Vaccinations

• Canine Distemper: can be fatal, and highly contagious, it attacks many organs in the dog’s body, including the nervous system, which can cause permanent damage if your dog recovers.
• Parvovirus: a widespread disease that is highly contagious and extremely severe in young dogs. The virus can remain in the environment for many years, and vaccination is the best means of combating this potentially fatal disease.
• Bordetella (also known as canine/kennel cough): this vaccine can be administered intranasally, orally or by injection. It is recommended to vaccinate your dog every year if they are exposed regularly to active dog areas such as kennels, dog parks or doggy daycare.
• Leptospirosis: this infectious disease (which can infect other animals and people) causes a variety of flu-like symptoms that can develop in life-threatening illnesses that affect the kidneys, liver, brain, lungs, and heart. Dogs become infected by coming in contact with the urine of infected animals usually from swimming in or drinking contaminated water.
• Lyme Disease: can be transmitted to both humans or dogs when a tick carrying the disease comes into contact with your animal. This disease can have symptoms such as arthritis. In conjunction to vaccinating for Lyme Disease, keeping your dog on a flea and tick preventive medication may be helpful too. Recent studies have shown that there are new species of ticks on Vancouver Island, which may increase the chance of you or your animal coming in contact with Lyme disease.
• Rabies: an incurable viral disease that affects almost all mammals, including humans. It can be transmitted to your dog by a skunk, fox, raccoon or bat. If you wish to travel with your dog to the United States or around the world, records of vaccination for Rabies will be required. Bats on Vancouver Island can carry the rabies virus, and even contact with a dead bat can lead to problems.

The puppy vaccines schedule is generally done at 8, 12 and 16 weeks. One year after the puppy series of vaccines have been completed, booster vaccines are administered according to a schedule determined by your veterinarian. It is important that booster vaccines are administered according to the vaccine recommendations. Some vaccines have a three-year interval and some vaccines have a 1-year interval. If the interval between booster vaccines goes past the due date a new series of vaccines may need to be started.

Vaccination is your pet’s best defense against disease. Considering the cost of treating a serious illness both in terms of money and emotional distress, prevention through vaccination is a better choice. Rabies and distemper viruses are neurologic diseases that have no cure. A lifestyle that involves contact with other dogs, hunting or exercises and plays in rural areas, drinking from unknown sources, living in multi-dog households are all important considerations when your Veterinarian recommends the vaccine protocol for your dog.

Each dog may need a different type of vaccine depending on his or her lifestyle. Please call 250-743-3223 for more information about the cost of your dog’s vaccines.