"This information was kindly provided to us by Helen Taylor Director Rainbow Nation Animals:"
IMPORTANCE OF VACCINATING PETS
"This can be quite a controversial subject as many people resist vaccinating their pets. Most homeopaths are against vaccinations of any kind. However in our experience we have found that vaccinating puppies is vital and the number of puppies having reactions to the vaccine is far less than the number dying as a result of not being vaccinated for some of the serious conditions"
By vaccinating our pets at appropriate life stages, many fatal diseases will be prevented. Also, by taking responsibility of vaccinating your pet, you will not be responsible for passing these diseases on to other animals which may come into contact with yours.
- Parvovirus: Very serious disease that is most often fatal, especially in young puppies. Extremely expensive to treat, so it makes absolute sense to vaccinate rather than treat the disease which causes the most terrible suffering. Main symptoms are vomiting and diarrhoea - but the vet needs to carry out specific tests to confirm absolutely. Other signs are loss of appetite, and listlessness, high fever, and there is a huge risk of rapid dehydration - especially in puppies so immediate treatment is essential. Highly contagious, and dogs usually become infected when sniffing the stool of an infected dog, but the virus can be spread to different places as it can be carried on the animals' body, be present in their food or drinking bowls, and even on humans' clothing and shoes. Please speak to your vet regarding appropriate cleaning products to protect other animals.
- Distemper: Again, often fatal, and highly contagious virus - easily preventable by a proper vaccination programme. Main areas this disease infect are the respiratory, gastrointestinal and central nervous system. Symptoms displayed are fever which usually subsides after a time, but will present again a few days later with possibly runny nose and eyes, sleepiness, lack of appetite. Other signs may include vomiting, diarrhoea and coughing and later on, cns symptoms like seizures, muscle twitches mostly on the head and face, but also lack of muscle coordination, and general weakness. Infection can occur without being in direct contact with other dogs, but is spread similarly to that of human colds and flu. Early treatment is essential, and although the survival rate may be higher than parvovirus, the dogs that survive may remain with the cns symptoms for the rest of their lives.
- Canine Diseases prevented by Vaccination include Parvovirus, Distemper, Kennel Cough,
- Feline Diseases prevented by Vaccination include Snuffles, Enteritis, Feline Aids, Cat Leukaemia
- Rabies: It is a virus that when contracted, will almost certainly result in death. Unfortunately, if you have not realised your pet has been bitten by an infected animal, once symptoms present, it is fatal. The animal's behaviour will change, depending on the form of rabies it contracts - please speak to your vet regarding these signs and symptoms, as many people mistake signs caused by simple things which may lead people to believe their pet has rabies when it does not. There is no cure for rabies, so vaccination is essential, and simple. Please ask your vet about the appropriate booster programme as well.
Your vet will be able to advise on an appropriate vaccination programme, but usually in puppies they will be carried out and 8, 12 & 16 weeks of age, the last of which will include a rabies vaccination (required by law). Your vet will also advise on the timing of booster vaccinations to ensure continued protection. We have a responsibility to vaccinate all our pets - besides preventing unmentionable suffering of our own animals, we will not be responsible for causing the suffering or death of other peoples' animals.
DEWORMING:
It is crucial to regularly deworm your pets as not only can it affect your pets' health, but can potentially affect humans as well. It is also advisable to speak to your pharmacist about an appropriate deworming programme for yourself.
Most common worm types are tapeworms, hookworms, roundworms, whipworms.
Worms are responsible for several poor health issues which include, lethargy, loss of appetite, anaemia, diarrhoea, bloody stools, weight loss, poor growth, potentially blindness and epilepsy.
Worms can be transmitted in many ways including ingestion through sniffing other animals' stools, ingesting infected fleas (tapeworms), licking the ground, drinking contaminated water, through the placenta before birth from mother to babies, through the milk of the mother feeding the babies, scavenging, hunting, eating raw meat which may contain tapeworm cysts.
Please speak to your veterinarian about the most appropriate deworming programme for your pets - easily preventable health issues by regularly deworming your pets.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT GIVEN TO SOUTH AFRICAN VETERINARY ASSOCIATION & BAYER HEALTHCARE FOR THE ABOVE INFORMATION
