Dog and cat vaccinations

Cats need a core set of routine vaccinations and may require yearly F3 booster vaccinations to protect against feline panleukopenia, feline herpesvirus and feline calicivirus. The F3 vaccine provides a long-term immune response and other vaccination boosters are given every 1 to 3 years, depending on the risk of disease exposure.

The most common kitten and cat vaccinations include:

• F3 vaccine. This vaccination combination covers the ‘big three’ cat diseases: cat flu or feline panleukopenia (also called feline parvovirus infection or feline infectious enteritis), Feline Viral Rhinotracheitis caused by feline herpesvirus type-1 and feline calicivirus.
• FIV vaccine. A non-core vaccination, the FIV vaccine protects against feline immunodeficiency virus.
• FeLV. This non-core vaccination protects against feline leukaemia virus (FeLV).²

In addition, you may be able to vaccinate your cat against other ailments, including rabies, Chlamydia felis and Bordetella bronchiseptica.² Pet owners should be aware of other common cat diseases.

In Australia, annual cat vaccinations and vet check-ups can cost about $80 to $200, depending on the type of vaccination needed and the vet.³ You may pay up to a couple of hundred dollars for cat vaccination costs when getting multiple vaccinations at once, or within a short period. Contact your local vet to inquire about vaccination protocol, prices, and your cat’s needs.

Initial vaccinations for kittens could cost $170 to $200, according to the RSPCA.³ Veterinary costs will differ depending on your pet’s needs and the veterinary practice you visit. First vaccinations can be more expensive than a second vaccination or follow-up boosters. Individual shots can cost from $70-$120, depending on location and clinic. You can contact your vet to ask about vaccination costs for your cat.

In Australia, dogs and puppies need core C3 vaccinations, with most vets also recommending an additional KC vaccination (also called a C5). C3 vaccines are recommended for every single dog to prevent severe and potentially fatal diseases, while KC vaccines are generally recommended for dogs that socialise in parks, boarding facilities or daycares. Some typically prescribed puppy and dog vaccinations include:

• C3 vaccine. The core vaccine for canines, C3 covers deadly diseases such as canine distemper, canine parvovirus and canine adenovirus (also called canine hepatitis).
• KC. This non-core vaccine protects your pooch against canine cough, also known as “kennel cough” (Bordetella bronchiseptica and parainfluenza virus).⁴

Along with these common preventative treatments, additional non-core dog vaccinations may be recommended by your vet, depending on your dog’s exposure risk. For example, the leptospirosis vaccine may be recommended for dogs that regularly go outside, while small breed dogs and dogs that live in urban environments may not need this. Other common dog diseases may not have a vaccine but knowing about them is important.

Annual vaccinations for adult dogs and vet check-ups can cost from $80 to $150, depending on the vaccine required, which vet you visit and whether you’re after a batch of initial vaccinations or just a booster.³ It’s best to budget for a few hundred dollars to be safe.

Initial puppy vaccinations could cost from $280 to $420, according to the RSPCA.³ Dog and puppy vaccination costs will vary depending on your pet’s healthcare needs and which vet administers the vaccinations. You can contact your vet to inquire how much vaccinating your puppy or dog could cost.

Pet insurance in Australia does not usually cover vaccinations by default, however, many policies offer a routine care add-on that can reimburse parts of the vaccination costs. The extras may also cover treatments such as desexing, microchipping, teeth cleaning or worming.

Behavioural training may also be available through routine care cover. Routine care cover is an optional extra with comprehensive pet insurance. Claims for vaccination expenses will be subject to any policy excess and benefit percentage that applies to your policy.

No, cats and dogs do not need the same vaccinations, they require different, species-specific vaccines because they are vulnerable to separate animal diseases. However, it can be confusing as both animals follow a core and optional vaccine approach. For dogs, this is C3 (core) and KC (optional), and for cats it is F3 (core), as well as FIV (optional), FeLV (optional).

However, cats and dogs can have similar symptoms to different ailments. This may include sneezing and coughing, difficulty breathing for respiratory diseases (e.g. canine distemper virus or feline herpesvirus), loss of appetite and diarrhoea.

Puppies should not socialise with unfamiliar dogs until they have completed their core vaccinations, as they are vulnerable to infectious diseases before their immune system develops. Veterinarians recommend waiting one to two weeks after the final vaccine before visiting public areas. This means the recommended time for taking your puppy to the dog park can vary, though it is typically a couple of weeks after their final vaccination.

The decision to vaccinate a pet is up to each individual pet owner and is a key part of animal welfare, though veterinarians commonly recommend it to prevent serious and potentially deadly diseases. If you have an indoor cat or dog that doesn’t leave the house, they can still potentially get sick with a preventable disease if pathogens are carried into the indoor environment.

Vaccinations can protect your cat or dog from contracting life-threatening diseases and provide optimum ‘herd immunity’ to reduce the likelihood of outbreaks. Furthermore, some vaccine-preventable illnesses aren’t treatable with medications or covered by pet insurance.

If you are going away and need to put your dog into a kennel, the kennel will need proof of vaccination before your pet is accepted. Before you can drop your furry friend off, the kennel will likely require an up-to-date vaccination certificate. Once you provide the form, they can keep it on file for your pet for the future.

You should receive a pet health record when you visit the vet for the first time and most vets will continue keeping records of their patients and vaccinations throughout their lives. This may be an electronic record or a physical booklet.

When you adopt or buy a pet, particularly when it’s older, you should inquire with the breeder or adoption agency about what health records they have for the animal. Your pet’s medical and health information will be required when taking out pet insurance or going to an animal hospital.

Pet vaccinations are considered safe and widely recommended by vets. They are seen as essential to keep your cat or dog healthy, ensuring your beloved family members stay protected. There are sometimes short-term side effects or mild discomfort from injections and a low incidence of adverse reactions such as injection-site sarcoma in cats. Still, the benefits of vaccinations to protect your pet from severe or even fatal diseases significantly outweigh the risk of side effects.