VACCINATIONS CUSTOMIZED TO PET'S LIFE STYLEIf you receive a reminder card from your veterinarian, be sure to examine it carefully and respond. Your vet is attempting to update each pet's annual physical examination and personalized vaccination schedule. Pet owners need to set up a new consultation with their favorite and most trusted vet so as to keep their best friends properly and not overly vaccinated. Because many viral diseases are a health threat for out door pets vs. indoor pets and the need for vaccines vary in different areas of the country, your vet knows best what your particular pets' health requires.
Keep in mind that cats tend to get inflammations at their vaccines sites with the formation of a lump. These lumps should go away within a few weeks. If a lump persists more than a few weeks, it is best to see your vet for a biopsy of the mass to confirm if it is inflammation or cancer! Dr. Dennis Macy of C.S.U. says, "Cats should not be unnecessarily vaccinated (i.e. annual vaccination for rabies with a three year rabies product should be discouraged). None of the killed FeLV or Rabies vaccines should be given in the inter-scapular space (between the shoulder blades). Vaccines administered S.Q. on a limb may be preferable. Your vet should use only the single dose Rabies vaccines (not the multiple dose type) and give it under the skin behind the knee on the right rear leg and FeLV on the left rear leg with documentation of the manufacturer. These precautions will minimize problems. Vaccines given into the muscle just makes detection of cancer more difficult." Parvo is a highly contagious infection of the digestive system that can strike puppies and adult dogs. Your dog can contract parvo without ever being directly exposed to another dog, because the virus can be spread through the air. Distemper kills pups and adult dogs by attacking the digestive system and the nervous system. Dogs who will be boarding this summer definitely need Bordetella and Corona vaccines. Lymes Disease is a big problem in the wooded areas of the east, but your vet knows best if your dog needs this. bORDETELLA is the infectious K-9 cough and this vaccine seems to be needed every 6 months for high risk life style show dogs and kenneled or dog park dogs.
Corona virus causes severe diarrhea in many species, but in dogs, it seems to be problematic in kennels and breeding facilities. Most house dogs do not need this vaccine! In cats, we see some diarrhea, but the real deadly form of Corona virus comes in the name of Feline Infectious Peritonitis which kills cats by over activating the immune response to fill the body cavities with fluid or lumpy kidneys (dry vs. wet form). There is a vaccine for this disease that may help catteries and large F.I.P. positive households from having deaths. It is not known or shown that this vaccine can help the individual older cat from developing F.I.P., so it is not routinely given to indoor cats or adult cats in general. Ask your vet!
Feline Respiratory Disese
Cats are susceptible to numerous respiratory viruses which cause sneezing, runny eyes and nasal discharge and some fatal pneumonias.
Cat fever kills cats by causing severe fever, diarrhea, and loss of white blood cells.
Feline Leukemia Virus is spread by infected cats fighting, bite wounds, urine contamination and mother to kitten transfer. Infected cats have a loss of the immune system and die like our people with AIDS. Out door cats can benefit from the new Feline Leukemia Virus (FeLV) vaccines yearly.
Ring Worm is a fungus that affects young dogs and cats and causes dry flakes and hair loss and a rash in the skin. Your vet should do a culture to identify this dermatophyte pest and treat with appropriate shampoo, creams or medication. Most people are immune to it, but children at kinter garden are exposed and can develop round red rash and pass it to the family pets or visa versa. Affected ones should see their doctor. A vaccine for this fungus was introduced and helps infected households and catteries, but the general population of cats and dogs do not need this vaccine.
Rabies kills by infecting and destruction of the nervous system. This virus can infect any species of animal (human concern) and is carried by skunks and fox in rural areas. All dogs and all outdoor cats need protection from Rabies; however, only dogs are required by law to have Rabies vaccination in the state of California.
Most of the informed, conscientious, urban California vets routinely do not vaccinate indoor cats for Rabies or FeLV. Vets are considering risk-benefit ratio for disease in an urban indoor cat (life style) in California which may be much lower than the risk for developing a vaccine-related lump that may cause concern. Also tiny little dogs under 5-6 pounds may have illness or several sluggish days after receiving multiple vaccines at one time. So ask your vet to separate vaccines by a week or two if you want to avoid an overload. There is a trend to examine the duration of immunity of vaccines in cats. Some recommend that the indoor cat may only need boosters every 2-3 years. Ask your Vet!
Your vet has a computerized reminder system that reminds you to bring in your four footed best friend for a check up and update on "needed" vaccines. If you have changed your address or have not received a reminder card from your vet within the past year, your pet may be over due for a needed physical exam or a blood test, a fecal test, a urine test and an update on required vaccines. You are the person who cares most for your animals and you need to do the actual good deed. No pets go to the vet without a caring owner attached at one end! Ask your vet what vaccines he/she uses for personal pets and go with those recommendations.
Our facility has offered low-cost-no-appointment vaccine clinics for over 25 years. Your vet may have a low cost vaccine clinic once a week so you don't have to go to a fly by night parking lot affair and get a load of unnecessary vaccines that fill someone's quota. Your vet provides customized service to your individual pet's life style, age and needs so that there is no excuse to let your pet's health lapse or needed vaccines expire!