Animal Health Week – Sep. 30 – Oct. 06

This week we celebrate Animal Health Week, a 30-year tradition brought by the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association. Every year, the CVMA puts the focus on one important aspect of the animal’s health, and this year the focus is on vaccination under the motto “Vaccines save lives”.

The importance of this awareness-raising week dedicated to the animals is to educate pet owners that vaccines are safe and absolutely necessary in order to raise a healthy and happy pet.

There are a lot of communicable diseases that can be spread from one animal to another and from animals to people, and there are vaccines for most of them. The use of vaccines puts these disease under control.

Vaccination is very important also because of the increase in international travel and in that way disease travel. Many countries report having an increased number of cases of communicable diseases in cats and dogs because of under-vaccination and traveling without proper vaccines and documentation.

We are here to make pet owners aware that vaccines are safe and effective and they will help prevent many diseases. We have to educate pet owners that vaccines protect everyone because some diseases can be passed from the animals to people, like rabies.

We have to educate pet owners that vaccinations are an important part of the annual health exams, and booster vaccines are a must. One round of vaccines when the pet is young is not enough.

We have to educate pet owners that getting a vaccine is always in the best interest of the pet and that getting a preventable disease instead of a vaccine will cost more money, and sometimes the pet’s life.

Celebrate this Animal Health Week by handing out educational brochures to clients at your clinic. Take the time to talk to them about the importance of vaccines and all the diseases they prevent.

And make a party for all pets that will come for a vaccine shot! 🙂

Happy Animal Health Week!

If you liked this article, read “Rabies vs. Vaccine” on our blog.