We can help with any questions you may have.
It’s also a chance to re-assess any existing
health issues your pet may have and ensure that the treatment it is receiving is still appropriate.

Remember one annual check up for your pet is
the equivalent of a human visiting his doctor
every seven years.

You may also take this opportunity to update
your pets vaccination. 

We recommend that all puppies and kittens
receive a primary vaccination course followed by annual booster vaccinations. We do not want to
be treating and losing pets to diseases for which
there are such simple and cost effective preventions.

What alternative is there to annual booster vaccinations thereafter? This is where it gets complex – we are protecting against 7 different diseases in dogs and 4 different diseases in cats. Each animal may respond in a slightly different way to each different vaccine component, but we know that if we give an annual booster to each pet we see we will not see the diseases we are worried about. For some of the diseases we know that immunity is relatively short lived – dogs need an annual lepto booster and cats annual cat flu and leukaemia vaccines. There is a possibility that in some animals immunity for some of the other diseases may last longer but without blood testing we cannot tell.We can take blood samples from dogs to assess levels of immunity for 4 diseases (distemper, 2 types of adenovirus – the cause of hepatitis and parvo) and from cats for feline enteritis, however this is expensive and will require a further visit to the surgery for vaccination should immunity to any of these diseases be low or marginal. For most of our clients we do not believe that this is a practical option as it involves extra expense and visits to the surgery for little or no benefit to their pet.

Our recommendation is that we can provide your pet with the best care and protection by means of an annual check up and including an assessment of the vaccination requirements for your pet.  For the vast majority of pets this will mean annual boosters against a minimum of lepto for dogs and cat flu and feline leukaemia for cats and for many pets will mean a standard annual booster.

For additional information see also our fact sheets – Vaccinating your Dog & Vaccinating your Cat

Frequently Asked Questions:

Do I still need to vaccinate my pets?

Vaccination is essential to prevent against potentially life threatening diseases and this is why we strongly recommend it. Animals also age faster than humans and therefore annual check ups are strongly recommended (this is like seeing the Doctor every 7 years for a human).

Do you still see the diseases?

Thankfully many of the most dangerous diseases are rarer now than they used to be but this is solely due to the use of effective vaccines. These diseases are still seen in unvaccinated animals. Stray dogs or cats are much more likely to carry these diseases and it is impossible to be sure you can prevent your pet from coming into contact with them.

Do vaccines really work?

Yes.

Are vaccines dangerous?

Every thing comes with a risk and vaccination is no different. However, it is important to understand that the risk of these side effects is very low – less than 1/20,000 and the consequences of these are generally short lived and far less serious (similar to feeling faint or a sore arm in humans) than if any of the diseases mentioned are contracted.

Do I need to give annual boosters to my old cat / dog?

Protection against some of the diseases is not particularly long (like the flu vaccine in humans which is given yearly) so we do believe that annual vaccination is essential.

How can I give less vaccine to my pet?

Protection against some of the diseases is not particularly long (like the flu vaccine in humans which is given yearly) so we do believe that annual vaccination is essential against some of the diseases such as lepto in dogs and cat flu and leukaemia in cats. It is possible to take blood samples from dogs to assess levels of immunity for 4 diseases (distemper, 2 types of adenovirus – the cause of hepatitis and parvo) and from cats for feline enteritis, however this is expensive and will require a further visit to the surgery for vaccination should immunity to any of these diseases be low or marginal. For most of our clients we do not believe that this is a practical option as it involves extra expense and visits to the surgery for little or no benefit to their pet. 

Why are annual check ups so important?

Pets live for an average of approximately 10 years and so age far faster than humans who can expect to live for around 60 years. Thus each annual check up is equivalent to seeing a Doctor every 6 or 7 years in a human. This check up enables the vet to examine your pet, advise you on preventative medicine or the treatment of diseases identified at an early stage and help answer any other concerns you may have.

Why are vaccines so expensive?

Vaccines are not expensive. Your annual check up is composed of a consultation fee and a fee for vaccination. We believe that this is extremely good value when put against the cost, distress to the pet and potential loss of having to treat a dog or cat for a disease which is preventable by vaccination or a disease like cancer which when picked up in the early stages is treatable.