Our Vaccine Guidelines and Wellness Protocols for Pups and Kittens.

Pups and kittens require a special vaccination programme to ensure they develop adequate and reliable immunity against the various diseases that threaten their health. Usually these vaccination protocols are completed by about 16 weeks of age but we will tailor the best protocols dependent upon the age of the pet’s first presentation at our clinic and the expectant lifestyle of the individual pet. We will advise you of any recommended restrictions on your pet’s activity and contacts during the time that your furry little friend is developing their immunity. All vaccination visits will include a physical examination and advice regards preventative medication, diets, training and behaviour, microchipping and future procedures such as desexing.

We highly recommend Pet Insurance and it is best to sign up as early as possible. Please see our “Links” page on our website for an overall guide to selection of insurance by Canstar or Choice.

FOR PUPS

  • 3 vaccinations (occasionally just 2) between 6 weeks and 16 weeks of age
  • A pup will usually have had a C3 (distemper, hepatitis & parvo vaccination) prior to your first visit to us. This is usually given by the breeder’s veterinarian between 6 and 8 weeks of age. If not, we will arrange to do this in pups less than 10 weeks of age. Two weeks after their first vaccination your puppy can attend recommended socialisation training in the controlled environment of a “puppy preschool“.
  • Pups over 11 weeks of age will be given a C5 vaccine which includes the C3 components and the canine cough components (para-influenza and bordatella). The canine cough vaccine will usually be given as an intra-nasal vaccine, a little squirt of liquid in their nostril, it does not cause any pain but can sometimes feel a bit funny. Two weeks after this C5 vaccination your pup will be free to socialise (in standard low risk everyday environs).
  • A third vaccination at 16 weeks of age (usually a C3 but occasionally a C5), is recommended to ensure the pup’s immunity will last a full year. Two weeks after this vaccination your pup’s immunity will be fully developed. Until this time it is best to avoid high risk environments such as “off leash” dog parks where pups can be exposed to the risk of disease and physical injury.
  • Some of our recommended preventative products are proheart injection (for heartworm), simparica, bravecto and nexgard (for fleas and ticks) and nexgard spectra (for combination heartworm, worms, fleas and ticks). For intestinal worms alone, we recommend drontal or milbemax. We can recommend which combinations of these will best suit yours and your pet’s lifestyle.
  • At vaccination visits we can check your pup is microchipped and correctly recorded on a database. If not we can microchip the pup at one of your visits.
  • Discuss and advise when to arrange desexing. (Refer to our Desexing options also on our “Services Pages”.)
  • Schedule the next booster vaccination (a C5) in about 12 months time.

FOR KITTENS

To provide adequate immunity it is recommended to give 3 inoculations of the core vaccine (F3) between the age of 6 and 16 weeks of age.

  • A kitten will usually have had their first F3 vaccination (for feline enteritis, rhinotracheitis and calici viruses) before their first visit to our clinic. If this is not the case, we should arrange to do so as soon as possible and then schedule the vaccination course to suit the individual situation. There should be at least 2 vaccinations given to kittens over 10 weeks of age with about a 3 to 4-week interval.
  • For totally indoor cats the F3 course should suffice to protect your pet from the significant disease threats. Annual booster injections and check-ups are recommended.
  • For cats that spend sometime outdoors then we also recommend a course of vaccinations to protect against feline immune-deficiency virus (FIV). These injections can be given at the same time as the F3 vaccinations. An initial course of 3 needles is required and then annual boosters.
  • Microchipping your cat is highly recommended and is very important in outdoor cats.
  • Recommended preventative products we use in cats are, Milbemax wormer tabs, and as an all-round type choice consider Revolution or Advocate spottons. More recently a new product has been released (Sep 2018) for tick and flea prevention – Bravecto as a spotton product.
  • We generally recommend desexing of cats at 6 months of age. For female cats this is best done at this stage before they reach their breeding age.
]