To Vaccinate or Not To Vaccinate

Recently, I was speaking with a referral client who, because of her pets health issues, we had suggested stopping all vaccines. She was in a panic and was particularly concerned that her dog would go without rabies vaccination. It was only after the call, I realized that since the owner was from India she lived where rabies was more common and people were also commonly exposed to the disease. No wonder she was worried about the risk of the disease and exposure of her family. Many countries continue to have a huge endemic rabies problem. The disease is not only a risk to wild and domestic animals, but the human population as well.

Earlier this fall a case of a human infected and dying from rabies occurred in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. They had been exposed to a rabid bat their cat caught. Although we may live in a part of the world were exposure to zoonotic diseases (diseases that can be spread from animals to humans)is less common, they are still a threat.

Rabies, distemper, parvo virus and feline leukemia are all still out there, vaccines are still necessary, however I think we have gotten a lot smarter about their use. Our hospital designates certain vaccines as core vaccines, the distemper combination(distemper, hepatitis, parainfluenza, adenovirus and parvo virus) and rabies for dogs and the feline distemper (feline calici, rhinotrachietis, panleukopenia and chlamydia) and rabies vaccines for cats. We consider leptospirosis, bordatella and feline leukemia to be necessary additional vaccines based on the patients life style. We also recommend that vaccine schedules be reduced as the patient ages (distemper and rabies every 3 years) and in geriatric pets the distemper vaccines can be discontinued. Outdoor cats for example should have regular vaccines as well as the feline leukemia vaccine. Dogs that board or are regularly groomed the bordatella, kennel cough , vaccine is indicated. Dogs that live in rural environments or go to the park regularly should be vaccinated for leptospirosis. Also, vaccine titers can be performed that may help us decide if a vaccine is even necessary. Of course, like the dog I mentioned earlier there is a population of animals that have had cancer or other immune mediated diseases that should no longer be vaccinated and they should be managed in such a way to limit their exposure to the diseases they are no longer vaccinated against.

Like everything in life it is a matter of balance and finding the vaccine protocol that works best for your pets. The goal is to avoid contracting controllable diseases, while balancing the risk of vaccination and ultimately keeping your pet and your family healthy.

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