Hospital News

Vaccinations
October 2011
Walter B Gregg Jr., DVM, DABVP

Preventative medicine has been greatly improved over the years with the utilization of vaccines. I remember listening to my dad describe infectious canine hepatitis that led to the death of his bird dog many years ago. Back in the early 1980’s, when I began practicing veterinary medicine, it was during the devastating parvovirus enteritis epidemic.  I also saw just about every possible disease associated with feline leukemia virus. These are horrible disease processes that have fortunately been essentially eradicated in vaccinates. We have come a long way and I am grateful for some of the vaccines we now have.  However, some vaccines currently available are ineffective and totally unnecessary. Furthermore, excellent studies are available that demonstrate multiple vaccines given at a single visit can induce reactions, especially in small dogs. The dogma of mindless annual vaccination is the subject of the remainder of this article.

We have been able to give 3 year rabies vaccines in South Carolina since November of 1992. Considerable published evidence that our core vaccines (defined later- read on) provided a duration of immunity lasting longer than one year began emerging in the early 2000’s.  Now immunity in excess of 3 years is documented for all core vaccines (1). Our practice began administering 3 year rabies in January 1993 and we moved to a 3 year core vaccine protocol in 2004. I have seen no cases in which a vaccinate acquired a disease as a result of this 3 year interval. This information is available in the vaccine guidelines published by the American Animal Hospital Association (dogs)(2) and The American Association of Feline Practitioners (cats)(3). Additionally, see the journal abstract pasted below. (1)

Next, let’s talk about core and non core vaccinations. Core vaccines are recommended for every animal regardless of their risk profile. Non core vaccinations are recommended on an individual basis and are recommended only if risk profiles and exposure indicate a need. For dogs, distemper, adenovirus type 2 (hepatitis) and parvovirus combined in one vaccine and rabies are the only core vaccines. For cats, panleukopenia (distemper or parvovirus), rhinotracheitis (feline herpes virus), and calici virus combined in one vaccine and rabies are the only core vaccines. Because aluminum adjuvants have been incriminated in feline sarcomas we administer a non adjuvated rabies vaccine to cats.  This non adjuvated vaccine is only available as a 1 year vaccine because of federal laws.  Additionally, most experts recommend a core series of two FELV (feline leukemia virus) vaccines given to kittens with a booster given at 1 year of age. After this initial series, FELV vaccination then becomes a non core vaccine, given only if exposure warrants vaccination.

It remains an enigma to me as to why any progressive veterinary practice or mobile vaccine clinic would still be giving annual vaccinations and non core vaccinations without regard to risk profiles. Questions on this subject are welcome and I will try to answer them in my next composition.