Vaccinations help keep your animals healthy and happy. At Oak Hill Animal Hospital, we recommend vaccinations for your pet depending on age, lifestyle and risk of exposure on an individual basis. Some vaccines are administered annually, while other vaccines are recommended every six months or every three years depending upon the vaccine type.
Types of vaccines which may be recommended are as follows:
Dogs
- Distemper / Adenovirus / Parainfluenza / Parvovirus—annually or every three years after initial series.
- Rabies—required by law annually or every three years after the initial vaccine.
- Leptospirosis—every year depending on exposure risk.
- Bordetella (kennel cough)—annually depending on exposure in boarding kennels, dog parks, obedience school, veterinary hospitals or grooming facilities.
- Lyme disease—every year depending on risk of exposure.
- P3 Dental vaccine—depending on age and breed of animal.
Cats
- FVRCP (feline distemper)—annually or every three years following initial vaccine series.
- Rabies—required by law annually or every three years, but we recommend annually with a non-adjuvant type of vaccine, which is safer for your cat.
- Feline leukemia—recommended for kittens up to one year of age that will be going outdoors, then dependent on risk of exposure.
- Feline AIDS—only in rare, specific situations.
If you choose to get a pet from the Humane Society, or take in a stray, or in some other way inherit an older pet, you should bring it in for a full physical exam as soon as possible.
Dogs over six months of age should always be tested for heartworms, which also includes a screening test for tick borne diseases such as Lyme disease and Ehrlichiosis.