Highly recommend Ari , he has been looking after my 2 kitties for over 5 years . The ease and care of his home vet service can be highly commended!
Sydney Mobile Vet Service
VETaround provides exceptional and comprehensive care to help your pet stay healthy – and central to that is our dog and cat vaccination program.
Our home visit vet can administer all vaccinations in the comfort of your own home. It’s a convenient and flexible option that’s perfect for busy pet owners or those without transport… and can be incredibly beneficial for anxious animals.
Mobile dog vaccinations overview
The core vaccines for dogs are:
- parvovirus
- hepatitis virus
- distemper virus.
Your puppy has these every three to four weeks, starting at around six to eight weeks old, until he or she is older than 12 weeks and as close to 16 weeks as possible.
A first booster is required after one year, and thereafter we recommend a booster every three years. Depending on your pet’s individual circumstances, we may on occasion recommend booster vaccinations more or less frequently.
Leptospirosis
Since 2018, there has been an unusual increase of reported cases of leptospirosis in Sydney’s inner and eastern suburbs. Until the end of 2018, we typically encountered a single case annually. In 2019, that figure jumped to around seven cases in a year, all fatal.
Leptospirosis is spread by rat urine and it’s theorised that extensive construction in suburbs including Surry Hills, Glebe and Darlinghurst may have led to a mobilisation of vermin, which triggered the spread. The University of Sydney is currently undergoing extensive research on the emerging leptospirosis situation in Sydney.
There are two strands of leptospirosis. The current vaccine, administered annually, covers the strand encountered in cases so far. As this is an ongoing situation, please speak to us for full details.
Parvovirus
Parvovirus is the most common of the three core viruses that we vaccinate against. Parvovirus (also known as parvo) is a highly contagious viral illness that attacks your dog’s gastrointestinal tract and cardiovascular system. It is very hardy and can survive in the environment for long periods.
Parvovirus can be potentially fatal for all dogs, but it is especially dangerous for puppies aged between six weeks and six months, immunosuppressed or geriatric dogs and those in regular contact with other dogs. Pets that recover will often need an extended hospital stay in intensive care and isolation.
The disease usually only occurs in non-vaccinated dogs. As the vaccination is typically fully protective, we rarely see it in vaccinated animals.
Distemper virus
Distemper is a potentially fatal disease that, thankfully, is now rare – though still an issue for non-vaccinated dogs. The disease can become latent in those animals that do recover, with no obvious clinical signs. When this happens, it can re-emerge when dogs reach geriatric age, and it is usually fatal at this stage.
Distemper disease affects the respiratory, neurological and gastrointestinal systems. Typical symptoms include discharge from the nose and eyes, coughing, diarrhoea and vomiting, listlessness and inappetence (loss of appetite).
Hepatitis virus
Hepatitis infection and clinical disease are currently very rare in dogs, mostly due to good vaccination policies. Clinical signs include depression, lethargy and, often, abdominal pain and discomfort.
Additional symptoms may include vomiting and diarrhoea, and neurological signs such as seizures or unusual behaviour. Severely affected dogs can die within a few hours of infection, but others can improve after a few days.
Non-core vaccines
Non-core vaccines provided by our home visit vet include the canine cough vaccine, more commonly known as kennel cough. In most cases, we administer it as an intranasal (a squirt into the nostril). We can also provide an injection if your dog does not tolerate or has any issues with intranasals.
Kennel cough is a respiratory disease manifesting as a deep throaty cough, but many dogs appear otherwise unaffected. Sometimes the cough ends in a gag and your dog may appear about to vomit. Kennel cough can sometimes lead to a loss of appetite, lethargy and very occasionally pneumonia, which can be life threatening.
Cat vaccinations in your home
Our mobile vet administers all core cat vaccines, including:
- herpes virus (rhinotracheitis virus or cat flu)
- calicivirus (also cat flu)
- parvovirus (panleukopenia virus).The initial course for kittens has traditionally been similar to puppies, with an injection every three to four weeks, starting at six to eight weeks old, until your kitten is older than sixteen weeks. There are several three yearly vaccine for cats, but there is considerable supportive evidence that three yearly vaccinations of the core vaccines are adequate. Our vet may also suggest a three yearly vaccination interval in cats considered lower risk for infection.
Herpes virus
Herpes virus causes signs of upper respiratory-tract infection, and it is highly contagious. Symptoms include runny eyes and nose, sneezing, conjunctivitis (inflamed red membranes around the eye) and corneal ulceration. In more severe cases, your cat may become quite ill, and exhibit lethargy, dehydration and loss of appetite.
Herpes virus stays with a cat for their entire life. Cats can show recurring clinical signs when stressed or ill. Herpes virus in cats is common and the risk is high if your cat is not vaccinated.
Cats most at risk include those that are outdoors and interacting with other cats, or those living with an infected cat. These cats also must be microchipped so that they can be identified as high risk.
Calicivirus
Calicivirus has similarities with herpes virus. It is highly contagious and causes signs of upper respiratory-tract infection. Clinical signs can be similar to herpes but also may include oral cavity ulceration and gingivitis, plus symptoms including limping and lameness.
Cats can shed calicivirus for many months even after clinical signs resolve and they appear unaffected. As such, they remain a possible source of infection for other cats.
Parvovirus
This is also a highly contagious virus causing fatal disease. Clinical signs include lethargy, inappetence (loss of appetite), vomiting, diarrhoea and listlessness.
The virus can survive for long periods in the environment, but the vaccination is typically fully protective. If your cat is vaccinated it is highly unlikely that he or she will contract parvovirus.
Non-core cat vaccines
Non-core cat vaccines include:
- Chlamydophila (formerly known as Chlamydia) infection is usually restricted to conjunctivitis. It is typically mild, but in some cases may be quite severe. Our Sydney mobile vet does not generally recommend vaccinating against Chlamydophila as the vaccine isn’t particularly effective, and the disease caused (conjunctivitis) is not life threatening. Cat conjunctivitis can be readily treated with antibiotics.
- Feline leukaemia virus (FeLV) and
- Feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV)
FIV vaccination
Feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) is quite prevalent in the stray cat population, so outdoor pet cats may potentially come into contact with this virus.
Infection in cats can cause severe illness, especially as they get older, but it differs to HIV infection in that cats can survive a long time with infection and without any clinical signs. In fact, infection can sometimes be an incidental finding.
FIV is related to HIV in humans, but cross infection is not possible.
There is only little evidence about the efficacy of the vaccine available and it isn’t quite certain how effective the vaccine is against the types of FIV found in Australia. Cats vaccinated with FIV vaccine also test positive on FIV antibody tests, which means that these tests cannot distinguish between cats that are vaccinated and cats that are truly infected with the FIV virus.
FeLV vaccination
FeLV (feline leukaemia virus) can cause leukaemia and other problems related to a compromised immune system. Vaccination is most important for young kittens as the highest risk is in those under 16 weeks of age. Older cats are more resistant to illness and more likely to mount an effective immune response that rids the virus from their system.
Some cats show no significant clinical signs and the infection becomes latent. Symptoms may then emerge in adulthood, at which point they are usually fatal. Our mobile vet recommends vaccination for young kittens and for adults at genuine risk. They would include outdoor cats and those living with an infected cat.
As we tailor all of our services, our home visit vet can speak to you at your cat’s annual health check to confirm which vaccines are right for your pet.
Annual health checks
Pet vaccination is a key part of animal health, and it works best when tied in with an annual health check. Regardless of how often you choose to vaccinate your dog or cat, annual health checks are crucial to help maintain overall health and well-being.
Our Sydney mobile vet clinic provides both vaccinations and annual health checks in the comfort of your home – making it super convenient for you.
Please take a look at our annual health check page for more details, or contact us for quality pet vaccinations in your home.
TESTIMONIALS
I went with VETaround because they were one of the highest rated on Google and I wanted the best for my ginger fur baby. I was not disappointed. Swift, attentive and very friendly service.
Ari was awesome. He created a calm, relaxing environment and adapted to the needs of my very skittish cat (e.g. not ringing the doorbell, examining her in an area she felt safe etc.). Thank you! I’d happily recommend VETaround as a great alternative to the dreaded trip to the vet.
Chester and Freya are very nervous cats and the thought of having to catch them. Ari is great, he has even dived under our bed in hot pursuit of Freya and consultations are usually held in the bathroom!
Ari is incredible! He is caring and attentive to our dogs needs and he is a spectacular vet.
Ari is a caring and compassionate vet who has looked after the health of our cats for years. He goes above and beyond in his treatment of our boys. We also appreciate Jen's fabulous support!