Vaccination is vital to protect your animal from a wide range of highly infectious and potentially fatal diseases. Prevention is better than cure, and vaccination provides an effective and safe way to ensure your pet is protected.
How do vaccines work?
Vaccines stimulate your animal's immune system by effectively mimicking the infections without causing any of the symptoms of the disease. This means if your pet encounters the disease, it recognizes it and mounts a strong immune response, preventing the disease from establishing. Two vaccinations are needed initially to allow this immune stimulation to occur, but after this it can be boosted by annual vaccination.
Initial Vaccinations
When should my puppy/kitten be vaccinated?
Vaccination should start as soon as possible, as younger animals are more vulnerable to infection and can be more severely affected than older animals. We advise vaccinating your puppy with their first vaccination at 8 weeks old, and their second at 10 weeks. Kittens should have their first vaccination at 9 weeks of age and the second 3-4 weeks later.
We do recommend your new pet has time to settle into their new home before being vaccinated, ideally 5-7 days. Although they may appear to have settled in well, vaccination at this time of stress can lead to problems such as refusing food & tummy upsets.
Although it is very tempting to take your new puppy out to show it the world, full immunity does not develop until at least one week after the second injection. We have chosen our vaccines as they give earlier protection than some other vaccines. This allows you to socialize your pup as soon as possible, and may help avoid behavioural problems developing.
After your dog/cat has completed the initial course, they must receive an annual booster to insure their immunity remains high. If your pet has missed its booster by more than 3 months, instead of one simple injection, a second one 2-4 weeks later would also be required.