Vaccinations

Home vaccinations – convenience meets care

We offer titre testing, a method to detect specific antibodies in the blood, indicating whether an animal is protected from certain diseases. This test is particularly useful for determining the necessity of booster vaccinations, ensuring your pet receives only what is needed for optimal health.

We also provide vaccinations, a crucial tool in preventing certain diseases. Vaccinations are essential for maintaining your pet's health, as they help prevent the spread of infectious diseases that can be harmful or even fatal.

Vaccinations help prime the immune system to effectively defend against diseases. By introducing a harmless form of the disease-causing organism, the immune system learns to recognise and combat the real threat, providing your pet with a robust defence mechanism.

We guide you on which vaccinations your pet needs based on their lifestyle and risk factors. Our personalised approach ensures that your pet receives the most appropriate care, taking into account factors such as age, breed, and exposure to other animals.

Our goal is to provide efficient vaccinations with long-lasting immunity while minimising potential side effects. We use the latest research and technology to ensure that your pet's vaccinations are both safe and effective, giving you peace of mind and your pet a healthy life.

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image of animals receiving care — Dr. Jo clipping Mr.Piggy's nails

Our promise to you

We’re here to listen, help, and make your pet’s journey as joyful and healthy as possible. If you have questions or want to learn more about our services, reach out anytime.

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services

IN-HOME VISITS
VACCINATIONS
DIAGNOSTIC TESTING
END OF LIFE SUPPORT
MEDICATION & TREATMENT
WELLBEING & PREVENTATIVE CARE

Our Frequently Asked Questions...

Answers to your questions about at-home veterinary care, support, and what to expect on your pet’s journey.

What is a vaccination and how do they work?

A vaccine is a preparation of killed or altered microorganisms that is administered into the body. The vaccine stimulates the immune system to learn how to fight the microorganism so that if the dog encounters that microorganism in the future, the dog will either not get sick or will have a less severe illness.

Vaccines stimulate the body’s immune system to recognise and fight a particular microorganism such as a virus, bacteria or other infectious organism. Once an animal is vaccinated, their immune system is primed or prepared to react to future infection with that microorganism. The vaccine mimics a true infection so the immune system can better protect the body in the future. Depending on the disease, the vaccine will help the body prevent infection or it will lessen the severity of infection and promote rapid recovery.

While the vaccine can prevent illness, it cannot block microorganisms from getting into the body, which means that sometimes a dog may not look sick because it is vaccinated, but it can still spread the invading microorganisms to other dogs.

What are the different types of vaccines?

There are three major types of vaccinations:

1. Modified Live (live attenuated) vaccines: These vaccines contain live organisms that are weakened so they can still infect cells, replicate, and stimulate an immune response- without causing disease. Modified live vaccines induce a stronger, longer-lasting immunity than inactivated vaccines. Modified live vaccines may not be appropriate for all cats.

2. Killed (inactive) vaccines: These vaccines are prepared using organisms that have been killed. On their own, they do not give as a high a level of protection as live, replicating type of vaccine, so killed vaccines may have an adjuvant (added ingredient) to make the immune response stronger.

3. Subunit vaccines: These vaccines are more commonly called recombinant vector or DNA vaccines. In these vaccines, the infectious organism has been broken apart, and only certain pieces are included in the vaccine (e.g. surface proteins). These pieces cannot affect the immune system on their own, so they are packaged with something that can do that job called a vector.

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Which vaccines are recommended for dogs?

Core Vaccines:

-Canine adenovirus-2 (hepatitis)

-Canine distemper virus

- Canine parainfluenza

- Canine parvovirus

Non-core Vaccines:

- Leptospirosis

- Bordetella bronchiseptica (kennel cough)

- Canine influenza

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Which vaccines are recommended for cats?

Core vaccines:

-Feline caliciviruses

-Feline panleukopenia virus

-Feline viral rhinotracheitis, also known as herpes virus type 1

Non-core Vaccines:

-Feline leukemia virus (FeLV)

-Feline immunodeficiency virus

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What is maternal immunity?

New born animals have not had a chance to make their own immunity, so they need protection against infections present in their environment. They receive this immunity from their mother, as maternal antibodies. Part of this passive immunity is transferred across the placenta while the pup is still in the uterus, but most of it is transferred in the first milk or colostrum.

This maternal immunity is only temporary; it declines steadily over the first few weeks of life and is largely gone by 12 weeks.

Why does my puppy/ kitten need more than one dose of some vaccines?

The puppy/ kitten will lose passive protection from its mother and titre testing can be done to determine whether a puppy needs to have a booster vaccination. This requires a blood test and can be done; however multiple doses of vaccinations ensure the puppy/ kitten is protected before/during/after maternal immunity has waned.

How long does it take a vaccine to produce immunity?

Within a few hours of vaccination; the earliest phases of the immune response are stimulation. It is usually 10 to 14 days before a reasonable level of protection is established. Killed vaccines may not provide adequate protection until after the second dose. In young puppies, maternal antibodies may hinder protection until later in the vaccine series.

What are the risks of vaccination?

There are few risks associated with vaccination and we can discuss these further if you have specific concerns regarding your dog. You may notice your dog has a temporary loss of appetite or is less lively a day or two after a vaccination, but this should resolve within 24-48 hours. Very few dogs may be allergic to one or more components of the vaccine and have more serious side effects, such as vomiting, diarrhoea, or difficulty breathing. Contact your veterinarian immediately if any of these signs happen.

In the case of killed vaccines containing an adjuvant, a lump may form at the vaccination site. If this lump is painful or persists for more than a few weeks with no decrease in size, consult your vet.

With cats in a very small number of genetically susceptible cats, a rare form of soft tissue sarcoma has been associated with a reaction to vaccine components or any injectable substance.

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Do vaccines provide 100% protection?

Vaccines have been successful in protecting most dogs against certain disease. But , there are some situations in which the dog’s immunity may be overcome, and a vaccinated dog may still develop disease. In such cases, the disease is generally milder than it would have been had the dog not been vaccinated. There are some causes of apparent vaccine failure:

1. New or varied virus strains. Some infectious agents exist in different strains or evolve into new strains that are not directly covered by the vaccines given. In these cases, the vaccine may give some cross- protection or partial-protection, but protection may not be complete.

2. Maternally derived antibodies. Puppies acquire maternal antibodies from the mother (through the uterus before birth and from the milk during feeding). A well- vaccinated mother dog passes antibodies to her puppies, and these antibodies protect the vulnerable puppy against those disease for the first two to three months of life. However, during this same period, the antibodies from the mother can block the pup’s ability to respond to vaccination. This blocking effect decreases as the maternal antibodies gradually disappear, to a point when vaccination can be successfully given. This time range varies between puppies. Maternal antibody interference has been a particular problem with canine parvovirus vaccination.

3. Incomplete immune response. Dog’s immune systems vary. A dog’s immune system may underperform due to disease, sickness, stress, or complications associated with advanced age. Some dogs respond less well to vaccination, so immunity may be incomplete or shorter-lived than normal. Certain breeds and genetic lines have a tendency for such problems.

4. Declining immunity. Immunity to the specific organism declines over time, without booster vaccinations or the natural boosting or immunity by sporadic exposure to the infectious agent in nature.

5. Immune suppression. Certain infections and some drugs, such as anti-cancer drugs, may suppress the immune system so that an otherwise well-vaccinated dog becomes susceptible to infection and disease.

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