The simple mention of dog vaccinations can conjure up a multitude of emotions. Perhaps you’ve heard of horror stories where pet vaccinations caused a severe reaction. Perhaps you simply want a natural life for your dog and you’re not sure how to trust these chemicals.
Like everything in life, there’s a risk to manage and the more informed you are about pet vaccinations, the more at ease you’ll be.
Vaccinations and Immunity
Immunisation and vaccinations became a hot topic during COVID. So much so that the debate even divided friends and families. And it’s the same when it comes to cat and dog vaccinations.
An interesting article by the Atlantic details this well and the title gives you a clue as to the level of emotions that come with this topic: Immunology Is Where Intuition Goes to Die. In short, it’s a complicated topic that we still need to understand.
Vaccines Save Lives
Nevertheless, we have been vaccinating people and animals for decades. There is therefore solid data to give us confidence that vaccine save lives. This is especially true for the core pet vaccinations recommended for both dogs and cats as we’ll see below.
It’s worth noting that in the human world, measles is coming back and deaths are on the increase. This is because people are not vaccinating their children, as reported by the WHO team.
As this overview on immunity by the BBC shows, vaccinations have made a major decrease to diseases. In the case of measles, the numbers went down from almost half a million affected to just over 100 after the vaccination was introduced.
Similarly with our animals. Cat and dog vaccinations have given them longer and healthier lives. Naturally, there is a small risk with cat and dog vaccinations but we’ll explore that below.
The pet vaccinations should you consider:
- Core dog and cat vaccines. Key dog vaccinations are distemper and parvovirus mainly because distemper is zoonotic but also because both are horrific diseases that usually lead to death. These are usually given in combination with canine adenovirus type 2 which is also a deadly disease.
Core cat vaccines are (FCV) feline calicivirus; (FHV-1) feline herpesvirus-1; (FPV) feline panleukopenia; (FeLV) feline leukemia and you can find out more information with the AAHA (American Animal Hospital Association).
- Non core feline and canine vaccinations. Depending on where you live and how exposed to other animals your pet is, you might also consider leptospirosis, Bordetella bronchiseptica (kennel cough), Lyme disease, influenza vaccines or even the rattlesnake one for your dogs.
And for cats, you have the bordetella bronchiseptica and chlamydia.
- Rabies vaccines. Giving the rabies vaccine to your pet is a legal requirement in most countries but either way, it’s a core vaccine for both cats and dogs. Interestingly, the legal requirement in many countries is to vaccinate every year but many manufacturers are now providing 3-year vaccines. So, check the law and check what brand you’re using but either way, they are very safe.
Save Lives by Managing the Risk of Pet Vaccinations
Everything in life comes with risk and no blog on dog vaccinations would be complete without exploring how to manage those risks. Whilst cat and dog vaccinations are extremely safe, there are of cause some rare cases where pets have a reaction.
When vaccinating a dog or a cat for the first time, we can’t foresee what might happen. Although, let’s remember that adverse reactions are extremely rare. You can help make sure they stay rare by also doing a full check up before doing any vaccinations.
The best vets will advise you to do a complete blood count and biochemistry panel first. This is to make sure there are no underlying issues before you give any dog vaccinations. For example, if your pet is sick with an already weakened immune system, it won’t be the best time to inject them with some foreign bodies.
Nevertheless, pet vaccination services will tell you that a pet’s response also heavily depends on their genetics. Perhaps at some future date we’ll be able to test to see if their genetics puts them at risk. For now though, we simply make sure they are healthy before vaccinating.
What else can you do to limit the risk of canine vaccinations:
- Antibody titer test. One of the most effective ways to avoid over-vaccinating is to check the level of antibodies in your pet. So, for example, a senior dog who has had parvo and distemper vaccinations regularly, tends to have a high immunity. They therefore often no longer need the vaccinations but it’s always wise to check with a titer test first.
Taking care of a senior dog also requires doing regular blood check ups. These will also give you the data you need to see if they are well enough to be vaccinated.
- Spread out your dog and cat vaccines. Depending on which vet you ask, you’ll get a different answer. Some recommend giving the vaccines all at once but others suggest spreading them out, which is the ultra-cautious approach.
- Lifestyle focus. A cat or dog who lives mainly indoors and doesn’t interact with other animals is less likely to be at risk. Moreover, a senior dog with organ issues might not be well enough for vaccination. Make sure you review all those data points with your vet to manage the risk for your particular care.
- Wait at the vet’s for an hour. Whilst reactions can occur a few hours later, often, the most dramatic reactions are within the first hour or so. Many vets keep you talking for at least ten minutes or so after administering pet vaccinations as a precaution. If you want to be extra careful, you can stay in the area close to your vet for an hour so afterwards.
Give Your Pet the Best Life Possible
We all want the best for our pet families. Moreover, it’s natural to worry about dog vaccinations especially today with increased focus on healthy and natural living. Nevertheless, vaccines have saved lives for decades and continue to protect our animals from horrific diseases.
Simply make sure you talk to your vet about titer tests and lifestyle changes so you can choose the right approach for you and your pet. You’ll then both enjoy more stress-free time together and most importantly, you’ll feel empowered thanks to having the right data points.
