We are open!

We are open today and plan to be open, barring any unforseen changes in the weather or power outages. Just drive safe, there are many branches and power lines down.

We are closed

Due to a power outage, Jackson Hwy Vet Clinic is closed for the rest of the day.  The power should be back on sometime tonight, so we should be open again tomorrow, regular business hours.  The phones do not work with the power off, so please call us back!Thanks for the understanding!

We are OPEN!

We are open again! The roads are passable (we aren't having any freezing rain) and our drive way is plowed (THANK YOU kindly neighbor), so we are open regular business hours again.  We are returning a back log of messages, so if you called, please feel free to call again and we will be here!
DRIVE SAFE- there are still areas of freezing rain and ice.

Vaccines

Today I'm going to write about why we give vaccines and a brief overview of each vaccine.  I will talk about each individual disease we vaccinate against separately.
Puppies and kittens are on different schedules, and obviously get different vaccines.  I will start with dogs.
Dogs are usually started with vaccines at about 6 weeks of age, and are boosted until about 15 weeks of age.  The reason for vaccinating until a certain age is that the puppies should get some protection from their mother and that protection starts to wane between 10 and 12 weeks of age.  We need to make sure that the puppies immune system is responding, which is why we go so long.  The reason why we recommend starting so early is that not all the puppies in a litter get even amount of protection, especially in large litters.
The recommend, or core, vaccines for dogs include: distemper virus, adenovirus (which causes a form of hepatitis), parvovirus, parainfluenza (which causes severe upper respiratory disease) and rabies.
The non-core, or optional, vaccines are leptospirosis, bordetella (kennel cough) and coronavirus.

Kittens are usually vaccinated between the ages of 6 weeks and 12 weeks.  Cat litters are usually smaller than dog litters.  Cats usually do not have more than 6 to 8 kittens, while some dogs can have 12 to 15 puppies per litter.  This means that cats are more likely to get protection from their mother and that protection wanes faster, which is why we vaccinate them less.
The core vaccines for a cat are: rhinotracheitis, calicivirus, panleukopenia, chlamydia and rabies.
The non-core vaccines are leukemia.
The vaccine that is available, but not recommended for cats is FIV vaccine.

There are a lot of people worried about over vaccinating their pets.  The immune response for each part of the vaccine varies and different parts are due on different schedules.  Once your pet is past the initial series of vaccines, the immune response lasts for at least a year, but beyond that it depends on a lot of factors which is why it is important to talk to your veterinarian about the best vaccine schedule for your pet .  They will be able to help you determine your animals level of risk and plan the best time to re-vaccinate your pet.

Happy New Year!!

With the change in the year, there is a new law coming into effect for the state of Washington.  As of January 1, 2012, state law requires that all dogs, cats and ferrets be rabies vaccinated.  While most people already do this and many cities and counties require rabies vaccines, there were a few animals slipping through the cracks.
Here are some facts about rabies from the Washington Department of Health:
How common is human rabies and what is the source of the rabies virus?
      Human rabies is an extremely rare disease in this country. Since 1990 the number of reported cases in the United States has ranged from 1 to 7 cases annually. Almost all human rabies cases acquired in the United States since 1980 have been due to bat rabies virus. When human rabies occurs due to exposure outside of the United States it is usually the result of the bite of a rabid dog.
Has human rabies occurred recently in Washington?
      There have been two cases of human rabies identified in Washington during the last 20 years. In 1995, a four year old child died of rabies four weeks after a bat was found in her bedroom and in 1997, a 64 year old man was diagnosed with rabies.  These two Washington residents were infected with bat rabies virus.

Has rabies occurred recently in domestic animals Washington?

       During the last 20 years, several domestic animals have been diagnosed with rabies. In 2002, a rabid cat was identified in Walla Walla County with bat rabies. The last suspected rabid dog was identified in Pierce County in 1987.  In 1992, a horse in Benton County died of rabies and in 1994, a llama in King County died after becoming infected with a bat rabies virus.