AddThis Sharing ButtonsShare to FacebookFacebookFacebookShare to TwitterTwitterTwitterShare to PinterestPinterestPinterestShare to MoreAddThisMore5
There isn’t a hotter and a lot more debated topic in small animal veterinary medicine than the topic of vaccinations. With different veterinarians and various political organizations in the field of veterinary medicine having different recommendations, including even lots of veterinary schools across the country, it can typically be confusing for an animal guardian which vaccination(s) they must get for their pet dog or cat, as well as how frequently these vaccinations must be repeated. I’ll try and shed some light on this very confusing topic for the pet dog and cat owner.
As with my own technique to veterinary medicine, I personally believe that an individualized technique to this topic is needed for each pet. The risk of exposure to a particular infectious disease, as well as how severe the infection is (morbidity/mortality) , in terms of health risk to an animal are always the two a lot of crucial aspects I consider. In addition, I will also look at how long a vaccination has been on the market, and if it has been genuinely studied for safety long term, which in my opinion a lot of vaccinations have not been adequately examined for long term safety, especially when repeated on a yearly or a lot more frequent basis.
Most states do require dogs to be vaccinated for rabies by a licensed veterinarian, and lots of states also require cats to receive rabies vaccinations. After the initial one year rabies vaccination (which I personally don’t recommend until the immune system is mature at 6 months of age) rabies vaccinations in a lot of states are usually good for three years by law, after being boostered at one year of age. Studies are underway ideal now that will a lot of likely demonstrate that immunity to rabies vaccination is good for at least 5 or 7 years; however, for now we need to certainly follow the law with regard to this vaccination, given the public health risk of rabies.
However, if an animal has a chronic medical or health condition that could be potentially exacerbated or worsened by a rabies vaccination, lots of states will allow a medical exemption by a licensed veterinarian in that state on an individual pet by pet basis. as for other vaccinations, in my opinion, lots of of them are given with too lots of viral/bacterial components in one injection, and lots of vets routinely give two or three combination vaccinations at one time. especially in toy and smaller breeds, I have found this practice substantially increases the risk for not only short term acute vaccine reactions, but long term damage to the immune system as well, in addition to often triggering chronic health problem in sensitive pets. Vaccinations must absolutely not be given at times of emotional, physical or hormonal stress, such as when a female animal is in heat, as well as around the time of a surgical procedure in my opinion. and they certainly must not be given when an animal has any acute illness.
Over the past several decades the normal conventional conventional of practice is to give puppies and kittens multiple viral vaccinations every few weeks starting as young as 3-4 weeks of age, up until 4-5 months old and then repeating that practice annually of the animal’s life. As Schultz and Phillips wrote lots of years ago in Kirk’s current Veterinary therapy XI edition (a text taught at lots of veterinary schools), yearly vaccination for core viral diseases is medically unnecessary, and is a practice that lacks “scientific validity.” Immunity to a lot of core viruses like parvo or distemper lasts for years to the life of the animal. Although the first international Veterinary Vaccines and Diagnostics conference held at the college of Veterinary medicine in Wisconsin over 12 years ago (in 1997) concluded that the duration of immunity is likely a lot more than 5 years for clinically crucial companion animal vaccines, lots of veterinarians still routinely over vaccinate both puppies/kittens and adult/senior dogs and cats.
Optional vaccinations like leptospirosis and Lyme vaccination in dogs, and Feline leukemia and FIV vaccination in cats are also not generally accepted as safe and/or efficacious by many. evidence has emerged in recent years that over vaccination has been a major aspect in the development of both the epidemic increases in autoimmune diseases, seizures, behavioral and hormonal disorders, and cancer seen in younger and younger pets. I have even read papers that paper evidence citing genetic changes have occurred in family pets at the level of their DNA because of the viral over vaccination process over so lots of generations of dogs and cats. With regard to flea and tick transmitted disease, certainly use of either conventional topical flea/tick medications, such as Frontline Plus, advantage II, or a lot more natural alternatives, offer better insurance against vector transmitted diseases than any vaccination in my opinion.
Regardless of what an animal guardian decides, this “veterinarian sensitive” topic must be discussed between client and veterinarian about what is best for their individual pet, and an animal guardian must certainly be supplied with as much accurate and unbiased information on this issue as possible, in buy to make as well informed a decision on which vaccinations their family pets genuinely need. The product Vetri-DMG liquid is typically quite valuable at time of vaccination and in the subsequent 10-14 days post vaccination to not only improve immunologic action to a vaccination, but to help modulate the immune system action so that the probability of vaccination reactions is decreased.
Pet Health