It is vital that we keep our animals up to date with their routine vaccinations and parasite control treatments, to keep them free from disease, and in optimum health.
See below for information about common types of animal diseases, including symptoms and methods of transmission.
(Dogs and cats require annual vaccinations and generally monthly parasite treatments, and rabbits have 2 vaccinations a year/1 combined vaccine, when they will also be given a full health check.)
For further details, please contact your Vet.
Canine Vaccinations Prevent:
Disease: Canine Parvovirus
Description: Virus can survive in environment for 9 months. 80% of infected dogs, without treatment, die.
Symptoms: Severe bloody vomiting and diarrhoea, dehydration, white blood cell count loss.
Transmission: Caught by contact with faeces from infected dogs.
Disease: Canine Distemper Virus
Description: Short lived in environment, so spread by direct contact.
Symptoms: Fever, depression, coughing vomiting diarrhoea, discharge from eyes and nose. Long term seizures and thickening of skin on nose and pads.
Transmission: Bodily secretions from infected animals.
Disease: Leptospirosis
Description: Disease caused by bacerium.
Symptoms: Fever, lethargy, increased thirst, vomiting, bloody diarrhoea and jaundice. Long term kidney and liver failure.
Transmission: Infected urine or contaminated water.
Disease: Infectious Canine Hepatitis
Description: Virus can survive in environment for months, and urine infectious for 1 year.
Symptoms: Lethargy, coughing, fever vomiting, diarrhoea, jaundice and abdominal pain.
Transmission: Spread by contact of saliva, urine, faeces, blood or nasal discharge of infected dogs.
Feline Vaccinations Prevent:
Disease: Feline Infectious Enteritis
Description: Virus can thrive in environment.
Symptoms: Poor coordination, loss of white blood cell count-loss of ability to fight infection, lethargy, inappetance, fever, seizure, vomiting, diarrhoea, dehydration
Transmission: Spread by faeces and urine of infected cats.
Disease: Feline Herpes Virus
Description: Virus can survive in environment and be passed on to other cats. Common cause of 'Cat-Flu'.
Symptoms: Fever, sneezing, discharge from eyes and nose, conjunctivitis, occasional ulcers on surface on eyes and tongue, anorexia and depression.
Transmission: Spread by discharge from eyes, nose and saliva of infected cats.
Disease: Feline Calicivirus
Description: Surviving cats, of the virus, can become carries and transmit to other cats.
Symptoms: Fever, inappetance, discharge from nose and eyes, sneezing, drooling, mouth ulcers, pneumonia,
Transmission: Spread by direct contact with affected cats, air-borne or contamination of environment.
Disease: Feline Leukaemia Virus
Description: Disease more common in multi-cat households and with un-neutered cats.
Symptoms: Poor body condition, poor coat, anorexia, recurrent infection or disease, gingivitis, diarrhoea and jaundice.
Transmission: Spread via nasal secretions and saliva, though close contact, from grooming, bite wounds and sharing bowls.
Rabbit Vaccinations Prevent:Disease: Myxomatosis.
Description: Viral disease endemic in wild rabbit population in UK.
Symptoms: Discharge from eyes, swelling of eyelids, lips, genitals and around ears.
Transmission: Spread by direct contact with infected rabbit, or bites from parasites carrying the virus.
Disease: Viral Haemorrhagic Disease
Description: High mortality rate.
Symptoms: Depression, collapse, difficulty breathing, fits, fever, lethargy and bleeding from the nose.
Transmission: Spread by direct contact with infected rabbit, parasites or contaminated surroundings.
