If your pet has missed their boosters, for March and April we are running a Vaccination Amnesty

We send out reminders when boosters are due, but we appreciate that they can arrive at busy times, or while you’re on holiday, or when you’re under financial pressures. For whatever reason, your pet’s last booster may now be overdue, and as a result needs a new primary course of vaccination.

A vaccination amnesty is a way to get your pet’s vaccination status back up-to-date at minimal cost. Over March and April, we are offering to give your pet a complete new primary course for the cost of a single booster vaccination!

For cats, normally a restart would cost £60.50. For March and April, this will cost £38.50!

For dogs, normally a restart would normally cost £49.50. For March and April, this will cost £33!

What will happen when you take your cat or dog for the amnesty?

When your cat or dog is enrolled in the amnesty, before receiving its first injection, we will first check its general condition. This health check is a vital part of the vaccination programme, as an unhealthy animal may not respond well to vaccination. It is also an opportunity to discuss any concerns you may have about your pet’s health or diet.

Why is it important to protect your cat or dog by vaccination?

Unless properly vaccinated, your dog or cat is at risk of contracting one of several, possibly fatal, infectious diseases. For your dog, Parvovirus and Leptospirosis are the most current and widespread threats, depending on where you live. Both may prove fatal and Leptospirosis can present a serious risk to human health as well. The routine vaccination given to puppies will also protect against hepatitis and distemper, both very dangerous diseases; and parainfluenza, which, although rarely fatal, can cause suffering to your dog. Feline diseases include feline enteritis (panleucopenia), ‘cat flu’ (infectious respiratory disease) and feline leukaemia.

Why are booster vaccinations required?

When your dog/cat was vaccinated as a puppy or kitten, it was provided with immunity to these diseases. But this immunity doesn’t last indefinitely and can gradually fall, leaving your pet at risk. Your pet’s immunity therefore needs ‘topping up’ at regular intervals.

These intervals differ between diseases. For example, even the best vaccines for leptospirosis may only protect for about 13 months. Risk of contracting a particular disease depends on the lifestyle of the animal. For example, cats that come into close contact with other cats have a higher risk of becoming infected with feline leukaemia virus. The vaccine used for each booster injection may vary from animal to animal. We will therefore advise you on which diseases require a booster and when.

Can a single injection restore protection when boosters have been allowed to lapse?

Dog

You may remember that when your dog was a puppy, it was vaccinated twice, with an interval of 2-4 weeks between injections. These two injections were required to ensure a full immune response to all fractions of the vaccine. After this so-called ‘primary’ vaccination, annual boosters – of just one injection- are usually sufficient to keep the animal protected. However, if the interval between the primary vaccination course and the first booster (or between two boosters is subsequent years) significantly runs over, then protection against some of the diseases may no longer be sufficient. In this case, a new primary course with two injections is required.

Cat

When your cat was a kitten, it was vaccinated twice with an interval of 3-4 weeks between injections. These two injections were required to ensure a full immune response to all fractions of the vaccine. After this so called ‘primary’ vaccination, single annual boosters are sufficient to keep the animal protected. However, if the interval between the primary vaccination course and the first booster – or between two boosters in subsequent years – significantly runs over, then protection against some of the disease may no longer be sufficient. In this case, a new primary course with two vaccinations is required.

If you would like to book an appointment, please phone 01626 835002 or pop in and ask at Reception.