REMEMBER: a single vaccination will not give your pet permanent protection from disease. It is essential that you follow your vet's advice about the boosters which are needed
If you are on benefits or state pension and really cannot afford the full cost of vaccination at a private vet, you are eligible to have it given to your pet at our clinic at a lower rate than the private vet would need to charge.
Users of the RSPCA animal clinic must bring proof of benefits or paperwork such as a bank-statement which shows that they have a very low income each time they visit the clinic. If you are unable to bring your pet yourself it's fine for a helper to bring them for you, but the helper must show proof that you are in receipt of benefit and needs to have a signed note from you confirming that they are bringing the animal on your behalf.
Vaccinations can be given at any clinic session, but normally the best time to attend is the Wednesday clinic (9 - 10.30 am) which is restricted to vaccinations, microchipping and pre-neutering checks and normally has the shortest waiting time. If your pet's vaccinations are not up to date or you are bringing a very young animal for first vaccinations it is also safer to avoid mixing with the sick animals who will be attending the open sessions on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.
We've recently seen a surge of cases of parvovirus infection and any dog whose vaccinations are not current could be at risk. The disease is particularly dangerous to younger dogs who have never been vaccinated and is very often fatal. If your dog or puppy is not vaccinated please consult your vet right away - IT IS NOT WORTH risking a £500 vet bill and a dead dog at the end of it for the sake of saving the comparatively small cost of vaccination.
If your dog is not vaccinated and starts vomiting or has diarrhoea DO NOT let them mix with other dogs and phone your vet for advice. If you have more than one dog, keep the sick one away from the ones who are still healthy. Contact your vet by phone for advice before getting the healthy dogs vaccinated - they may be carrying the disease and it is important that they are not brought into contact with other dogs.
If your dog has puppies DO NOT assume that they are safe provided they do not go out. It is possible for their mother to bring infection home when she is exercised and it may also be carried by any other dogs you own. Consult your vet about ensuring that all your adult dogs are vaccinated and about the age at which the puppies can be given their own innoculations. Remember that puppies of a bitch who is not vaccinated are at increased risk of infection.
Any rabbit whose vaccinations are not up to date is at risk of myxomatosis - even if your rabbit lives in a built-up area and is not in direct contact with any other rabbits. Like the bluetongue virus of livestock, myxomatosis is spread by biting midges and your rabbit needs to be vaccinated every 6 months to be fully protected. We have seen cases of infection in rabbits living in central Cambridge miles away from the nearest wild rabbits. There is usually an increase in cases in Spring and Autumn.
We have seen several cats with full-blown cat 'flu - this is a serious illness which can kill very young, very old, or debilitated cats and can also leave cats who recover with permanent problems, such as recurrent sinus infections or very painful inflammation conditions. Your cat is not fully protected unless she has received an initial course of two injections with a 3 week interval between them, followed by yearly boosters.
Always be guided by your vet's advice on vaccination - some illnesses may mean that your pet cannot be vaccinated at the normal time and this may mean it is even more important that any other pets you have are up-to-date with their boosters.
Cambridge is a very high-risk area for myxomatosis, which is a distressing and almost always fatal disease of rabbits. The virus which causes the disease can be transmitted from wild rabbits to tame ones by biting insects such as mosquitos without any need for direct contact. It is very important that all pet rabbits are vaccinated to protect them against this killer disease.
Cambridge is also a high-risk area for canine parvo-virus which causes vomiting, diarrhoea and bleeding from the intestines and is often fatal. Vaccination will protect your pet, but remember that vaccinations need to be kept up with yearly boosters to be fully effective.
If your cat or dog has a litter and you plan to sell the puppies or kittens it is unfair to other owners to use our clinic for their vaccinations. You should charge the purchasers enough to cover the cost of the initial vaccinations at a private vet. Our staff have instructions to refuse to vaccinate litters of pedigree puppies where they have reasonable grounds to believe that the puppies will be sold for profit.
