Pet talk

Once you have gotten to your veterinarians office and had the general exam (including a screen for parasites) it is time to think about vaccinations.  Years ago it was a simple choice–you just got them all.  Every year, a syringe would contain several vaccines mixed in together and your vet would advise you to protect your pet by using them.  But recent research has put that philosophy into question, and now everybody has a different opinion on what is best for your pet.

Of course the simple thing would be to just read the package that the vaccines come in.  When you do, you will see no reference to any of the recent research linking annual vaccination to animal health problems.  No, in fact the drug companies want to sell vaccines so the label recommends that your veterinarian administer them annually.

The best thing to do is to have a frank talk with your veterinarian.  Tell him/her all about your pet, and where it goes, ie boarding kennels, shows, dog parks, frequent walks in the city, or is used for hunting.  That history along with your pets vaccination history, (was it a stray or have you had it since it was a kitten?), area in which you live, (Lyme disease), and your veterinarians own experience with the vaccines they are using (some use a live vaccine and some use a killed vaccine) will all determine how often your pet should be vaccinated.  

Take for example the 2 year old dog that you have had since it was 8 weeks old.  Lets say the dog gets walked along city side walks twice daily and as a treat, you take it to the local dog park on the weekends.  With this history, I would recommend a yearly vaccination of the distemper combo–the one that has distemper, canine adenovirus-2 (hepatitis and respiratory disease), parvovirus-2, coronavirus, leptospirosis, and the kennel cough ones bordetella and parainfluenza.  Why?  Because this type of dog is going to be exposed to all of this on the sidewalk and from the dog park.  As this dog ages, I would probably vaccinate less frequently as long as the dog remained healthy.

Now lets talk about the 7 year old cat you got as a stray 6 years ago.  The cat is healthy, totally indoors, and you have no other pets.  This cat would benefit from vaccinations of feline distemper, rhinotrachetitis, and calicivirus every 3 to 5 years as long as it got a solid vaccination base during the previous years.  Again as this pet ages, I would re evaluate the schedule to stop any unnecessary vaccinations later in its life.

There are other vaccinations for special circumstances and are generally not recommended for routine use.  Your veterinarian should recommend them when the pet has a need–Lyme disease, ringworm, and Giardia come to mind.

As you can see the vaccination recommendations have changed significantly from what was “hard science” just a few years ago.  And remember a rabies vaccination is not optional in dogs.  It must be done according to the law in each state—in Michigan, animals under a year old can only receive a vaccine that lasts a year.  After that, a three year vaccine can be administered.      

This entry was posted on Friday, April 13th, 2007 at 12:11 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.