You would be hard pressed to find a young child who didn't want a pony at some point in their life, but once a parent says yes, how do you care for the horse?
Your local vet can answer all your specific questions about how to raise a healthy horse, but you can also use these blog posts to give you an overview during your horse ownership journey. Check out this web site for information about horse feed, signs your horse needs vet attention, and even riding tips for beginners. Horse health is not a complicated subject, and the more you know, the happier your horse (and child) will be.
Vaccinating pets can seem like a troublesome extra expense, but there are some very good reasons why your dog or cat should receive a full vaccination programme.
Prevent diseases
Firstly, vaccination is a safe and effective way of preventing your pet from catching fatal diseases. Vaccination is a way of working with your pet's own natural defences to stimulate resistance to diseases that could otherwise be deadly. Unvaccinated dogs can easily pick up diseases such as parvovirus and leptospirosis, while cats can develop feline enteritis or leukaemia. Even if your pet stays indoors, it is easy for people or other animals to bring pathogens into the home, and they can survive for a long time, making it possible for an indoor pet to pick up the same diseases as an outdoor one. Vaccination will protect your animal from these infections.
Protect unvaccinated animals
The more pets that are vaccinated, the less risk there is to an unvaccinated animal, including stray or feral cats and dogs. When an animal has been protected and cannot contract a virus, it will not be able to pass it on to an unprotected animal. This means that by vaccinating your pet, you are also offering protection to animals that are prone to the infection, increasing the health of the overall population as well as your pet.
Protect humans
Some diseases in cats and dogs can be passed on to humans. These are known as zoonotic diseases, and they include rabies and leptospirosis. Humans cannot catch these disease from animals that have protection against them, so by vaccinating your pet, you are also giving protection to yourself, your family and your community.
Travel
If you want to take your pet abroad or leave it in kennels while you go away without it, you will probably find that you are obliged to prove that your pet has an up-to-date vaccination record. No reputable kennel or boarding cattery will accept a pet that could put other animals at risk, and you may find that vaccination is a legal requirement in order to take your pet into other countries. Different countries have different rules, and the better protection your pet already has, the easier it will be to comply with them.
Vaccination is a simple procedure that will save your pet from a lot of suffering and save your family from a lot of heartache. Talk to your vet about pet vaccinations today.