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| Vaccine Protocol
We believe that vaccinations are a safe medical procedure that protects
our pets from potentially life threatening diseases. Just as in human medicine,
adverse events occasionally occur. Common reactions include local swelling,
lethargy and fever. Rarely, an allergic reaction occurs. Before you decide
to change your pet’s vaccine schedule, please discuss your concerns
with a veterinarian.
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The initial vaccine series for puppies and kittens involves vaccinating
every 3-4 weeks from age 6-8 weeks old until age 12-15 weeks old. These
vaccines are boostered one year later. This vaccine schedule also applies
to all cats and dogs with no previous vaccinations, or an unknown vaccine
history (i.e. strays).
This initial series of vaccines is critical to establishing basic immunity.
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We recommend that your pet’s vaccine schedule be designed according
to your pet’s individual life style and risk level. For example,
a dog that is never boarded, groomed or shown should not need the bordetella
vaccine. Likewise, a cat who never goes outside, and is never boarded
or groomed, may forego the FIV and FELV vaccines. Please see the reverse
side for an explanation of the risk factors for various vaccine-protected
diseases.
If you opt to forego the recommended vaccinations you will be required to
sign a waiver which acknowledges that you have been warned of the possibility
that your pet may not be fully protected if not vaccinated, and that you
release the clinic from any liability should your pet become sick with any
of the diseases which we suggest you vaccinate against.
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An antibody titer is a test designed to evaluate a pet’s immunity
to disease. In a perfect world, we would run a titer for vaccinated
animals every year, and then determine whether or not the pet has sufficient
immunity to forego vaccinations for another year.
Unfortunately, titers are notoriously unreliable in predicting a pet’s
level of immunity. What’s more, titers only tell us what a pet’s
immunity is TODAY. Tomorrow the pet’s antibody level may fall below
the accepted range for protective immunity, leaving the pet vulnerable
to deadly diseases. If the accuracy of titer tests improves in the future,
we may re-visit this issue.
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It is possible for a small, painless swelling to develop at the site
where a vaccine was injected. The lump almost always disappears after a
few weeks. If not, any remaining swelling should be evaluated.
In cats, these lumps may very rarely develop into a fibrosarcoma. A fibrosarcoma
is an aggressive form of cancer, which is extremely difficult to treat.
The incidence of fibrosarcomas is extremely rare; studies suggest that perhaps
as few as 1 in 10,000 cats will develop a sarcoma. Other studies indicate
that the number could be as low as 1 in 30,000. Many sarcomas are not associated
with vaccines, and there is now some speculation that sarcomas may be associated
with any injection, even saline solution.
We do not recommend that cat owners forego vaccines out of fear of sarcomas;
the risk of a cat developing a fatal disease is far greater than that of
a cat developing a sarcoma. If fibrosarcomas are a concern to you, please
talk to a veterinarian for more information.
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No matter what vaccination schedule you decide on, it is critical that
your pet has an annual physical examination. In fact, as the aging process
accelerates (after age 7), we like to examine all pets every six months.
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