Keeping current on your pet vaccinations is essential to your pet's wellness, longevity and overall quality of life. Most animal clinic’s recommend annual visits to make sure your dog or cat's shots are up to date and to help catch any health issues early. 

Common Dog Vaccinations

At Arch Creek Animal Clinic, we administer two primary categories of vaccines for dogs — core and non-core. The core vaccines are the ones recommended for most dogs. These consist of parvovirus, distemper, canine hepatitis, and rabies. Most states require you to have your dog vaccinated against rabies. Some require yearly immunizations; others have an every three year requirement. Whether your dog should get any non-core pet vaccinations depends on his or her risk of exposure. Common non-core vaccines include Bordetella bronchiseptica, Borrelia burgdorferi, and Leptospira bacteria.

Our veterinarian in North Miami Beach will discuss your particular dog's needs with you and map out an immunization plan that best suits his or her needs. Puppies are particularly vulnerable to infection. Most animal clinics, including ours, recommend that they get shots early, in the first few months of life.

Common Cat Vaccinations

As with dogs, vaccines are important to boosting your cat's immune response to certain potentially life-threatening diseases and are at the core of any wellness cat care program. At our North Miami Beach animal clinic, we will discuss your cat's individual needs and lifestyle and tailor a vaccine schedule just for him or her. Recommended vaccines for cats include rabies, Feline Panleukopenia, and Feline Calicivirus/Herpesvirus. Whether your cat should get non-core vaccines depends on whether he or she is an indoor-only cat and on his or her exposure to our non-household pets. Non-core vaccines include Feline Leukemia, Chlamydia, Feline Infectious Peritonitis, and Ringworm.

Kitties, like puppies, are especially susceptible to infectious diseases. Our veterinarian recommends that kittens get their first vaccines at 6 to 8 weeks of age.