 | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  |
| Vaccines (Recommendations, Facts & Myths) |
Vaccines and the frequency of vaccine administration have received a great deal of attention in the
last ten years. The one constant in theses discussions is that there is a great deal of variation in
recommendations.
A major vaccination concern in cats is the possibility that a rare, but very aggressive tumor called a
fibrosarcoma will develop at the site that a vaccine was given. The potential to develop a
fibrosarcoma exists whenever anything irritating is injected under the skin of a cat whether it is a
vaccine, drug or fang of another cat. This worrisome problem has led to a number of changes in
the feline vaccine recommendations. So a step by step examination of vaccine type, frequency and
rationale on who to vaccinate and how to vaccinate is in order. Finally, there is one situation we
must all realize. Most of us have never lived through a time when vaccines for the most common
diseases have not been readily available. It is easy to refuse vaccinations on whatever grounds
when we personally have not witnessed an animal (or human for that matter) suffer and die of
completely preventable diseases. Feline distemper, feline rhinotracheitis, canine distemper, canine
parvovirus, rabies or any of the myriad of other preventable diseases that we have affordable
vaccines for should always be given.
First, all cats need to be vaccinated whether they live indoors or roam outside. This includes
vaccination against rabies even if they are indoors. In Wisconsin this is a state law and it’s part of
the
“Greater Good” policy because people can contract this disease from rabid animals. As
veterinarians, we have no discretion on our part to recommend that an animal not be vaccinated
unless the vaccine itself causes life-threatening problems. As an owner, you can refuse this
vaccine, but we recommend that you do not. The Public Health Department can make your life
fairly miserable if your pet should bite someone while unvaccinated or if your pet were to escape
from your home and end up in the Humane Society. And…..there is nothing more fascinating to a
cat then a bat that somehow gets into your home and flies from room to room. Bats are carriers of
this fatal virus. We usually get one to two calls yearly from hysterical owners with a bat in their
home and a cat chasing it. We have currently changed our rabies vaccination protocol from every
three years back to yearly as the new one- year vaccine is much safer for your pet to receive. The
FDA is conducting tests to see if this new vaccine will be approved for three years protection and
we are hopeful that approval will be coming in the next two to three years.
The next topic is why you even need to vaccinate a cat that never leaves your home. Granted the
most efficient way to transmit any of the common diseases is for your cat to come into direct
contact with the secretions released from a diseased individual. However, viruses and bacteria can
live for a number of hours outside of the body and these pathogens can be picked up by insect
vectors and transmitted into your household. Much like the human cold or flu virus can be
contracted by using the same phone or touching a door knob. A cat that has never been
vaccinated is especially vulnerable to these diseases. These isolated animals have long since lost
all immunity received from their mothers and when they come to a clinic or escape and end up in
the Humane Society, these animals will usually contract everything floating around. Cats that have
been vaccinated initially and never go outside do not have the opportunity to encounter small bits
of virus/bacteria and left unboostered have their antibody levels drop very low. In contrast,
outdoor animals on a regular basis will come into contact with very, very small amounts of
virus/bacteria and actually self-vaccinate on a constant basis. So actually, it’s the roaming farm cat
that is probably in a much better situation to fend off diseases than the inside pet.
Now what vaccines are in order and how frequently do we need to give them. Kittens receive their
first set of vaccines for Feline Distemper, Feline Rhinotracheitis (Herpes), and Calicivirus when
they are 7-8 weeks of age. Boosters for these vaccines are given two more times one month
apart. At one year of age, these vaccines are repeated and then every three years after that.
After the initial set of vaccines as a kitten, we prefer to give this immunization as drops into the
nose rather than as an injection. Rabies is given with the last set of vaccines.
We do not routinely vaccinate against Feline Leukemia unless you intend on letting your pet
outside. If you decide to let your cat roam, then we can start them at a later date. Cats under one
year of age are very susceptible to this disease so if you are going to let them out you need to
vaccinate. Once a permanent infection has been established with the Feline Leukemia virus,it is
fatal. We do not vaccinate for FIP, FIV or ringworm.
Vaccinations need to be tailored for your specific pet; one- size does not fit all. Please discuss any
concerns you have with your veterinarian at your first or yearly appointments.
last ten years. The one constant in theses discussions is that there is a great deal of variation in
recommendations.
A major vaccination concern in cats is the possibility that a rare, but very aggressive tumor called a
fibrosarcoma will develop at the site that a vaccine was given. The potential to develop a
fibrosarcoma exists whenever anything irritating is injected under the skin of a cat whether it is a
vaccine, drug or fang of another cat. This worrisome problem has led to a number of changes in
the feline vaccine recommendations. So a step by step examination of vaccine type, frequency and
rationale on who to vaccinate and how to vaccinate is in order. Finally, there is one situation we
must all realize. Most of us have never lived through a time when vaccines for the most common
diseases have not been readily available. It is easy to refuse vaccinations on whatever grounds
when we personally have not witnessed an animal (or human for that matter) suffer and die of
completely preventable diseases. Feline distemper, feline rhinotracheitis, canine distemper, canine
parvovirus, rabies or any of the myriad of other preventable diseases that we have affordable
vaccines for should always be given.
First, all cats need to be vaccinated whether they live indoors or roam outside. This includes
vaccination against rabies even if they are indoors. In Wisconsin this is a state law and it’s part of
the
“Greater Good” policy because people can contract this disease from rabid animals. As
veterinarians, we have no discretion on our part to recommend that an animal not be vaccinated
unless the vaccine itself causes life-threatening problems. As an owner, you can refuse this
vaccine, but we recommend that you do not. The Public Health Department can make your life
fairly miserable if your pet should bite someone while unvaccinated or if your pet were to escape
from your home and end up in the Humane Society. And…..there is nothing more fascinating to a
cat then a bat that somehow gets into your home and flies from room to room. Bats are carriers of
this fatal virus. We usually get one to two calls yearly from hysterical owners with a bat in their
home and a cat chasing it. We have currently changed our rabies vaccination protocol from every
three years back to yearly as the new one- year vaccine is much safer for your pet to receive. The
FDA is conducting tests to see if this new vaccine will be approved for three years protection and
we are hopeful that approval will be coming in the next two to three years.
The next topic is why you even need to vaccinate a cat that never leaves your home. Granted the
most efficient way to transmit any of the common diseases is for your cat to come into direct
contact with the secretions released from a diseased individual. However, viruses and bacteria can
live for a number of hours outside of the body and these pathogens can be picked up by insect
vectors and transmitted into your household. Much like the human cold or flu virus can be
contracted by using the same phone or touching a door knob. A cat that has never been
vaccinated is especially vulnerable to these diseases. These isolated animals have long since lost
all immunity received from their mothers and when they come to a clinic or escape and end up in
the Humane Society, these animals will usually contract everything floating around. Cats that have
been vaccinated initially and never go outside do not have the opportunity to encounter small bits
of virus/bacteria and left unboostered have their antibody levels drop very low. In contrast,
outdoor animals on a regular basis will come into contact with very, very small amounts of
virus/bacteria and actually self-vaccinate on a constant basis. So actually, it’s the roaming farm cat
that is probably in a much better situation to fend off diseases than the inside pet.
Now what vaccines are in order and how frequently do we need to give them. Kittens receive their
first set of vaccines for Feline Distemper, Feline Rhinotracheitis (Herpes), and Calicivirus when
they are 7-8 weeks of age. Boosters for these vaccines are given two more times one month
apart. At one year of age, these vaccines are repeated and then every three years after that.
After the initial set of vaccines as a kitten, we prefer to give this immunization as drops into the
nose rather than as an injection. Rabies is given with the last set of vaccines.
We do not routinely vaccinate against Feline Leukemia unless you intend on letting your pet
outside. If you decide to let your cat roam, then we can start them at a later date. Cats under one
year of age are very susceptible to this disease so if you are going to let them out you need to
vaccinate. Once a permanent infection has been established with the Feline Leukemia virus,it is
fatal. We do not vaccinate for FIP, FIV or ringworm.
Vaccinations need to be tailored for your specific pet; one- size does not fit all. Please discuss any
concerns you have with your veterinarian at your first or yearly appointments.
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |