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Vaccinations, Worming & Fleas

  • Annual Boosters, Puppy & Kitten Vaccinations
  • Rabbit Vaccinations
  • Flea and Tick Control
  • Worming and Health Checks

Annual Boosters, Puppy & Kitten Vaccinations

Vaccination and your dog

Puppies can be vaccinated from 6 weeks of age.  The primary course of vaccination usually involves 2 injections, the first given between 6 and 8 weeks of age and the second, 4 weeks later.

After the initial primary course of vaccination (unless more than 12 months have lapsed), your dog will just require an annual booster to keep their immunity up to date.

The routine vaccination protects your dog from a number of infectious diseases, Canine Distemper, Hepatitis, Parainfluenza Virus, Parvo and Leptospirosis.  Some of these diseases can be fatal or cause severe illness.

Bordetella Bronchiseptica (Canine Cough, commonly referred to as “Kennel Cough”) is a highly contagious disease and is not exclusive to boarding kennels so we recommend annual vaccination for this also.

For dogs travelling to the UK or Europe, your dog will need to be vaccinated against Rabies and hold a valid Pet Passport.  (See further information under the Pet Passport section).

Vaccination and your cat

Kittens are usually vaccinated from around 9-10 weeks of age.  The primary course of vaccination requires an initial injection, followed by a second, given three weeks later.

After the initial primary course of vaccination (unless more than 12 months have lapsed), your cat will just require an annual booster to keep their immunity up to date.

The routine feline vaccination protects your cat against infectious respiratory diseases, caused by herpes virus and feline calicivirus and also against panleucopenia (feline infectious enteritis).

This vaccination is usually adequate for boarding your cat in the cattery.

We do however strongly recommend an additional vaccination for your cat against feline leukaemia.  This is a viral infection that we still diagnose quite frequently and is present in the wild cat population.

Some of the above mentioned diseases can be fatal or cause severe illness.

Rabbit Vaccinations

Rabbits can be vaccinated from 5 weeks of age although we would advise that you let your rabbit settle in for a week or two with you before their first visit to the vet.

Rabbits are vaccinated against two infections, myxomatosis and viral haemorrhagic diarrhoea and after the initial vaccination as a baby rabbit, they require yearly boosters.

Even indoor rabbits should be vaccinated, as viral haemorrhagic diarrhoea can last for months in the environment and can be carried by biting flies, on bedding, clothing and even hay.

Flea and Tick Control

Fleas can be spread very easily, from other pets and wildlife and the eggs can lie dormant in the environment for a very long time awaiting the right time to hatch and search for a host.  Fleas can cause many problems. They can be very irritating for your pet. They play a part in transmission of tapeworms. Flea bites can lead to secondary infection which often need to be treated with antibiotics.  Also, some animals are allergic to the flea saliva and after a flea bite, suffer from a condition caused Flea Allergy Dermatitis or FAD. This condition causes severe irritation and hair loss.

To prevent fleas and other external parasites, it is important to apply a spot-on treatment to the skin at the back of your pet’s neck. These treatments should be used monthly and can be used all year round.

There are a number of spot-on treatments that we would be happy to recommend to you.

Worming and Health Checks

Puppies and kittens can be wormed from 2 weeks of age.  It is recommended to worm your puppy or kitten every two weeks from 2 weeks of age to 12 weeks.  From 12 weeks to 6 months, you should worm your puppy or kitten every month.

From 6 months of age, dogs and cats should be wormed every 3 months.

In certain situations, it may be advised that you worm your adult pet more frequently.  This may be advised if we suspect your pet is at a higher risk of picking up worms or if there are toddlers in the household in close contact with pets.  If you are unsure whether your pet requires more frequent worm treatments, give us a call and we will be happy to advise you.

It is really important to give regular worm treatment to your pet as unfortunately worms can pass to humans, particularly children.

We provide a free Developmental Check Up for our clients puppies when they reach six months of age as this is a very important stage of their development.

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