Vaccinations

Core pet vaccinations protect your dog against a handful of common, sometimes fatal diseases. Luckily, a tri-annual is available for many of these. Below are the core vaccines for your dog:

• Rabies (3-year after initial series).
• DHPP, or distemper-hepatitis-parainfluenza-paravirus (3-year after initial series).
• Leptospirosis

For dogs who spend time away from home, we also recommend the following:

• Bordetella, or “kennel cough,” is particularly important for pets who frequent dog parks, daycare/boarding facilities or grooming facilities. Some veterinarians consider Bordetella a core vaccine due to its frequent nature and ability to complicate any other respiratory infection
• Lyme, protects against the tick-borne illness in outdoor dogs, especially those who frequent wooded areas. Learn more about tick-borne illness at dogsandticks.com.
• Canine Influenza, contains two strains of influenza that are currently identified and is recommended for dogs that travel and is important for pets who frequent dog parks, daycare/boarding facilities or grooming facilities.

Cats have different needs than dogs, and therefore different pet vaccinations requirements. Below are the main vaccines we recommend in cats:

• Rabies (3-year after initial series).
• FVRCP, or feline viral rhinotracheitis-calicivirus-panleukopenia (3-years after initial series).
• Feline leukemia vaccine is recommended early in life for every kitten after testing. Cats over the age of two years old that go outside or have multi-cat exposure are recommended to receive the leukemia vaccination annually.

While there is a vaccination for Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV) its use routinely is not recommended. A discussion with your veterinarian would be needed to determine if it is right for your cat.