Pet Vaccinations
Pet Vaccinations and Court Street Vet
Court Street Veterinary Hospital believes strongly in vaccination protocols as safe and effective prevention for otherwise potentially fatal diseases. We follow vaccination guidelines as recommended by the American Veterinary Medial Association & Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons. We understand that many people have questions and concerns about vaccinations and we work hard to educate clients against misinformation and fear. We’ll work with you to determine the vaccination schedule that is in the best interest for your pet.
What are Pet Vaccines?
Vaccines are products designed to trigger immune responses and prepare the immune system to fight future infections from disease-causing agents. Vaccines stimulate the immune system’s production of antibodies that identify and destroy disease-causing organisms that enter the body. Vaccines provide your pet immunity against one or several diseases that can lessen the severity or prevent certain diseases altogether. Experts agree that widespread use of vaccinations within the last century has prevented death and disease in millions of animals. Vaccinations protect your pet from highly contagious and deadly diseases and improve your pet’s overall quality of life.
What is an Adjuvant?
An adjutant is an ingredient of a vaccine that helps create a stronger immune response in the patient’s body. In other words, adjuvants help vaccines work better. Some vaccines made from weakened or dead germs contain naturally occurring adjuvants and help the body produce a strong protective immune response. However, most vaccines developed today include just small components of germs, such as their proteins, rather than the entire virus or bacteria. These vaccines often must be made with adjuvants to ensure the body produces an immune response strong enough to protect your pet from the germ he or she is being vaccinated against.
Are there Risks Associated with Vaccinations?
Any type of medical treatment has associated risk, but the risk should be weighed against the benefits of protecting your pet, your family and your community from potentially fatal diseases. The majority of pets respond well to vaccines.
The most common adverse responses to vaccination are mild and short-term, and serious reactions are rare. Mild reactions include discomfort and local swelling at the vaccination site, mild fever, decreased appetite and activity. These mild and transient side effects are undoubtedly preferable to hemorrhagic diarrhea, intense vomiting, seizures, and death – which are symptoms associated with many of the diseases we vaccinate your pet against.
An uncommon but serious adverse reaction that can occur in cats is tumor growth (sarcomas, occurring in 1 in 10,000 cats), which can develop weeks, months, or even years after a vaccination. Improvements in vaccination technology and technique have greatly reduced the occurrence of sarcomas, and it is for this reason that we recommend using adjuvant-free vaccines for our feline patients. (Merial PUREVAX feline FVRCP, and Merial PUREVAX Rabies).
Dogs
DA2PP (Distemper Virus & Parvovirus): Canine distemper is a devastating disease that causes fever, pneumonia, vomiting, diarrhea, seizures, and death. Canine parvovirus is highly contagious and exists virtually everywhere in the environment; preventing exposure in your puppy is virtually impossible. Parvovirus attacks the cells of your puppy’s GI tract, causing severe bloody diarrhea, vomiting, fever, weight loss, and death; it may also fatally attack the muscles of the heart. After initial puppy vaccines and boosters, your dog will receive a DA2PP vaccine once every 3 years.
Rabies: Rabies is a devastating and fatal disease that affects our pets, wildlife, and even poses a threat to human health. Many people don’t know that the virus can incubate for up to a year after initial exposure before clinical signs occur; once symptoms begin death occurs within 10 days, and treatment is impossible. Infected animals suffer from hallucinations and displays of aggressive behavior. This progresses into paralysis (“foaming at the mouth” being caused by larynx paralysis and inability to swallow), respiratory paralysis, and death. Happily, infection can be prevented by vaccination.
The canine rabies vaccination is required by law in the state of New Hampshire. This vaccine is given once after 12 weeks of age. Your puppy will receive a booster vaccine after 1 year, then the vaccine is given every 3 years.
Bordetella: Kennel Cough is an infectious bronchitis of dogs characterized by a harsh, hacking cough. This bronchitis may be of brief duration and mild enough to warrant no treatment at all or it may progress all the way to a life-threatening pneumonia depending on which infectious agents are involved and the immunological strength of the patient. We vaccinate against one of the more common causative agents, Bordetella bronchiseptica. For puppies, vaccination provides good systemic immunity. We recommend receiving a booster vaccine every 6 months, especially if your dog will be going to dog parks, daycare, or boarding.
Bordetella bronchiseptica vaccination may not prevent infection. In some cases, vaccination minimizes symptoms of illness but does not entirely prevent infection.
Leptospirosis: Leptospirosis is a disease that can affect human and animals, including your pets. All animals can potentially become infected with leptospirosis. This bacterium causes fever, vomiting, diarrhea, severe weakness, and acute renal failure. There are many different strains of leptospirosis, and although our vaccine protects against the most common serovars it does not offer 100% immunity. Your puppy will receive an initial vaccination at 12 weeks of age, then receive a booster 4 weeks later. Immunity lasts 1 year, so this vaccine should be boosted yearly.
Lyme: Lyme disease is caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi which is transmitted by the bite of an infected tick. The incidence of Lyme disease in New England is extremely high, we are considered an endemic region of the country. Lyme disease in dogs has the potential to cause fever, lameness, and -rarely- kidney disease. We recommend your puppy receives and initial vaccination at 12 weeks of age, then receives a booster 4 weeks later. Immunity lasts one year, so this vaccine should be boostered yearly.
Cats
FeLV: Feline leukemia virus, is a common infection of cats. It is the cause of more cat deaths, directly or indirectly, than any other organism and is widespread in the cat population. This virus invariably turns into cancer in cats (leukemia or lymphoma), which are fatal. Outdoor cats should be vaccinated for feline leukemia (FeLV). Susceptibility for the feline leukemia virus is greatest in the first 12 months of life. Cats older than 12 months with a reasonable risk of exposure should be vaccinated as well. The FeLV vaccine is administered twice at 8 and 12 weeks of age. FeLV should be given one year after initial doses, then every 3 years thereafter.
FVRCP: Feline distemper (more correctly called panleukopenia) is caused by a parvovirus and represents a life-threatening disease. The feline distemper / panleukopenia virus is considered ubiquitous, meaning it is in virtually every place that is not regularly disinfected. The infection is highly contagious among unvaccinated cats. The virus suppresses the production of white blood cells, causing your kitten to become immunocompromised and vulnerable to other infections. In the intestine, the virus causes ulceration that leads to diarrhea, and life-threatening dehydration as well as bacterial infection because the barrier between the body and intestinal bacteria is lost. The patient dies from either dehydration or secondary bacterial infection. Thankfully vaccination is so effective most cat owners will never see this devastating disease.
After initial kitten vaccines and boosters, your cat will receive a FVRCP vaccine once every 3 years thereafter.
Rabies: Rabies is a devastating and fatal disease that affects our pets, wildlife, and even poses a threat to human health. Many people don’t know that the virus can incubate for up to a year after initial exposure before clinical signs occur; once symptoms begin death occurs within 10 days, and treatment is impossible. Infected animals suffer from hallucinations and displays of aggressive behavior. This progresses into paralysis (“foaming at the mouth” being caused by larynx paralysis and inability to swallow), respiratory paralysis, and death. Happily, infection can be prevented by vaccination.
The feline rabies vaccination is required by law in the state of New Hampshire. This vaccine is given once after 12 weeks of age, your kitten will receive a booster every year.
Office Hours
Monday—Friday: 8:30 AM – 5:30 PM
Saturday: Closed
Sunday: Closed
