Do you ever wonder why your pet needs an annual booster vaccination in West Yorkshire? In this article we look at the importance of vaccinations and why they are important.<\/p>\n
You\u2019re probably aware that getting a new puppy or kitten means a few trips to the vets for vaccinations, parasite control and other preventative treatments. However, to maintain your pet\u2019s health and wellbeing, regular trips to the vets are recommended. Annual vaccinations (boosters) are important to protect your pet against preventable diseases. Here we explore some of the common questions and myths surrounding vaccinations\u2026<\/p>\n
My pet only had a primary vaccine course, is that okay?<\/strong><\/p>\n Your pet\u2019s primary vaccination course protects your pet against many diseases but this immunity doesn\u2019t last for life. Over time, protection against these diseases wanes so regular boosters are needed to make sure your pet is always protected.<\/p>\n Our priority is your pet\u2019s health so we recommend annual vaccinations for that reason alone. We don\u2019t advocate annual boosters for commercial gain or because of pressure from pharmaceutical companies.<\/p>\n How do vaccines work?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Did you know, vaccines\u00a0don\u2019t actually<\/strong>\u00a0fight diseases themselves?<\/p>\n Vaccines stimulate your pet\u2019s immune system to recognise specific disease-causing viruses and bacteria. If your pet comes into contact with these diseases, antibodies (disease-fighting cells) are produced. These antibodies send chemical signals to the disease-fighting cells of your pet\u2019s body and an immune response (attack against the disease) is activated.<\/p>\n Our pets produce different levels of immunity to different diseases. For example, the leptospirosis vaccine protects dogs for a year whereas the distemper vaccine protects dogs for three years.<\/p>\n We follow a vaccination protocol that ensures your pets only receive the elements of the vaccine they need that year; this means we never give vaccinations that your pet doesn\u2019t need.<\/p>\n Which diseases do vaccinations protect my pet from?<\/strong><\/p>\n We vaccinate dogs against:<\/p>\n We vaccinate cats against:<\/p>\n It may take up to a few weeks after vaccination before your pet is fully protected against disease; we can advise you on this during your appointment.<\/p>\n Is my pet protected for life?<\/strong><\/p>\n Just like us humans, the very young and elderly are more vulnerable to disease and illness. Regular vaccinations help protect your pet throughout their life, even when their immune system doesn\u2019t function as well as it used to.<\/p>\n Helping the wider pet community<\/strong><\/p>\n By vaccinating your pet you\u2019re also helping to protect all pets in your local community. The more vaccinated animals there are, the less likely it is for disease outbreaks to occur. Most boarding kennels, catteries and dog walkers insist that your pet is vaccinated when accessing their services.<\/p>\n In the UK, pets have been part of vaccination programmes for many years so outbreaks of serious diseases occur less often. These disease outbreaks are only controlled because we continue to vaccinate our pets yearly.<\/p>\n\n
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