What exactly are vaccines, and why are they important?Vaccines are products that stimulate protective immune responses and prepare the immune system to fight disease-causing substances in the future. Vaccines increase the creation of antibodies in the immune system, which identify and destroy disease-causing germs that enter the body.
Vaccines give protection against one or more diseases, reducing the severity of the disease or preventing it entirely.
Experts believe that immunizations have saved millions of animals’ lives and avoided disease in the last century. Vaccinations protect your pet from diseases that are very contagious and fatal, as well as improving their general quality of life.
5 reasons to vaccinate your pet
- Vaccinations prevent many pet illnesses.
- Vaccinations can help avoid costly treatments for diseases that can be prevented.
- Vaccinations prevent diseases that can be passed between animals and also from animals to people.
- Diseases prevalent in wildlife, such as rabies and distemper, can infect unvaccinated pets.
- In many areas, local or state ordinances require certain vaccinations of household pets.
Is it true that immunizations provide protection?
Vaccination is beneficial in avoiding future disease or reducing the severity of clinical indications in most pets. To avoid a gap in protection, it’s critical to stick to your veterinarian’s immunisation schedule.
Are there any hazards associated with vaccination my pet?
Any medical therapy comes with dangers, but you should measure those risks against the advantages of protecting your pet, your family, and your community against potentially fatal diseases. Vaccines are often well tolerated by pets.
Mild and short-term adverse reactions following vaccination are the most common. Serious reactions are extremely uncommon. Tumor growth (sarcomas) is a rare but significant adverse reaction in cats that can develop weeks, months, or even years following a vaccine. Sarcomas have become far less common thanks to advancements in immunisation technology and methodology.
Why are immunizations required for puppies and kittens?
Because their immune systems have not yet matured, young animals are particularly vulnerable to infectious disease. They are protected by antibodies in their mother’s milk, but the protection is temporary, and there may be gaps in protection as the milk antibodies fade and their immune system matures. Because maternal antibodies can affect a puppy’s or kitten’s vaccine response, a series of vaccines is usually suggested to ensure that the puppy or kitten receives a vaccine as soon as possible after maternal antibodies have subsided.
In many cases, the first dose of a vaccination helps to stimulate the animal’s immune system against the virus or bacteria, while subsequent doses help to protect the animal from the virus or bacteria.
Complete the series.
Incomplete immunizations may result in insufficient protection, leaving pups and kittens susceptible to infection.
A series of immunizations are scheduled, usually 3-4 weeks apart, to provide best protection against disease in the first few months of life. The final immunisation in the series is given to most puppies and kittens around the age of four months; however, a veterinarian may change the schedule based on an individual animal’s risk factors.