The Vaccination Debate
Do I still need to vaccinate my pets?
Are vaccines dangerous?
Do I need to give annual boosters to my old dog or cat?
How can I give less vaccine to my pet?
Why are annual health checks so important?
Do you vaccinate your own pets?

Over the last few years there has been some confusing discussion (and misinformation) in the media about annual booster vaccinations in both dogs and cats. This is our professional and personal opinion. Let’s be clear: most practicing vets and drug company manufacturers have a vested interest, including me!! Having said that, I vaccinate my pets annually as I believe it is necessary, safe and effective at preventing infectious diseases. All my professional peers in small animal practice also do the same.

Vaccination is without doubt the most significant advance we have had in animal health care. Diseases that used to be real killers in dogs such as distemper(hard pad), hepatitis, parvovirus, and leptospirosis (which can pass to human beings), and feline enteritis and feline leukemia in cats are prevented by vaccination. We only see these diseases in unvaccinated pets, and those whose vaccination schedules have lapsed. Vaccination also helps prevent other unpleasant diseases such as kennel cough in dogs, and cat ‘flu.

All interventions, whether medical or surgical, do carry a risk of undesirable effects and vaccination is no different. However, it is important to understand that the risk of serious side effects is very low - less than 1 in 20 000. Milder side effects are a little more common in very young animals, but are generally short lived (about 24 hours) and far less serious than any of the diseases mentioned above (similar to feeling faint or a sore arm in humans). The world renowned Animal Health Trust, an independent charity, recently showed that in a survey of over 4000 dogs, that there is absolutely no link between regular vaccination and ill health. This contrasts with many people who offer an ‘expert opinion’ on the downside of vaccination with little knowledge of the diseases vaccines even prevent, or evidence to support their claims.

We recommend that ALL puppies and kittens receive a primary vaccination course followed by the first annual booster. After that, what alternative is there? This is where it gets complex. We are protecting against seven different diseases in dogs and four in cats. Each animal may respond in a slightly different way to each different part of the vaccine.

To stay immune dogs must have an annual leptospirosis booster and cats must have annual cat flu vaccination. In some animals immunity against some of the other diseases may last longer, but to be sure that your animal is immune, we would need to test your pet's blood yearly to see whether he or she is at risk. Blood tests are becoming available, but for most of our clients we do not believe them to be a practical option, as they involve extra expense and visits to the practice, for little or no benefit to their pets. We do know that standard annual boosters will protect against all these diseases.

It is our strong advice that a thorough annual health examination together with an annual booster vaccination, from puppy- or kitten hood onwards, is the best way to ensure a high quality of life for as long as possible for your pet. We aim to give every pet that comes for a visit a careful health check, whether they come for a vaccination, an abscess or an ear infection! We can then pick up any health problems and nip them in the bud, discuss diet, dental problems, weight, lifestyle, and other issues and help promote a happy, healthy, and long life. We should not now be treating and losing pets to diseases for which there are such simple and cost effective preventions.

Vaccination is essential to prevent potentially life threatening diseases and that is why we strongly recommend it. Animals age faster than humans and therefore annual health checks are strongly recommended (this is like seeing your doctor every seven years, and remember, you can tell him if you feel a little off colour or different).

Do you still see the diseases?
Many of the most dangerous diseases are rarer now that they used to be. This is solely due the use of effective vaccines. These diseases are still seen in unvaccinated animals. Dogs may still be susceptible to leptospirosis if they go into canals and other watercourses.

Do vaccines really work?
Yes

Everything comes with a risk, and that applies to vaccination as well. The risk of harm is very low - less than 1/20 000 - and considerably less so than the risk of an unvaccinated pet becoming seriously ill from a preventable disease – an important point to remember.

Protection against some of these diseases is not particularly long (like the flu vaccine in humans which is given annually), and older pets are not any less likely to develop an illness. We therefore believe that regular vaccination is essential for the entire life of your pet. Now we don’t believe that immunity suddenly and mysteriously drops after 12 months, but it is important as a pet’s immunity declines with age.

We know that protection against some of these diseases is relatively short (like the flu vaccine in humans, leptospirosis on dogs, and cat flu and leukemia in cats) and annual vaccination for these is absolutely essential. It is possible to do blood tests to assess immunity levels for other diseases, however these are expensive, and will require further visits to the surgery for vaccination when the immunity levels become low or marginal. For most of our clients we do not believe that this is a practical option, and there is little or no benefit for the pet.

Pets live for an average of about 10 years and so age much faster than human beings.

Yes, I currently have 3 dogs and a cat who receive regular vaccinations. My nurses and receptionist, all have their pets annually vaccinated.