Understanding Pet Vaccinations: What are Essential Shots for Pets in Dubai?

If you are a new or first-time pet parent, congratulations! Bringing a pet home is a truly wonderful occasion and one that you’ll look back on fondly. If you’re a new pet owner, you should know that vaccinations/shots are an important part of pet ownership and are necessary to protect them. To explain it simply, vaccinations introduce a specific disease or strain to your pet’s immune system in a harmless manner. To combat the perceived threat, their body will develop antibodies, which will circulate in your pet’s system and prevent them from being re-infected in the future, as their immune system now recognizes the threat and can mobilize against it effectively.  

Different forms of infection mean a variety of exposure to build your pet’s immunity and antibody count, which is why sometimes you’ll notice multiple vaccinations being administered to your pet. Antibodies can last for a certain amount of time, with this period being extended significantly with multiple vaccinations. But, before you can prolong the presence of antibodies, you will require a booster vaccination to make sure those antibodies are at a high level to begin with, which can then be maintained with a repetitive routine vaccination (Yearly, bi-yearly, or thrice a year) to regain and maintain immunity to infections. 

Are These Shots Harmful to My Pet? 

The simple answer is no; vaccinations themselves are harmless and generally painless in application. You may notice side effects like swelling and redness at the site of the injection, but most of these disappear within a couple of hours to a few days. If you’re noticing an adverse reaction or a long-running side effect, be sure to contact your veterinarian. 

Vaccinations are also essential for pet registration in Dubai, as well as pet travel. Your pet will not be allowed to reside in Dubai unless it has been vaccinated and has a microchip. Pet travel requires vaccinations too, as they are necessary to ensure that no travelling animals are carrying infectious diseases which could harm the ecosystem of a country. 

What Vaccinations are Important for my Pet? 

The essential or core vaccinations are ones that all pets should be given, whether it is for their safety or the safety of others around your pet. Core or mandatory vaccinations are necessary to protect your pet against infectious and dangerous diseases and safeguard the community; rabies is an example, wherein the disease itself isn’t fatal for pets but is extremely dangerous if passed on to humans, which is why preventive measures are required. 

Core Vaccines for Dogs:

• DAPPL (DHPPL) – Vaccines against, Distemper, Hepatitis (Adenovirus), Parvo-viruses, Parainfluenza, and Leptospirosis.

Core Vaccines for Cats:

• FVRCP (TRICAT) – Vaccines against, Panleukopenia, Herpesvirus, Calicivirus.

You should note that the Rabies vaccination should be given to both cats and dogs. In Dubai, Rabies vaccination is mandatory and required to be given yearly, as well as being required for pet registration in Dubai before you can take your pet home. 

Other than the core group of pet vaccines, there are also non-core vaccinations you can get done. While these are not necessary, they still provide your pet with a safety net and may even be required (depending on your pet's lifestyle). Non-core vaccines such as:

• Bordetella (aka kennel cough in dogs), if your dog attends doggy daycare, goes to a pet boarding facility, or attends pet training.
• Leukaemia vaccines for cats are usually only given if the cat was previously living as a feral cat or for cats who live indoors and outdoors.

To conclude, vaccinations are an integral part of pet ownership. They act as a safety net, protecting your pets and those around them from dangerous and infectious diseases. Some of these are made mandatory for safety reasons, while some are required for registration purposes and to ensure public safety. As long as you remain up-to-date with your pet’s mandatory vaccinations in Dubai, you will have no trouble keeping your darling safe and sound.