Annual Vaccinations

For Roxy, the sweetest Westie in Florida

Veterinarians are in business to make money, but they are also in the business of keeping pets healthy. One of the routine practices of most veterinary clinics, annual vaccinations, brings in customers and ensures veterinarians stay in business. Unfortunately, annual vaccines are not always in the best interest of our pets.

The AVMA recommends that most pets not be vaccinated more often than every three years. Many studies have been done to show that one or two vaccines early in a pet’s life protect it for its entire life. This information did not used to be widely known. We used to think that annual vaccines were necessary to keep pets healthy. We now know the opposite is true.

In fact, we now suspect that over-stimulation of the immune system by annual vaccines increases the incidence of allergies, immune-mediated hemolytic anemia (IMHA), and possibly thyroid disease. This is the opposite of what we want to happen to our pets when we vaccinate. We want to protect them.

So, work with your veterinarian to determine which diseases your pet is actually exposed to. Vaccinate for only these diseases. Before re-vaccinating, have your veterinarian check the pet’s blood to see if it has an active level of protection against disease—this is called a titer. If the titer shows protective levels, don’t revaccinate.

So many factors contribute to our pets’ health, and vaccines are only one of them. It is just as important to feed them well and provide Omega 3 fatty acids to help support a normal immune system.

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