Dear Spring Oaks’ Family:

The June topic of the month is preventative vaccinations for dogs and cats.

There are lots of contagious diseases out there that can be harmful and even fatal to dogs and cats.  Our goal is to help prevent your pet from getting those diseases through our vaccination program. 

To be successful a vaccination program depends on several factors.  The most critical is that your pet has a healthy immune system that can be stimulated by the vaccine.  This is why at Spring Oaks your pet receives a full physical examination before any vaccines are given.  We make sure your pet is healthy enough to receive the vaccinations before giving them.  This is not the case at vaccine clinics.

Your pet’s immune system needs to be “reminded” periodically about certain diseases as well.  This is why we perform booster vaccinations.  The frequency of booster vaccination depends on the vaccine type, the age of the pet, exposure risks, and other health issues.  For example, puppies and kittens need to have frequent boosters to make sure they are protected from common viruses such as Distemper, Parvo, Herpes, Calici, and Panleukopenia.  As adults, we booster those vaccinations less frequently.

At Spring Oaks we treat each pet as an individual and tailor the vaccination protocol based on the pet’s lifestyle and potential disease exposure.  All dogs and cats should receive certain core vaccinations that help to protect them from common diseases but other vaccines may not be needed if the pet has no exposure to that disease.

By law all pets must be vaccinated for Rabies.  We typically vaccinate kittens and puppies for Rabies at 16 weeks of age and booster that vaccine one year later.  Depending on the type of vaccination used subsequent boosters may be yearly or every three years.  We use a special Rabies vaccination for cats, Merial PureVax, which produces almost no inflammation at the injection site.  In the 80’s veterinarians began seeing an increase in the number of tumors in cats that seemed to correspond to injection sites.  It has been subsequently proven that the inflammation caused by certain types of injections in cats stimulates this tumor formation.  By using Merial PureVax we are using the safest vaccination available to protect our feline patients.

The other core vaccination for dogs and puppies is the Distemper, Hepatitis, Parinfluenza, Parvo vaccination.  These viruses are very common in the environment and all dogs could have potential exposure and should be vaccinated for these diseases. 

The other core vaccination for cats and kittens is the Viral Rinotracheitis, Calici, Panleukopenia vaccination.  These viruses are also very common and all cats should be vaccinated for these diseases.

Vaccines which may or may not be recommended for your pet include for dogs: Bordetella (Kennel Cough), Leptospirosis, and Lyme Disease and for cats: Feline Leukemia.   Because of the highly contagious nature of Bordetella we require all dogs being boarded or groomed at Spring Oaks to have received this vaccination.  We also recommend Bordetella vaccination for dogs that frequent dog parks or have other social situations around other dogs.  If you have any concerns regarding which vaccines your pet should receive please discuss this with Dr. Alshouse or myself during the annual examination.

Frequently Asked Questions:

Q: I have heard that vaccination can be harmful to my pet, is this true?
A: The vast majority of pets have no significant problems with vaccinations.  There may be some minor discomfort or swelling at the injection sites or some temporary lethargy but when compared to the effects of the diseases vaccination prevents these effects are relatively minor.  Unfortunately we have seen a resurgence of Distemper virus this year.    It is a terrible disease affecting respiratory, gastro-intestinal, and neurological systems. It is likely becoming more common again due to inadequate vaccination.

Q: My pet is strictly indoors and not exposed to other animals, why do I need to have my pet vaccinated?
A: By law all pets must be vaccinated for Rabies.  The frequency of Rabies vaccination by Florida law is based on the approved duration of immunity obtained by the manufacturer of the vaccine.  Most Rabies vaccines are either one or three year vaccines.

Q: Can I have a blood titer performed instead of having my pet vaccinated?
A: The biggest problem with titers is that for most animal diseases it is not know what level of titer is truly protective.   The additional expense of the titer and low adverse reaction rates of vaccination are additional factors when considering having blood titers performed.

If you have any further questions about preventative vaccination, please schedule an appointment with Dr. Alshouse or myself.

Sincerely,

Dr. Jim Jackson