Vaccinations

One of the best things you can do for your pet is to keep him or her healthy.  One of the easiest and least expensive ways to do that is to bring your pet in to your veterinarian for regular examinations and vaccinations.  

Dogs and cats (and other pets) age far faster than people, so significant changes in your pet's health can occur in a short time.  Wellness examinations allow us to diagnose diseases and conditions early, when they are easier to treat or manage. Often, we can help prevent diseases entirely, just by ensuring that your pet has received appropriate vaccinations and preventives.

We recommend that healthy dogs and cats visit us at least once a year.  Puppies, kittens, senior pets (age 7+years), and pets with health issues or illnesses need more frequent visits.

Vaccinations are vital to the health and protection of your pet, and serve as a preventive measure to combating viral diseases like Parvovirus, Parainfluenza, Distemper, Lyme, Panleukopenia, Feline Leukemia Virus, and Rabies. Vaccinations are accompanied by a veterinarian consultation and examination to make certain that your pet's condition is stable enough to receive them.

Vaccinations help to combat diseases by exposing the pet's immune system to inactive or a small amount of a particular form of bacteria or virus. Our doctors will help you decide which vaccines are appropriate for your pet's risk factors.  proper and timely administration is paramount to ensure optimal protection.  Vaccinations are particularly important to young animals that have immature immune systems.  Vaccinations generally begin at age 6-8 weeks of age and are given every three to four weeks until the series is completed.

Vaccines are often part of our discussions with clients when developing a preventive health care plan for their pets.  There has been much conversation regarding vaccines in recent years with many different and, sometimes competing, views regarding their administration. While there is not any hard evidence that Americans are over-vaccinating our animals, our hospital has adopted a balanced approach based on recommendations by the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA).

Every pet is unique.  Age, sex, breed, lifestyle, environment, health history, current health status, and a variety of other factors ultimately dictate what good health and wellness means to each individual pet. The veterinarians of Ahwatukee Animal Care Hospital understand the importance of developing an individualized wellness plan for your animal family member.  The basis of our approach is to create a risk assessment that takes into consideration your pet's age, lifestyle, and environmental influences.  Only after completing a proper risk assessment will we  work with you to create an individualized wellness program, including a vaccination and prevention protocol customized specifically for your pet.  This may also change from year to year, depending on changes in your pet's health, lifestyle, age, and other factors.

Keeping your pet up to date on their vaccinations is one of the best ways to ensure their lifelong health.  Your dog or cat is better protected from many common contagious diseases when they are vaccinated. There are many safe, effective vaccines available to protect your pet against the threat of disease.

At Ahwatukee Animal Care Hospital, effective vaccination plans are individualized for your pet.  By assessing your pet's unique needs, we can help you decide which vaccines and immunizations will be most beneficial to his or her healthy lifestyle.  Additionally, we offer comprehensive puppy and kitten wellness plans that will cover your puppy's or kitten's basic preventive care at a discount.  

Common Puppy Vaccination Schedule:

Protecting your canine friend begins with vaccinations that will provide immunity for some of the most common and dangerous illnesses.  While we do individualize a vaccination plan for your pet, below is a commonly recommended vaccination schedule for puppies.

Visit our Pet Library for more information about the diseases the vaccine protects against.

     5-Way Combination Vaccine - Canine Distemper, Hepatitis, Parainfluenza, Parvovirus, and Coronavirus. The 5- way combination is a series of four vaccinations given three to four weeks apart, beginning between the ages of 6 to 8 weeks.  As an adult dog, the vaccine will require a yearly booster.

     Bordetella (Kennel Cough) - A series of two vaccinations given three to four weeks apart, beginning between the ages of 12 to 14 weeks.  As an adult, dogs require a Bordetella booster every year.

     Rabies - Puppies are given the Rabies vaccine between the ages of 15 to 17 weeks, and receive a booster vaccination one year later.  As adults, dogs require a booster every three years.

     Rattlesnake Vaccine -A series of two vaccinations given 4 weeks apart, beginning between 12-16 weeks of age.  As an adult, dogs require a Rattlesnake Vaccine booster  every year. Rattlesnake bite is a veterinary emergency that results in serious injury or even death to thousands of dogs each year.  Rattlesnake venom is a complex mixture of toxins that spreads through an animal's body following the bite.  The Rattlesnake vaccine helps defend your pet from the dangerous effects of rattlesnake venom.  Click on the following link to learn more about rattlesnakes and how to protect your pet: Rattlesnake Bite.  Visit www.redrockbiologics.com to learn more about the rattlesnake vaccine.

     Additional vaccinations  and parasite treatments per individual risk factors - The veterinarians of Ahwatukee Animal Care Hospital will evaluate your pet's risk factors and alert you of any additional vaccinations and/or treatments that would be beneficial to your dog.

Ahwatukee Animal Care Hospital veterinarians typically recommend worming at 6 weeks of age and repeated treatment, as needed. Further, Heartgard Plus is recommended as an ongoing monthly heartworm preventive and Frontline Plus is often recommended as an ongoing monthly preventive to control parasites, such as fleas and ticks.

Adult Dog Vaccinations:

Preventive care is the most important factor in maintaining your pet's health.  An important component of preventive care is vaccinations.  Vaccinations will provide immunity for some of the most common and dangerous illnesses.  While we do customize our vaccine plans for each unique pet, below is our commonly recommended vaccination schedule for adult dogs. Visit our Pet Library to learn more information about the diseases the vaccines protect against.

     5-Way Combination Vaccine - Canine Distemper, Hepatitis, Parainfluenza,Parvovirus, and Coronavirus.  Adult dogs, require a yearly booster of this vaccine.

     Bordetella (Kennel Cough)  As an adult dog, the Bordetella vaccine will require a yearly booster.

     Rabies  As adults, dogs require a Rabies booster every three years.

     Rattlesnake Vaccine  As adults, dogs require an annual Rattlesnake vaccination.  It is recommended that this occur in March or April each year.

     Additional vaccinations and/or parasite treatments based on individual risk factors may be recommended.  The veterinarians at Ahwatukee Animal Care Hospital will evaluate your pet's risk factors and recommend any additional vaccinations and/or treatments that would be beneficial to your canine family member. Further, we often recommend Heartgard Plus on an ongoing monthly basis as a heartworm preventive treatment and Frontline Plus as an ongoing monthly preventive measure for parasite control (fleas and ticks).

Kitten Vaccination Schedule

Kittens also require regular vaccinations to remain protected against the most dangerous and common of feline ailments. Please visit our Pet Library for more information about the diseases the vaccine protects against. Ahwatukee Animal Care Hospital recommends the following vaccinations:

     FVRCP Combination Vaccination - The kitten combination vaccine protects against Feline Panleukopenia, Rhinotracheitis,and Calicivirus. The FVRCP vaccination is a series of three vaccinations, given three to four weeks apart (up to age 16 - 18 weeks), beginning when the kitten is between 7 and 9 weeks of age. As adults, cats require a booster every 1-3 years.

     Feline Leukemia - We recommend every kitten is checked for Feline Leukemia through a simple blood test.  As long as the test is negative, we recommend vaccination.  The kitten must be 8 weeks of age minimum for the initial vaccination. The leukemia vaccine is a series of two injections given three to four weeks apart, beginning when the kitten is  8 to 9 weeks of age (booster administered 3-4 weeks post initial injection). As adults, cats are given a booster avery 1 - 3 years.

     Rabies - Kittens are given the Rabies vaccination between the ages of 14 to 17 weeks, and receive a booster vaccination one year later.  As adults, cats require a booster every three years.

     Additional vaccinations and/or parasite treatments per individual risk factors -Kittens typically are treated for worms at 6 weeks of age and treatment is repeated, as needed.  Our veterinarians may recommend Heartgard Plus as an ongoing monthly heartworm preventive treatment and Frontline Plus as an ongoing monthly preventive treatment for parasite control (fleas and ticks). The doctors at Ahwatukee Animal Care Hospital will evaluate your pet's risk factors and recommend any additional vaccinations that would be beneficial to your cat.

Adult Cat Vaccinations

Ahwatukee Animal Care Hospital understands that you want your cat to be healthy and active for all of her or his life. Protecting your pet begins with vaccinations that will provide immunity for some of the most common and dangerous illnesses affecting cats.  

Visit our Pet Library to learn more about the diseases the vaccinations protect against.

    FVRCP Combination Vaccination  Protects against Feline Panleukopenia, Rhinotrachetis, and Calicivirus. adult cats require a booster vaccine every 1-3 years.

     Feline Leukemia  We recommend every kitten be tested for Feline Leukemia through a simple blood test.  As long as the test is negative, we recommend vaccination.  Adult cats require a booster vaccine every 1-3 years.

     Rabies  As adults, cats require a Rabies booster every three years.

     Additional vaccinations and/or parasite treatments per individual risk factors -Our veterinarians recommend worming, as needed.  Further, they recommend Heartgard Plus as an ongoing monthly heartworm preventive treatment and often recommend Frontline Plus as a preventive treatment for parasites (fleas and ticks) on an ongoing monthly basis. Our veterinarians will evaluate your cat's unique risk factors and health status in determining your cat's vaccine and parasite control/prevention protocol.  

Throughout your pet's growing years and adulthood, regular wellness care is necessary to promote long and full lives.  Our veterinarians will work with you to ensure your pet's dental health, appropriate nutrition, excellent socialization, and to monitor for any changes in health over time.

Together, we look forward to seeing your pet lead a healthy, happy life.

Please visit our Life Stage Care link for additional information.