Pet Care: Immunity and Vaccination

What is immunity?

If an animal (or person) is immune to a particular disease it means there is little or no risk of falling ill to that disease. Immunity may be as a result of:

• regular vaccination,
• the animal having suffered (and survived) the disease.

What about immunity in puppies and kittens?

Provided that the mother is immune, puppies or kittens are usually protected for the first few weeks of life by the immunity passed in their mother's first milk. However, this immunity falls with time, leaving the puppies or kittens susceptible to infectious diseases. Vaccination at this point simply takes over the mother milk's role in providing protection.

For your reference: Main infection diseases in dogs and cats.

Feline Leukaemia virus (FeLV)

Problems: Severe immunosuppression; profound anemia; leukemia and other types of cancers. No cure for the underlying cause.
Signs: Recurrent infections; fever; depression; anaemia; reproductive problems; ocular abnormalities.

Feline Rhinotracheitis virus (Cat Flu/Herpes Virus)

Problems: Upper respiratory disease. Transmitted by close contact with ocular, nasal or pharnyngeal secretions from infected cats.
Signs: Sneezing; fever, ocular and nasal discharge; corneal ulceration; anorexia.

Feline Calici virus

Problems: Feline respiratory disease. Shed from an infected cat through ocular, nasal and pharyngeal secretions from days to weeks.
Signs: Anorexia; fever; ocular and nasal discharge; sneezing; tongue and hard palate ulcers; "Lymping" syndrome - stiffness and joint/muscle pain.

Feline Panleucopaenia

Problems: Highly contagious, often fatal, viral disease in cats.
Signs: Fever; depression; anorexia; vomiting.

Kennel Cough Syndrome (Infectious Canine Tracheobronchitis)

Problems: Contagious upper respiratory disease. May involve: Canine Parainfluenza, Virus, Reovirus and Bordetella bronchiseptica.
Signs: Dry cough (may cause retching); mild tiredness; loss of appetite; mildly raised temperature. Occasionally pneumonia.

Infectious Canine Hepatitis (Canine Adenovirus)

Problems: Mainly attacks the liver, can rapidly be fatal. Transmission: Close dog to dog contact.
Signs: General discomfort; lack of appetite; high temperature; pale gums and conjunctiva; vomiting; diarrhoea; abdominal pain. Jaundice may develop. In some dogs that recover, a clouding of the cornea, known as "blue eye" occurs, which will usually resolve.

Canine Parvovirus

Problems: Small but extremely hardy virus that can survive in the environment for long period. Main source of infection is the faeces of infected dogs; the virus can be spread on shoes, clothing, and coat and pads of dogs. Attacks fast-growing cells in the body, e.g. heart cells in young puppies, and intestinal cells.
Types: i) Heart disease (in young puppies) and ii) Enteritis.
Signs: Depression; severe vomiting; refusal of food and water; abdominal pain; profused smelly, bloody diarrhoea. Eventually rapid/severe dehydration, death.

Canine distemper (Hard Pad)

Transmission: Inhalation during close dog to dog contact.
Signs: Runny nose and eyes; coughing; vomiting; unusual tiredness; lack of appetite; diarrhea. Later: thickening of pads; nervous signs (including twitching or even fits). Dogs that survive may suffer from deformed teeth or even develop nervous signs later in life.

Leptospirosis

Transmission: By bacteria that are spread in the urine of infected animals. It can spread to humans by skin contact with infected urine.

• Leptospira icterohaemorrhagiae (Weil's disease)
  Contracted from rats via contact with infected urine/infested water.
  Problems: Mainly affects liver, kidneys may also be involved.
  Signs: High temperature; severe thirst; lethargy; increased urination; abdominal pain; vomiting; bloody diarrhea; jaundice; death.
• Leptospira canicola
  From infected urine of other dogs.
  Problems: Mainly affects kidneys. Jaundice is seen less often and less severe. Damage to kidneys may cause problems later in life.