Vaccination

If a kitten and puppy is still with the mother, he/she receives antibodies against pathogens through the mother’s milk. That is why it is important for the health of puppies and kittens to stay with the mother until at least 8 weeks of age. This is because the body itself does not make enough antibodies against pathogens before that time.

In addition, puppies should be vaccinated at six, nine and twelve weeks, and kittens at nine and twelve weeks to produce antibodies against fatal infections.

Titrate

It is now also possible to use some blood to determine whether it is necessary to administer a vaccination. This is called titration. Based on this result, we can then determine what is needed and vaccinate your animal as optimally as possible.

In dogs we can titrate for: Hepatitis (adenovirus), Parvo and Distemper (distemper virus)

For the cat we can titrate for: Cat distemper virus (Panleukemia virus)

On the basis of the titer, we can read what the protection of your animal is against these certain diseases.

For the dog it is not possible to titrate for Leptospirosis, Kennel cough/Infectious dog cough. We recommend that you give this vaccination annually for the best protection.

For the cat, the value of the titer is not correlated to the protection against cat flu.

We also recommend giving it annually for the best protection.

Deworming

Worm infections weaken young, sick and old animals.

The deworming advice is every 2 weeks up to the age of 12 weeks, then once a month until the age of six months and then at least four times a year against roundworms and tapeworms. If your dog or cat has fleas, it is advisable to deworm the fleas at the same time and to repeat this after two weeks. If your dog or cat eats a lot of prey and faeces, it is advisable to deworm them monthly. If you do not know when your animal was last dewormed, it is always wise to do this and repeat it two weeks later, then follow the deworming schedule. Always use a wormer with the active ingredients Milbemycin oxime and Praziquantel.

Fleas

When combing: Flea droppings look like brown granules and are found around the neck and at the base of the tail. When you wet these granules on a tissue, it will slowly discolor to blood.

If your animal has fleas, you should put all baskets and toys in the washing machine and treat all animals in the household for 3 months.

Always use products exclusively for cats with cats: Anti-flea products for dogs contain a substance that is toxic to cats.

Chipping

With a microchip under the skin, your animal can return to you if it is missing and found on the basis of your registered data. A chip is not a GPS system with which you can track your pet, but the experience is that most missing animals are reunited with their owner through their microchip. Chipping is recommended for all animals: Also for indoor cats: these more often do not find their way back if they escape or fall from the balcony.

Power supply

If you have just brought an animal into your home, it is best to give the animal the food that he/she is used to. Sudden changes in food combined with the stress of moving can cause stomach upset and diarrhea.

If you want to change foods, it’s best to do it gradually by mixing new and old foods. You can request free nutritional advice from Paraveterinary veterinary assistant Merel Verheij. By choosing a diet that suits your animal and nutritional condition, a lot of disorders can be prevented.