You can’t keep your pet in a bubble to protect them from illness, but you can get them vaccinated! Long Lake Animal Hospital offers safe and effective cat and dog vaccinations that provide protection against serious diseases like parvo, rabies, and distemper. Using only vaccines with the latest medical technology helps us protect your pet while significantly minimizing the risk of an adverse reaction. For example, we offer non-adjuvanted feline vaccines which create less inflammation at the injection site following administration.
There’s no easier way to protect your pet from disease than with vaccines. Contact us today at (248) 689-8899, make an appointment online, or just walk in to get them up to date!
Tailoring Your Pet's Vaccines to Their Individual Needs
Our veterinarians will work with you to evaluate your pet’s risk factors and create an individualized vaccine plan tailored to their needs and lifestyle. We continuously monitor which diseases are most prevalent in our area, and consider factors specific to your pet such as their age, size, exposure to other animals, boarding, and travel history to select the right vaccines and administration frequency for them.
Some vaccines are considered “core” and essential for all pets to receive and others are “non-core” and administered based on a risk assessment. Some vaccines are administered yearly and others every few years. We can also offer vaccine titers as part of your pet's individual plan, and assess their level of immunity to certain diseases.
Vaccines We Offer to Cats and Dogs in Troy, MI
Below are the vaccines we provide to our canine and feline patients and the diseases they prevent:
Dog Vaccines
A critical public health measure and required by law for dogs, this vaccine protects against the lethal rabies virus, which causes inflammation of the brain and spinal cord.
The DHPP vaccine protects against distemper, hepatitis, parvovirus, and parainfluenza. Distemper is a potentially fatal virus that effects the gastrointestinal, respiratory, and nervous systems. Parvovirus also affects the gastrointestinal tracts and is fatal if left untreated. Parainfluenza is a contagious respiratory virus with clinical signs such as coughing, nasal discharge, low fever, and decreased appetite. Canine hepatitis typically affects the kidneys, lungs, liver, spleen, and blood vessel lining.
Bordetella is a leading cause of the respiratory disease in dogs (commonly called “kennel cough") and can spread quickly within boarding kennels, daycare facilities, grooming facilities, and dog parks. Bordetella can be very serious in young puppies and older dogs with compromised immune systems.
Lyme disease is a zoonotic illness transmitted by deer ticks. Clinical signs include inflamed joints, lameness, fever, and decreased appetite.
Leptospirosis or “lepto” is a bacterial disease transmitted through the urine of wildlife, which can contaminate yards and standing water sources and thereby infect dogs. Southeast Michigan is a particular hotspot for this disease, so we take its prevention very seriously! A zoonotic disease that can cause kidney and liver failure, some dogs may still shed the bacteria without showing any clinical signs, which include fever, change in urination frequency, increased thirst, lethargy, and jaundice.
Also known as “dog flu,” canine influenza is highly contagious and can cause serious respiratory disease including pneumonia. Symptoms include a runny nose, cough, fever, decreased appetite, and eye discharge.
Cat Vaccines
The rabies vaccine protects cats against the fatal rabies virus, which attacks the brain and spinal cord. Common vectors of this disease include raccoons, bats, and coyotes.
This combination vaccine protects cats against 3 of the most common and serious feline viral diseases. Rhinotracheitis (feline herpes virus) and calicivirus are both respiratory diseases that can lead to dehydration, pneumonia, and oral ulcers; while panleukopenia (feline “distemper") is a gastrointestinal disease that causes severe bloody diarrhea and vomiting that is often fatal.
Feline leukemia is a serious and potentially life-long disease that compromises the immune system and can lead to chronic infections and disease. It is commonly transmitted by stray and feral cats. Not all cats are at the same risk for this disease, but we typically recommend the feline leukemia vaccine for kittens and adult cats that regularly spend time outdoors.
How to Monitor Your Pet After Their Vaccinations
Mild reactions to vaccines are normal and to be expected a few hours after injection. However, if your pet’s side effects persist for up to 2 days or they show obvious signs of discomfort, you should let us know right away.
Here are some of the common reactions we see in pets after they’ve been vaccinated:
- A mild fever
- Minor swelling and soreness at the site of injection
- Decreased activity and appetite
Before we vaccinate your pet, please let us know if they have had reactions to their vaccines in the past. We can update your pet’s vaccine protocol accordingly to reduce their risk of a reaction. We also recommend waiting 30 minutes to an hour after your pet’s vaccinations before returning home, just in case they have a reaction that needs to be treated quickly.
For more information about what you can expect after your pet's vaccinations, download the info sheet below!