To vaccinate is part of a good preventive care for your pet. In the Netherlands there some contagious and life-threatening diseases are prevalent. Some of there are very rare and others are more common. An adequate antibody titer is not only important for your own animal’s immunity, it also helps prevent the spread of diseases to other animals, and in some cases humans too.
During a vaccination appointment a complete physical examination is performed. This is important in order to check the health of your pet and also to prevent possible complications from the vaccination. If your pet is sick, the chances of getting sick from the vaccine are increased. That is the reason that we never advise to vaccinate an animal who is not feeling well.
Custom vaccination scheme
Bottom line—vaccines are very important in managing the health of your pet. That said, not every animal needs to be vaccinated against every disease. It is very important to talk to your with your veterinarian about a vaccination protocol that’s right for your pet. Factors that should be considered include age, medical history, environment, travel habits and lifestyle.
This is the up-to-date protocol about vaccination in small companion animals (August 2015):
A.- Dogs
Puppies at 6, 9 and 12 weeks, and after that every year according to the vaccination scheme (cocktail* every 3 years and Weil’s disease/leptospirosis every year).
*Cocktail: Distemper, Canine Hepatitis, Parvovirus, Leptospirosis (Weil’s disease).
KC (Kennel Cough nose drops): every year for animals staying at a kennel or those having a higher risk of infection.
Rabies: compulsory if the dog travels abroad (every 3 years). The dog has to be at least 12 weeks of age and the vaccination has to be given at least 21 days before travelling.
B.- Cats
Kittens at 9 and 12 weeks of age, and after that every year according to the vaccination scheme ( Feline panleukopenia (distemper) every 3 years and the “cat flu” every year).
Rabies: compulsory if the cat travels abroad (every 3 years). The cat has to be at least 12 weeks of age and the vaccination has to be given at least 21 days before travelling.
C.- Rabbits
Rabbits are vaccinated every year against Myxomatosis and VHD. Both are quite prevalent in The Hague and are also very contagious and severe diseases. Rabbits are vaccinated at 8 weeks of age, dwarf rabbits at 12 weeks.
Travelling with your pet
When you take your pet abroad it’s compulsory to have it vaccinated against rabies. Besides this, they have to be microchipped and need an official pet passport which includes all this information.
Some European countries –such as Norway, Sweden, Malta and Turkey- have another complementary regulations.. Non European countries usually have other regulations.
You can read up on this on the following website: www.licg.nl. If you are travelling outside Europe, we advise you to also call the embassy of the country where you are travelling to.