 Meet our adorable Great Pyrenees puppy friends, Champ and Chase, are true working dogs in training. They are livestock guardians, and their family wanted us to “Bring the Clinic to Them” to start them on their vaccines to protect them from any diseases they may encounter. These infectious diseases are not only transmitted from direct contact with other dogs, they can be found in the air, as the result of infected animals’ coughing and sneezing. Even on surfaces where other dogs have been or shared water and food bowls. Some can be brought in on our clothes and shoes. Wildlife, like coyotes and raccoons that may visit our property, can pass along certain diseases that our domestic babies can pick up. Sounds like there are threats from everywhere just waiting to harm our little ones! The problem is that puppies don't have the immunity to fight off these encountered pathogens. They may have some acquired immunity from their mom, but that is gone by a certain age (which varies by the individual). So, we vaccinate! However, immunity from mom may block our vaccines, rendering them ineffective. This is why we do a vaccine series, because we never fully know where mom's immunity drops off, and our vaccines can start doing their jobs. Nothing is more heartbreaking than watching a puppy or adult dog suffer with a disease that we know could have been prevented from a simple vaccine. Champ and Chase are learning their jobs as well as gearing up for the possibility of encountering disease causing microorganisms. Big aspirations for these little guys, thanks to their loving family! We were talking today about our fluffy canines, but the same is also true for our friendly felines too. To find out more about a vaccine schedule for your pet, give our office a call! 
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 Meet our buddy "Tank!" This handsome man was seen for his second rattlesnake vaccine. He lives on acreage in Murrieta and has a high risk of running into a rattlesnake during his daily jaunts on the property. His awesome mom wanted to protect him from a potentially fatal bite, so she had him vaccinated and took him to rattlesnake avoidance training. Since he had never had the vaccine before, he had to have the initial vaccine, and then have it boostered a month later. The days are getting longer and warmer, rattlesnakes are emerging from their dens, thus rattlesnake season has begun. So, do you know if your dog needs a vaccine? Since we shouldn't over vaccinate our animals, we need to consider if they are at high risk. Do they live on acreage or near hillsides? Even if they live in a tract home, does the home back up to the creek or wooded/brush filled areas? Do they go hiking or camping with the family? Do they live in an area that is a long distance away from a veterinary hospital or emergency clinic? Is there a defined high risk for rattlesnake exposure? A big misconception about the vaccine is that it will protect the dog from any bite, and the dog will not require veterinary treatment. Not true at all! What the vaccine does is buy you time to get your dog to the vet for emergency care. It may lessen the severity of the venom and as a result there may be less pain, swelling, tissue damage, clotting issues and organ involvement. The dog also may not require as much antivenin. Sounds good, but all of this is influenced by other things such as the dog's age, health, breed, location of the bite, how much venom was injected, how much time elapsed between bite and treatment, and how much physical activity between bite and treatment. We really hope Mr. Tank avoids any rattlesnake that he may encounter, but if he should get bitten, we are happy to know that he has a little back up protection from the vaccine until help arrives! Happy trails Tank! |
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