The Importance of Vaccinating Your Pet

Prevention is the best medicine when it comes to the health and well-being of your pet. Whether your pet needs an annual wellness visit or a surgical procedure, Desert Forest Animal Hospital in Cave Creek, AZ, has you covered. One integral part of preventative care is vaccinating your pet. Vaccines are the best way to prevent significant complications from severe diseases. Continue reading to learn about the importance of pet vaccines in ensuring your pet’s long-term health and well-being.

Why Vaccines Are Important

Vaccinations ensure your pet builds antibodies that protect it from debilitating and deadly diseases, such as rabies, distemper, parvovirus, and feline leukemia. Vaccinating your pet also helps protect other animals and the public from these diseases. Your pet may require specific vaccinations based on its environment and lifestyle. For example, many boarding facilities require your pet to receive the Bordetella vaccine. Your veterinarian might also recommend the Lyme disease vaccine for pets who live in a wooded area.

Vaccination Schedule

You need to maintain a regular vaccine schedule with your veterinarian. Generally, puppies and kittens should receive their first vaccines around six to eight weeks old. Doing this replaces the brief immunity they received from their mother’s milk. Subsequent vaccines will follow every three weeks until your pet reaches 16 weeks. Your veterinarian will then determine a schedule suited to your pet’s needs based on age, geographic location, lifestyle, and health. Boosters are usually required throughout your pet’s life to ensure it does not lose immunity.

Will My Pet Experience Side Effects?

Although most pets experience little to no side effects after vaccination, some pets may have a mild fever and swelling around the injection site. Other pets can experience lethargy and have a rash. However, these symptoms often resolve within 24 hours.

Contact Desert Forest Animal Hospital to Vaccinate Your Pet Today

If you live in Cave Creek, North Scottsdale, New River, Carefree, or Desert Mountain, AZ, and need a “veterinarian near you” to vaccinate your pet, consider contacting Desert Forest Animal Hospital in Cave Creek, AZ. Our veterinarian offers vaccines and other preventative care to ensure your pet lives a long, healthy life. Call us and schedule an appointment today at (480) 488-2010.