August is National Pet Immunization Awareness Month, and it’s the perfect time to make sure your pet is up to date on his vaccinations. Vaccinations protect pets from diseases, and maintain their overall health and wellness. Your veterinarian can review your pet’s vaccination records and schedule any booster shots he needs.
How Vaccinations Protect Pets
Vaccinations contain inactivated components of pathogens that cause infectious diseases. When your pet’s immune system recognizes the pathogen, it will fight it off and develop a resistance to it. Then if it encounters the disease again, its response will be more efficient and effective. Veterinarians recommend vaccinations because they are the easiest way to protect your pet and help him live a long, healthy life. While your pet doesn’t need to be vaccinated against every disease, your veterinarian will assess his age, weight, health, lifestyle, medical history, and exposure risk to identify necessary vaccinations.
What Vaccinations Does My Pet Need?
Beginning at 6-8 weeks, puppies and kittens should start receiving their first round of vaccinations. These vaccinations will continue every 3-4 weeks until the pet is around 16 weeks old. The pet will then need booster shots every 1-3 years. Your veterinarian will start by immunizing your pet against core diseases. For dogs, this includes parvovirus, distemper, canine hepatitis and rabies. For cats, this includes feline distemper, feline calicivirus, feline herpesvirus type I, and rabies.
Additional Protection from Monthly Medications
In addition to routine vaccinations, your pet needs protection from parasites that could carry disease, cause infection, and damage your pet’s organs and blood. Ask your veterinarian to assess your pet’s risk, and prescribe monthly preventive medications to fight against:
- Heartworm
- Hookworms
- Roundworms
- Whipworms
- Tapeworms
- Fleas
- Ticks
- Mites
Call your veterinarian today to schedule an appointment to evaluate your pet’s vaccination needs. Your veterinarian may recommend booster shots or monthly preventive medication.