Vaccinations (Dog and Cat Shots)
At Windmill Animal Hospital, after a thorough physical examination by one of our doctors, your pet's vaccination schedule is custom-tailored to fit your pet's individual needs and lifestyle! Because we specifically design each vaccination plan for each unique and special pet, you can rest assured your pet will never receive a "shot" (vaccine) it doesn't need. "Cookie cutter" style veterinary care is NOT practiced at Windmill!
For dogs, we recommend the usual 4-step puppyhood vaccination series of Distemper-Parvo-Corona, Bordetella, and Lyme Disease. The Rabies vaccine is given by 4 months of age. The Bordetella vaccine, due to the inability to generate long-lasting antibodies, should be given every 6 months after the initial puppyhood series. Distemper-Parvo-Corona and Lyme Disease are boostered when the dog is one year old, then should be boostered every 2nd year thereafter.
Rabies is boostered at one year of age for all dogs. Currently, Rabies is required for all dogs annually in Flower Mound and Lewisville, even though the state of Texas has approved Rabies vaccination every three years. We anticipate our local municipalities approving Rabies vaccination every two or three years in the near future. When that approval comes, the recommendations of the doctors of Windmill Animal Hospital regarding Rabies vaccination will be:
· for house pets, the Rabies should be boostered every 2nd year
· for dogs that go hunting, camping, to the lake, etc., we highly recommend Rabies vaccination on an annual basis, due to the hugely increased exposure risk.
For cats, we recommend the usual kittenhood vaccination series of F-V-R-C-P-C, Feline Leukemia, and FIP. The Feline Leukemia/Feline A.I.D.S. test is performed at 10-12 weeks of age. Once the pet's vaccines are boostered at one year of age, the Feline Leukemia/Feline A.I.D.S. test, F-V-R-C-P-C, Feline Leukemia, and FIP can be rotated every 3 years. Again, until the local city officials approve otherwise, we are legally obligated to vaccinate our kitties for Rabies every year. Once a longer interval is approved, indoor-only cats may receive their Rabies vaccination every 3 years. Indoor/outdoor cats, because of their high exposure risk, should be Feline Leukemia/Feline A.I.D.S. tested and Rabies vaccinated annually.
What about those pets that react to vaccines? What's an owner to do?
Approximately 1 pet in 100 will have unfavorable reactions to vaccination, such as fever, swelling, lethargy, and even hives. This is similar to the reaction we have to Tetanus vaccinations. This problem puts pet owners and veterinarians in a dilemma--we want to protect the pets from dangerous diseases, but we don't want to harm them in the process! The doctors of Windmill Animal Hospital are very familiar with this problem, and have developed a safe, effective protocol where your "reactor" pet can be properly protected with vaccines, but not have an uncomfortable reaction. This protocol involves giving your pet a special injection designed to "block" the inappropriate vaccine reaction. This injection is administered 15-30 minutes prior to administration of any vaccines. Afterwards, the pet is observed by our staff for several hours, to make absolutely sure no adverse reaction of any kind is happening. Call us for details!