Fortunately, due to vaccinations many pet owners never see these diseases in their pets. However, the risk of your unvaccinated pet contracting these diseases still exists within the community today.  Parvovirus, for example, is a potentially fatal disease that stays within soil and the environment for many months and doesn’t require direct contact with an infected animal to result in disease.

Vaccinations begin between 6 and 8 weeks of age and the first shot should ideally be organized by a breeder prior to the sale of a pet. A course of several vaccinations at a young age is required to achieve sufficient immunity, so once you’ve got your new pet it will be up to you to continue those vaccinations. Vaccinations are then boosted on a yearly (or 3-yearly) basis, dependent on manufacturers’ recommendations, to maintain a strong immune system.

This vaccination is a requirement for admission to boarding kennels, training schools and for admission to our hospital for non-emergency procedures. It protects against the following diseases:

• Distemper
• Hepatitis
• Parvovirus
• Canine Parainfluenza Virus
• Bordetella bacteria. 

This is required for catteries and for admission to our hospital for non-emergency procedures. It protects against the following fatal and potentially fatal diseases: 

• Feline Enteritis
• Feline Calicivirus
• Feline Rhinotrachetis virus

Additional vaccination protection can also be provided for cats who spend time outside, or are known to get into fights, for Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV, Feline Aids). 

We know that some people are cautious about 'over vaccinating' their pet. The risk of vaccination is minimal compared to the risk of diseases. We are happy to discuss the relative risks of different vaccines and the risk of not vaccinating.

A blood test can be taken to determine if certain vaccinations are required, by assessing your pet’s antibody levels. Based on these results, tailored vaccination plans can be made depending upon your pet’s individual health status and local environment. Please make an appointment with your vet to discuss and develop an alternate plan.

We vaccinate Rabbits against Calicivirus. Current recommendations are for 6-monthly vaccination due to new strain of the disease released into the environment in 2017 to control the wild rabbit population. Unfortunately there is no available vaccine against myxomatosis 

Heartworm is a worm that lives within the dog's heart and is spread by the bite of a mosquito. Although prevalence of heartworm has declined within the dog population in Victoria, it is still very common within the fox population. Melbourne and surrounds still has a very large fox population, so prevention is very important. Heartworm vaccinations can be administered to your pet on a yearly basis, at the time of annual vaccination. Tablets and all-wormers do exist that protect against Heartworm, and we can discuss these treatments with you, should you need advice. If heartworm preventative dose has lapsed, your dog should visit the clinic for a quick spot blood test to check for presence of heartworm larvae. 

Keeping your pet up to date with parasite control is important for their health, but also the health of your family. Some parasites, including tapeworms and mites, are transmissible from pets to humans, therefore regular treatment can help to keep you all parasite-free! At HAH we recommend regular, and year round, treatment for fleas, intestinal worms, heartworm and ticks. See our “Bug Pack” for more information about how you can receive regular, all-inclusive parasite control in the mail for an easy once-a-year payment!

Blood tests are used regularly at HAH as they play a crucial role in diagnosing and monitoring many conditions. They enable us to detect diseases early, whilst they are still treatable. We use blood testing in many situations: 

- To check the effects of long-term medication use
- To monitor progress of lifelong disease
- Prior to anaesthesia, to reduce any surgical risks
- Senior pets (yearly blood tests can diagnose old age diseases)
- To investigate increased thirst or appetite
- When there is unexplained weight loss or gain
- In cases of sudden illness
- Heartworm testing
- FIV (Feline Aids testing)
- Genetic testing