Diseases for which dog vaccines are most frequently used:
Distemper: This viral disease is very contagious and is transmitted through nasal and eye secretions. On top of general symptoms, of which apathy, coughing, vomiting and diarrhea are the most common, it can cause convulsions and paralysis. This disease is hard to treat and is therefore frequently fatal. If the dog survives, it can have serious sequellae.
Parvovirus: This common viral disease is very contagious, extremely serious and often fatal. The virus attacks digestive system cells and causes abundant, bloody diarrhea. It is transmitted through faeces, is very resistant and can retain its infectiveness in the environment for a long time.
Infectious hepatitis: This viral infection is transmitted through secretions such as saliva, urine and faeces and can cause liver failure, eye lesions and respiratory problems.
Rabies: Rabies is a fatal and untreatable disease affecting the central nervous system, to which most mammals, including cats, dogs and humans, are susceptible. It is transmitted by the saliva of infected animals through bites or contact with wounds or sores. The most common carriers are bats, raccoons, skunks and foxes. Rabies vaccines are required for dogs travelling outside of the country and several towns make these vaccines mandatory for dogs living on their territory.
Infectious tracheo-bronchitis (kennel cough): This dog version of the common cold is a respiratory disease easily transmitted from dog to dog and can be caused by several pathogenic agents. Dogs can catch kennel cough anywhere they come in contact with one another, not just in kennels. And if you’re going on vacation and plan on boarding your dog, most boarding facilities require this vaccination. Our clinic offers an oral Bordetella vaccine. This vaccine enables us to protect your dog with just one small dose squirted directly into your dog’s mouth. That can be a lot more comfortable than receiving an injection or a squirt up the nose.
Leptospirosis: This bacterial disease affects several mammals including dogs. It is a zoonosis, i.e. a disease that can be transmitted to humans. The most common reservoirs of the disease are small wild mammals and transmission is effected through urine, either directly or through the contamination of water the dog will drink or bathe in. The disease has very unspecific general symptoms – vomiting, fever, lethargy, unwillingness to move – but can have very serious, sometimes deadly, renal and hepatic sequellae.
Lyme’s disease: This disease is transmitted through tick bites, this insect being most abundant in wooded or bushy areas and in tall grass fields. Infected ticks, as small as the head of a pin, may inhabit lawns and gardens, as well as fields and forests. Lyme disease can be difficult to diagnose because of the long incubation period and the vague, arthritic, flu-like symptoms. As the disease progresses, Lyme causing bacteria damage many different organs including the liver, heart, nervous system and kidneys.