The Basics of Vaccinations

The basic premise of vaccination is that by vaccinating your pet you make their immune system aware of a certain disease. If your pet then comes into contact with that disease, its immune system is primed to respond rapidly and will be able to effectively fight off the infection.

Vaccinations work and have been responsible for dramatically reducing disease incidence in both humans and animals. The incidence of side effects or  illness caused by the vaccine is minimal and is usually limited to a mild temperature, malaise and very rarely urticaria (hives)

Vaccinations cannot cause the disease that you are vaccinating for.

We do very occasionally see cases of where a vaccinated animal develops a disease that it has been vaccinated for. This can be due to a variety of factors such as:
The animal could have already been incubating the disease then it was vaccinated;
The vaccine may not have been stored or administered properly;
The animal was fighting some other disease at the time of vaccination;
The animal could be undergoing other stressors at the time of vaccinating (like going into kennels directly after being vaccinated);
Different brands of vaccine were used..

The recommend vaccination protocol for both puppies and kittens is either at  8, 12 and 16 weeks or 6,9,12, and 16 weeks. The reason that we need to give 3-4 vaccines to the younger animals, is because we cannot be sure when the level or protection they get from their Mom starts to wane, and it often takes more than one vaccination to generate an adequate immune response.

Please also be very skeptical of everything that you may read about vaccines on social media. The majority of the reports / articles out there have little scientific evidence and are often based on a lay-person’s perception and not the proven facts. If you have any questions or concerns about vaccinating, please feel free to discuss it with one of our vets.

We realize that this can be a costly exercise so in an effort to promote good vaccination protocols we will be running a special: if your  puppy or kitten’s first two vaccinations are done with us;  we will administer the third vaccination free of charge. This offer will  run for a limited time only.

Food orders and specific diets:

If your pet needs a specific food that we do not usually stock, especially the prescription diets, please make sure that you phone or email Kerry a few days before it is needed so that it may be ordered in for you. We unfortunately request payment at the time of ordering, as many of these food companies (with the exception of Hill’s) do not allow us to return the food if the client changes their mind.

Once payment has been received, we will order it and have it ready for collection within 2 days.

Tel: 033 386 1212
Email: admin@hayfieldsvet.co.za

Please also remember that you get a 5% discount that on all food pre-ordered and paid for via EFT.

Going away and not sure what do to with your pets?

Over the past years we have seen a increase in the use of pet sitters as a way to look after your pet while you are away.
There is no denying that most pets are much more comfortable in their home environment as opposed to the kennels but this does not mean that the house sitter option is best for all pets.

Some of the disadvantages to having a house sitter  are: 

• Accidents are more likely to happen at home, as for the most part of the day, there is no supervision and more space for accidents to occur.
• If an accident or illness occurs it is not always dealt with promptly and this can have severe repercussions.
• If  the house sitter is unable to handle or transport your pet there is no way that it can be taken to the vet.
• Multiple animals in the kennels can be costly.
• Certain animals get very stressed in kennel situation and this can lead to problems such as weight loss or gastro-intestinal upsets.
• If your animals are not vaccinated they are more prone to contracting infectious diseases.
• Make sure that your pet can be taken to the vet if they fall ill.
• Make sure you are contactable in cases of emergency.  For example if your pets has a spinal disc prolapse would you be happy for it to go for and MRI spinal surgery? These decisions need to be made quickly as delaying surgery will make for a poorer prognosis.
• If going to the kennels make sure vaccinations (including kennel cough) are up to date. Take your pets usual food to avoid GI upsets.

If your pet is on chronic medications make that sure you have enough to last them while you are away and, that the carer is able to medicate them properly .