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Vaccinations, ticks and worms: basic health care for dogs and cats

Vaccinate, control ticks and fleas, deworm and sterilise. These four cost far less than treating the diseases they prevent, and rabies vaccination is the law. This guide explains the general pattern. Your vet sets the schedule for your pet.

Find a vet before you need one

Choose a vet near home with clear prices and an after-hours emergency number. Animal welfare clinics offer vaccinations, sterilisation and basic treatment at lower cost to people who qualify.

A first visit in the first week usually covers a full check, the vaccinations that are due, deworming, advice on ticks and fleas, a microchip, and a plan for sterilisation.

Vaccinations in outline

• Puppies and kittens get a course of injections a few weeks apart, starting at about six to eight weeks old. They are not fully protected until shortly after the last injection.
• Adults get boosters, some every year and others less often.
• An adult with an unknown history starts again with a course.

Dogs are vaccinated against parvovirus, distemper, hepatitis and rabies, among others. Cats are vaccinated against feline panleukopenia, the viruses that cause cat flu, and rabies.

Keep the record card. Kennels, catteries and some groomers ask to see it.

Rabies and the law

Rabies is present in South Africa, especially in KwaZulu-Natal, the Eastern Cape, Limpopo and Mpumalanga. Once signs appear, it is almost always fatal, in animals and in people.

Vaccinating dogs and cats against rabies is required by law: in outline, a first vaccination at about three months, a second within a year, and then boosters at least every three years. State vets sometimes run free campaigns.

If a person is bitten or scratched by an animal whose rabies vaccination is unknown:

1. Wash the wound at once with plenty of soap and running water for at least 10 to 15 minutes.
2. Go to a clinic or doctor the same day. Treatment after a bite prevents rabies, but only if it starts quickly.
3. Note what the animal looked like and where it is.

Ticks and tick bite fever

Tick bite fever in dogs, also called biliary, kills dogs every summer.

• Use a tick and flea product from your vet, or a registered product exactly as its label says, all year.
• Check your dog every day in summer, especially the ears, head, neck and between the toes.
• Remove a tick with a tick remover or fine tweezers, gripping it close to the skin and pulling straight out. Do not burn it or smear it with anything.

Tick bite fever is an emergency. A dog that is tired, not eating, or has pale or yellowish gums or dark urine needs a vet the same day. Treated early, most dogs recover.

Never use dog tick and flea products on cats. Some contain substances that kill cats. Never use farm dips on pets.

Fleas and worms

Flea eggs live in bedding and carpets, which is why fleas come back. Treat every pet in the home at the same time, wash the bedding in hot water and vacuum often.

Some worms can infect people, especially children. Deworm puppies and kittens often, as the vet advises, and adults regularly, often every three months. Pick up droppings in the yard and wash hands after handling pets.

Sterilisation

Spaying or neutering:

• prevents unwanted puppies and kittens;
• reduces roaming, fighting and spraying in males;
• prevents some cancers and serious womb infections.

Most pets are sterilised from about six months old, as the vet advises. Welfare clinics often do it at lower cost, and most pets recover in a few days.

This guide is based on Chapter 5 of Your Dog or Cat in South Africa.