Vaccinations
The use of vaccines is a fundamental tool for the prevention of infectious diseases and an important prerequisite for their eradication.
Vaccination is the most effective tool to protect our pet from serious and potentially fatal diseases and to reduce or limit the spread of the infectious agent.
Below are some recommendations and obligations regarding the vaccination of our pet and everything you need to know about vaccinations.
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Dogs should be vaccinated with an annual booster for the following diseases:
- Distemper or Carré disease (morbillivirus)
- Contagious canine hepatitis (canine adenovirus type 1)
- Parvovirosis (parvovirus)
- Leptospirosis (leptospira spp.)
- Canine cough (parainfluenzavirus and bordetella bronchiseptica)
Together with the annual vaccination, the veterinarian always carries out a comprehensive check-up on the animal and can thus assess its state of health.
The Federal Law on Animal Protection requires every dog to be microchipped and registered in the Swiss database (AMICUS).
The microchip application is a simple and non-invasive procedure (no sedation required).
If you want to take your dog abroad, a rabies vaccination is also required, together with an official pet passport issued by your vet.
If you take an animal from abroad, make sure it has:
- microchip
- passport
- rabies vaccination
- Dog vaccination protocol
Regular rabies vaccination requires a minimum animal age of three months and a waiting period of 21 days before importation. As an exception, animals may be imported:
- less than 12 weeks old without rabies vaccination
- aged between 12 and 16 weeks with an anti-rabies vaccination without observing the 21-day waiting period
In these two cases, the dog must be accompanied by a certificate in which the keeper certifies that, since birth, the animals have not been in contact with wild animals of species susceptible to rabies.
Cats should be vaccinated with annual booster for the following diseases:
- Rhinotracheitis (herpesvirus)
- Coriza (herpes virus and calicivirus)
- Panleukopenia (parvovirus)
- Feline leucosis or FeLV (retrovirus) for cats that also live outside
It is usually recommended, before vaccinating a cat for the first time, to carry out a blood test to ascertain the presence of FeLV and FIV (or feline AIDS, for which however there is no vaccine). Together with the annual vaccination, the vet always carries out a complete check-up of the animal and can thus assess its state of health.
Fitting your cat with a microchip (and registering it accordingly in the Swiss database) is not compulsory, but is recommended if your cat is free to go outside. If the cat gets lost, the person who finds it can immediately trace it back to its owner via a vet or an animal welfare employee.
If you want to take your cat abroad, microchipping is compulsory. Rabies vaccination is also required, together with an official pet passport issued by your vet.
The ferret is vaccinated with an annual booster for distemper or Carré disease (morbillivirus). Together with the annual vaccination, the vet always carries out a complete check-up of the animal and can thus assess its state of health.
It is also possible to microchip the ferret, so that if it gets lost, it can still be traced back to its owner. Once the microchip has been applied, the animal is registered in the Swiss database (AMICUS).
If you want to take your ferret abroad, microchipping is compulsory. Rabies vaccination is also required, along with an official pet passport issued by your vet.
Mandatory courses
You may only keep ferrets if you have a specific permit from the cantonal veterinary office. To obtain this, if you have never kept ferrets before and intend to do so on a private basis, you must have a so-called certificate of competence, which is obtained by attending a course recognised by the USAV (at least 5 hours) or by a practice period of at least 3 weeks. Before purchasing ferrets, it is advisable to enquire at the cantonal veterinary office about the specific requirements to be fulfilled in order to obtain a licence to keep them.
Rabbits can be vaccinated annually for viral haemorrhagic disease (VME). For rabbits that also live outside, it is also recommended to have a deworming treatment twice a year.
