Vaccination

Make sure you protect your pets and keep them safe by keeping up to date with their vaccinations.

When to vaccinate

When puppies and kittens are born they are usually protected from infections by their mother's milk, providing she has been regularly vaccinated. However, this protection only lasts a few weeks so they need regular vaccinations from an early age.

Puppies are typically vaccinated at eight and 10 weeks, kittens at nine and 12 weeks, with an initial course of two injections. Rabbits can be vaccinated from six weeks of age.

Your young pet should then be given a booster 12 months after their first vaccination.

Older pets need protecting too, as their immunity can decline.

Dogs

Dogs should be routinely vaccinated against:

• Canine parvovirus
• Canine distemper virus
• Leptospirosis
• Infectious canine hepatitis

If your dog will be spending some time in kennels they may also be given a kennel cough vaccine. This vaccine is usually given intra-nasally (into a nostril) and protects against parainfluenza virus and bordetella bronchiseptica.

Dogs travelling abroad may require a rabies vaccination.

Cats

Cats should be routinely vaccinated against:

• Feline infectious enteritis
• Feline herpes virus
• Feline calicivirus
• Feline leukaemia virus

Rabbits

Rabbits should be routinely vaccinated against:

• Myxomatosis
• Viral haemorrhagic disease