Today I had the pleasure of taking Mona, one of our boarding guests, to get a vaccine updated. She wanted me to chronicle the trip because she had so much fun!
Mona is of “Mona and Rupert” fame. You can’t say one’s name without the other because they always come as a family to board at WOOF!
WOOF offers this “vaccine service” for a very nominal fee for those who need some last-minute assistance with being up to date with their shots.
(At WOOF, we require Rabies, Distemper-Parvo and Bordetella – more on that later…)
Luckily, we’re within two minutes of the ABC Clinic, a local veterinary hospital that partners with WOOF on providing care.
They just moved into this swanky building across the street from the In ‘n Out Burger. (Their web site is here.)
So the very kind Dr. Raj allows us to bring WOOF guests in for all sorts of vet-related issues: vaccines, injuries – you name it. We feel so safe having such a competent veterinarian nearby in case of any medical emergencies.
Back to Mona and her distemper vaccine.
Mona was more than happy to take a car ride with me. (I think she felt like making brother Rupert jealous.)
It was time to cruise.Even if the cruise was only two minutes – we of course had to look cool.
Mona just wanted to GET THERE ALREADY.
Soon she got her wish. She hopped right up and took her seat in ABC’s super swank air conditioned waiting room.
Soon there were new friends to meet.
Everyone liked Mona so much humans decided to stand so she didn’t have to give up her seat.
Our wait wasn’t long at all – even though Mona waited very impatiently because she knew SOMETHING AWESOME WAS ABOUT TO HAPPEN.
I mean, really – isn’t something incredible on the brink of happening all the time? (Dog thinking – which I like!)
Finally a nice technician approached and got down on the floor with Mona.
It’s important to establish a level of trust and intimacy before you stick a needle in someone. 😎
Another tech came to hold Mona steady.
She didn’t seem too worried. And then the moment of truth came.
Good girl!
And just like that it was time to leave.
Once again we were excited for the car ride.
I showed her the paperwork so she knew it was official.
Now in case you are wondering why we bother with vaccines, here’s a short primer:
Rabies – protects against the rabies virus – for adult dogs generally updated every three years
DHPP – protects against distemper, hepatitis, parvo and parainfluenza – also updated every three years for adult dogs
Bordetella – protects against most strains of upper respiratory diseases (“doggie colds”) – like the human sickness, it is not “curable” and passes from dog to dog in the air or by contact. Frequency of this vaccines is generally every 6 months or yearly.
As you can see, getting these vaccines – ESPECIALLY if your dog is coming into contact with a lot of other dogs (like at WOOF) – is crucial to keeping them healthy.
(For all you locals, the ABC Clinic holds vaccine clinics every Wednesday from 3 to 5 pm and Saturday from 11 am to 2 pm.)
Mona has another three years of glorious distemper-parvo protection and she’s super happy about it.
Or maybe it was just the car ride?
Whatever it is, we’ll take it.
For more information about WOOFs vaccine policies or services, contact us here.