Are your dog's vaccinations up to date?

Dog vaccinations are given yearly, writes Kurt Henry of Animals First Veterinary Hospital, but what are they and what do they actually do?

Dogs contract a number of serious and potentially life threatening diseases that can be easily prevented by vaccination. A primary course of vaccination, followed by annual boosters is an effective way to prevent your pet from contracting many of these illnesses.

We are aware that many clients did not receive a vaccination reminder in the past 12 months. If your pet is overdue their booster vaccination by more than six months, they may be required to restart the full vaccination program. This special offer will allow you to get your pet back on track for the cost of a single booster. This offer will run throughout the remainder of 2016.

The following diseases are the most commonly encountered diseases in dogs, which can be prevented with vaccinations:

Parvovirus — The virus causes severe vomiting and diarrhoea along with gastrointestinal bleeding. Treatment is intensive and despite treatment, a number of animals may not recover.

Leptospirosis — Dogs are usually infected by contact with rodents or urine contaminated slow moving water. The disease can also be transmitted to humans. It causes liver and kidney damage and can have fatal consequences.

Distemper — Due to vaccination, this disease is not as commonly seen as it once was. If any animal is affected, it can cause brain damage.

Hepatitis — As the name suggests, this disease can cause severe liver problems, and can develop into liver failure

Kennel cough — is an upper respiratory tract infection caused by both viral and bacterial agents. The infection is very contagious to other dogs and multiple animals kept in close proximity are at greatest risk. It must be said that while infection is easily spread, the condition overall typically does not pose a serious risk to a dog’s health. The infection can result in a severe, hacking cough and may be accompanied by fever and lethargy. The vaccination is recommended for dogs, ideally ten days before going into kennels. Typically most animals would eventually get over the infection themselves but as mentioned before, the symptoms can be uncomfortable and animals continue to be contagious to other animals due to coughing and airborne spread. We would recommend seeking veterinary attention for any dog that is showing signs of persistent, coughing for more than three days.

Contact Animals First Veterinary Hospital on 045-480478 for more details or to make an appointment for your pet.