Pet Vaccines 101
Just got a card in the mail reminding you to bring in your pet for vaccines? Well, make sure you take the time to re-educate yourself, as we vets have recently changed our vaccination guidelines.1,2 While we used to recommend annual vaccines, it’s now changed to an annual exam with vaccination every three years.
Think about it – when was the last time you got vaccinated? Add to that - we humans live about five to ten times longer than our pets, and don’t get half as many vaccines, right? Our pets are generally well-vaccinated and protected from certain viruses after a certain age, provided they’ve gone through the proper puppy or kitten series, so we want to minimize the extra chemicals we’re injecting into them. Now, don’t interpret this as skipping out on your annual vet visits – you should still go every year for a physical exam, heartworm test, flea and tick preventative, and routine care. Just know what you’re getting into when you’re bringing your pet to the vet.
So what vaccines are we talking about giving, and which ones can you skip? When in doubt, consult your vet on your pet’s exposure, environment, and age, which all play a role in how often we vaccinate and which vaccines we recommend. Typically, the vaccines with all those extra letters – like FVRCP or DHPP (which vaccinates for three to five major viruses in one vial) – is strongly recommended for your cat or dog, respectively. This, along with the rabies vaccine, is a must for your pet, especially since it’s often state law!
But what about those extra vaccines your vet may be offering? In general, I only recommend the short-acting kennel cough vaccine if you’re boarding your dog frequently, taking your pup to doggy day care, or traveling to dog shows. Otherwise, skip it. Likewise, if you don’t live near a stream or pond where your dog may catch leptospirosis, it’s likely not necessary (hence, you can get the DHPP instead of the DHLPP). At the same time, if you’re fostering shelter animals and exposing your own pets to all those coughing, sneezing, and diarrhea-covered furry balls of infection, you better make sure your pet is well-vaccinated and protected against a few others (like coronavirus and feline leukemia, just to name a few).
As for those vaccines against Giardia, FIP, and random other diseases, I usually avoid them. But be sure to discuss the most up-to-date research1,2 with your vet. Take the controversial Lyme vaccine – which still stirs lots of debate. Currently, the top Lyme experts in the field don’t use or recommend them – they prefer preventatives instead (like Frontline or Preventic collars).3 That’s because dogs that are vaccinated may develop worse signs when infected with Lyme disease, and can develop more severe forms of kidney failure (Lyme nephropathy). So, all that said, what’s a pet owner to do?
Pediatric pets
Now, if you just adopted a new puppy or kitten, know that their immune system is very immature, and they require more frequent vaccines to booster their immunity and protection against bad viruses. Young pets need a vaccine every 3-4 weeks of age (starting at 5-6 weeks of age) until they reach 14-16 weeks of age. Yes, that means you’re going to the vet at least 3-4 times in the beginning of puppy- or kitten-hood! Some people naively think that the one vaccine from the breeder is protective, but it actually doesn’t do “anything” to protect your pet - it’s those additional vaccines that are necessary to stimulate the immune system after it recognizes the first vaccine. Once your pet goes through those 3-4 vaccines, she’s finished her pediatric series, and will need a vaccine once a year thereafter for just a few more years.
Adult pets
Once an adult, vets speculate that your pet’s immune system is adequately protected, depending on how often you exposure your pets to other animals, and what kind of stress they are under. If they aren’t competing at the Westminster surrounded by hundreds of dogs, then you’re probably OK vaccinating every three years once your pet has reached adulthood (3-7 years of age). When in doubt, you can always have a blood titer done instead of a vaccine, to see if the antibody response is adequate.
Geriatric pets
Finally, the golden years…for a dog, that’s over 7 years of age (depending on the size) and over 12 years for a cat. By this point in your pet’s life, your pet should be well protected, provided you went through the above mentioned protocol. Instead of getting vaccines at this age, splurge on blood work instead, especially since your pet is more likely to get metabolic problems (like underlying liver or kidney) in these geriatric years. Not only are you avoiding an unnecessary vaccine, but the tests will let you pick up problems earlier, allowing you to treat them sooner and more successfully.
Complications
Like any drug or chemical, vaccines are designed to protect – but do potentially come with a rare down side. Minor effects include an allergic reaction to the vaccine, which you discover hours later after your puppy has been vaccinated – that cute swollen muzzle and face need to be treated! Rarer, less proven side effects of vaccines include the hypothetical link between too much antigenic stimulation (the components of a vaccine that stimulate the immune system) and resulting immune diseases (like lupus, or immune destruction of your red blood cells and platelets!). Lastly, for you cat owners, make sure you know about the controversial feline leukemia (FeLV) vaccine. I’m not a big fan of this vaccine, because it’s not as effective as all those other vaccines out there (versus the feline and canine distemper vaccine which prevents the disease by 99%). In fact, the FeLV vaccine isn’t protective – it only reduces the severity of the disease, and your cat can still get this deadly disease! More importantly, back in the mid-90’s, this vaccine was one associated with a rare, but aggressive cancer called vaccine-associated fibrosarcoma. Since then, they’ve modified the vaccine and done extensive research to prevent this, but just to be safe, I avoid it unless your cat is one of those high-risk cats: one that likes to roam the great outdoors, is immunosuppressed from cancer or FIV (the feline equivalent of HIV), or has exposure to a lot of random cats (like if you’re not appropriately quarantining those cute foster kittens from your own). All those rare, scary medical risks aside, when it comes to vaccinating your pets, keep in mind that sometimes less is more.
TIPS:
The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA), the American Association of Feline Practitioners (AAFP), and the Veterinary Cancer Society (VCS) have established vaccine recommendations for both dogs and cats in an attempt to minimize unnecessary vaccines and reduce the incidence of feline vaccine-induced cancer. Check out their websites for more information. For you cat lovers, check out Cornell’s Feline Health Center for everything you need to know about vaccinating your cat.4
So, what do all those abbreviations stand for?
D: Distemper
H: Hepatitis (Adenovirus-2)
L: Leptospirosis
P: Parainfluenza
P: Parvovirus
FVRCP
FVR: Feline viral rhinotracheitis
C: Calicivirus
P: Panleukopenia
How often do you get your pet vaccinated? Ever have a "fight" with your vet about vaccines? Tell us about it!
Signing off, unvaccinatingly yours,
Dr. Justine Lee
References:
1. http://secure.aahanet.org/eweb/dynamicpage.aspx?site=resources&webcode=CanineVaccineGuidelines
2. http://www.catvets.com/professionals/guidelines/publications/?Id=176
3. Littman MP, Goldstein RF, Labato MA, et al. ACVIM small animal consensus statement on Lyme disease in dogs: Diagnosis, treatment, and prevention. J Vet Intern Med 2006;20(2):422-34.
4. http://www.vet.cornell.edu/fhc/brochures/newcat.html
Biography:
Justine Lee, DVM, DACVECC is a veterinary emergency critical-care specialist and the author of It’s a Cat’s World…You Just Live in It and It’s a Dog’s Life… but It’s Your Carpet.
Think about it – when was the last time you got vaccinated? Add to that - we humans live about five to ten times longer than our pets, and don’t get half as many vaccines, right? Our pets are generally well-vaccinated and protected from certain viruses after a certain age, provided they’ve gone through the proper puppy or kitten series, so we want to minimize the extra chemicals we’re injecting into them. Now, don’t interpret this as skipping out on your annual vet visits – you should still go every year for a physical exam, heartworm test, flea and tick preventative, and routine care. Just know what you’re getting into when you’re bringing your pet to the vet.
So what vaccines are we talking about giving, and which ones can you skip? When in doubt, consult your vet on your pet’s exposure, environment, and age, which all play a role in how often we vaccinate and which vaccines we recommend. Typically, the vaccines with all those extra letters – like FVRCP or DHPP (which vaccinates for three to five major viruses in one vial) – is strongly recommended for your cat or dog, respectively. This, along with the rabies vaccine, is a must for your pet, especially since it’s often state law!
But what about those extra vaccines your vet may be offering? In general, I only recommend the short-acting kennel cough vaccine if you’re boarding your dog frequently, taking your pup to doggy day care, or traveling to dog shows. Otherwise, skip it. Likewise, if you don’t live near a stream or pond where your dog may catch leptospirosis, it’s likely not necessary (hence, you can get the DHPP instead of the DHLPP). At the same time, if you’re fostering shelter animals and exposing your own pets to all those coughing, sneezing, and diarrhea-covered furry balls of infection, you better make sure your pet is well-vaccinated and protected against a few others (like coronavirus and feline leukemia, just to name a few).
As for those vaccines against Giardia, FIP, and random other diseases, I usually avoid them. But be sure to discuss the most up-to-date research1,2 with your vet. Take the controversial Lyme vaccine – which still stirs lots of debate. Currently, the top Lyme experts in the field don’t use or recommend them – they prefer preventatives instead (like Frontline or Preventic collars).3 That’s because dogs that are vaccinated may develop worse signs when infected with Lyme disease, and can develop more severe forms of kidney failure (Lyme nephropathy). So, all that said, what’s a pet owner to do?
Pediatric pets
Now, if you just adopted a new puppy or kitten, know that their immune system is very immature, and they require more frequent vaccines to booster their immunity and protection against bad viruses. Young pets need a vaccine every 3-4 weeks of age (starting at 5-6 weeks of age) until they reach 14-16 weeks of age. Yes, that means you’re going to the vet at least 3-4 times in the beginning of puppy- or kitten-hood! Some people naively think that the one vaccine from the breeder is protective, but it actually doesn’t do “anything” to protect your pet - it’s those additional vaccines that are necessary to stimulate the immune system after it recognizes the first vaccine. Once your pet goes through those 3-4 vaccines, she’s finished her pediatric series, and will need a vaccine once a year thereafter for just a few more years.
Adult pets
Once an adult, vets speculate that your pet’s immune system is adequately protected, depending on how often you exposure your pets to other animals, and what kind of stress they are under. If they aren’t competing at the Westminster surrounded by hundreds of dogs, then you’re probably OK vaccinating every three years once your pet has reached adulthood (3-7 years of age). When in doubt, you can always have a blood titer done instead of a vaccine, to see if the antibody response is adequate.
Geriatric pets
Finally, the golden years…for a dog, that’s over 7 years of age (depending on the size) and over 12 years for a cat. By this point in your pet’s life, your pet should be well protected, provided you went through the above mentioned protocol. Instead of getting vaccines at this age, splurge on blood work instead, especially since your pet is more likely to get metabolic problems (like underlying liver or kidney) in these geriatric years. Not only are you avoiding an unnecessary vaccine, but the tests will let you pick up problems earlier, allowing you to treat them sooner and more successfully.
Complications
Like any drug or chemical, vaccines are designed to protect – but do potentially come with a rare down side. Minor effects include an allergic reaction to the vaccine, which you discover hours later after your puppy has been vaccinated – that cute swollen muzzle and face need to be treated! Rarer, less proven side effects of vaccines include the hypothetical link between too much antigenic stimulation (the components of a vaccine that stimulate the immune system) and resulting immune diseases (like lupus, or immune destruction of your red blood cells and platelets!). Lastly, for you cat owners, make sure you know about the controversial feline leukemia (FeLV) vaccine. I’m not a big fan of this vaccine, because it’s not as effective as all those other vaccines out there (versus the feline and canine distemper vaccine which prevents the disease by 99%). In fact, the FeLV vaccine isn’t protective – it only reduces the severity of the disease, and your cat can still get this deadly disease! More importantly, back in the mid-90’s, this vaccine was one associated with a rare, but aggressive cancer called vaccine-associated fibrosarcoma. Since then, they’ve modified the vaccine and done extensive research to prevent this, but just to be safe, I avoid it unless your cat is one of those high-risk cats: one that likes to roam the great outdoors, is immunosuppressed from cancer or FIV (the feline equivalent of HIV), or has exposure to a lot of random cats (like if you’re not appropriately quarantining those cute foster kittens from your own). All those rare, scary medical risks aside, when it comes to vaccinating your pets, keep in mind that sometimes less is more.
TIPS:
The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA), the American Association of Feline Practitioners (AAFP), and the Veterinary Cancer Society (VCS) have established vaccine recommendations for both dogs and cats in an attempt to minimize unnecessary vaccines and reduce the incidence of feline vaccine-induced cancer. Check out their websites for more information. For you cat lovers, check out Cornell’s Feline Health Center for everything you need to know about vaccinating your cat.4
So, what do all those abbreviations stand for?
D: Distemper
H: Hepatitis (Adenovirus-2)
L: Leptospirosis
P: Parainfluenza
P: Parvovirus
FVRCP
FVR: Feline viral rhinotracheitis
C: Calicivirus
P: Panleukopenia
How often do you get your pet vaccinated? Ever have a "fight" with your vet about vaccines? Tell us about it!
Signing off, unvaccinatingly yours,
Dr. Justine Lee
References:
1. http://secure.aahanet.org/eweb/dynamicpage.aspx?site=resources&webcode=CanineVaccineGuidelines
2. http://www.catvets.com/professionals/guidelines/publications/?Id=176
3. Littman MP, Goldstein RF, Labato MA, et al. ACVIM small animal consensus statement on Lyme disease in dogs: Diagnosis, treatment, and prevention. J Vet Intern Med 2006;20(2):422-34.
4. http://www.vet.cornell.edu/fhc/brochures/newcat.html
Biography:
Justine Lee, DVM, DACVECC is a veterinary emergency critical-care specialist and the author of It’s a Cat’s World…You Just Live in It and It’s a Dog’s Life… but It’s Your Carpet.
0 Response to "Pet Vaccines 101"
Post a Comment