Vaccinations

In order to keep our pets healthy and protect them from infectious diseases, it is necessary to provide them with vaccinations. Unfortunately, some infectious diseases cannot be cured, but they can be prevented with vaccinations.

When should a puppy start vaccinations?

In the case of dogs, vaccinations should usually be started at the age of 6-8 weeks, which should be repeated every 2 weeks. Full protection develops only after multiple vaccinations, after 12 weeks of age.

There are so-called mandatory (core) vaccines that are recommended for all puppies and there are also optional vaccinations that the veterinarian will recommend taking into account the puppy’s lifestyle and housing conditions.

Vaccination against rabies is mandatory, and its administration is required by law (FVM decree 164/2008. (XII. 20.) on the detailed rules for protection against rabies).

Annual repetition of vaccinations is essential to maintain immunity!

You can read more about the vaccination program for dogs on the following page:

⇒ Dog vaccinations

Should cats be vaccinated?

Vaccinations for kittens are not mandatory, but we can protect them against many diseases with vaccinations.

Infectious diseases of cats should be classified into two groups.

• There are diseases that do not require direct contact with cats to develop, the owner can also bring it home to a cat kept in an apartment, e.g. on the soles of his shoes.
• Also, there are diseases that require direct contact with cats to develop. These diseases therefore threaten cats kept in the garden and yard and are spread by bodily secretions (saliva, blood, sexual secretions).

This circumstance affects which vaccination is advisable to give to a kitten kept in an apartment and which to a garden kitten that comes into contact with its own kind.

You can read in detail about the infectious diseases of cats and the vaccinations that can be given against them on this page:

⇒ Vaccinations for cats

And what to do with hunting ferrets?

These wonderful little predators are also exposed to infectious diseases – primarily distemper and rabies, which are widespread worldwide and cause disease in other animal species (dogs, raccoons, seals).

The majority of hunting ferrets live their lives as hobby animals and have no chance of coming into contact with a rabid animal, but we still recommend rabies vaccination!

Why?

Ferrets are lively, sometimes unpredictable little animals.

It is easy for them to grab your hand in their excitement. If all this e.g. it happens with the neighbor’s child in the heat of the game and our child is not vaccinated, the trouble is already over.

The bitten person may have to receive a series of vaccinations against rabies (the competence of the Office of the Medical Examiner is to order the vaccination).

To avoid this, it is advisable to administer the rabies vaccine.

You can read in detail about the infectious diseases of hunting ferrets and the vaccinations that can be given against them on the following page:

Vaccinations of house rabbits

Pet rabbits are taxonomically considered burrowing rabbits, and their viral infectious diseases are the same as those of burrowing rabbits.

There are two important diseases to mention, against which we have vaccinations.

One is a viral disease called myxomatosis, which is spread by arthropods, primarily mosquitoes, through their bites.

The other is RHD (rabbit haemorrhagic disease), also known as Chinese rabbit plague or hemorrhagic disease of rabbits.

Both diseases are fatal for rabbits.

It is advisable to use a combined vaccine protecting against both diseases, which must be repeated annually.