The holiday season is just around the corner, and if you’re heading off on holidays this year there’s a good chance you’ll need to board your pets during your trip. Most boarding kennels and catteries require all boarders to be current with their vaccinations, so making sure your pet is up to date is an important step before heading off on holiday. The last thing you need is to be turned away when you want to drop off your pooch or puss on the way to your destination!
Vaccinations for your pets need to be updated every year to ensure your pet’s immune system stays current. If you’re not sure when your pet’s last vaccination was, feel free to give us a call so we can check your pet’s records for you and advise you when your next visit to us should be. It’s also worth checking with the boarding facility what their requirements are; not every kennel or cattery requires the same thing.
Dogs generally need to be up to date with their C5 vaccination. The C5 protects against 5 major canine diseases: infectious hepatitis virus, distemper virus, canine parvovirus, canine parainfluenza virus and Bordetella bronchiseptica.
Cats usually need to be up to date with their F3 vaccination. The F3 protects against 3 major feline diseases: feline panleukopaenia virus, feline herpes virus, and feline calicivirus. Your cat may be vaccinated against other non-essential diseases as well (such as feline immunodeficiency virus, feline leukaemia virus, and others); these might not be essential for a boarding cattery but if your pet has any of these vaccinations it’s worth checking if they’re current.
Vaccination is an extremely important way to keep your pet healthy; not only to protect them when they come into contact with other animals at boarding facilities.
- Vaccination is a safe, proven way of preventing nasty and even fatal diseases. Since the advent of vaccination in pets, the number of cases of deadly feline panleukopaenia, canine distemper, canine parvovirus and infectious canine hepatitis that we see have dropped dramatically – and healthy pets mean happy owners (and vets!)
- Vaccinating against disease is much cheaper than treating disease, and many of these diseases can be fatal even with treatment
- Boarding facilities aren’t the only places your pet can pick up disease! Some of these diseases are carried in the air or soil, or can be transmitted at obedience classes, parks and even at the vet!
Don’t delay – if you’re not sure, check your pet’s vaccination status today!
