Pet Care Basics

Pets make excellent companions, but owners must safeguard their health. If you have a cat, dog, or another pet, you must ensure they receive the proper vaccinations. Otherwise, your pets could be exposed to severe dangers. Some diseases, like rabies, can also spread to people and pose a grave risk. Want to vaccinate your pet and talk with our veterinarian about pet care? If you live near Fredericksburg, VA, visit Confederate Ridge Animal Hospital.

Why it’s Important to Vaccinate Your Pet

Your pet’s immune system can be powerful and flexible. Typically, immune systems can fight off microbes, including viruses and bacteria. Without an immune system, your pet’s body could end up overrun by dangerous microbes. Over time, your pet’s body will learn to fight different microbes, including viruses. If the same microbe invades twice, the immune system can often use the experience to fight off the infection more quickly and effectively.

Vaccines expose a pet’s immune system to either a weakened version of a virus or part of the virus. This way, the pet’s body will recognize the invader more readily and can rely on lessons learned to fight the invading virus. In a sense, vaccines train the immune system to respond. While antibiotics can treat bacteria, vaccines are often the only option for fighting viruses.

The Basics Regarding How Vaccines Work

Experience is vital in multiple aspects of life. For example, a vet can treat animals because they have much experience gained through education and work. For the immune system, vaccinations provide valuable expertise to fight dangerous viruses.

Some diseases are hazardous and can overwhelm the immune system. A textbook example is rabies. Once a pet becomes symptomatic, it's impossible to treat it. The virus is too strong for the immune system.

Schedule an Appointment with Us 

The vaccines used with pets have proven to be highly safe and result in complications only on rare occasions. However, if you have questions about safety, ask our veterinarian. If you’d like to vaccinate your pet and live near Fredericksburg, VA, visit Confederate Ridge Animal Hospital to chat with a vet about pet care.