Katie Cranstoun now offers acupuncture for your animals who may be suffering from aches and pains and other conditions like arthritis
Vaccinating your dog:
It is very important that you vaccinate your puppy, they are vaccinated at 8 weeks and 10 weeks of age. Puppies initially have immunity from their mothers against diseases due to antibodies, but these soon wear off. Diseases can be picked up by coming into contact with other dogs and going places where dogs have been, e.g. in parks. Once they have received their second injection they are then ok to go on walks and socialise with other dogs. Things that we vaccinate against:
Canine Distemper (Hardpad): This virus attacks the gut, lungs and nervous system and is usually fatal.
Canine Parvovirus: An aggressive disease that attacks the immune system and cells lining the intestines, causing serious, often fatal, vomiting and diarrhoea. Young unvaccinated pups are especially susceptible.
Coronavirus: a viral cause of diarrhoea which is included in our puppy regime
Infectious Canine Hepatitis:
This virus rapidly attacks the liver, lungs, kidneys and eyes. Many
cases are fatal but some dogs can recover.
Canine Parainfluenza Virus: This virus is an important component
of `kennel cough' , a highly infectious upper respiratory tract
infection of dogs which causes a dry hacking cough.
Leptospirosis: This disease is caused by bacteria from the family Leptospira. Two types of disease are seen but both can be protected against. The first is passed on in watercourses from the urine of infected rats and this strain can also affect humans. The second is caught from the urine of infected dogs. Whilst antibiotics can help to treat Leptospirosis, cases can often be fatal or cause lifelong damage to the kidneys
Kennel cough vaccines protect against a bacteria called bordetella bronchiseptica which is one of the more serious strains of `kennel cough` infection. Vaccination is often a requirement of boarding kennels to reduce its spread.
Vaccinating your cat:
Kittens are vaccinated at 9 weeks of age and then 3 weeks later. They can then be let outside a week after the second injection.
Cats are vaccinated against:
Feline Leukaemia Virus (FeLV) is the commonest cause of death in young cats in the U.K. Infected cats show a myriad of problems ranging from diarrhoea, mouth ulcers and lethargy to cancerous tumours . It is spread mainly in the saliva of infected cats and is passed from cat to cat by grooming, sharing the same feeding areas or biting. The disease is fatal with life expectancy being 2 years after infection.
Cat flu is a viral disease causes by two main viruses -Calicivirus arid Herpesvirus. The main symptoms are sneezing, coughing, discharging sore eyes and mouth ulcers. It can develop into pneumonia and can occasionally be fatal. There is no specific cure for these viruses, treatment can help reduce the symptoms. Herpesvirus in a particular problem in that it lies dormant in the body indefinitely and causes relapses throughout life. It is not uncommon for cats that have had flu as a kitten to be snuffly all their life.
Enteritis is a fatal viral disease, sometimes seen in young kittens. The protection against enteritis is combined in the flu vaccine
Chlamydia: This is a bacterial disease, which affects the eyes and upper airways
Cat Bordetella bronchiseptica mostly causes mild signs of fever, sneezing, nasal discharge and enlarged lymph glands. These signs tend to disappear after about 10 days. Life-threatening bronchopneumonia may develop particularly in young kittens. Some cats can become long term carriers. This disease can be vaccinated against via an intranasal vaccine.
Vaccinating your rabbit:
Rabbits can
be vaccinated against two diseases. The first is Myxomatosis which
causes swollen
eyes and back end and is generally fatal. Vaccinations can be from
6 weeks of age and is recommended to do every 6 months.
The second disease is Viral Haemorrhagic Disease (VHD) which cause collapse, breathing difficulties, convulsions, bleeding from orifices and death. The vaccine Cylap can be given from 12 weeks of age and is given once a year.