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Vaccinations
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Vaccination Protocol, Adverse
Reactions, Houston
Chronicle Article on Reactions
Response
to question from Mastiff-Talk on Yahoo groups:
Dear Heather
(Jackson): Thank you for the inquiry. The principle behind
the vaccine protocol that we follow is to start vaccinating
a little later [i.e., not before 9 weeks, now that most bitches
have been well or even over vaccinated], give the minimum number
of vaccine antigens needed for serious diseases in your area
in 2-3 doses spread at least 2 and preferably 3-4 weeks apart,
give rabies vaccine as late as possible by law in your state
---but separate rabies from the other vaccines by at least
2-3 weeks, give one more booster a year later with the rabies
booster separated from the rest, and then start annual serum
titer testing instead of more boosters, except as required
by law for rabies vaccine. Whew !
That translates
to a simple MINIMUM PROTOCOL of Distemper+ Parvovirus only at
9, 12 and 16 weeks [or 9-10, 12-14 weeks] e.g. Progard Puppy
DPV, then rabies at 20-24 weeks. If there is infectious canine
hepatitis around (rarely seen now, but recently confirmed cases
seen in San Diego shelter), then the last distemper/parvo puppy
shot could include hepatitis too [DA2P]. If your area has clinical
Leptospirosis from the new strains (L. grippotyphosa, L. pomona),
then vaccination with the Fort Dodge combo Lepto containing these
strains (2 doses) is probably a good idea. We don't routinely
use the kennel cough complex for reasons stated earlier. Veterinary
immunology experts agree that we should categorize vaccines as "Core" and "Non-Core".
All dogs should get the Core vaccines [namely, Distemper, Parvovirus,
and Rabies + maybe Hepatitis], whereas Non-Core vaccines are
given only if there is some other endemic infectious agent risk
in your area. Lyme vaccine is generally not recommended, unless
there is very high risk where you live-because you can get significant
reactions to the vaccine when animals have already been exposed
[i.e., immune-complex antigen-antibody reactions which mimic
the joint pain of the disease.
Posted
to the files before Dr. Dodds joined list:
CHANGING
VACCINE PROTOCOLS
W. Jean Dodds,
DVM
938 Stanford Street
Santa Monica, CA 90403
(310) 828-4804; FAX (310) 828-8251
The challenge
to produce effective and safe vaccines for the prevalent infectious
diseases of humans and animals has become increasingly difficult.
In veterinary medicine, evidence implicating vaccines in triggering
immune-mediated and other chronic disorders (vaccinosis) is compelling.
While some of these problems have been traced to contaminated
or poorly attenuated batches of vaccine that revert to virulence,
others apparently reflect the host=s genetic predisposition to
react adversely upon receiving the single (monovalent) or multiple
antigen "combo" (polyvalent) products given routinely
to animals. Animals of certain susceptible breeds or families
appear to be at increased risk for severe and lingering adverse
reactions to vaccines. The onset of adverse reactions to conventional
vaccinations (or other inciting drugs, chemicals, or infectious
agents) can be an immediate hypersensitivity or anaphylactic
reaction, or can occur acutely (24-48 hours afterwards), or later
on (10-45 days) in a delayed type immune response often caused
by immune-complex formation. Typical signs of adverse immune
reactions include fever, stiffness, sore joints and abdominal
tenderness, susceptibility to infections, central and peripheral
nervous system disorders or inflammation, collapse with autoagglutinated
red blood cells and jaundice, or generalized pinpoint hemorrhages
or bruises. Liver enzymes may be markedly elevated, and liver
or kidney failure may accompany bone marrow suppression. Furthermore,
recent vaccination of genetically susceptible breeds has been
associated with transient seizures in puppies and adult dogs,
as well as a variety of autoimmune diseases including those affecting
the blood, endocrine organs, joints, skin and mucosa, central
nervous system, eyes, muscles, liver, kidneys, and bowel. It
is postulated that an underlying genetic predisposition to these
conditions places other littermates and close relatives at increased
risk. Vaccination of pet and research dogs with polyvalent vaccines
containing rabies virus or rabies vaccine alone was recently
shown to induce production of antithyroglobulin autoantibodies,
a provocative and important finding with implications for the
subsequent development of hypothyroidism (Scott-Moncrieff et
al, 2002).
Vaccination
also can overwhelm the immunocompromised or even healthy host
that is repeatedly challenged with other environmental stimuli
and is genetically predisposed to react adversely upon viral
exposure. The recently weaned young puppy or kitten entering
a new environment is at greater risk here, as its relatively
immature immune system can be temporarily or more permanently
harmed. Consequences in later life may be the increased susceptibility
to chronic debilitating diseases.
As combination
vaccines contain antigens other than those of the clinically
important infectious disease agents, some may be unnecessary;
and their use may increase the risk of adverse reactions. With
the exception of a recently introduced multivalent Leptospira
spp. vaccine, the other leptospirosis vaccines afford little
protection against the clinically important fields strains of
leptospirosis, and the antibodies they elicit typically last
only a few months. Other vaccines, such as for Lyme disease,
may not be needed, because the disease is limited to certain
geographical areas. Annual revaccination for rabies is required
by some states even though there are USDA licensed rabies vaccine
with a 3-year duration. Thus, the overall risk-benefit ratio
of using certain vaccines or multiple antigen vaccines given
simultaneously and repeatedly should be reexamined. It must be
recognized, however, that we have the luxury of asking such questions
today only because the risk of disease has been effectively reduced
by the widespread use of vaccination programs.
Given this
troublesome situation, what are the experts saying about these
issues? In 1995, a landmark review commentary focused the attention
of the veterinary profession on the advisability of current vaccine
practices. Are we over vaccinating companion animals, and if
so, what is the appropriate periodicity of booster vaccines ?
Discussion of this provocative topic has generally lead to other
questions about the duration of immunity conferred by the currently
licensed vaccine components.
In response
to questions posed in the first part of this article, veterinary
vaccinologists have recommended new protocols for dogs and cats.
These include:
- giving
the puppy or kitten vaccine series followed by a booster at
one year of age;
- administering
further boosters in a combination vaccine every three years
or as split components alternating every other year until;
- the pet
reaches geriatric age, at which time booster vaccination is
likely to be unnecessary and may be unadvisable for those with
aging or immunologic disorders.
In the intervening
years between booster vaccinations, and in the case of geriatric
pets, circulating humoral immunity can be evaluated by measuring
serum vaccine antibody titers as an indication of the presence
of Aimmune memory.. Titers do not distinguish between immunity
generated by vaccination and/or exposure to the disease, although
the magnitude of immunity produced just by vaccination is usually
lower (see Tables).
Except where
vaccination is required by law, all animals, but especially those
dogs or close relatives that previously experienced an adverse
reaction to vaccination can have serum antibody titers measured
annually instead of revaccination. If adequate titers are found,
the animal should not need revaccination until some future date.
Rechecking antibody titers can be performed annually, thereafter,
or can be offered as an alternative to pet owners who prefer
not to follow the conventional practice of annual boosters.
Reliable serologic
vaccine titering is available from several university and commercial
laboratories and the cost is reasonable. Relatively little has
been published about the duration of immunity following vaccination,
although new data are beginning to appear for both dogs and cats. Our
recent study (Twark and Dodds, 2000), evaluated 1441 dogs for
CPV antibody titer and 1379 dogs for CDV antibody titer. Of these,
95.1 % were judged to have adequate CPV titers, and nearly all
(97.6 %) had adequate CDV titers. Vaccine histories were available
for 444 dogs (CPV) and 433 dogs (CDV). Only 43 dogs had been
vaccinated within the previous year, with the majority of dogs
(268 or 60%) having received a booster vaccination 1-2 years
beforehand. On the basis of our data, we concluded that annual
revaccination is unnecessary. Similar findings and conclusions
have been published recently for dogs in New Zealand (Kyle et
al, 2002), and cats (Scott and Geissinger, 1999; Lappin et al,
2002).
When an adequate
immune memory has already been established, there is little reason
to introduce unnecessary antigen, adjuvant, and preservatives
by administering booster vaccines. By titering annually, one
can assess whether a given animal's humoral immune response has
fallen below levels of adequate immune memory. In that event,
an appropriate vaccine booster can be administered.
References
Dodds WJ. More bumps on the vaccine road. Adv Vet Med 41:715-732, 1999.
Dodds WJ. Vaccination protocols for dogs predisposed to vaccine reactions.
J Am An Hosp Assoc 38: 1-4, 2001.
Hogenesch H, Azcona-Olivera J, Scott-Moncreiff C, et al. Vaccine-induced
autoimmunity in the dog. Adv Vet Med 41: 733-744, 1999.
Hustead DR, Carpenter T, Sawyer DC, et al. Vaccination issues of concern
to practitioners. J Am Vet Med Assoc 214: 1000-1002, 1999.
Kyle AHM, Squires RA, Davies PR. Serologic status and response to vaccination
against canine distemper (CDV) and canine parvovirus (CPV) of dogs vaccinated
at different intervals. J Sm An Pract, June 2002.
Lappin MR, Andrews J, Simpson D, et al. Use of serologic tests to predict
resistance to feline herpesvirus 1, feline calicivirus, and feline parvovirus
infection in cats. J Am Vet Med Assoc 220: 38-42, 2002.
McGaw DL, Thompson M, Tate, D, et al. Serum distemper virus and parvovirus
antibody titers among dogs brought to a veterinary hospital for revaccination.
J Am Vet Med Assoc 213: 72-75, 1998.
Paul MA. Credibility in the face of controversy. Am Anim Hosp Assoc Trends
Magazine XIV(2):19-21, 1998.
Schultz RD. Current and future canine and feline vaccination programs.
Vet Med 93:233-254, 1998.
Schultz RD, Ford RB, Olsen J, Scott F. Titer testing and vaccination:
a new look at traditional practices. Vet Med, February 2002, pp 1-13.
Scott FW, Geissinger CM. Long-term immunity in cats vaccinated with an
inactivated trivalent vaccine. Am J Vet Res 60: 652-658, 1999.
Scott-Moncrieff JC, Azcona-Olivera J, Glickman NW, Glickman LT, HogenEsch
H.
Evaluation of antithyroglobulin antibodies after routine vaccination
in pet and research dogs. J Am Vet Med Assoc 221: 515-521, 2002. Smith
CA. Are we vaccinating too much? J Am Vet Med Assoc 207:421-425, 1995.
Tizard I, Ni Y. Use of serologic testing to assess immune status of companion
animals. J Am Vet Med Assoc 213: 54-60, 1998.
Twark L, Dodds WJ. Clinical application of serum parvovirus and distemper
virus antibody titers for determining revaccination strategies in healthy
dogs.
J Am Vet Med Assoc 217:1021-1024, 2000.
| Table
1. "Core" Vaccines * |
| Dog |
Cat |
| Distemper |
Feline |
| Parvovirus |
Herpesvirus |
| Adenovirus |
|
| Parvovirus |
Calicivirus |
| Rabies |
Rabies |
| *
Vaccines that every dog and cat should have. |
| |
|
Table
2. Adverse Reaction Risks for Vaccines *
|
"There
is less risk associated with taking a blood sample
for a titer test than giving an unnecessary vaccination."
* Veterinary Medicine, February, 2002. |
| |
| Table
3. Titer Testing and Vaccination * |
| "While
difficult to prove, risks associated with over vaccination
are an increasing concern among veterinarians. These experts
say antibody titer testing may prove to be a valuable tool
in determining your patients' vaccination needs." |
| *
Veterinary Medicine, February, 2002. |
| |
|
Table
4. Vaccine Titer Testing *
|
| "Research
shows that once an animal's titer stabilizes, it is likely
to remain constant for many years." |
| *
Veterinary Medicine, February, 2002. |
Responses
to questions:
Dear Marge
(Lutz): Thank you for the three back-to-back vaccine questions.
Most vaccine reactions beyond acute anaphylaxis begin from
3 to 45 days post vaccination. Occasionally, there appear to
be some adverse effects to rabies vaccination that show up
at 4-6 months later, but the cause-and-effect relationship
has not been proven to my knowledge. The adverse effects of
vaccines are numerous and do include seizures and blood disorders
among other effects, but these occur typically within 3-45
days of vaccination. As far as vaccines brands are concerned,
any vaccine can trigger these adverse events in genetically
and/or physiologically predisposed animals. So, I cannot comment
on a particular brand.
Some years
back, we always preferred killed vaccine products. The late Dr.
Jonas Salk said that a properly constituted killed vaccine is
always preferable to a modified live vaccine, because it is inherently
safer. Today, however, we don't have many options because there
is only one killed parvovirus vaccine on the market (Parvocine,
available from Revival Animal Heath). While the killed product
does contain more additives (adjuvants to enhance the immune
stimulatory response) it doesn't multiply in the vaccinated dog.
So, if a large amount of parvovirus antigen would be difficult
for the dog's immune system to handle [i.e., when MLV vaccine
multiplies 20-fold after vaccination], the killed vaccine would
be safer. Titers that develop from killed products tend to be
lower than those generated by MLV vaccines and do not last as
long. Also, MLV vaccines produce more complete immunity in that
they stimulate humoral (serum antibodies), cellular, and secretory
immunity, whereas killed vaccines only stimulate the humoral
serum immunity, and rely on the host animal's own immune system
to stimulate the other systems upon exposure. Either way, parvovirus
is a serious disease and the decision about which type of vaccine
to use will depend upon your own breed's or dog family's experience
and the severity of disease risk in your locale.
As far as
titer testing and over vaccination issues, the word is spreading.
And so you just need to keep up the good front. Change takes
time, and thank G-d we are getting there at last ! Jean
-----
Dear Bonnie: Vaccination,
like any immunologic challenge will suppress the immune system
and so could interfere with immune surveillance mechanisms that
hunt done occasional cancer forming cells and "kill" them-
the so-called "killer cell response". So, in theory
if not in practice, there could be increased susceptibility to
cancer cell escape from growth control regulation during the
30 days or so post-vaccination. So, unnecessary vaccines or boosters
should be avoided. Jean [W. Jean Dodds, DVM]
Dear Marge
(Lutz): You do not need to give your female booster vaccinations
before breeding them, if you've done titers on them during
the previous anestrous period --in between heats. That practice
is no longer recommended. However, if you really insist on
doing it or do not know the vaccine status of a bitch coming
to you for breeding, the important thing to remember is to
NEVER give a booster once a bitch is already in season-this
is too late to be safely done. The time to booster is at least
30-45 days BEFORE the upcoming heat cycle. Whatever the bad
experiences we've had, if you just are sure to NEVER booster
a bitch anywhere close to her coming to heat, you'll be safe.
Jean.
Dear Marge
(Lutz): There are new vaccine including those for rabies
that are made via genetic engineering technology. There are
called "recombinant vaccines." These new vaccines
will eventually become recognized, but some states are more
conservative when it comes to accepting anything new.
Your understanding
about MLV parvovirus, or any MLV vaccine for that matter, is
basically correct. These viruses are immunosuppressive, which
I guess, could be considered a form on "immune shutdown." This
period takes up to a week. The point about protection levels
of material antibody differing between littermate puppies is
just misleading. If all the pups got colostrums and are vigorously
nursing, all should have similar good levels if protection. Jean
Dear Lana
(Kirby): Monthly heartworm medications are documented to
kill heartworm exposures within the past 45 days, so one could
give these medications every 45 rather than 30 days, although
this may be difficult for us to remember . In areas of the
country where heartworm disease is relatively rare (like our
region of Southern CA, many fanciers only give medication if
they travel to events in heartworm risk areas-they do so (give
the monthly medication) after short trips within 45 days of
returning to kill any potential exposures.
We recommend
using ANY preventive medication only if there is relatively high
risk for exposure in your community. We prefer plain daily product
or plain monthly product without any flea or tick or other worm
product combined. In high flea and/or tick areas we prefer the
topical to internal products. This general guideline is especially
important for dogs taking many other medications, with liver
disease or on anticonvulsants-because we want the liver to be
as protected as possible from metabolizing and clearing drugs.
Jean
Dear Wendee
(Lyons): No problems with continuing a successful protocol.
One should NOT vaccinate animals going through any illness,
especially allergies and cancer or other chronic disease. Some
years back (1982, I think), there was an excellent paper from
colleagues at UC Davis looking at the effects of booster vaccinating
dogs known to have atopic (inhalant) allergies. What they convincingly
showed was that IgE-mediated allergies became much worse when
vaccination was given. Their conclusion was to avoid vaccinating
during periods of high allergy exposure or allergic flare-ups.
I was really impressed with this work, which most people have
forgotten. Regarding cats and the real but relatively rare
risk of injection-site fibrosarcoma, we do not vaccinate indoor
cats after their kitten and one more booster at 1-1.5 years.
Typically, vets are changing recommendations for cats to booster
every 3-5 years or, after 7-10 years of age, not at all. We
no longer vaccinate any geriatric dogs, but do titers instead-for
the reasons discussed earlier on this talk group. As far as
new puppy owners, you might want to send along the articles
on vaccinations from "the Whole Dog Journal". The
December 2002 issue about titers etc is outstanding [but not
because I was interviewed !!]. Jean
Dear Giselle: You
are all keeping me busy ! My two-finger typing hand is stiff
! Thuja is very useful to cleanse the body from vaccinosis. This
plant is used whenever a reaction has occurred or if a puppy
has had a mild reaction or is from a family predisposed to vaccine
reactions. The kennel cough vaccine issue is a tough one. In
high exposure risk situations like you describe, one has to balance
the nuisance and aggravation when healthy dogs get kennel cough,
with the potential for adverse effects. Yes, like any vaccine
this one does produce some adverse effects. We prefer the intranasal
version, but know of a minnie dachshund family where some members
regularly collapse when given it (they can be revived). If the
dogs in the household where fostering occurs have chronic disease
or are immune compromised, they should receive kennel cough vaccine
(Bordetella only, you don't need coronavirus vaccine). As coronavirus
is readily killed at above 80 degrees, out of a draft, exposed
dogs can be kept inside in a 80 degree room for 24-48 hrs and
be fine. This virus typically causes disease in malnourished
parasitized puppies that have parvovirus infection too. Hope
this helps. Jean
April 22,
2002, 12:32AM
Pets
don't need shots every year
Experts
say annual vaccines waste money, can be risky
By LEIGH
HOPPER
Copyright 2002 Houston Chronicle Medical
Writer
Debra Grierson
leaves the veterinarian's office clutching Maddie and Beignet,
her Yorkshire terriers, and a credit card receipt for nearly
$400.
That's the
cost for the tiny dogs' annual exams, including heartworm checks,
dental checks and a barrage of shots.
"They're
just like our children," said the Houston homemaker. "We
would do anything, whatever they needed."
What many pet
owners don't know, researchers say, is that most yearly vaccines
for dogs and cats are a waste of money -- and potentially deadly.
Shots for the most important pet diseases last three to seven
years, or longer, and annual shots put pets at greater risk of
vaccine-related problems.
The Texas Department
of Health is holding public hearings to consider changing the
yearly rabies shot requirement to once every three years. Thirty-three
other states already have adopted a triennial rabies schedule.
Texas A&M University's and most other veterinary schools
now teach that most shots should be given every three years.
"Veterinarians
are charging customers $36 million a year for vaccinations that
are not necessary," said Bob Rogers, a vet in Spring who
adopted a reduced vaccine schedule. "Not only are these
vaccines unnecessary, they're causing harm to pets."
Just as humans
don't need a measles shot every year, neither do dogs or cats
need annual injections for illnesses such as parvo, distemper
or kennel cough. Even rabies shots are effective for at least
three years.
The news has
been slow to reach consumers, partly because few veterinarians
outside academic settings are embracing the concept. Vaccine
makers haven't done the studies needed to change vaccine labels.
Vets, who charge $30 to $60 for yearly shots, are loath to defy
vaccine label instructions and lose an important source of revenue.
In addition, they worry their patients won't fare as well without
yearly exams.
"I know
some vets feel threatened because they think, `People won't come
back to my office if I don't have the vaccine as a carrot,' " said
Alice Wolf, a professor of small-animal medicine at Texas A&M
and an advocate of reduced vaccinations. "A yearly exam
is very important."
The movement
to extend vaccine intervals is gaining ground because of growing
evidence that vaccines themselves can trigger a fatal cancer
in cats and a deadly blood disorder in dogs.
Rogers conducts
public seminars on the subject with evangelical zeal but thus
far has been unsuccessful in persuading the Texas Veterinary
Medical Association to adopt a formal policy.
"I'm asking
the Texas attorney general's office if this is theft by deception," said
Rogers, whose Critter Fixer practice won an ethics award from
the Better Business Bureau in 2000. "They just keep coming
out with more vaccines that are unnecessary and don't work. Professors
give seminars, and nobody comes and nobody changes."
When rabies
shots became common for pets in the 1950s, no one questioned
the value of annual vaccination. Distemper, which kills 50 percent
of victims, could be warded off with a shot. Parvovirus, which
kills swiftly and gruesomely by causing a toxic proliferation
of bacteria in the digestive system, was vanquished with a vaccine.
Over the years, more and more shots were added to the schedule,
preventing costly and potentially deadly disease in furry family
members.
Then animal
doctors began noticing something ominous: rare instances of cancer
in normal, healthy cats and an unusual immune reaction in dogs.
The shots apparently caused feline fibrosarcoma, a grotesque
tumor at the site of the shot, which is fatal if not discovered
early and cut out completely. Dogs developed a vaccine-related
disease in which the dog's body rejects its own blood.
"That
really caused people to ask the question, `If we can cause that
kind of harm with a vaccine ... are we vaccinating too much?' " said
Ronald Schultz, a veterinary immunologist at the University of
Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine. "As you get more
and more (vaccines), the possibility that a vaccine is going
to cause an adverse event increases quite a bit."
Less frequent
vaccines could reduce that risk, Schultz reasoned. Having observed
that humans got lifetime immunity from most of their childhood
vaccines, Schultz applied the same logic to dogs. He vaccinated
them for rabies, parvo, kennel cough and distemper and then exposed
them to the disease-causing organisms after three, five and seven
years. The animals remained healthy, validating his hunch.
He continued
his experiment by measuring antibody levels in the dogs' blood
nine and 15 years after vaccination. He found the levels sufficient
to prevent disease.
Fredric Scott,
professor emeritus at Cornell University College of Veterinary
Medicine, obtained similar results comparing 15 vaccinated cats
with 17 nonvaccinated cats. He found the cats' immunity lasted
7.5 years after vaccination. In 1998, the American Association
of Feline Practitioners published guidelines based on Scott's
work, recommending vaccines every three years.
"The feeling
of the AAFP is, cats that receive the vaccines every three years
are as protected from those infections as they would be if they
were vaccinated every year," said James Richards, director
of the Feline Health Center at Cornell. "I'm one of many
people who believe the evidence is really compelling."
Texas A&M's
Wolf said the three-year recommendation "is probably just
as arbitrary as anything else," and nothing more than a "happy
medium" between vaccine makers' recommendations and the
findings by Schultz and Scott aimed at reducing vaccine-related
problems.
But many vets
are uncomfortable making a drastic change in practice without
data from large-scale studies to back them up. There is no animal
equivalent of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,
which monitors outbreaks of vaccine-preventable disease in people,
thus keeping tabs on a vaccine's effectiveness.
Federal authorities
require vaccine makers to show only that a vaccine is effective
for a reasonable amount of time, usually one year. Richards notes
that studies to get a feline vaccine licensed in the first place
are typically quite small, involving 25 to 30 cats at most.
There is no
federal requirement to show a vaccine's maximum duration of effectiveness.
Arne Zislin, a veterinarian with Fort Dodge Animal Health, the
largest animal vaccine maker in the world, said such studies
would be expensive and possibly inhumane, requiring hundreds
of animals, some of them kept in isolation for up to five years.
"I don't
think anyone with consideration for animals would really want
to go through that process," said Zislin, another vet who
believes current data are insufficient to support an extended
schedule.
Diane Wilkie,
veterinarian at Rice Village Animal Hospital, said she tells
pet owners that vaccines appear to last longer than a year, but
her office hasn't officially changed its protocol yet. She said
20 percent to 30 percent of her cat patients are on the extended
schedule.
"It's
kind of a hard situation. The manufacturers still recommend a
year, but they're the manufacturers," Wilkie said. "It's
hard to change a whole professional mentality -- although I do
think it will change."
In Houston,
yearly pet examinations typically cost $50 to $135, with shots
making up one-third to half of the expense. A dental check, heartworm
test, fecal check and overall physical are usually included in
the price. Without the shots, vets could expect to lose a chunk
of that fee.
But an increasing
number of vets are emphasizing other services, such as surgery.
Wolf said savings on vaccines might prompt pet owners to get
their pets' teeth cleaned instead. An in-house test to check
antibody levels is in development.
"I definitely
think there's a profit issue in there; don't get me wrong," Wilkie
said. "(But) people are willing to spend money on their
pets for diseases. Although vaccines are part of the profit,
they aren't that big a part. We just did a $700 knee surgery."
Vaccination findings
Veterinary
research challenges the notion that pets need to be vaccinated
every 12 months. Some of the findings:
Dog vaccines/Minimum
duration of immunity
- Canine rabies
3 years
- Canine parainfluenza
3 years
- Canine distemper
(Onderstepoort strain) 5 years
- Canine distemper
(Rockborn strain) 7 years
- Canine adenovirus
(kennel cough) 7 years
- Canine parvovirus
7 years
Cat vaccines/Minimum
duration of immunity
- Cat rabies
3 years
- Feline panleukopenia
virus 6 years
- Feline herpesvirus
5 or 6 years
- Feline calicivirus
3 years
Recommendations
for dogs
- Parvovirus,
adenovirus, parainfluenza, distemper: Following initial puppy
shots, provide booster one year later, and every three years
thereafter.
- Rabies:
At 16 weeks of age, thereafter as required by law.
- Bordatella:
Use prior to boarding; may be repeated up to six times a year.
- Coronavirus:
Not recommended in private homes. Prior to boarding, may be
given to dogs 8 weeks or older, and repeated every six months.
- Lyme: Not
recommended.
- Giardia:
Not recommended.
- Recommendations
for cats
- Panleukopenia,
herpesvirus (rhinotracheitis), calicivirus: Following initial
kitten shots, provide booster one year later and every three
years thereafter.
- Rabies:
At 8 weeks of age, thereafter as required by law.
- Feline leukemia:
Use only in high-risk cats. Best protection is two vaccines
prior to 12 weeks of age, with boosters repeated annually.
- Bordatella:
Use prior to boarding.
- Feline infectious
peritonitis: Not recommended.
- Chlamydia:
Not recommended.
- Ringworm:
May be used during an outbreak in a home.
Sources: Ronald
Schultz, University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine;
Fredric Scott, Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine;
Colorado State University; University of California-Davis Center
for Companion Animal Health.
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