Kids return to the baseball and softball diamonds.
Churches hold spring fairs.
Pests, like ticks, emerge from winter hiding.
As the weather turns warmer, it’s a good time to think about vaccinating your pets, and if you haven’t done it yet, we encourage you to do it soon.
Medications, like monthly heartworm chews and flea and tick prevention, are also recommended as the weather turns warmer. Heartworm is transmitted by mosquitoes and deadly. And the death is far from easy. Fleas are not just uncomfortable for your dog or cat, but also can infest your home in addition to carrying various diseases.
Vaccines help teach your pet’s immune system how to recognize and fight off certain disease-causing agents, the American Veterinary Medical Association says.
Vaccines work by stimulating the immune system’s production of antibodies that identify and destroy these agents – before they can cause disease, according to the AVMA. This helps prevent or lessen the severity of future disease.
Vaccinations protect your pet from highly contagious and even deadly diseases and improve your pet’s overall quality of life, the AVMA says. Experts agree that widespread use of vaccinations within the last century has prevented death and disease in millions of animals.
For most pets, vaccination is highly effective in preventing or decreasing the severity of future disease – especially when vaccines are given as recommended, at the appropriate time points, the AVMA says. After a pet has been fully vaccinated, only rarely will their immune system fail to fight off the disease. It’s important to follow the vaccination schedule recommended by your veterinarian to reduce the possibility of a gap in protection, the AVMA says.
“Core” vaccines are recommended for all dogs and cats, unless there’s a medical need not to vaccinate.
Kennel cough and canine influenza vaccines are recommended for dogs that visit places where other dogs gather, like boarding, day care, and training facilities.
The AVMA recommends that you talk with your veterinarian about your pet’s lifestyle, including any expected travel to other locations and contact with other animals. Your veterinarian will consider these and other factors in recommending the vaccines and vaccination schedule that will provide your pet with the best possible protection throughout their life.
Very young animals are highly susceptible to infectious diseases because their immune systems are not yet mature, the AVMA says. If their mother has been vaccinated, they receive some protection through antibodies in their mother’s milk, but that protection is not long-lasting.
In many instances, the first dose of a vaccine prepares your pet’s immune system to recognize the virus or bacteria, the AVMA says. Later doses help further stimulate the immune system to produce the important antibodies needed to protect your pet from disease.
To provide the best protection against disease during the first months of life, your veterinarian will recommend a series of vaccinations, usually two to four weeks apart. For most puppies and kittens, the final vaccination in the series is given at about four months.
After the initial puppy or kitten vaccine series is complete, many vaccines provide adequate immunity when given every few years. Others need to be given more often to maintain a level of immunity that will continually protect your pet.
For your pet’s sake and your own health, please take advantage of the local rabies clinics and talk to your veterinarian about other vaccines as you head outdoors to enjoy the summer with your pet.
This editorial originally appeared in The Sun Chronicle of Attleboro, Massachusetts. Read more online at www.thesunchronicle.com.
