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Vaccines – Our Philosophy
General Information
- Have historically been highly effective in controlling serious contagious diseases
- Eliminating vaccine programs invariably results in recurrence of these diseases
- There will always be a few individuals who have serious allergic reactions to vaccines. In these pets, the risks of vaccination may outweigh the benefits
- Vaccines have occasionally been linked to immune mediated disease. There is no doubt that rare individuals are at risk. However, in the vast majority of pets this does not negate the great benefits that have been seen through the routine use of vaccines
Maximizing the Benefits and Minimizing the Risks
We recommend vaccinating onlyfor those diseases for which your pet is at risk.
- Puppies and kittens are high risk and so the initial series of puppy and kitten vaccines followed by the booster in 1 year are EXTREMELY IMPORTANT
- We do not vaccinate for unimportant diseases or those diseases for which we do not have a safe or effective vaccine (e.g. Lyme disease, FIP, FIV, Chlamydia, Corona Virus and Giardia)
- Over vaccinating increases the risk. We follow current AAHA and AAFP guidelines in recommending adult canine distemper/parvo, canine rabies, feline distemper/respiratory virus’ and feline leukemia vaccines every 3 years
- We vaccinate with no more than 2 injectable vaccines at one time
- Kennel cough and Leptospirosis vaccines are appropriate for many dogs, depending on their lifestyle. We will discuss these options with you on an individual basis
Special Feline Issues
- In recent years it has become apparent that a very few cats are genetically predisposed to convert inflammation into a type of skin cancer called ‘Fibrosarcoma.’
- The incidence is approximately 2-3 out of every 10,000 cats
- Best research to date indicates that eliminating the adjuvant portion of the vaccine may significantly reduce the risk
- We do not use adjuvanted vaccines in cats.
- We vaccinate adult cats every 3 years for distemper/respiratory virus
- We vaccinate only at risk adult cats for feline leukemia.
- Rabies vaccines are federally regulated, and non-adjuvanted Rabies vaccines must be given annually
Vaccine Alternatives
- We strongly believe all puppies and kittens should receive their initial series of vaccines and a booster in 1 year.
- Adult dogs have the option of measuring ‘Antibody Titres’ to parvo virus and distemper. Please recognize that a high antibody titre is not necessarily proof of protection, but it does give some support towards that end.
We believe owners must always play an important role in health care decision-making. Please feel free to discuss with us any concerns you may have about our vaccine recommendations for your pet.
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