Vaccinations
Vaccinations help keep your animals healthy and happy. At Chesapeake Animal Hospital, we recommend vaccinations for your pet depending on age, lifestyle and risk of exposure on an individual basis. Some vaccines are administered annually, while other vaccines are recommended every six months or every three years depending upon the vaccine type.
Types of vaccines which may be recommended are as follows:
Dogs:
- Distemper/Adenovirus/Parainfluenza/Parvovirus — every three years
- Rabies — every three years after the initial vaccine
- Leptospirosis — every year depending on exposure risk
- Bordatella (kennel cough) — every six months depending on exposure in boarding kennels, dog parks, obedience school, veterinary hospitals or grooming facilities
- Lyme Disease — every year depending on risk of exposure
- P3 Dental vaccine — depending on age and breed of animal
Cats:
- FVRCP (feline distemper) — every three years following initial vaccines
- Rabies — required every three years, but we recommend annually with a non-adjuvant type of vaccine
- Feline leukemia — recommended for all kittens up to one year of age, then dependent on risk of exposure
- Feline AIDS — every year depending on risk of exposure
If you chose to get a pet from the Humane Society, or take in a stray, or in some other way inherit an older pet, it should be brought in for a full physical exam as soon as possible.
Dogs over six months of age should always be tested for heartworms, which also includes a screening test for tick borne diseases such as Lyme Disease, Ehrlichia, and Anaplasmosis.
