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Vaccinations
Vaccinating your pet helps protect them from potentially life-threatening illnesses, and prevents them from spreading disease to other animals within their community.
Why vaccinations are so important for your pet
Vaccinations for Dogs, Cats and Rabbits
Puppies, kittens, young rabbits and ferrets should all receive an initial vaccination course within their first weeks to allow them to begin to socialise with other animals safely by helping protect them from, and prevent, the spread of infectious diseases.
This primary vaccination course is then followed by a routine booster vaccination and health check every year.
Read on to find out what vaccinations your dog, cat or rabbit needs, and what to do if you miss their annual booster vaccination.
Interested in spreading the cost and saving money on your pet's preventative healthcare? Take a look at our Pet Healthcare Plans.
Dog Vaccinations
Currently we vaccinate our canine patients against:
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Parvovirus: A virus which attacks the gastrointestinal tract lining and can be fatal in unvaccinated dogs, especially puppies.
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Distemper: A serious virus affecting the nervous and respiratory systems. It is spread via airborne droplets or contaminated items such as toys, bedding or bowls.
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Infectious Hepatitis: A virus which can attack the liver with a mortality rate of 10-30%, being more severe in young puppies.
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Leptospirosis: A bacterial infection spread via rat urine in water and soil. It attacks and damages the kidneys and liver and can also be spread to people.
It is recommended that puppies have a primary vaccination course to build their immunity, with adult dogs then following an annual booster and re-vaccination schedule.
Vaccinations for Puppies - Primary Vaccination Course
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First Injection: 6–9 weeks of age, to cover the core diseases listed above
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Second Injection: 10–13 weeks of age. The Lepto 4 part of the vaccination course is required 4 weeks exactly after the first injection.
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A third injection at 16 weeks may be recommended for black and tan breeds.
Annual Booster Vaccinations for Dogs
Once dogs have received their primary vaccination course, they require follow up annual 'booster' vaccinations to help maintain their immunity.
All of our annual vaccination appointments also include a general health check.
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Distemper, Hepatitis, Parvovirus: Full booster vaccination 1 year after puppy course, then every 3 years.
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Leptospirosis: Required annually (every 12 months).
Interested in spreading the cost and saving money on dog vaccinations and your pet's preventative healthcare? Take a look at our Pet Healthcare Plans.
Cat Vaccinations
Currently we vaccinate our feline patients against:
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Cat Flu (Feline Herpes Virus and Feline Calicivirus): Both these viruses can cause severe upper respiratory infections and eye ulceration. There are a number of different strains of calicivirus and it can be deadly. Cat flu can make more vulnerable cats, such as kittens and elderly cats, seriously ill.
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Feline Infectious Enteritis (FIE): Also known as feline panleukopenia, this virus attacks the guts and can result in severe symptoms. Unvaccinated cats are at risk because the virus is widespread in the environment.
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Feline Leukaemia Virus (FeLV): A virus that destroys the immune system and causes cancers. FeLV is a lifelong infection without a cure. It can have a high mortality rate, usually from subsequent diseases like leukaemia, lymphoma (tumours) or progressive anaemia. It is transmitted via direct contact between cats, usually by saliva or bites. Outdoor cats are strongly recommended to have this vaccination.
Vaccinations for Kittens - Primary Vaccination Course
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First Injection: at 8 to 9 weeks old
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Second Injection: at 12 weeks old, to build the highest level of immunity.
Annual Booster Vaccination for Cats
Once cats have received their primary vaccination course, they require follow up annual 'booster' vaccinations to help maintain their immunity.
All of our annual vaccination appointments also include a general health check.
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1 year after primary course: First annual booster (full vaccination)
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2 years following the primary vaccination course onwards: From here, the Leukaemia component of the vaccination can be given every 3 years. The flu and enteritis vaccination is yearly.
Vaccinations for Rabbits
We currently vaccinate our rabbit patients against:
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Myxomatosis: caused by a poxvirus called the myxoma virus (MV), Myxomatosis causes a severe disease with high mortality rates. It is spread by fleas, mosquitoes, animal-to-animal contact, and via a contaminated environment (toys, bedding etc).
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Rabbit (Viral) Haemorrhagic Disease 1 (RHD1), and
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Rabbit (Viral) Haemorrhagic Disease 2 (RHD2): these are both strains of Rabbit Viral Haemorrhagic Disease. RHD is a nasty virus that affects rabbits by attacking internal organs and causing internal bleeding, which is sadly fatal in most cases.
We recommend vaccinating young rabbits from 5 weeks of age, followed by an annual booster for both Myxomatosis and both strains of RHD every 12 months. Both diseases can be covered in one injection.
All of our annual vaccination appointments also include a general health check.
Kennel Cough Vaccination
The Kennel Cough Vaccination is recommended if your dog is more social, or comes into contact with a lot of other dogs, such as going to boarding kennels, daycare, or social walking groups.
The Kennel Cough vaccination is given as a single dose from 3 weeks age, and requires an annual booster vaccination.
Rabies Vaccination
Under UK law, cats, dogs, and ferrets only need to have the rabies vaccination if they are travelling abroad.
To take your cat, dog or ferret abroad, they will also need an Animal Health Certificate or Export Health Certificate, depending on where you are travelling to, and for how long.
Please take a look at our Animal Health Certificate page for more information.
Rabies vaccinations can be given from 12 weeks of age, and require a booster vaccination every 3 years.
Missed Your Pet's Annual Booster Vaccination?
If you have suddenly realised you have missed your cat, dog or rabbit's annual booster vaccination, don't panic - just get in touch with us with the details of when their last vaccination was and we can talk through the options available to you.
Depending on your pet's age and vaccination history, and the time since their last vaccination, all help determine whether a vaccination restart course is necessary.
Vaccination Restart
If you have missed your pet's annual booster vaccination, it may be necessary to give them the full set of primary vaccinations again, also known as a vaccination restart. This is also the case should you take in a rescue cat or dog where their vaccination history is unknown.
Please don't hesitate to get in touch, and we can talk you through your options, and whether a full vaccination course is in your pet's best interests to help keep them healthy.