Whether they involve dogs, cats, or humans, vaccinations are a hot topic. Among dog and cat people, it seems almost everyone has strong feelings. The question at hand is: Should we vaccinate our pets, and if so when and how often?
As a veterinarian, I feel it is important to begin this discussion with one simple fact: Vaccines save lives. Anyone who does not believe this need only search the Internet for the effects of polio and smallpox in humans, or parvo, distemper, and rabies in animals. Anyone who refutes the value of appropriate vaccination is ignoring reality. Thus, the answer to the first question is yes, we should vaccinate our pets.
Therefore, the key to this discussion is “appropriate vaccination.” How do we vaccinate in a safe and timely manner to provide needed protection while minimizing risk to the animal? In order to answer these questions, we must first understand the basics of the canine and feline immune system.
When puppies and kittens are born, they do not have functional immune systems. They survive through “passive” immunity obtained through nursing their mothers. Mom’s transferred immunity protects young animals from disease until their own immune systems begin to function at two to four months of age. During this two-month period, maternal immunity wanes and the individual’s own “active” immune system begins to function.
This knowledge of passive vs. active immunity is the key to puppy and kitten vaccines. The purpose of vaccination is to stimulate the immune system so it creates protective antibodies against disease. Until they have their own active immunity, puppies and kittens cannot create their own antibodies. Thus, vaccines given prior to two months of age are ineffective.
Some animals are able to respond to vaccines earlier than others. Given that we cannot predict is the exact timing for any individual, vaccinations are often given two or three times between two and four months of age to provide protection against deadly diseases as soon as possible. In adult animals the frequency with which vaccines are administered should be based on the duration of immunity of the vaccine, the lifestyle of the pet, and the relative prevalence of disease in question, and long-term effects. Immediate vaccine reactions may include vomiting, diarrhea, hives, swelling, and in very rare cases, life-threatening allergic reactions (anaphylaxis). In all but the most severe cases, these effects can be easily mitigated with medication and modification of future vaccine protocols.
Middle-term reactions to vaccines occur weeks to months after the vaccination is administered. These responses are sometimes referred to as “vaccinosis” and can be difficult to define. Complications seen may be as mild as a lump at the site of vaccination and progress to auto-immune and neurological conditions. Milder forms of vaccinosis often resolve without treatment, although more severe responses may require medical intervention – either holistic and/or Western.
Injection site sarcomas are often documented years after vaccination. This long-delayed response is almost exclusively seen in cats and is due to chronic inflammation caused by an injection. It is not strictly limited to vaccines. While these malignant tumors are very aggressive, their incidence has decreased greatly with the advent of better vaccines and much more judicious vaccination protocols than were used in the past.
The goal here is to vaccinate as little as possible while still providing adequate protection. In some cases vaccine titers can be run to determine if an animal has immunity to a disease and thus determine the necessity of vaccination. This simple laboratory testing can help avoid over vaccination and thus minimize risks.
As a general rule, as animals get older less frequent and fewer vaccines are necessary. While legalities around rabies vaccines should be taken very seriously, most other vaccinations should be carefully scrutinized to determine their relative necessity.
The decision of what to vaccinate for is a risk-benefit calculation for each animal as an individual. Vaccines are not completely benign substances and should not be treated as such, although in general their benefits outweigh the risks. That said, over-vaccination or unnecessary vaccines provide no benefit and may increase risk to the pet.
It is best to consult with your veterinarian regarding which vaccine protocol is right for your pet. There are also reliable resources available online that provide evidence-based information regarding vaccination protocols for dogs and cats. My recommendations would be the published vaccination recommendations by Dr. Jean Dodds (www.hemopet.org) and the American Assocation of Feline Practitioners (www.catvets.com). My vaccination protocols geared towards pets in the Bay Area can be found at montclairvethospital.com.
Gary Richter has been a veterinarian in the East Bay for 15 years. He is the owner and medical director of Montclair Veterinary Hospital (montclairvethospital.com) and Holistic Veterinary Care (holisticvetcare.com), a facility dedicated to providing alternative, complementary, and regenerative health options for pets. Dr. Richter lives in Oakland with his wife, daughter, and several pets.
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