Vaccinating Pets - Controversial and Important
This article was published in the Orlando Sentinel.
By: Dr. Wes Borgman
A controversy exists among veterinarians about the routine
vaccinations pets receive. Here is what you should know and what
action you should take.
Both people and pets are helped tremendously by the medical procedure
known as vaccination. Vaccinating a pet is both smart and very
inexpensive protection against a variety of deadly diseases that are
known to infect both dogs and cats. For many pet owners vaccinating
their pets is a simple procedure. While the process is simple,
deciding which vaccines to give and when has become more complicated.
New vaccines for emerging diseases need to be given at different
intervals and not all pets need every vaccination available to
veterinary practitioners.
In just the last decade many new vaccines were developed for diseases
that plagued our dogs and cats. These are great technical and
biological advances, but each pet is different and requires individual
assessments. In addition we are learning that some vaccines provide
immunity for longer than a year, which means we can vaccinate them for
certain diseases less than we previously thought. "The introduction of
so many new vaccines over the past 10 years justifies the need for the
veterinary profession to critically address which vaccines are being
administered to which patients and at which stage of life." says Dr.
Richard Ford, veterinarian and professor of medicine at North
Carolina's College of Veterinary Medicine. "Some vaccinations are
known to protect for years, while others do not even protect for 12
months." Until recently, some Central Florida counties required annual
rabies vaccinations in dogs, but a new state law allows dogs in all
counties to be vaccinated w/ a 3 year rabies vaccine. In cats a
non-adjuvanted 1 year rabies vaccine is usually a safer choice but you
should discuss that with your
veterinarian.
Some limited service vaccine clinics offer predefined packages but no
consultation with a veterinarian before animal are shot up with a
combination of injections that may not be needed, and could be
harmful. It is important to talk to your veterinarian so you can
develop a vaccination protocol customized for your pet and not pick a
predefined vaccine package off a menu of choices.
One major concern among veterinary researchers is that using a vaccine
protocol that protects longer than a year will give owners an excuse
not to visit a vet for long stretches of time. Research shows that if
pets can be seen
twice a year more diseases and conditions can be diagnosed early while
they are still easy and inexpensive to treat. Dietary concerns, dental
health, senior problems all have caused veterinarians to begin asking
clients to visit the hospital every 6 months to help discover
problems, correct early signs and educate owners about preventing
disease.
These twice a year visits also do another important thing in terms of
the vaccinations that should be given. It helps spread out the
administration of these vaccinations over a longer period of time and
that is good for the animal's immune system.
Puppies and kittens present a special case. Because the immunity from
their mother is waning in those early months and it is important to
boost their protection against disease with vaccines given at much
shorter intervals. Every one agrees that puppies and kittens need to
have vaccine series starting as early as 7 weeks of age, but once
again, each pet should be evaluated for individual risk and puppies
and kittens may not need every vaccine
available.
It is important to visit your veterinarian every year, if not twice a
year. This allows the veterinarian to examine your pet more often
catching disease early and starting treatments which will make most
problems less expensive in the long run. Considering that our dogs and
cats age
faster than people, seeing your veterinarian more often is vital. An
annual veterinary visit for your pet is the same as and adult human
going for a checkup once every 5-10 years.
It would be a tragedy to see your pet succumb to a disease that was
completely preventable with a simple vaccination. Ask your
veterinarian to customize a vaccine protocol based on your pet's
lifestyle and risk.
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Dr. Wes Borgman is a veterinarian at Seminole Animal Hospital in
Sanford. He can be reached at 407 330 7387.