Question:
I have been following your column closely because I have three cats and two dogs and am very concerned about the risks of having them vaccinated. You have been most informative on new views on this topic. What vaccinations and times (ages and frequencies) do you recommend?.
R.B., Fairfax, Va Jul 25, 2004
Answer:
The health risks of vaccinations have been the focus of concerned veterinarians over the past decade. Many now advocate the following protocol to reduce the risks of chronic health problems that have been linked to adverse reactions to repeated vaccinations:-- For dogs, at 12 weeks or older, give modified live virus distemper and parvovirus only and none thereafter. At 16 weeks or older, give rabies vaccination and repeat every three years.-- For cats, at 12 weeks or older, give FCV (calici), FPV (panleukopenia) and FVR (herpes/rhino), and rabies at 16 weeks if required by law, using the canary pox vectored 1-year vaccine. If feline leukemia vaccine is needed in at-risk cats (those who get outdoors or are exposed to new cats), give two doses at 9 and 12 weeks or 12 and 15 weeks, and one more booster at 1 year of age (and none thereafter) in order to reduce the risk of injection-site cancer (fibrosarcoma).-- For Lyme disease in dogs, the recombinant Lyme vaccine is preferable to the bacterial vaccine for dogs
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