I often find people getting confused about the deworming and vaccination schedule. Many ask me, what should they do when they get a pup/kitten for the first time? What are the dos and don’ts that should be followed? Well, the answers to all the questions are here.

The first step is to deworm your pet. Deworming generally refers to the administration of antihelminthic drugs (drugs which act against flukes, tapeworm,round worm etc) to get rid of the parasites inside the body. There will be a lot of parasites in the gastrointestinal tract in a young age which specifically gives a ‘pot bellied’ appearance, poor hair coat, poor growth etc.

The first dose of dewormer should be given at 2 weeks of age.  It can be given orally with the help of a syringe or filler. The second dose should be given after 15 days. It should be continued until 3 months of age. After three months dewormer can be given once in a month until 6 months of age. After which it can be given once in 3 months until 1 year of age. Once the pet enters adulthood it can be repeated once in 6 months.

VACCINATION

Vaccines are basically antigens that stimulate immune system response thereby protecting the animal against future exposure to diseases.

The process of injecting a vaccine into the body of the animal is called vaccination.

Normally, when an antigen enters into the body, the immune system responds by producing antibodies to resist the infection. If the immune system is weak there will not be sufficient antibodies and the animal will end up acquiring the disease. After infection and recovery period there will be sufficient antibodies in the system so that, next time when the animal encounters with the infection there will be enough antibodies to fight the infection. This type of immunity is called acquired immunity.

By vaccination, we are injecting weak or dead antigens into the system so that immune system will be able to create enough antibodies in defense without acquiring the infection. Therefore, next time when the body encounters with similar antigens there will be ample protection.

There are mainly two types of vaccines;

Till 45 days of age pups/ kittens will be protected against most of the infection due to the presence of maternal antibodies which is passed on to the young ones through mother’s milk. After 45 days it is mandatory to provide vaccinations for the protection of the young ones.

Vaccination schedule

CAUTION– Animal should not be vaccinated if the physiological parameters are not within the range, or in case of any disease conditions.

In case of stray dog bites

In a country like India, where stray dogs population is high, it is very important to know what should be done in case of stray dog bites. Since we do not know whether the animal is rabid or not, it is advised to take preventive measures. Post-bite anti-rabies vaccination should be taken in case of stray dog bites, however; the first step is to wash the wound with clean cold water as a first aid. Rabies is one of the deadliest diseases in the world, so it is mandatory to take safety measures. Avoid having direct contact with the wound. Take the pet to the nearby veterinary clinic as soon as possible. `

The bitten wound should be washed with normal saline and cauterize the wound using tincture iodine.
(*wear gloves before touching the animal for our own protection.)

Post exposure anti rabies vaccination schedule

* 0th day refers; the same day the animal got bitten, and the 1st dose is given. 3rd day refers; the 3rd day from the day 1st dose was given. Same refers to the 7th, 14th and 28th day.
6th dose is optional.

If your pet is showing following symptoms after a stray dog bite

• Inappetance
• Lethargy 
• Excessive salivation 
• Wobbly gait or incoordination 
• Convulsions/fits

Take your pet to a veterinarian for expert opinion. It is also crucial to understand that your pet might be a suspect for rabies. If the symptoms aggravate. It will be humane to provide them with a mercy killing as there is no cure.

It is our duty to protect the ones we love. Periodic vaccination and deworming will help to protect their health from infectious causes and assure them good long healthy life. This, in turn, will benefit the safety of the public.

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