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Vaccinating Your Pet:What’s An Owner To Do?

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Recently, there has been a paradigm shift in veterinary medicine. Over the last few years, new research has determined that most pets do not require annual immunizations, as their immune systems maintain the ability to fight off infections for several years following immunization. This article will discuss the new recommendations for your pet, and present my own holistic recommendation as well.

New vaccination protocols have been established by a variety of medical organizations (AVMA, AAHA, Association of Feline Practitioners) and the veterinary schools as well. These protocols were developed in response to the increasing occurrence of cancers developing in some cats following repeated injections, most commonly with vaccines (especially rabies vaccine and feline leukemia vaccine.) The standard of immunization was an annual set of “shots” (determined by each individual practitioner) following the initial puppy and kitten vaccination series. While manufacturers of vaccines recommended annual immunization based upon testing of the vaccines to fulfill labeling requirements, no one really knew how “long a shot lasted” in the pet. We only knew that the immunization would protect the pet for at least 1 year.

Since the discovery of an increasing incidence of sarcoma tumors in some cats who received repeated immunization, researchers decided to begin testing cats to see just how long immunity from a vaccine might last. The goal was to try to minimize vaccinations, so that the chance of a cat developing an injection-site sarcoma would also be minimized. While we still don’t know the exact maximum duration of immunity for the various vaccines (from a variety of manufacturers) for cats and dogs, preliminary research suggested that most pets maintained immunity for at least 3 years for the vaccines tested. As a result, the veterinary community has been slowly adopting a 3 year vaccination protocol. Each year, your pet will receive an annual physical examination, necessary laboratory testing for degenerative diseases, and only 1 vaccine. The following year, the pet would receive a different vaccine. This cycling of vaccines would ensure that your pet only receives each vaccine every 3 years, but would receive some immunization during each visit.

While this new approach is certainly preferred to the former standard, holistic veterinarians like myself prefer an even more personalized approach. Using a blood antibody test called a vaccine titer allows the doctor to determine each pet’s own level of immunity to various diseases. In simple terms, antibodies are proteins made by the pet's white blood cells (specifically B lymhocytes.) These antibodies are made whenever a pet contacts an infectious organism (virus or bacteria, as a result of a natural infection) or is vaccinated (the vaccine uses low doses of infectious organisms, tricking the immune system to form protective antibodies without causing disease as might occur in a natural infection.) Using a titer test reveals each pet's antibody status. These results are then interpreted in an attempt to determine if the pet is currently protected against a specific infectious disease or if the pet may require immunization. This way your pet is only immunized when its body shows a need for immunization, rather than an arbitrary 3 years. After all, if your pet only needs 1 immunization every 5 years, even vaccinating every 3 years for everything is too much!

The benefits of the titer approach are as follows:

*Decreased minor side effects (fever, stiffness, joint soreness, lethargy, decreased appetite) and serious side effects (injection site sarcomas, collapse with autoimmune hemolytic anemia (decreased red blood cell count) or thrombocytopenia (decreased platelet count,) liver failure, kidney failure, bone marrow suppression, immune suppression, systemic lupus erythematosus, rheumatoid arthritis, food allergy, atopic dermatitis, glomerulonephritis/renal amyloidosis (different types of immune kidney diseases,) seizures, bloating, hypothyroidism, and hyperthyroidism) from immunization.

*True holistic approach to patient care.
*No wasted vaccination.
*Focus on true preventive health rather than simply preventing only infectious diseases.
*Pets are only vaccinated with whatever is necessary based upon titer testing (no more 7-in-1 shots for every pet every year!)

While no test is perfect, I believe titer testing is a better option than simply vaccinating all pets every 1-3 years whether or not they truly need immunization. By minimizing the number of vaccines your pet receives, you are improving its health and still reducing illness. Talk with your doctor about this more natural approach. By using vaccine titers, you’ll truly be personalizing the care you give your pet!

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