Vaccinations For Your Pet

At Patterson Cat & Dog Hospital, we believe in the importance of vaccinations for protecting your pet against preventable diseases. However, while many pet vaccines are critical for good pet health, not all vaccines are necessary or even advisable for all pets.

That’s why we only vaccinate pets after performing a thorough physical examination.

All vaccines are given at the doctor’s discretion and based on the results of our examination. We will personalize our vaccination recommendations to your individual dog or cat’s needs based on many factors, including the lifestyle of you and your pet, the medical condition of your pet, your pet’s age, and your pet’s exposure risk.

Pet Vaccine Programs

Your animal’s vaccine is divided up into core vaccines and non-core vaccines. Core vaccines are recommended for all pets, non-core vaccines are recommended based on your pet's risk factors :

Dog Vaccinations:

Core vaccines:

• DA2PP: recommended 1 year after the initial series, then every 3 years to vaccinate against:
  • Distemper, a viral infection of the respiratory system and brain
  • Adenovirus (hepatitis), a virus that affects the liver
  • Parainfluenza, a respiratory virus that is part of the “kennel cough” complex
  • Parvovirus, a viral infection of the intestines that causes death in untreated puppies
• Leptospirosis: initial series followed by yearly boosters to vaccinate against 4 different types (serovars) of leptospirosis, a bacterial infection that affects the liver and kidneys and is contagious to humans through urine.

• Rabies: Detroit law requires an initial vaccine by 16 weeks of age followed by boosters every 1–3 years to vaccinate against the rabies infection, a viral infection of the brain that is fatal to pets and humans. In Michigan, bats and skunks can also carry rabies.

Non-core vaccines:

• Bordetella: initial vaccine followed by boosters every 6–12 months (depending on exposure risks) to vaccinate against bordetella, the bacterial infection commonly referred to as “kennel cough” and one of a group of infections that can be responsible for this disease.
• Borrelia burdorferi (Lyme Disease): initial series of 2 vaccines followed by yearly boosters. Lyme is the disease that develops after exposure to the bacteria that is carried by black-legged ticks. This vaccine is recommended for all dogs that travel to areas where the disease is present, or are potentially exposed to the ticks that carry it. 
• Canine Influenza: initial series followed by yearly boosters. Vaccination is recommended for dogs that have regular contact with other dogs, such as day care, dog parks, or boarding.

Cat Vaccinations

In order to lower our feline patients’ risk of post-vaccination fibrosarcoma, we use non-adjuvanted vaccines.

• FVRCP: recommended 1 year after the initial series (starting at 8 weeks), then every 3 years to vaccinate against:
  • Feline viral rhinitis and calici virus, two upper respiratory viruses
  • Panleukopenia, a virus that attacks the bone marrow and destroys the white blood cells
• Rabies: recommended initial vaccine followed by boosters every 1-3 years to vaccinate against rabies. Many city cats are exposed to rabies by bats that can get into homes.

Outdoor Cat Vaccinations

In addition to the above feline vaccinations, if your cat is an outdoor cat, we may also recommend:

• Feline leukemia vaccine: initial series followed by yearly boosters to protect against the viral infection known as “leukemia virus,” an infection responsible for a wide range of diseases from immune deficiency problems to cancers of the lymphatic system.

Vaccination Requirements for Pet Grooming and Boarding

In addition to keeping your pet healthy, most boarding facilities and many groomers—including the groomer here at Patterson Dog & Cat Hospital—require your pet to be current on all vaccines in order use their services. In fact, for your pet’s health, we recommend you only board or groom your pet at facilities that require pet vaccinations. Patterson Dog & Cat Hospital will provide you with up-to-date vaccination records, and we encourage you to keep them in a handy place for future pet grooming, boarding, and medical needs.