4 Pet Diseases That Vaccines Can Prevent

Posted on: 26 August 2015

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Pet parents often think that it's no big deal to get their pets vaccinated, especially if their pet is the only one in the home, and the pet never goes anywhere else. The reality is that there are all sorts of illnesses preventable by vaccine that your pet can encounter, even if your pet never leaves your home or yard. Here are just a few of the problems you can prevent with vaccines.

Rabies

Rabies is a virus that goes straight to an animal's brain. Once there, it causes extreme inflammation of the brain, causing headaches, weakness, and eventually, death. While it's rare for animals kept inside to be exposed to rabies in normal everyday life, if just one infected animal bites your pet, the disease may be transmitted. This is why it's so important to vaccinate against rabies as soon as your dog or cat is able to receive the vaccine.

Distemper

Canine distemper is another virus that affects the gastrointestinal system, the respiratory system, and the central nervous system. It is highly contagious, even transmitting without a bite or physical contact, and left untreated it can be fatal. Feline distemper, also called panleukopenia, is equally devastating. It's related to canine parvovirus as well, and it is extremely contagious through the air, just like canine distemper. Feline distemper primarily affects the gastrointestinal tract, affecting kittens more quickly than full-grown cats.

Bordatella

Bordatella is related to the same bacteria that causes whooping cough in humans. In dogs and cats, it's more commonly referred to as kennel cough. Since bordatella spreads so easily through the air, even items that were last exposed to a sick pet days in the past can still infect a healthy, unvaccinated dog or cat.

Parvovirus

Parvovirus, often shortened to parvo, is a family of viruses that are extremely virulent. Although the virus can infect the gastrointestinal tract primarily, there may be other symptoms that the animal displays that can delay diagnosis. An interesting fact to note is that canine parvovirus is a mutation of feline parvovirus. The mutated canine form can still infect cats, however, so having an unvaccinated cat around a dog with parvo is still a recipe for disaster.

The easiest time to revaccinate cats or dogs is during the spay and neuter process. This is particular important if fostering or rehoming a stray or an animal that you've taken in from someone else. Make sure your pets are up-to-date on their vaccinations by contacting a veterinarian today.