By PETE SOUTHERDEN, director and vet at Eastcott Veterinary Hospital.

These days, there seems to be a month or day dedicated to anything and everything.

You may not be aware that March contains both National Water Day and National Doodle Day!

You may have also missed the fact that March is National Vaccination Month, and it seemed a good opportunity to remind you of the benefits and importance of having your pet vaccinated regularly.

Vaccination has been the subject of lively discussion in both the human medical and veterinary press for some time now.

Some sections of the media have actively questioned whether pet booster vaccinations are essential for our pets' health.

I can't help reflecting, when I read or hear of these articles, how short our memories are and how easy it is to argue against vaccination when we live in a world where the main reason our pets' lives are so much safer is because of the benefits of widespread vaccination.

Infectious diseases used to kill thousands of pets every year.

We don't have to go too far back to the time when pet dogs dying of distemper was a regular occurrence and, sadly, I'm old enough to remember queues of worried dog owners stretching down the street, outside many veterinary practices, after the first wave of parvo-virus infections in the late 70s.

More recently, there have been distemper outbreaks in Swindon where many unvaccinated dogs died, and we still see regular cases of flu and leukaemia in cats and parvovirus, leptospirosis and parainfluenza in dogs.

I have no doubt that vaccination has been one of the great success stories of small animal veterinary medicine, and that many of our pets owe their lives to them.

I also have little doubt that the diseases we protect our pets against will be back with a vengeance if the level of vaccination is allowed to drop.

One of the principles of veterinary medicine is that in treating our patients we should first be sure that we will do them no harm.

So the safety of vaccinations is of prime importance to the veterinary profession.

All animal vaccinations have to go through rigorous safety checks before they are licensed, and many of the vaccinations in use today have been given to tens of thousands of pets, without significant problems.

Recently, the Animal Health Trust carried out a study involving nearly 4,000 dogs - and found there was no evidence that dogs suffered any increased level of illness after vaccination.

It is important, after the initial vaccinations as a puppy or kitten, that regular annual boosters are given.

One of the advances in vaccine technology is that not every disease is vaccinated against each year - thus enabling us to reduce the number of vaccine components, while maintaining optimum protection for your pet.

However, some elements of the vaccination programme, such as leptospirosis in dogs, have to be given on an annual basis as the immunity will not last for more than a year.

Animals, like us, can't be vaccinated if they are sick.

Therefore, all pets, when they are presented for inoculation, are given a thorough health check.

This is a valuable part of the vaccination programme and will often pick up health issues at an early stage, which can be beneficial.

In short, regular vaccination is something we recommend simply because it offers a significant health benefit - it protects your pet from serious illness.

So, if you have a pet cat, dog or rabbit that is unvaccinated or that has fallen behind with its boosters, I would urge you to contact your vet and arrange an appointment as soon as you can.