DOES MY PET NEED THAT VACCINE?

Times are changing and we are so impressed to see how pet owners are really taking a vested
interest in their pet’s health. Being aware about what medicines and treatments go into your pet is
so important as they can’t speak for themselves!

Having been a vet for almost 10 years, I have become very comfortable with the use of vaccines in
animals. Having vaccinated probably several thousand animals some of them very young and small I
have really been able to see how rare reactions are and how safe these vaccines are. So that makes
vaccinating my own dog very easy for me emotionally!

Then I became a Mum! When the doctor explained they were going to stick needles in my baby’s
thighs at 2 months of age… I wasn’t so comfortable. They briefly explained the rare side effects and
I was straight away convinced my child would have all of them! However, knowing how horrible the
alternative diseases would be, I put on a brave face (and so did my daughter) and we got it done!

You may have noticed that even though the frequency of vaccination has been reduced in veterinary
medicine in recent years, the current guidelines still require vaccination more frequently than in
human medicine. So if you are a worried Mum like me – this can seem quite often.

Good news is that we now have an in-house blood test that will tell you whether the core vaccine for
dogs (C3) is required. This way we can avoid vaccinating if we don’t have to! There is also a test for
cats available at our preferred external laboratory.

Things to weigh up if you are considering this test:

• It still requires a needle to collect the blood
• The cost is similar to going ahead and having the vaccine for dogs and much more than the cost of the vaccine in cats
• There is no test for kennel cough which is still required yearly if your dog is very social or will be attending a boarding kennel.

Please contact the clinic for more info if you are interested!