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CAT VACCINATION PROTOCOLS & SERVICES
A Review by Dr. Michael W. Fox
“Anytime you inject anything into a patient you have the potential of killing them”.—Prof. Ron Schultz, DVM.
The practice of giving cats several different vaccinations against various diseases all at the same time early in life and then again every year as "boosters" for the rest of their lives is coming to a close. This is for two primary reasons: animals can have adverse reactions to vaccinations that can impair their health for the rest of their lives; routine "booster" shots are not needed since earlier vaccinations have given animals sufficient immunity to the diseases in question.
First, kittens should not be given vaccinations before 8-10 weeks of age since this can interfere with the natural immunity in their systems conferred by the colostrum or first milk of their mothers. But if the immune status of the mother is unknown, as is the situation for many to-be-adopted kittens in animal shelters, vaccinations at an earlier age between 5-6 weeks is the usual protocol. Adult animals in a compromised immune state, as for example those who are ill, injured, or being given an anesthetic and operated on, such as being spayed or castrated, or for any other surgical procedure, are pregnant or nursing, or are old and infirm, should not be vaccinated.
Rabies vaccinations, unless in-field conditions make this logistically difficult, should never be given at the same time other combined vaccinations are given. Separate by at least 3 weeks.
For minimal basic vaccination protocols, developed by Dr. Jean Dodds, see Table 1.
If your cat received all core vaccines by 16 weeks of age, have antibody blood titers evaluated at 1 year of age if you have reservations about re-vaccination.
No vaccine can guarantee immunity, since different strains of infective agents may be involved, and animals who are stressed, suffering from poor nutrition, genetic susceptibility and concurrent disease may have impaired immune systems and lowered resistance to disease. But this does not mean that they should never be vaccinated or be routinely re-vaccinated just in case, because vaccinations can cause further immune system impairment and a host of health problems---the so called vaccinosis diseases--- that these new vaccination protocols are aimed at minimizing.
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FELINE MINIMAL VACCINE USE PROTOCOL – 2007
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Age of Kittens
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Vaccine Type
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8 weeks
12 weeks
20 weeks or older, if allowable by law
1 year
1 year
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Panleukopenia, calicivirus, herpes virus, trivalent killed vaccine or Recombinant MLV
Same as above
Rabies, IF required by law
Panleukopenia, calicivirus, herpes virus (0ptional)
Rabies, killed 3-year product (give 3-4 weeks apart from other vaccines booster), if required
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REASONS FOR VACCINE TITER TESTING *
· To determine that animal is protected (suggested by a positive test result)
· To identify a susceptible animal (suggested by a negative test result)
· To determine whether an individual animal has responded to a vaccine
· To determine whether an individual vaccine is effectively immunizing animals
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* from: Schultz, Ford, Olsen, Scott. Vet Med, 97: 1-13, 2002
AVAILABLE VACCINE TITERS FOR CATS
· Panleukopenia Virus
· Herpes Virus ( Rhinotracheitis Virus)
· Calicivirus
· Rabies Virus (RFFIT: non export)
In an article in DVM360 entitled Vaccination: An Overview, http://veterinarycalendar.dvm360.com/avhc/article/articleDetail.jsp?id=568351 Dr. Melissa Kennedy states that of the two types of adverse reactions:
"Adverse reactions have also become a major concern in small animal medicine. ... These fall into two general categories. The first is immediate hypersensitivity. This may be a local or systemic response, and is due to pre-existing antibody to the agent. This is the classic "allergic reaction" to the vaccine and can be life-threatening. The second is a delayed response, requiring days or longer to develop. The vaccine, seen as foreign, elicits a significant inflammatory response and is especially true for adjuvanted vaccines. This response can manifest as a granuloma, or more seriously, a fibrosarcoma."
She also reports "The likelihood of adverse reactions in dogs has been found to correlate with the size of the dog and the number of inoculations given, with higher risk associated with small size and multiple inoculations."
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Duration of Immunity to Canine Vaccines: What We Know and Don't Know, Dr. Ronald Schultz http://www.cedarbayvet.com/duration_of_immunity.htm
What Everyone Needs to Know about Canine Vaccines, Dr. Ronald Schultz
http://www.puliclub.org/CHF/AKC2007Conf/...%20Vaccines.htm