Do you take you pets for annual vaccinations?

[Janice]

I've always taken our pets for annual vaccinations. Today, my cat Caesar had his yearly shots, and it cost $150. The cost of pet care has never concerned me. Our cat Foxy lived until he was almost 17. The last four years of his life, we spent at least $5,000 to keep him healthy. He never missed a single year on his annual shots.

I have a friend who doesn't take her dog or cat for shots, not even rabies, which is required by law. I've been reading up on it, and it has me thinking about possible vaccine-related illnesses.

What do you do?

[Janice]

http://www.safetyissues.com/magazine.../PetHealth.htm

Annual Shots Endanger Your Pet’s Health

Is it time for your pet’s annual shots again? You may wish to think twice. Now, many veterinarian experts claim that most yearly vaccines for dogs and cats are a waste of money -- and potentially deadly. Why? Shots for the most important pet diseases last three to seven years, or longer, and annual shots put pets at greater risk of vaccine-related problems.

"Veterinarians are charging customers $36 million a year for vaccinations that are not necessary. Not only are these vaccines unnecessary, they're causing harm to pets,” claims Bob Rogers, one of an increasing number of veterinarians who have placed their patients on reduced shot schedules.

Both animal researchers and vets are claiming that just as humans don't need a measles shot every year, neither do dogs or cats need annual injections for illnesses such as parvo, distemper or kennel cough. Even rabies shots are effective for at least three years. But many vets refuse to change the frequency of shots they give patients due to vaccine makers not having done the studies needed to change vaccine labels which the drug manufacturers are hesitant to do due to annual animal shots being a whopping $36 million annual business.

Also, many vets, who charge $30 to $60 for yearly shots, are loath to defy vaccine label instructions and lose an important source of revenue. And some vets are worried that their patients won't fare as well without yearly exams. "I know some vets who feel threatened because they think, `People won't come back to my office if I don't have the vaccine as a carrot,' “ explains Alice Wolf, a professor of small-animal medicine at Texas A&M and an advocate of reduced vaccinations, who adds that an annual exam is very important for pets.

But despite the resistance, the movement to extend vaccine intervals is gaining ground because of growing evidence that vaccines themselves can trigger a fatal cancer in cats and a deadly blood disorder in dogs.

Animal researchers explain that when rabies shots became common for pets in the 1950s, no one questioned the value of annual vaccination. Distemper, which kills 50 percent of victims, could be warded off with a shot.

Parvovirus, which kills swiftly and gruesomely by causing a toxic proliferation of bacteria in the digestive system, was vanquished with a vaccine. Over the years, more and more shots were added to the schedule, preventing costly and potentially deadly disease in furry family members.

But some animal doctors began noticing something ominous: rare instances of cancer in normal, healthy cats and an unusual immune reaction in dogs. The shots apparently caused feline fibro sarcoma, a grotesque tumor at the site of the shot, which is fatal if not discovered early and cut out completely. Dogs developed a vaccine-related disease in which the dog's body rejects its own blood. "That really caused people to ask the question, `If we can cause that kind of harm with a vaccine ... are we vaccinating too much?

As you get more and more (vaccines), the possibility that a vaccine is going to cause an adverse event increases quite a bit,” describes Ronald Schultz, a veterinary immunologist at the University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine, who has led the research into the benefits of less frequent shots for pets.

Having observed that humans got lifetime immunity from most of their childhood vaccines, Schultz applied the same logic to dogs. He vaccinated them for rabies, parvo, kennel cough and distemper and then exposed them to the disease-causing organisms after three, five and seven years. He continued his experiment by measuring antibody levels in the dogs' blood nine and 15 years after vaccination. He found the levels sufficient to prevent disease. The animals remained healthy, validating his hunch.

Fredric Scott, professor emeritus at Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine, obtained similar results comparing 15 vaccinated cats with 17 nonvaccinated cats. He found the cats' immunity lasted 7.5 years after vaccination. In 1998, the American Association of Feline Practitioners published guidelines based on Scott's work, recommending vaccines every three years.

So, now, animal researchers and an increasing number of vets are recommending that pets get shots every three years instead of every year. “The three-year recommendation is probably just as arbitrary as anything else and nothing more than a "happy medium" between vaccine makers' recommendations and the findings by Schultz and Scott aimed at reducing vaccine-related problems,” points out Dr. Wolf.

Despite the increasing movement against annual shots due to the problems they can cause, many vets are uncomfortable making the drastic change without data from large-scale studies to back them up. There is no animal equivalent of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which monitors outbreaks of vaccine-preventable disease in people, which could keep tabs on a vaccine's effectiveness thus there is no federal requirement to show a vaccine's maximum duration of effectiveness.

Federal authorities require vaccine makers to show only that a vaccine is effective for a reasonable amount of time, usually one year. Researchers, who note that studies to get a feline vaccine licensed in the first place are typically quite small, involving 25 to 30 cats at most, say the research could easily be performed but the vaccine makers counter that the research to determine maximum vaccine effectiveness would be inhumane.

“Such studies would be expensive and possibly inhumane, requiring hundreds of animals, some of them kept in isolation for up to five years. I don't think anyone with consideration for animals would really want animals to go through that process,” claims Arne Zislin, a veterinarian with Fort Dodge Animal Health, the largest animal vaccine maker in the world.

But the lack of information is why many vets – who do not claim to be concerned about the loss of income from annual shots – claim they can not support not giving their patients shots every year. Texas veterinarian Diane Wilkie tells pet owners that vaccines appear to last longer than a year, but her office hasn't officially changed its protocol yet though the vet has placed 20% to 30% of her cat patients on extended vaccination schedules.

"It's kind of a hard situation. The manufacturers still recommend a year, but they're the manufacturers. It's hard to change a whole professional mentality -- although I do think it will change,” describes Wilkie. Change that pet owners may be spearheading due to the cost of annual shots as well as the danger they create to pets.

A typical yearly pet examination – which usually also includes dental check, heartworm test, fecal check and overall physical - costs $50 to $135, with shots making up one-third to one-half of the expense – a loss of income smarts vets can make up, according to veterinarian practice advisors by emphasizing other services, such as surgery or teeth cleaning.
So, if you are tired of paying for annual shots that your pet does not need and that may endanger his or her health, you may wish to contact your lawmakers to change the laws in your area and the mind of your vet by presenting them with the facts.

According to the latest research the minimum durations of immunity of dog vaccines are for canine rabies 3 years, canine parainfluenza 3 years, canine distemper (Onderstepoort strain) 5 years, canine distemper (Rockborn strain) 7 years, canine adenovirus (kennel cough) 7 years and canine parvovirus 7 years.

For cats, the minimum durations of immunity created by vaccines are cat rabies 3 years, feline panleukopenia virus 6 years, feline herpesvirus 5 or 6 years and feline calicivirus 3 years. Changing to the new vaccination schedules will not only save you money but also make your pet healthier and safer.

[TJL]

*sigh*

I don't have any pets.

Thanks for making me feel even more alone!

[Brieannas21]

Yes we do, Our dog has allergies so he has to go every 6 months, no matter what

[MonarC]

Yes I do in fact Rex is going in Friday to get them done.

[TripperFan]

With my old "batch" of cats, we never got them vaccinated. We lived in an apt. then and there was just no need as they were never exposed to anything. That's the bunch who lived to be 20, 18, 16 & 16 respectively.

When we moved to the country and started "replacing" (for lack of a better word only) the cats with kittens, we had them all vaccinated for a few years as we let them out back then. Unfortunately it got to be "the killing fields" as my husband called them out there (our Maine Coon brought home a small rabbit who died in my husband's hands and that was the last straw). We stopped letting them out after that. Not only for their own safety, but for the wildlife that we also love.

Anyway, we do get both dogs vaccinated annually. Just did two weeks ago. Parvo, Rabies, Heartworm, the works. It isn't cheap as you say - we didn't even go with the heartworm test this year and the bill was still $274. The one blessing is that my vet will take a call from me day or night. He's always been excellent that way - free phone advice and consult always. He also trusts my hunches on issues. If anything, after surgeries, he's sent them home almost immediately under my care saying they'll get better care with me than at the hospital even. I've slept in my dogs' bed on occasion after surgeries.

Oops - sorry - I'm rambling now - this was just about their shots.

But yes, preventative care is hugely important. I've watched shows on animal planet where they bring in a young dog and you get the feeling that they're fairly poor. Sure enough, the poor dog is near death now with heartworm or parvo and the mother is crying and telling her kid that they're going to have to put the dog down.

I can't understand that. Now an innocent dog is going to lose his life from a preventative disease, that you just couldn't afford the vaccination for. Now a child has to endure the pain of losing a pet. It's not fair to anyone. If you can't afford at least the preventative care of an animal, then don't own one. Honestly, they're not that cheap to keep. If you want a "disposable pet" as I call them, buy a hamster, guinea pig, goldfish etc., otherwise, be prepared to adopt as if you were adopting a child when it comes to a dog or cat - it's for LIFE and you're on the hook for their medical care. I get so mad when I see cases like that. And you can tell the vets do also - they just can't openly let on it does upset them.

[catlover79]

Oh yes!!

[TripperFan]

Originally Posted by catlover79

Oh yes!!

Solomon would kill you for that answer!

[Frischman_Fan]

Originally Posted by TripperFan

With my old "batch" of cats, we never got them vaccinated. We lived in an apt. then and there was just no need as they were never exposed to anything. That's the bunch who lived to be 20, 18, 16 & 16 respectively.

I agree! I don't really take my cats every year as I already know how the A.S.P.C.A works. They are rip offs and I learned that the hard way. My cats are all vaccinated, however, and gotten their rabies shots and have been tested, etc. They are indoor cats so like TripperFan said, they're not really exposed to anything. They are all fine and healthy, thank God, but if there ever is a sign of anything, I waste no time in taking them in. I luvs my babies!

[AB]

My cat stays inside most of the time, when he goes outside one of us goes with him, since he's declawed. So I didn't see the need for vaccinations.