In order to keep your pet healthy and happy it is important that they are regularly vaccinated. Both dogs and cats require a series of vaccinations early in life, followed by annual boosters.

Dogs
The basic 3 in 1 (C3) vaccine gives protection against Canine Parvovirus, Distemper and Hepatitis (Adenovirus). We can also vaccinate against the major strains of kennel cough: Parainfluenza and Bordetella bronchiseptica, which brings the level of vaccination to C5.

Vaccine Schedule:
6 - 8 weeks C3 vaccination
10 - 12 weeks C3 - C5 vaccination
16 weeks (if the puppy has received a 12 week old C5) Kennel Cough booster
Annual vaccinations then ensure your dog is covered for the rest of their life.

*Note: As we use Protech vaccinations it is not necessary to repeat the C3 vaccination at 16 weeks, unlike some other brands of vaccination. If you are uncertain of your puppy’s requirements please speak to one of our staff.

Cats
The basic 3 in 1 (F3) vaccination gives protection against Feline Calicivirus, Rhinotracheitis and Panleucopenia. It is also possible to vaccinate for feline Chlamydia, which becomes part of an F4 vaccine.

Vaccine Schedule:
6-8 weeks old F3—F4 vaccination
12-14 weeks old F3—F4 vaccination
16-18 weeks old F3—F4 vaccination

There is a feline Leukaemia vaccination available, and we can now also vaccinate for Feline Infectious Viraemia (FIV).

Regular vaccination is an important part of health care for your cat and helps to ensure your cat remains fit and well.

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Intestinal Worms
Intestinal parasites such as roundworm, hookworm, whipworm and tapeworm are common in dogs and cats. Puppies and Kittens can become infected with parasites before they are born and later through their mother’s milk. The presence of intestinal parasites can usually be determined in the microscopic examination of a faecal sample. It is important to worm your pets regularly as the worm tablets only kill worms present when the tablets are given. Worms can cause problems such as anaemia, pot belly, a dull coat and poor body condition.

Worming schedule:
2-12 weeks old Treat every 2 weeks
3-6 months old Treat every month
6 months onwards Treat every 3 months

It is possible for some types of worms to be transmitted to humans. As well as treating your pet for worms it is important to regularly clean up faeces in their environment, never let your pets lick you on the face and ensure all members of your family wash their hands after playing with your animals.

Modern deworming preparations are safe and effective, and we can advise you on the best ones to use. These preparations come in a variety of forms such as tablets, chewables and ‘spot-on’ liquids.

Canine Heartworm
Another sort of worm that should be prevented is heartworm. Mosquitos transmit the immature worms, and as the name suggests, mature in the heart. Prevention should to be started before your dog is 6 months old.

If your dog is older than 6 months old we recommend a simple blood test prior to starting heartworm prevention. This is to ensure your dog is free from heartworm prior to starting the preventative treatment. This in-house test consists of taking a small blood sample which we receive a result within 10 minutes.

Heartworm prevention comes in the form of a monthly palatable tablet or ‘spot-on’ liquid, and an annual injection. Many of these preparations will also treat some or all of the intestinal worms.

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Fleas can cause problems like flea bite allergies, anaemia and weight loss, as well as transmitting tapeworm. There are many flea control preparations available today, the most effective ones being spot-on treatments such as Frontline.

These preparations also break the reproductive cycle of the flea, and are quick, clean and easy to use on your pet, unlike powders and washes.
It is important to treat ALL animals in the household, their bedding and environment, to eradicate all the fleas and their eggs.

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We recommend you consider desexing between the ages of 6-12 months old; before your pet becomes sexually active, or feels the urge to roam or mark territory.  
 
Desexing is a day surgery procedure with minimal after care involved. Your pet will require rest for several days after the surgery, and will need to have the sutures removed after 10-14 days.  This also gives us the opportunity to check the surgery site and ensure it is healing well.  We perform all our surgery under strict sterile conditions in a fully equipped operating theatre, using modern anaesthetics and monitoring equipment. Antibiotics and pain relief are administered routinely with each surgery.

Advantages
Desexing the male removes the urge for behaviour such as roaming to seek females in season, reduces aggression (particularly with other males), marking territory (whether indoors or out) and can help prevent problems such as testicular cancer and prostate enlargement.
Desexing the female prevents her from coming into season – thus attracting unwanted male dog attention, and means she cannot have any unwanted litters or false pregnancies.  Research has shown that desexing a female before she has her first season greatly reduces the risk of mammary tumours, and removes the risk of uterine infections.
 
Fallacies
It is a common fallacy that a desexed animal will become fat and lazy. As most animals are desexed at 6 months old or thereabouts, this is also a time when their food intake should be reduced, so the real reason for weight gain is the same as non-desexed animal eg. overfeeding.  Remember that all service animals, Guide dogs, Hearing dogs and dogs for the Disabled are routinely desexed.  Desexing will not change your pets’ character, although as mentioned above it can help reduce unwanted behaviour.

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Microchipping involves placing an implant under your pet’s skin between its shoulder blades. The chip is about the size of a grain of rice, and contains your pet’s individual identification number. This number is recorded in a database with all your details. Should your pet go missing, all vets and animal shelters now have scanners which can read the microchip number. It is a bit like the barcode reader at the supermarket! It is then easy for your pet to be identified and returned to you as soon as possible.

If we microchip your pet at the same time they are undergoing a general anaesthetic (such as for desexing) we can also place a tattoo in their right ear to show they have a microchip implant.

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