Are we over vaccinating our pet’s?
Just as with human medicine there has been a discussion over the last decade as to whether pets need yearly vaccinations. According to the Amercian Association of Veterinary Medicine a vaccination protocol should be discussed between an owner and their veterinarian based on the lifestyle of that pet. A pet’s lifestyle, geographic location and age are all determining factors in deciding which vaccines are core vaccines and how often those vaccines should be given.
Vaccines have protected millions of animals and humans from illness and death caused by infectious diseases. All medical procedures do however, carry with them some risk. Fortunately, in the case of vaccination, serious adverse responses like anaphylaxis, are very infrequent. Risk can be minimized by reducing the number of vaccines given as well as placing the vaccines at proper injection sites.
Even the drug companies are getting onboard with vaccinosis:
For many years the issue of over-vaccination has been a concern amongst dog owners and breeders and duration of immunity has been under constant scrutiny. The overall consensus of canine disease experts and associated governing bodies is that vaccination is, and always will be, a necessary control for disease prevention.
We all recognise the importance of vaccination, but doubt has been cast on the need for routine annual vaccination. Times are changing and there has, indeed, been a breakthrough regarding its frequency. Increasingly we are now seeing an entirely new approach to administration of vaccines in dogs. We are no longer talking about every component, every year for every dog. Even closer scrutiny is now being given to the duration of immunity, efficacy in the face of maternally derived antibodies and disease prevalence. Intervet Drug Co.
Traditionally vaccines have been given on a yearly basis to pets, but some research shows that some vaccines induce immunity for less than a year and some last much longer. For example some rabies vaccine products are available that have a label for 3 years protection while some bordetella vaccines are recommended every 6 months.
The best advice is to talk with your veterinarian about your pet’s lifestyle and for the both of you to make an informed vaccination program for your pet.
Tags: pets, cat, dog, vaccines
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