Vaccinations
Vaccines help teach your pet’s immune system how to recognize and fight off certain disease-causing agents. Vaccines work by stimulating the immune system's production of antibodies that identify and destroy these agents—before they can cause disease. This helps prevent or lessen the severity of future disease.
Which vaccinations does my pet need?
"Core" vaccines are recommended for all dogs and cats, unless there’s a medical need not to vaccinate. "Non-core" vaccines are recommended for certain pets based on their risk of exposure to the disease, such as through their lifestyle or geographic location. For example, vaccination against Lyme disease is recommended for dogs that live or travel to areas where the disease-carrying ticks are found. Bordetella and canine influenza vaccines are recommended for dogs that visit places where other dogs gather, like boarding, daycare, and training facilities.
Do vaccinations pose a risk to my pet?
Like other types of medical treatment, vaccination carries some risk of side effects. These side effects typically are minor, and they’re far outweighed by the benefits of protecting your pet, your family, and your community from potentially fatal diseases.
Serious side effects are rare but can occur. One type is an allergic reaction, which may happen soon after vaccination and can involve part or all of the body. In cats, another rare, serious reaction can be development of a certain type of tumor (sarcoma). These tumors can develop several months or even years after a vaccine is given. Fortunately, improvements in vaccines and vaccination techniques have greatly reduced the occurrence of sarcomas and other vaccine reactions.
Vaccine Preventable Diseases
Vaccination helps protect your pet against these and other highly contagious or deadly diseases.
Canine Distemper
Canine distemper is a contagious and serious disease caused by the canine distemper virus. The virus attacks the respiratory, gastrointestinal, and nervous systems of dogs.
All dogs are at risk of canine distemper. Those at particular risk include puppies younger than four months and dogs that have not been vaccinated against canine distemper virus.
Canine Influenza
Canine influenza (sometimes called dog flu) is a highly contagious respiratory disease caused by two type A influenza viruses known to infect dogs.
Dogs of any breed, age, sex, or health status are at risk. Almost all dogs exposed to the virus become infected. Infection can occur at any time of year.
Infection with canine influenza virus has occasionally been diagnosed in cats as well, with cats in animal shelters at highest risk. There is no evidence that people can catch canine influenza.
Rabies
Rabies is a deadly disease caused by a virus that attacks the nervous system. Once the outward signs of the disease appear, rabies is nearly always fatal.
Rabies remains a major concern worldwide, killing tens of thousands of people every year.
Feline panleukopenia
Feline panleukopenia (also called feline distemper) is a highly contagious, potentially fatal disease of cats caused by the feline panleukopenia virus (FPV, also called feline parvovirus). Kittens are most severely affected. Despite the names used to describe feline panleukopenia, the disease is not to be confused with canine distemper or canine parvovirus infection, which are caused by different viruses.