Start the New Year by ensuring that your pets are vaccinated

The Alberton SPCA is calling on residents to begin the new year by vaccinating their pets. Vaccinating your pet protects it against serious diseases, some of which can be transferred to humans.

For those who may have been gifted puppies or kittens during the festive season, make sure that your pet gets their inoculations during their first six weeks, followed by booster shots to give them full protection.

Some people may have fully vaccinated their pets but rarely take their pets to the vet for re-vaccination. It is important to take your pet for re-vaccination and a thorough check at least once a year.

Unvaccinated pets are vulnerable to serious and deadly diseases like rabies which is a viral disease that attacks the central nervous system, leading to progressive and deadly inflammation of the brain.

Canine distemper is another potential disease, which is highly contagious among dogs, but not to cats or humans, and this virus spreads through mucus discharged from the eyes and nostrils.

Others include parvovirus, kennel cough (parainfluenza virus), feline viral rhinotracheitis (snuffles), feline calicivirus, feline leukaemia (FeLV), among others.

In addition to vaccinating, people are encouraged to deworm their pets. Kittens and puppies under three months are treated every two weeks, then every month from three to six months of age and thereafter every three months.

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