The following notes form the basis for our practice policy on vaccination. We are confident that, if followed, these guidelines should offer our pets good protection against the ever present threat of disease (including the recent revival of canine parvovirus and the ongoing battle with feline leukaemia) without unnecessary over vaccination.
· A review of a pets vaccination status needs to be undertaken annually.
· Dogs visiting kennels or shows should be vaccinated against kennel cough annually.
· The vaccines routinely given to pet dogs and cats are multivalent vaccines - that is, they contain a number of different antigens that bestow immunity to a range of different diseases. Some fractions of the vaccines, e.g. canine distemper, canine viral hepatitis and feline panleucopaenia are extremely efficient and conferred immunity will almost certainly last for more than 1 year. Other antigens such as canine parvovirus, leptospirosis, Feline Leukaemia virus and cat flu are less effective and present data suggests that 12 months protection is the very best that can be hoped for.
· This Practice has not annually revaccinated dogs or cats against all the diseases, for many years. Dogs are vaccinated against parvovirus and leptospirosis annually and distemper and canine viral hepatitis every 2 years. Cats are immunised against feline leukaemia annually only until they are 10 years old. (Usually being a disease of younger cats the vaccine is then ceased). Cat flu doses, being less efficacious, are given annually and panleucopaenia is given every 2 years.
· We agree with the Veterinary Medicines Directive that vaccines are not dangerous to dogs or cats.
· Blood tests can be used to assess a dog or cat's immune status. In theory, such blood tests could be used to decide if re-vaccination is necessary or not. However, the tests would cost considerably more than a dose of vaccine and would obviously be stressful to the pet. Nevertheless, we can, arrange this if you so wish.
· It is vitally important that a veterinary practice's vaccination regime is fully effective. In designing a successful programme, a practice needs to vaccinate all animals according to the least degree of immunity that a vaccine is likely to confer - otherwise a significant proportion of vaccinated pets would remain unprotected. In designing this programme, a practice uses the published scientific data available.
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· This Practice believes homeopathic and herbal "vaccines" to be wholly unproven, likely to be totally ineffective and not to be recommended.
We would like to reassure our clients that we have designed our vaccination programme to be a sensible and safe approach to providing your pet with a high degree of protection to these extremely unpleasant and often fatal diseases. The programme is based on published scientific data and always under review as further research material becomes available.
