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Vaccinations: More Than Just a Good Idea
How many of you
know what your dog and cat is being vaccinated against when you take them
to the vet for their shots? Do all the abbreviations on that reminder
notice just look like a can of alphabet soup exploded? Vaccinations are
important to insure the health of our pets, but they are a little
mysterious. Let’s go through some of the common diseases cats and dogs are
immunized against.
Both dogs and
cats in Tulsa, Broken Arrow and surrounding area are required by law to be
vaccinated for rabies. This is the case not only because rabies is a fatal
disease, but because humans can contract it also. Our pets form a buffer
between us and the wildlife reservoirs of the disease.
Dogs are also
given a combination shot, often called a five-in-one, a six-in-one or some
other number-in-one. The first component of these vaccines is distemper, a
highly contagious disease. Dogs with distemper usually start off with a
respiratory infection, but can go on to have gastrointestinal signs and
seizures. Many dogs die from distemper, and some survivors have permanent
damage to their nervous systems and teeth. Hepatitis is the next disease,
a viral infection which resembles the human equivalent; people do not
catch the dog version. Parainfluenza is a respiratory virus. Parvovirus is
a rather ugly disease, a highly contagious bug that causes vomiting,
bloody diarrhea and often death. Some dogs are vaccinated for
leptospirosis, which causes kidney disease. Bordetella, commonly called
the kennel cough vaccine, is usually given as a drop in the nose to
prevent this common respiratory infection. Some dogs may also need to be
vaccinated against Lyme disease, the same tick-borne disease that people
get. In our area, this is an occasional cause of lameness and malaise in
dogs.
Cats also have a
combination shot. This vaccine is usually given as an injection, although
it is sometimes administered as a nose drop. The first component,
panleukopenia, is sometimes called feline distemper. This name is
misleading, as it is nothing like canine distemper. It is in fact the
parvovirus of cats, causing vomiting and diarrhea. The other components of
the combination vaccine in cats are respiratory infections. These are
rhinotracheitis, calicivirus and chlamydia. Cats are often vaccinated for
feline leukemia, a sneaky virus that cats may carry around for some time.
In most cases, these carrier cats will eventually die slowly, often
becoming severely anemic, losing vast amounts of weight and developing
cancers.
After a series of initial immunizations, most of these vaccines are administered yearly to maintain immunity. Protecting your pets from these illnesses will help to keep them healthy into old age. And remember, with rabies, it’s more than just a good idea- it’s the law!
