Shot Up

Our four-legged kids all went in to see the vet today. It was all fun and games until multiple syringe & needles came out! The technician first took them individually back to be weighed, toe nail trimmed, then blood drawn. It was heart wrenching to hear them cry out.

Sete came back at about 8 lbs, which is actually an increase in weight. I think the 5-6 times a week I was taking them to the dog park has helped her keep her appetite up instead of her usual bouts of hunger strikes then puking bile.

Senna came back at about 21 lbs, a decrease in her weight, which is a good thing. Again, frequent trips to the dog park has probably helped that, not that she needed to lose weight in the first place.

Chili came back at about 16 lbs, a decrease in his weight and he needed it. He's not as big of a tube as he use to be and we don't tell him he's fat, just that he's big boned. He's kind of the sensitive type.

So, per Australia AQIS (Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service) the dogs must have the following vaccinations within a year and 14 days prior to leaving:

- distemper
- infectious hepatitis
- canine parvovirus (parvo)
- para-influenza
- bordetella bronchiseptica (kennel cough)

And the blood test was drawn for:

- ehrlichliosis (tropical canine pancytopaenia)
- brucellosis
- leishmaniosis
- leptospirosis

And finally, flea treatment.

We loaded up Sete with Benadryl because she has a history of swelling up after vaccinations. Then we swung by the store to pick up children's benadryl to give them if any of them started to swell. So she had one more shot than the other two. Poor Sete!

And since AQIS also requires the rabies vaccination to have been taken within a year and in the US they use a 3 year long rabies vaccination, the kids had to receive another round of rabies shots too.

To top it off, if I remember correctly, the kennel cough vaccination was a liquid up their nose!!

The vaccinations were done in the little room we were in so we got to see and hear them cry extremely dramatically when they were getting their shots. Poor kids!

They have one last visit the day before we fly out since they have to have another flea treatment and a de-worming pill within 4 days prior to leaving.

On the upside they got lots and lots of attention, as usual, from the people working there to other pet owners. It will be sad to leave that vet office though, everyone but especially our vet, was the best!

- julie