Turquoise Animal Hospital – San Diego Veterinarian

Are you looking for dog or cat vaccinations in San Diego? Vaccinations are a critical component to preventive care for your dog or cat. Thanks to the development of vaccines, pets have been protected from numerous disease threats. Some of these diseases can be passed from pets to people — so vaccinations have protected human health as well. You can work with your veterinarian to tailor an immunization program that best protects your dog or cat based on his risk and lifestyle factors.

At Turquoise Animal Hospital, we may recommend some or all of the following vaccines, depending on your pet’s risk factors:

Vaccinations for Dogs:

• DA2LPP (“Combo Vaccine”) – Protects your dog against Distemper, Adenovirus, Leptospirosis, Parainfluenza and Parvovirus. Most importantly protects against the debilitating and deadly disease canine distemper, a often fatal viral illness that causes neurologic dysfunction, pneumonia, nonspecific systemic symptoms such as fever and fatigue, and weight loss, as well as upper respiratory symptoms and diarrhea, poor appetite, and vomiting.
• Bordetella – Protects against “kennel cough”‘ – the most prevalent upper respiratory problem in dogs in the United States. It is highly contagious in dogs. The disease is found worldwide and will infect a very high percentage of dogs in their lifetime.
• Rabies – Protects against the Rabies viral disease that causes acute encephalitis (inflammation of the brain) in warm-blooded animals. It is zoonotic (transmitted by animals) and can affect humans, most commonly by a bite from an infected animal. Rabies is almost invariably fatal.
• Lyme – Protects against Lyme disease which is spread by ticks. Canine Lyme disease can cause problems in various parts of your dog’s body. It can affect his kidneys, heart, and joints if it is left untreated.
• Rattlesnake – A rattlesnake bite is a veterinary emergency that results in serious injury or even death to thousands of dogs each year. Rattlesnake venom is a complex mixture of toxins that spreads through a dog’s body following the bite. Rattlesnake vaccine defends your dog by creating an immunity that works right away to help neutralize the toxins.

Vaccinations for Cats:

• FVRCCP (Feline Distemper vaccine) – This vaccine protects against feline upper respiratory disease and feline panleukopenia. Upper respiratory diseases are easily passed from cat to cat, via droplets, through the air. Feline panleukopenia affects many systems of the cats body and it can cause vomiting, tremors, fever, and poor coordination.
• FeLV (Feline Leukemia vaccine) – Protects against a retrovirus that affects cats. FeLV can be transmitted between infected cats when the transfer of saliva or nasal secretions is involved. If not defeated by the animal’s immune system, the virus can be lethal. The disease caused by this virus is a form of cancer of blood cells called lymphocytes.
• FIV (Feline Immunodeficiency Virus vaccine) - Protects against a virus that affects cats worldwide and is the causative agent of feline AIDS.  FIV is closely related to human immunodeficiency virus HIV.
• Rabies – Protects against the Rabies viral disease that causes acute encephalitis (inflammation of the brain) in warm-blooded animals. It is zoonotic (transmitted by animals) and can affect humans, most commonly by a bite from an infected animal. Rabies is almost invariably fatal.

Can my veterinarian conduct a test to see if my dog needs to be vaccinated?

Tests that measure protective antibody levels for diseases are called titers. In recent years reliable titer tests for some diseases such as canine distemper and parvovirus have become more readily available and economical. Veterinarians may recommend using these titer tests in some cases to determine whether or not vaccinations are needed. Your veterinarian can provide you with more information on titer testing.

Article originally appeared on healthypet.com

Note: All content provided is meant for educational purposes only on health care and medical issues that may affect pets and should never be used to replace professional veterinary care from a licensed veterinarian. This site and its services do not constitute the practice of any veterinary medical health care advice, diagnosis or treatment.