Vaccinations

The Basics of a Good Vaccination Program

A careful vaccination program offers effective prevention for many diseases. When a healthy pet is exposed to a safely modified bacteria or virus via a vaccine, protective antibodies are produced by the animal’s immune system. These antibodies circulate in the blood for a specific period of time, protecting the pet against the invasion of the wild, disease-causing form of that organism.

We don’t take a one-size-fits-all approach to your pet’s care, and that includes vaccinations. As with ourselves and our own bodies, each pet is an individual and should be treated that way. What is appropriate for one pet is not necessarily so for another. Working together, we know that owners and veterinarians can develop an effective wellness plan suited to each pet’s specific needs based on factors such as age, lifestyle, and current state of health.

Potential Vaccine Reactions

While the benefit of vaccines often outweighs the potential risks, negative vaccine reactions are possible and must be considered when embarking upon any vaccination program. As in humans, the most common reactions are usually mild and may include feeling sluggish, feverish, and reduced appetite for a short period of time after vaccination. Many pets seem to have no adverse reaction at all. Severe reactions can vary from soreness and/or swelling at an injection site, snuffling and/or sneezing after intranasal inoculation, vomiting and/or diarrhea, itchiness, and/or swelling of ears and face, and in extreme cases, the full development of anaphylaxis. In these cases, if no medical intervention is provided, the consequences can be fatal, and we urge you to seek immediate emergency services if your pet is experiencing these symptoms.

In cats, there is concern over the increase in the incidence of injection site fibrosarcoma. Although some of these potential reactions are very severe, even fatal, they are also very rare. At Blue Lake Animal Hospital, we use the newest vaccine technology that decreases vaccine reactions in cats.

Continued Protection & Titer Testing

Since the protective response period does not last indefinitely, repeat (or booster) vaccinations are required. The timing and frequency of these follow-up vaccinations vary with the age of the pet, the organism, the individuals’ response to the vaccination given, and the characteristics of the vaccine itself.

In many instances, the level of a specific antibody present in the blood at any one time can be determined by performing an antibody titer test. However, there is considerable controversy about whether the measurable antibody titer level truly reflects the actual level of protection against disease. Until this issue is fully resolved, it is up to each veterinarian and pet owner to determine how much faith to put into antibody titer levels as a measure of disease protection. There is a definite need for more research to be done in this field.