Vaccinations

We recommend a protocol involving 3 vaccines for dogs and 2 vaccines for cats. This is not the same as 3 shots for dogs and 2 for cats - some of these need to be given several times during an initial course, then as a 'booster' every 1, 2 or 3 years depending on the manufacturer.

Sunset Vet's puppy/adult dog and kitten/adult cat vaccination protocols have been devised based on both manufacturer datasheets and the American Animal Hospital Association guidelines. For this reason, we prefer not to administer rabies vaccine at the same time as a dog or cat multivaccine, as there have been reports suggesting that subsequent rabies antibody titre is higher when there is a 2 week gap between vaccinations. Therefore although we do stock Eurican 7 (canine multivaccine plus rabies in 1 shot), we do not use this in our recommended vaccination protocol.

Recently, several studies have shown that vaccines protect dogs for a longer period than previously believed. There have also been many improvements in the quality of the vaccines produced. Pet owners are now also aware and concerned that unnecessary or over-regular vaccination may not be as harmless as first thought. However, a key recommendation is that vaccine decisions should be tailored to the individual dog, particularly the infectious challenge in the geographical location it resides. Sadly in Bali many of the diseases we commonly immunize pets against are rife in the stray population, so the 'infectious challenge' is high, requiring regular booster vaccination.