Pet Vaccinations

Pet Vaccinations

We understand the importance of protecting your pets’ health and well-being because we are pet parents. At State Road Animal Hospital, we provide the best pet immunization treatments available to keep your pet safe from preventable diseases.

Our highly trained veterinarians deliver immunizations designed to meet your pet’s needs based on the most recent scientific developments. Using our pet vaccination service, you’re putting up a barrier of defense against dangerous ailments like rabies, distemper, and feline leukemia. We work to provide you with peace of mind through our comprehensive vaccination protocols and dedication to your pet’s lifelong health.

STATE ROAD ANIMAL HOSPITAL RECOMMENDED VACCINE SCHEDULE

Puppies

6 weeks of age DA2PPV
9 weeks of age DA2PPV
12 weeks of age DA2PPV/LEPTO/BORDETELLA
16 weeks of age DA2PPV/LEPTO/RABIES

• Canine Distemper is a highly contagious viral disease found wherever there are dogs. It affects the respiratory and nervous systems, causing fever, lethargy, coughing, vomiting, diarrhea, seizures, and eventually death. Primary vaccination should begin at an early age (6-12 weeks) since dogs often contract the disease young.
• Canine Adenovirus Type 1 infection causes infectious hepatitis, which may lead to severe liver damage. Symptoms of this liver disease include fever, vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal pain. Type 2 can be a complicating factor in kennel cough.
• Canine Parvovirus is a highly contagious viral disease that causes severe diarrhea and vomiting. They become infected with parvovirus through contact with the stool of an infected dog or contaminated environment. Infected animals rapidly dehydrate, and severe cases progress to shock and death. Fatalities occur mostly in puppies less than 12 weeks old.
• Canine Parainfluenza is a highly contagious respiratory disease that causes a dry, hacking cough. The infection can be severe in puppies.
• Canine Leptospirosis is a bacterial disease carried by many wild animals. A dog can contract the disease from infected animals or by drinking contaminated water. Symptoms include high fever, jaundice, hemorrhage, blood-stained feces, and prostration.

Other Concerns

• Infectious Tracheobronchitis (Kennel Cough) is a highly contagious disease. Symptoms include severe coughing spells, sometimes followed by vomiting and gagging. The dog may also have watery eyes and/or nasal discharge. Any dog that comes in contact with other dogs (such as grooming, boarding, and obedience training, etc.) is at risk. We require any dog to be boarded in our facility to have a Bordetella vaccination for the safety of all the dogs in the kennel area.
• Rabies, of all animal diseases, is the most feared. The rabies virus attacks the brain and is always fatal. Most pets are exposed to rabies by bites from wild animals, particularly skunks, raccoons, bats, and foxes. The disease can be transmitted to humans through the bite of an infected pet. Dogs can be vaccinated for rabies at 16 weeks of age. Vaccination is the most effective means of control.

Deworming Puppies

• Puppies should be dewormed at 2-3 weeks of age and again every 2 weeks until they are 4 months of age. The most common intestinal parasites in puppies are hookworms and roundworms. These worms may be present in unborn puppies and spread to puppies through milk during nursing. Also, if there are any other infected dogs in the area, they can shed these parasites into the environment and can be picked up through the soil.
• Hookworms attach to the dog’s intestines, leaving bleeding internal wounds. A small puppy can die from blood loss caused by just 100 hookworms. Hookworms infest approximately 20% of all dogs in the United States. Animals become infected with hookworms by eating infective eggs or larvae and penetration of larvae through skin or footpads.
• Roundworms are the most common intestinal parasite in dogs. They become infected by ingesting eggs and larvae found in soil or feces or by eating infected rodents, birds, and certain insects.
• Whipworms affect about 1 in 7 dogs. Some of the symptoms are bloody diarrhea, weight loss, anemia, and dehydration. They are hard to get rid of because their eggs can survive for years in the soil.
• Tapeworms may not cause noticeable illness in your dog, or they may exhibit digestive upset, poor appetite, poor haircoat and skin, weight loss, and vague signs of abdominal discomfort. They are not passed directly from pet to pet but require an intermediate host in which to as mice, rats, squirrels, and rabbits.

We recommend checking a stool sample once a year, or anytime you feel your pet may have intestinal worms. We can diagnose which type of worms your pet may have by a microscopic examination of the stool sample. Then, we can treat them with specific medications that will eliminate these parasites.

Heartworms

Heartworms live in the heart, causing the animal to become very sick and, if untreated, can become fatal. Heartworms are transmitted to a dog when bitten by an infected mosquito. Symptoms are chronic coughing, difficulty breathing, lethargy, and tiring easily.

Fleas and Ticks

Fleas are wingless, blood-sucking insects that cause considerable irritation and distress to an infested pet. Flea bites can cause skin allergies, rashes, and sores on pets and even humans. Ticks are blood-sucking parasites that attach to the skin and feed on the animal’s blood. Ticks also spread diseases, such as Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever and Lyme disease. Some ticks produce a toxin that can cause paralysis.

We carry several different products to protect your pet from these external parasites. We will be happy to help you decide which product is best for your pet.

Nutrition/Feeding Guidelines

Puppies should be fed the highest quality of food, such as Hill’s Science Diet, Iams, and Purina. These foods are specifically formulated for your puppy’s health and nutrition. Puppies should be fed small amounts of food 4 times daily, or you may free-feed them, leaving plenty of food throughout the day because puppies burn up a lot of energy. Always have fresh water available. DO NOT FEED table scraps – this promotes bad eating habits as well as endangering your pet’s health. Feeding table scraps can cause such problems as pancreatitis, gastrointestinal upset, and obesity.

Kittens

6 weeks of age RCP
9 weeks of age RCP/LEUK
12 weeks of age RCP/LEUK
16 weeks of age RCP/RABIES

• Feline Rhinotracheitis is caused by the herpes virus that attacks the eyes, nasal passages, and trachea of cats. Symptoms include sneezing, coughing, runny eyes and nose. Infection is spread through contact with discharges from eyes, nose, mouth, and any contaminated surfaces.
• Feline Calicivirus causes mild to serious respiratory illness. Cats become infected by swallowing or inhaling the virus. The infection causes a variety of symptoms, including fever, excessive salivation, runny eyes and nose, sneezing, depression, and mouth or tongue ulcers.
• Feline Panleukopenia, sometimes called “feline distemper,” causes severe vomiting, diarrhea, and dehydration. It is the most widespread disease of cats, especially kittens less than 6 months old. Cats become infected by direct contact with an infected cat or its bodily secretions, especially feces.
• Feline Leukemia is a form of cancer in cats. It is highly contagious, and kittens can be born with it. There is no cure, and it is usually fatal. The disease, caused by a virus, can lead to tumor growth nearly anywhere in the body, as well as a variety of other symptoms. Infected cats are unable to resist other diseases and may die from associated infections. Cats with no symptoms may test positive for the virus. Testing for the disease is recommended prior to initiating a vaccination program.

Other Concerns

• Feline Pneumonitis is an infectious upper respiratory disease. It may spread by contact with discharges from the eyes, nose, or mouth. Symptoms are squinting, red, painful eyelids, and excessive tearing. The eye discharge may become yellow or green, and such respiratory signs such as sneezing, coughing, or discharge from the nose may appear.
• Rabies, of all animal diseases, is the most feared. The rabies virus attacks the brain and is always fatal. Most pets are exposed to rabies by bites from wild animals, particularly skunks, raccoons, bats, and foxes. The disease can be transmitted to humans through the bite of an infected pet. Cats can be vaccinated for rabies at 16 weeks of age. Vaccination is the most effective means of control.

Deworming Kittens

Kittens should be dewormed at 2-3 weeks of age and again every 2 weeks until they are 4 months of age. The most common intestinal parasites in kittens are hookworms and roundworms. These worms may be present in unborn kittens and spread to kittens through milk during nursing. Also, if there are any other infected cats in the area, they can shed these parasites into the environment and can be picked up through the soil.

• Hookworms live in the small intestine, and they are one of the most serious intestinal parasites; as they feed on the blood of their host animal, they can cause severe anemia. Animals become infected with hookworms by eating infective eggs or larvae or by penetration of the skin or footpads by larvae. Symptoms are weight loss, diarrhea, and tarry or bloody stool.
• Roundworms are the most common intestinal parasite of cats. They become infected by ingesting eggs and larvae found in soil or feces or by eating infected rodents, birds, and certain insects.
• Tapeworms may not cause noticeable illness in your cat, or they may exhibit digestive upset, poor appetite, poor haircoat and skin, weight loss, and vague signs of abdominal discomfort. They are not passed directly from pet to pet but require an intermediate host in which to as mice, rats, squirrels, and rabbits.

Fleas and Ticks

Fleas are wingless, blood-sucking insects that cause considerable irritation and distress to an infested pet. Flea bites can cause skin allergies, rashes, and sores on pets and even humans. Ticks are blood-sucking parasites that attach to the skin and feed on the animal’s blood. Ticks also spread diseases, such as Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever and Lyme disease. Some ticks produce a toxin that can cause paralysis.

We carry several different products to protect your pet from these external parasites. We will be happy to help you decide which product is best for your pet.

Nutrition/Feeding Guidelines

Kittens should be fed the highest quality of food, such as Hill’s Science Diet, Iams, and Purina. These foods are specifically formulated for your kitten’s health and nutrition. Kittens should be fed small amounts of food 4 times daily, or you may free-feed them, leaving plenty of food throughout the day. Always have fresh water available. DO NOT FEED table scraps – this promotes bad eating habits as well as endangering your pet’s health. Feeding table scraps can cause such problems as pancreatitis, gastrointestinal upset, and obesity.