDs. It is not easy to catch FIV and requires a deep penetrating bite from an infected cat. The virus is fragile in the environment and will be killed by air, light , heat and regular household disinfectants. FIV positive cats can live with FIV negative cats without spreading the virus provided they are not aggressive and will not bite.
Feline Leukaemia Virus (FeLV) is a retrovirus that is similar to (FIV). Many cats can overcome the infection, however if they become persistently infected FeLV may cause cancers, immunosuppression and reproductive problems, amongst other conditions.
Transmission is through transfer of virus in the saliva or nasal secretions resulting from prolonged intimate contact. The virus may also be transmitted by transfusion of blood from an infected cat, in utero, or through the milk. Kittens are the most susceptible to infection; resistance increases with age.
Clinical signs of infection include inappetence, lethargy, weight loss, pale or yellow mucous membranes, vomiting, diarrhoea, reproductive problems, and increased susceptibility to other infections, leukaemia and tumours.
FeLV Vaccine is not included in a standard annual F3 vaccination, thus making preventing exposure to infected cats the single best way to prevent infection.The decision to vaccinate an individual cat against FeLV infection should be based on the cat’s age and its risk of exposure. That is, cats not restricted to a closed, FeLV-negative indoor environment.
Rabbits
We recommend that all rabbits are vaccinated against Calicivirus (RCD)
Rabbit Calicivirus is a disease which damages the rabbit’s internal organs such as the liver and gut, and can also cause haemorrhage or bleeding. Calicivirus is spread from wild rabbits, in the air and on clothing and hands. Fleas also transmit the virus from rabbit to rabbit. There is no cure for Calicivirus and is almost always fatal.
The Vaccine can be given at 6 weeks of age and a booster is given around 2.5months. This is continued as a yearly vaccination for life.
Ferrets
It is recommended in Australia to vaccinate ferrets against Distemper. Ferrets are highly susceptible to canine distemper, and the disease proves fatal for virtually all of the ferrets that come into contact with the virus. Clinical signs of distemper in ferrets include ocular and nasal discharge, anorexia, diarrhea, skin rashes in the chin and inguinal region, hyperkeratosis, brown crusts on the eyes, nose, lips, and chin, immunosuppression with secondary infections, and seizures Though the disease is extremely deadly, proper vaccination protects ferrets from infection.
Though there are no specific vaccinations made specifically for ferrets a canine C3 vaccination is used. We recommend that you vaccinate your ferret at 8 weeks of age and then a booster is given at 12 weeks. From here your ferret will be due for yearly booster vaccinations.
Microchipping
Microchipping is a legal requirement for all dogs and cats sold in NSW.
It is given via an injection between the shoulder blades and is a very quick process and is often done at the time of vaccinations. There is some discomfort at the time of the implantation however, this is short lived and afterwards the animals have no knowledge of the chip being there.
If your pet is lost, they are scanned and then you can be reunited with your pet.
We offer very special discount litter rates for vaccinations and microchipping.