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Feline Vaccination Guidelines
For years we have done things the same way: on an annual basis your cat receives his or her vaccinations. At Harmony, have been aware of a problem called fibrosarcoma for some time. This is a disease that has been researched, but not well understood. Many in the field now believe that one of the causes of fibrosarcoma (which is a type of cancer) is due to a certain component of your cat's vaccines.
One way we try to track which vaccine is the problem is by having a specific site on your cat where each of the vaccines is given. This holds true for every cat we vaccinate at Harmony Animal Hospital, and is a procedure we have done for many years. The rabies is given in the skin of the right flank, the leukemia vaccine in the left flank, and distemper is given up near the shoulder.
We have been also keeping track of the research to try to minimize the fibrosarcoma problem. When a new feline rabies vaccine came out that was without one of the components believed to be responsible for causing this disease, we switched immediately to that vaccine, which has now been out for over a year.
We have been also watching the controversy surrounding how often a cat should be vaccinated. After an extensive review of the most recent veterinary journal literature, we have decided to change our vaccine protocols. These are our recommendations.
After the series of vaccines given to a kitten, and following the one-year kitten booster, the feline distemper (panleukopenia) vaccine (in combination with feline viral rhinotracheitis and calicivirus) will only be given every three years. This is a big change from the yearly schedule we have previously recommended, but we feel it is necessary for the health of your cat and does not increase the risk of your cat getting feline distemper. The evidence seems to show (according to the standards just published by the American Association of Feline Practitioners) that your cat's immunity to the disease will last the 3 years. This vaccine, as always, should not be given to pregnant cats.
The other change concerns vaccinating for feline infectious peritonitis (FIP). The research has not shown that this vaccine is very effective so we will no longer be using it.
The decision on whether or not to vaccinate for feline leukemia virus will be made at the time of your cat's yearly visit. If your cat is at risk for getting this disease, then we will recommend that the vaccine be used. Risk factors include multi-cat households, showing, grooming, boarding, and access to a screened porch where nose-to-nose contact with other cats can take place.
We still recommend a yearly rabies vaccine. We use the Merial Purevax vaccine, which does not contain an adjuvant and is therefore safer in regard to vaccine-induced fibrosarcoma.
Bordetella is recommended within six months of boarding, or in an at-risk environment similar to the feline leukemia vaccine.
The most important part of the yearly visit is still the physical examination. Many diseases that are more likely to kill your cat (than distemper, for example) can be caught at the yearly wellness visit. More common health threats include kidney disease, heart disease, periodontal disease, and diabetes, to name a few.
Read the entire report from the
American Association of Feline Practitioners
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