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› articles by michael goldberg, dvm
Vaccination Issues in Dogs and Cats Dear Dr. Goldberg, I have a seven-year old American Cocker Spaniel. I asked my vet if it was necessary to vaccinate every year and he said yes to some of the vaccines. NM, Edmonton Dear NM, The vaccine issue in our pets has become a hotly debated topic in recent years. There was never any proof in the first place that vaccinations lasted a full year. The timing of vaccinations in pets was completely arbitrary according to Veterinary immunologist Ron Schultz. "A practice that started many years ago and that lacks scientific validity or verification is annual revaccination. Almost without exception, there is no immunologic requirement for annual revaccination. Immunity to viruses persists for years or for the life of the animal. Successful vaccination to most bacterial pathogens produces an immunologic memory that remains for year, allowing an animal to develop a protective anamnestic (secondary) response when exposed to virulent organisms. Only the immune response to toxins requires boosters (e.g. Tetanus toxin booster, in humans, is recommended every 7-10 years) and no toxin vaccines are currently used for dogs or cats. The practice of annual vaccination on our opinion should be considered of questionable value unless it is used as a mechanism to provide an annual physical examination or is required by law (i.e. Certain states legally require a yearly rabies vaccination)."* In my practice I try to educate my clients as to the risks and the benefits of vaccination. Vaccinations can be beneficial but I have also seen many cases of associated problems. In my homeopathic practice, a meticulous history is essential and during that time I often find that vaccines appear to trigger disease states in our pets. It is because of this observation that I am cautious with vaccination. I have seen many cases of Parvovirus in puppies but yet very few cases in adult dogs. I have seen very few cases of distemper in the area I practice and these have been limited to puppies as well. There have been cases of feline distemper that I see as well, which are mostly in young kittens. As a result of this observation, I recommend vaccinations in healthy puppies and kittens at 8 and 12 weeks of age. My current recommendation to my clients based on the geographical area in which we live, is to vaccinate with distemper and parvo in puppies and then test the antibodies (titre test) at a year of age. In kittens, I recommend vaccinating with distemper, herpes, calici and periodically with feline leukemia only in high-risk cases. I recommend checking the titre at a year as well. A titre test is a measure of the antibody level in the blood. The antibody levels may be high in the blood from vaccination or natural exposure. If the antibody levels are adequate (there is debate as well as to what is adequate), then I will not revaccinate. If they are lower than what is deemed adequate, then I will discuss the pros and cons with my client and review the overall health of my patient before vaccinating to make sure they are 100% healthy before administering the shot. There are now many US veterinary schools that are recommending vaccination every three years as opposed to yearly. The American Association of Feline Practitioners currently recommends vaccines every three years well. The general trend that I see as a practitioner is to do less frequent vaccinations. Reference: *Kirk's Current Veterinary Therapy XI, Saunders, 1992, pp. 205. Dear Dr. Goldberg, I have a 13-year-old cat who is an outdoor cat and is healthy. I have been vaccinating her every year and I heard that this practice might not be necessary. Is once every three years OK? Bob Dear Bob, Your question is a good one and there is much controversy over this issue. The American Association of Feline Practitioners has come out with a guideline as to the recommended frequency of basic vaccines for cats. This interval is every three years but they suggest that each individual cat should have a decision based on their individual risk factors. I believe vaccinations are not necessary on a yearly basis and as such, I attempt to check the antibody levels (titre testing) on my patients before I revaccinate to ensure that they truly require a booster (also a controversial topic). Every case is individual and I assess the risk factors as such: High risk - if your cat is an outdoor cat and frequently has direct contact with other cats such as grooming behavior or fighting behavior, there may be a potential for contraction of feline leukemia and feline panleukopenia. You may decide a booster every one to three years may be in order. In this case I try to make sure that the antibody levels are within those levels considered protective if they are to contact the virus in question. I assess this through titre testing. Moderate risk- these cats are the cats who enjoy going outdoors but seldom venture out of the yard and generally stay outside for short periods of time. They do not usually come into contact with other cats. In these cases, I recommend titre tests every 1-3 years after the initial kitten shots and I seldom recommend feline leukemia for these cats. Low risk - these are the indoor cats who do not go outside at all. I feel there is essentially no risk for any life threatening viral disease and as such, I do not recommend vaccines after the initial kitten vaccines. Any new cat entering the household should however be tested for common viral diseases such as feline leukemia virus and feline immunodeficiency virus. The vaccine issue is now much debated. In my opinion, we must be careful when putting foreign substances into the body's of our pets and think long and hard whether the risks of vaccine reactions such as autoimmune disease, cancers, skin disease etc., outweigh the potential benefits. The important thing is to find a trustworthy practitioner with whom you can discuss these issues in a sensible manner. Read more Articles by Michael Goldberg, DVM... |
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vancouver animal wellness hospital Michael Goldberg, DVM; Sue Hughson, DVM 105 e. broadway, vancouver, bc v5t 1w1 / phone: 604.738.4664 / fax: 604.738.4694 Hours of Operation: Monday, Thursday & Friday: 9am - 6pm, Tuesday & Wednesday: 9am - 7pm, Saturday: 9am - 5pm © Copyright 2004-2006. vancouver animal wellness hospital. All rights reserved. › Contact Us › Privacy Policy › Sitemap › Home |
