VACCINATING YOUR PETS AGAINST DISEASE- CAUSE OR CURE?

Vaccination has been one of the greatest advances in human and animal medicine of the last century.

Until now, the main worry has been whether your pet is adequately protected against the life-threatening diseases which used to be so common. These diseases have not gone away, but the level of vaccination within the pet population is now so good that in some cases animals which may not be completely protected are surrounded by a "barrier" of vaccinated animals. This doesn't always work, but it has led to a marked reduction in cases of say, Distemper or Hepatitis in dogs.

Quite properly, attention has now turned to whether or not we need to vaccinate as frequently. There are several issues:

- Is regular vaccination necessary?
- Does regular vaccination itself cause harm?
- How can I decide whether MY pet needs vaccinating?

As a baseline, it is possible to say that vaccination still provides critical protection, and there is no substitute for the initial course of vaccines given to puppies and kittens. It is likely that the first annual booster is also a necessity, to "mop up" the few poor responders to the primary course. The difficulty then arises knowing when to re-vaccinate and what to give.

Here are some guidelines:

1) There is NO evidence that vaccines cause or are associated with health problems in the U.K. (just published - the POOCH study from the Animal Health Trust. (http://www.aht.org.uk/news_archive.html#safe )
2) This means that annual vaccination is a safe policy.
3) It is possible to test the levels of immunity present against individual diseases. A targeted vaccination policy can then be used, giving only those vaccines which are necessary. (Bear in mind, however that testing for antibody levels followed by vaccination may be an expensive option.)
4) Antibody levels may not be the entire picture for SOME diseases due to the nature of the immune system. Leptospirosis, for example is recommended as an annual vaccination for dogs.
5) Lifestyle may also be an issue when considering RISK. Urban and country dogs are exposed to different risk levels for each of the diseases aginst which we can vaccinate. Indoor cats have markedly different risk factors to outdoor cats.

SUMMARY:

Annual Vaccination is safe.
The alternative is "test - and - vaccinate". This is more complicated, but your Veterinary surgeon should be happy to discuss this option with you.
Vaccination requirements can also be assessed on a lifestyle versus risk basis.
Healthy animals which have never been vaccinated are not safe; they are lucky.

Check out the future of vaccination web site

If you wish to discuss the above, please mail me

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