Matthew Homfray asked:


Vaccinations are an essential preventive care for your dog. Through vaccination, dogs can now be protected from numerous disease risks, including rabies, distemper, hepatitis and several others. Some of these diseases are zoonotic (can be passed from dogs to people) and so vaccinating your pet benefits public health too.

Recently, several studies have shown that vaccines protect dogs for a longer period than previously believed. There have also been many improvements in the quality of the vaccines produced. Pet owners are now also aware and concerned that vaccination is not as harmless a procedure as once believed.

To assist veterinarians with making vaccine recommendations for their pet owners dogs, the American Animal Hospital Association has now issued a set of canine vaccine guidelines. These guidelines were developed by a group of experts and practicing veterinarians together.

A key recommendation is that all dogs are very different and therefore vaccine decisions should be tailored to the individual dog. Factors including age, breed, health status, environment, lifestyle, and travel habits of the dog should be always be considered. Infectious disease threats differ from place to place and so you should work with your veterinarian to tailor an immunization program that best protects your dog based on his / her risk and lifestyle factors.

Am I Putting My Dogs Health at Risk When Vaccinating?

All medical procedures, no matter how routine, carry some inherent risk and so it would be wrong to say that vaccinating your pet is risk free. As with any medical procedure the benefits of performing that procedure must be balanced against the risks. Veterinarians recommend that no needless vaccination risks should be taken and that the best way to go about this is to reduce the number and frequency of administration of unnecessary vaccines.These decisions should be made after considering your dogs age, lifestyle, and potential exposure to infectious disease.

What are the risks associated with vaccination?

Vaccine reactions are infrequent in my experience. In general, most vaccine reactions are mild and the side effects (local pain, itchiness and swelling) are self-limiting. Allergic reactions are much less common, but if untreated can actually be fatal. These can occur soon after vaccination, usually within a matter of minutes to hours. If you think this type of reaction is occuring, please contact your veterinarian as soon as possible.

Also, in a very small number of patients, vaccines can sometimes cause the patients immune system to attack their own cells, resulting in diseases that affect the blood, skin, joints or nervous system. Such reactions are very rare but can again be life threatening.

There is also a possible complication of tumor growth developing at the vaccination site, but this occurs most frequently in cats.

Please just remember, that if you have any reason to be concerned, just call your veterinarian for advice.

There are so many vaccines available – How do I know which vaccines my pet needs?

There are two general groups of vaccines: core and noncore vaccines.

Core vaccines are recommended for all dogs and protect against diseases that are more common and are more serious. These diseases are found in all areas of North America and are more easily transmitted than noncore diseases. The AAHA guidelines define core vaccines as: distemper, adenovirus, parvovirus and rabies.

Noncore vaccines are for patients at an increased risk for infection due to exposure or lifestyle. The AAHA guidelines define non-core vaccines as: kennel cough, Lyme disease and leptospirosis vaccines.

How often should my dog be vaccinated really?

It is essential that your dog has the complete initial series of puppy core vaccines, as well as booster shots at one year of age. The young dog is at high risk of contracting infectious disease and so every step should be taken to prevent illness. Following the one-year boosters, the AAHA Canine Vaccine Guidelines recommend that the distemper, adenovirus and parvovirus core vaccines be administered once every three years. Your state and local municipality govern how often rabies boosters are administered and so please contact them or your local veterinarian to get more information (some areas require an annual rabies booster whereas others only require a three-year-effective rabies booster every three years ).

Noncore vaccinations should be administered whenever the risk of the disease is significant enough to override any risk of vaccination. For example, a kennel cough vaccine may need to be given every six months to a dog that is repeatedly kenneled or exposed to groups of dogs at grooming salons or dog shows.

If my pet doesnt need annual vaccines does this mean I only need to see my veterinarian every three years?

Regular health checks (once or twice a year) are a very important disease preventative for your dog. Vaccinations are just one component of a health check. Your veterinarian will thoroughly examine your pet to ensure that all is well. your veterinarian has an opportunity, therefore, to detect and prevent problems at an early stage. Just think, dogs age more quickly than humans, so an annual exam equates to a human getting a physical every 5-7 years. Plus they dont always show signs of early disease, and they cant easily communicate discomfort to us.

Can my veterinarian do tests to see if my dog needs to be vaccinated?

The answer is yes. Tests that measure protective antibody levels for diseases are called titers. Reliable titer tests for canine distemper and parvovirus now exist. Your veterinarian can provide you with more information.



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Michael Plante asked:


This topic has been discussed so many times by so many different people that it is quite difficult to sort through all the conflicting information. Fortunately, our experts have decided to sort the grain from the chaff and have come up with this article that offers a more objective perspective.

A vaccine is a substance that is made from dead or living pathogens. It is injected into the body through inoculation (intranasal versions have also recently been developed), which causes the body to create antibodies and, therefore, makes your cat immune to getting the disease in the future.

What vaccines does your cat motive, and on what timeline? What are the most common vaccines and what special vaccines may be needed? Find out more about common vaccines, some of the risks, and the recommended timeframe for getting vaccines to keep your cat healthy.

Vaccines

Several years ago, the VAFSTF (Vaccine-Associated Feline Sarcoma Task Force) published a list of vaccines that were highly due for all cats. These included:

Feline Panleukopenia Virus Vaccine (aka “Feline Distemper”)

Feline Calicivirus

Rhinotracheitis AKA Feline Herpes Virus

Rabies Vaccine

While the vaccines above are recommended for the health of all cats, others are more dangerous and present a higher risk of adverse reactions. For this reason, they are recommended only in certain instances. These vaccines contain:

Chlamydiosis: Recommended for households with multiple cats or where chlamydiosis infections have been confirmed, after vet consultation.

Feline Infectious Peritonitis (FIP): A controversial vaccine, the AAFP (American Association of Feline Practitioners) currently recommends against its use.

Bordetella: A recently-approved vaccine is not yet ready for common use, but may be used for multiple-cat environments on a case-by-case detail.

Gardiasis: This vaccine is in a similar state to that for Bordetella, being too new for general use but can be approved when exposure is clinically significant.

There are many different times when vaccination may not be appropriate, depending on your cat’s health situation. Cats that probably should not be vaccinated include: sick cats (particularly those with weakened immune systems or chronic disease), those receiving cortisone therapy, or kittens under six weeks unless in extreme conditions. Cats over 10 years old typically do not hanker booster shots. Finally, it is believed that pregnant queens may experience stillbirths as a result of some vaccines.

No feature what the situation, always consult a variety of sources and talk with your veterinarian before making vaccination decisions.

Timeline

Kittens are oftentimes first inoculated between six and eight weeks of age. This first round of shots consists of the FVRCP, which can be a three-in-one shot and vaccinates against feline viral rhinotracheitis (FVR), calicivirus, and panleukopenia virus. A booster round of shots is administered three to four weeks later and booster rounds continue until twelve weeks of age. Rabies shots, however, are not given until twelve weeks of age at the earliest.

If you adopt an older kitten or cat, their initial vaccinations are normally given in one does or two doses that are three to four weeks apart. One dose is given when the vaccine is an MLV, or two doses of a killed virus vaccine are recommended.

Once your cat has been vaccinated, they are usually put on an annual schedule of vaccinations. It is important for you, the pet owner, to keep get over of vaccinations. Although your vet’s office itch keep records and do their best to remind you, it is ultimately your responsibility to ensure your cat’s best health.

More recently, pet owners and veterinarians have been forgoing an annual vaccination scheme, demanded to fears about Vaccine-Related Sarcoma. This condition is most regularly caused by the rabies or FeLV vaccines. Vaccine-related sarcomas occur when cancerous tumors grow at the site of a vaccination. A small, painless lump often develops at the site of a vaccination; in rare cases, however, it progresses to a sarcoma. Pet owners are encouraged to check a vaccination site for several months after the vaccination, and schedule a vet appointment if the swelling has become a solid lump.

If your cat is an animal that spends all his time indoors, forgoing annual vaccinations may be a possibility. However, in general this tactic is not recommended and should only be considered under extenuating circumstances. Even if your cat will not be getting annual vaccinations, you should still bring him in for a check-up and testing. Be sure to thoroughly research any vaccination-related decisions and discuss the advantages and disadvantages with your veterinarian.



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AnneMing asked:


Vaccinations need to be undertaken always by the pet owners and the dogs need to be vaccinated at the appropriate time. This helps to improve the resistance of the animal against some specific diseases causing frequently problems in dogs. The dogs that are orphaned due to the death of the mother have lesser protection in their immune system.Such animals are to be particularly protected against various diseases.

Vaccination is usually started at the age of five to six weeks and prior to this age, the maternal immunity will be helping the animal to have natural disease resistance. It is always better to deworm the animal before the vaccination and this is given emphasis many times. Vaccination against the parvo virus is done at an early age because pups are often being affected by parvo viral infections. The booster dose for each vaccine needs to be given at appropriate time and this helps to build up the immune status to an appreciable manner. Vaccination is carried out in many countries against rabies disease.Hence, vaccination against rabies is given more emphasis always. Even rabies tags are fixed on to the dog collar of most of the dogs. Rabies vaccine is given at age of thirteen to fifteenth weeks of age and is repeated in fifteenth months time. However, this depends on the type of vaccine used. Once in three years, this is repeated.

In dogs that have not received colostrums or dogs at high risk areas, give measles virus vaccine and killed parvovirus vaccine before five weeks of age itself. Leptospira serovar vaccine is given at six to eight weeks of age and again at tenth to twelfth weeks and at thirteenth to sixteenth weeks. Then annually repeat this. Bordetella and lyme disease vaccinations are only optional ones in case of dogs. Vaccinations against the canine parainfluenza, canine parvovirus, and canine adenovirus type- two is similar to the schedule maintained with leptospiral serovars

Common questions about vaccinations are to be understood by the dog owners, as a priority. One of the common questions is whether the dog needs to be given vaccination on the first week of age or not. The dogs need not be vaccinated within five to six weeks of age. But, if they did not receive vaccinations, then the vaccination against the parvoviral infections used to kill viral vaccines and measles disease may be given.

Another common question is whether dog is to be given bordetella disease vaccine and lyme disease vaccine. No, these vaccines are only optional. Can the parvoviral vaccine be used in first week of life? No. This will interfere with maternal antibody levels.

Can a pregnant animal be vaccinated? Yes. Two to three weeks earlier to pregnancy activity that is expected, the pregnant animal may be vaccinated against viral diseases. This helps to provide maternal antibodies to the young one to be given birth.

Is there any need to give rabies vaccine to dogs? Yes. It is a must to go for the anti rabies vaccine for dogs. When this anti-rabies vaccine is given to the dogs, what precaution does one need to undertake in this regard? Rabies vaccine is given at age of thirteen to fifteen weeks of age and should to be repeated in fifteen months and then once in three years. It is important that the dog is given this vaccine. However, this depends on the risk area.

Is there any need for canine distemper vaccination in case of dogs? Yes. There is a specific requirement in the case of dogs for the vaccination against the canine distemper. This disease is more prevalent in most of the countries.

Is there any vaccination against leptospirosis and at what age, the dog is to be vaccinated? This is to be given at age of at six to eight weeks of age, again at tenth to twelfth weeks, and again at thirteenth to sixteenth weeks of age.



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Knowing what to vaccinate your dog for and how often to give your dog a vaccination are two very important issues. Regular vaccinations can prevent your dog from contracting many different types of diseases. Vaccinating your dog is a very important part of your total dog health care program. Overall, two of the most important viruses to vaccinate your dog for are parvovirus and distemper.

Most vets agree that it is vital to vaccinate puppies at 6 weeks of age and again at 8, 12, and 16 weeks for Distemper, Canine Infectious Hepatitis, Leptospirosis, Parainfluenza, Parvovirus, and Coronavirus (DHLPPC). It is also suggested that puppies are vaccinated for rabies at six months of age and then to repeat it annually.

Although your new puppy may squirm or even cry when getting his vaccinations, it is just as important for your dog as it is for your children to receive these “annual shots”. In fact, by keeping up to date on your dog’s vaccinations, you could be saving his life. Basically, dog vaccinations are injections of a small dose of a specific disease, which should prevent your puppy from developing that very disease later in life by creating the necessary antibodies to fight it off.

Some dog owners have concerns whether the repeated dog vaccinations are really necessary and whether they are doing more harm than good. Vaccinations work by stimulating the dog’s immune system, encouraging it to readily produce antibodies to fight against many specific types of bacterias and viruses.

Stimulating the dogs immune system this way does come at a price when the actual introduction of the offending agent in some form to the dog’s system leads to illness. Once vaccinations are given, your dog’s immune system will recognize the presence of a disease and will then create antibodies to fight it off. These antibodies only last from six months to a year, which makes regular vaccinations extremely important for your puppy or dog.

The question on the minds of many pet owners is usually – “is it dangerous to repeatedly vaccinate my dog each year”? Fortunately the experts do agree that the answer to this question is a resounding “no.”

While there are rare cases of dogs that have become very ill or even died as a result of receiving a vaccination, there is no evidence to suggest that this practice poses any real danger generally speaking. Oftentimes, the dogs that are adversely affected to jobs.pharmacy-bg.com/tag/vaccine/”title=”vaccine” >vaccines may have already been sick or have some form of allergy to a specific part of the vaccine.

When using a vaccine that must be mixed first, there are four simple steps to follow. First: mix the vaccine by withdrawing all of the liquid from the one vial and then injecting it iback into the vial containing the dried portion of the vaccine. Remove the syringe, shake the vial to mix up the vaccination, re-insert the needle and then withdraw the entire 1 ml contents of the mixed vaccination.

Two different types of vaccinations exist which are a Killed Vaccine and a Modified Live Vaccine. A Modified Live Vaccine is the live disease being injected, while having been altered by the drug company to be unable to cause the disease it is protecting against. A Killed Vaccine is when the virus itself has been killed before any injection occurs.

Most vaccinations are administered subcutaneously (by injecting the vaccine just under the skin). One of the best areas is located in the shoulder or neck area. Simply lift a tent of skin into a triangle with one hand, and inject the vaccine with the other hand. Note: always use a different sterile needle and syringe for each dog and also for each individual injection, and then dispose of all used needles and syringes in a safe location.

I feel that the best advice I can offer is that dog owners continue vaccinating their dogs according to local laws and the recommendations of their veterinarians. Since the annual vaccines are not seemingly harming dogs in any way, there is no cause for alarm and no harm in continuing the same routine until the veterinary community makes up its mind that a real change is needed in regard to dog vaccinations. In the mean time, a little prevention can go a long way to keep your dog healthy.

Copyright 2007 • Debbie Ray • All Rights Reserved.

Debbie Ray asked: