Vaccine Information

At Riverton Veterinary Clinic, we feel that it is extremely important to have your furry family member fully vaccinated. There are obviously a large number of different vaccines that are recommended, and unfortunately when you bring your pet in for vaccines, the list of recommendations can be overwhelming. Here is a list of the vaccines that we recommend and what they are used for. This will hopefully make your vaccine appointment a little less difficult.

For Dogs and Puppies:

Distemper virus:
This virus can cause a wide range of symptoms including upper respiratory signs, (watery eyes, cough, nasal discharge) gastrointestinal signs (vomiting, diarrhea), and even neurological signs (tremors, seizures, or paralysis). Unfortunately, contracting this virus often leads to death.
Adenovirus:
This virus has two types. Type 1 causes hepatitis. Hepatitis is inflammation of the liver. Type 2 causes tracheobronchitis which is when the windpipe and bronchi become inflamed leading to a cough.
Parvovirus:
Parvo is a serious and often fatal illness in puppies that most commonly presents with gastrointestinal signs and symptoms (vomiting, diarrhea, lethargy, inappetence).
Parainfluenza:
This is one of the many respiratory pathogens that can cause kennel cough in dogs. So, it is associated with severe cough.
Bordetella:
This vaccine protects against the Bordetella bacteria which is another bacteria responsible for causing kennel cough.
Leptospirosis:
Leptospirosis (Lepto) is a disease that may cause serious damage to the kidney and liver and in some cases may be fatal. It is transmitted through the urine of an infected animal, so dogs can be exposed when drinking out of streams or lakes. It is potentially contagious to humans, so your dog could pass it to you.

Influenza:
Canine influenza is specific to dogs and our vaccine protects against both known types H3N8 and H3N2. Sinilar to influenza in humans, our dogs can show respiratory signs including cough, discharge from the eyes or nose, sneezing and lethargy. In severe cases, pneumonia and high fevers may also be present. Pneumonia can be fatal.
Rabies:
This vaccine is required by law for dogs in Utah. Rabies is a fatal virus that affects the brain and spinal cord. It is very important to keep our pets vaccinated against rabies as fatal cases have also been documented in humans.
Canine Influenza:
This vaccine protects against a severe tracheobronchitis that can progress to pneumonia. We are fortunate to have very few confirmed cases of this in the state of Utah but if you and your pet are going to travel out of our state, we highly recommend this vaccine.

For Cats and Kittens:

FVRCP: Feline Viral Rhinotracheitis, Calicivirus, and Panleukopenia. This combination vaccine prevents all 3 of these viral diseases.

• Rhinotracheitis is caused by a herpes virus and presents as an upper respiratory disease in cats. Common signs include cough, eye/nasal discharge, and lethargy.
• Calicivirus is a pathogen also responsible for upper respiratory and oral disease in cats.
• Panleukopenia is a very serious viral disease that attacks rapidly growing cells, like those in the bone marrow. This can cause devastating effects if not protected against.

FeLV: Feline Leukemia
This vaccine helps prevent infection by a viral agent that suppresses a cat’s immune system and makes them prone to serious infection.
Rabies:
This vaccine is required by law for cats in Utah. Rabies is a virus that affects the brain and spinal cord. It is very important to keep our pets vaccinated against rabies as cases have also been documented in humans.