ANSWER KEY

General:

  1. Which vaccine is legally required for all dogs and cats older than 16 weeks? Rabies vaccine
  2. Are vaccines effective immediately? Not necessarily. The immune system typically takes a couple of weeks to mount an appropriate immune response. For puppies and kittens, an additional consideration focuses on maternal antibodies. Maternal antibodies will interfere with certain vaccinations until approximately 16 to 18 weeks of age. This is why your puppy or kitten will receive multiple boosters of certain vaccinations.
  3. Is it ok for a pet to receive multiple vaccinations on the same day? Pets can receive more than 1 vaccination on the same day. However, for pets who have experienced previous problems or reactions to vaccines, we typically recommend splitting the vaccines up. Additionally, for young animals and small breed dogs, we will often split out at least some vaccines because small breed dogs may be more likely to react when numerous vaccines are administered on the same day.
  4. At times, some vaccines need to be bolstered after 2 to 4 weeks. What happens if the pet does not come back to receive the booster vaccine? If the initial series is not completed in the recommended time frame, the series will need to be restarted.

Cats:

  1. If a cat goes outside, they should receive these vaccines: (1) Rabies; (2) Panleukopenia / Rhinotracheitis / Calici / Chlamydia combination; and (3) _________________. Feline leukemia vaccine
  2. Why does Lawndale use a non-adjuvanted Rabies vaccine in cats? To reduce the chances of vaccine associated Sarcomas
  3. Is there a cure for Feline Leukemia? No, treatment is symptomatic and supportive.

Dogs:

  1. Parvovirus infection is most commonly found in puppies. Signs can include intense, severe vomiting and diarrhea. Puppies with Parvo can get incredibly sick or even die. Can puppies who are in the middle of their puppy shot series (ages 0 to 16 week) still develop Parvo? Yes. Puppies are not considered fully protected until 2 to 3 weeks after their final puppy Parvo vaccine.
  2. A Kennel Cough vaccine should be administered every 6 months to dogs who are boarded, groomed, taken to the dog park, or visit doggie daycares. For dogs that don’t go to these places, are there other possible routes of exposure to consider? Neighborhood dogs (across fence lines, on walks); dogs visiting the home; etc.
  3. A zoonotic disease is one that can be transmitted between animals and humans. What zoonotic diseases can dogs be vaccinated against? Rabies; Leptospirosis; Lyme Disease; Kennel cough caused by Bordetella bronchiseptica (Rarely and typically immunocompromised)