Vaccinating your pet against contagious and incurable diseases gives your pet the best chance at living a long and healthy life. Sadly, there is a lot of misinformation about vaccines. Mission Veterinary Clinic and Animal Emergency Hospital in Granada Hills, CA, lists what you need to know about pet vaccines.

They’re Comparatively Inexpensive

The cost of treating your pet at an animal hospital for a life-threatening illness can run thousands of dollars. In comparison, vaccines usually cost around $200 for the first round, and much less for boosters. There are many places that offer free or low-cost pet vaccination events.

Dogs Have to Get the Rabies Vaccine

In the state of California, all dogs and puppies over four months old are legally required to get the rabies shot. Cats, although not required to get the shot, should, because the chances of getting rabies from another animal is very high. Rabies is incurable. It is also not only transmissible to people, but almost always kills all animals it infects.

You Need a Veterinarian to Give Vaccines

Some pet owners think they can save a few bucks by vaccinating their pets themselves. They usually wind up poisoning their pets. They also cannot do anything if their pets go into anaphylactic shock. It takes special training to learn how to vaccinate pets properly. You can also give your pets a potentially lethal infection from the needle.

Most Common Side Effects of Vaccinations

Most pets do not have any negative reaction to getting vaccines. The most common side effect is being tired. Other common side effects are swelling or tenderness at the injection site, and mild fever that goes away in one or two days.

About Anaphylactic Shock

An extremely rare reaction from a vaccine is anaphylactic shock, where the pet has problems breathing and his or her blood pressure plummets. You and your pet should stay at the animal hospital for about 20 minutes after getting vaccinated. If anything should happen, your pet can get veterinary help immediately.

Still Have Questions?

If you have further questions about the benefits of vaccines for your pet and live in the Granada Hills, CA, area, contact Mission Veterinary Clinic and Animal Emergency Hospital at (818) 363-8143 to make an appointment today.