Vaccine Protocols
PUPPY
VACCINE PROTOCOL
We
tailor our vaccine protocol to each patient's life style and risk factors with
the ultimate goal of giving as few vaccines as possible.
Ideally, your puppy should come for
the first visit between 6 to 8
weeks of age. At this time, he/she will get a complete examination by one of our veterinarians
and will receive the first in a series of three immunizations against distemper,
parvovirus, hepatitis, and parainfluenza (fortunately, these vaccines are
combined into one injection.) We
will then decide with you whether your pup will also receive a bordetella
vaccination (against kennel cough—required by most grooming and boarding
facilities.) We strongly recommend that you bring in
a stool sample from each of three consecutive days at this time so that we can
determine if your pup has intestinal parasites and treat him/her if necessary
before your property becomes infested with parasite eggs. This is particularly
important if you have toddlers in your family, since roundworms and hookworms
can be transmitted to humans and cause serious health problems. A highly
informative “puppy talk” is given by our staff if you feel the need for some
pointers on basic training.
The next visit, at 10 weeks of
age, is for the second distemper vaccine. The
third is at 12 weeks, at which time
we vaccinate your pup against rabies (required by law, for licensing, and for
interstate travel in many areas.) We will then offer you the choice of immunizing
against lyme disease at this visit, and discuss with you whether your
pup may be at risk for contracting this disease, which is carried by the deer
tick in the northeast and is particularly prevalent in suburban or wooded
areas. The fourth and final puppy
visit is at 16 weeks of age: the
patient will receive the third distemper vaccine and possibly second lyme booster. At this point,
we consider your pup to be properly immunized against the most serious canine
diseases, so he/she can socialize with a more extensive
circle of canine friends.
The final visit in your pup’s first year is for the surgical procedures
of ovariohysterectomy (spaying) for
females and neutering for males if
not already performed. We highly
recommend that you have your pet spayed or neutered since these procedures help
to prevent many illnesses and complications as your pet ages. They also help to
make your pet less likely to develop undesirable behaviors which will be harder
to eliminate if the neutering is done once they are adult. We recommend spaying
females before their first heat, at 5-6 months of age, and
neutering males between 6-8 months of age, depending on behavior patterns such
as sexual activity or aggression. At
this time, your pup will receive his or her first blood test for exposure to
heartworm disease and to the three tick-born diseases prevalent in our area.
Your kitten should come for his or her first visit between 6 to 8 weeks of age. At this time, he/she will get a complete examination by one of our veterinarians and will receive the first in a series of three immunizations against feline distemper, calicivirus, and rhinotracheitis (these vaccines are combined into one injection.) We will also recommend that your kitten be tested via blood sample at this time for exposure to 2 lethal viruses, Feline Leukemia and Feline Immunodeficiency Virus. A highly informative “kitten talk” is given by our staff if you feel the need for some pointers on basic training. The next visit is at 12 weeks, at which time we boost the distemper combination and also vaccinate your kitten against rabies (required by law, for licensing, and for interstate travel in many areas.) The last visit is at 16 weeks or more, at which time your kitten receives the final kitten distemper booster. We will discuss with you the risk of leukemia only if your kitten is going to be outside. If your kitten will be an "indoor-outdoor" pet, then we highly recommend giving the leukemia vaccine in a series of 2 injections between 12 to 16 weeks of age.
The final visit of the first year is for the surgical procedures of ovariohysterectomy (spaying) for females and neutering for males if not already performed. We recommend spaying the females between 5 and 6 months of age and neutering the males between 5 and 8 months of age. We may recommend retesting the blood for Feline Leukemia and Feline Immunodeficiency Viruses, if the kitten's history warrants it.
At all puppy and kitten visits, we encourage you to ask any questions about physical or behavioral problems you may be having. Behavioral issues in particular should be addressed as soon as problems arise in order to correct undesirable behaviors before they become entrenched.