Vaccinations
Vaccines are given to cats and dogs to protect them against certain diseases. Vaccinating your pets is one of the best ways to keep them healthy throughout their lives.
Vaccines are divided into two categories: core vaccines and non-core vaccines. Core vaccines are recommended for all pets because they protect against diseases that are serious or may be fatal and are easily spread from pet to pet. Core vaccines are given on a regular basis to keep your pet protected.
The need for non-core vaccines is determined by the pet’s lifestyle and based on risk of exposure to certain diseases. Not every pet needs every vaccine, so we will develop a custom vaccination plan just for your pet.
Puppies & Kittens
Puppies and kittens receive an initial series of vaccines every 3 to 4 weeks during their first 2 to 4 months of life.
They must receive several doses of the various vaccines because the protection given to them from their mother (maternally derived antibodies or MDA) drops gradually during this time. As long as MDA against a certain virus or bacteria are present, they protect your pet – but they also block the ability to develop immunity from the vaccination.
At a certain point, which is difficult to determine and can vary by the disease and by the pet, the MDA falls to a level that no longer provides protection but will no longer interfere with the young one developing its own immunity in response to vaccine. That is why several vaccines are given over time. MDA is typically low by the time your puppy or kitten is 4 to 5 months old when the final set of vaccines is usually given. After the first series, we will recommend a vaccination plan for your pet. There is no one-size-fits-all vaccine schedule for every pet.