Are Yearly Pet Vaccinations Really Necessary?

Having a pet requires a lot of responsibility.  Pet owners want their pets to be healthy and have a high quality of life, but sometimes misinformation is passed on by veterinarians who we trust, and we actually do our pets more harm than good.  As a pet owner in today’s society you need to be careful not only what you feed your pet, but what products you use to bathe them, what medications you are giving them and of course the yearly vaccinations that our vets recommend.

How to Avoid Unnecessary Medication

As a pet owner, you really need to pay attention to how much medicine and how often you’re giving it to your pet.  Avoid any type of medicine as much as you can.  Veterinarians are trained to prescribe medicine whenever possible, so unless you’re seeing a holistic vet, you will have to speak up and say that unless it is absolutely necessary you will not be giving your pet any unnecessary medications that will destroy their immune system and make their system antibiotic resistant.  There are plenty of natural, holistic solutions for MANY of your pet’s problems, allergies, pains and aches.  

By switching to a breed appropriate raw diet, giving them daily probiotics and digestive enzymes, brushing their teeth daily, avoiding medicine whenever possible, giving them pure non-contaminated/ fluoridated water and giving them healthy natural treats, your pet will thrive! They will become as healthy as can be and have a high quality of life.

Vaccines

Vaccines are the number source of income for veterinarians, and this is because the pharmaceutical companies give plenty of incentives.  Vaccines are separated into two categories. The first category is for vaccines that are necessary for every dog and cat.  These vaccines are called “core” vaccines and they are: Parvo, Rabies, Distemper and Adenovirus for dogs and: Calici, Rabies, Herpes and Panleukopenia for kitties.  These vaccines should be given to kittens and puppies very early in life.  All other vaccines are definitely optional and not essential and cover the second category of “non-core” vaccines.

Even these “core” vaccines need to be researched.  For example if you have an indoor cat that never comes in contact with outdoor cats, then Panleukopenia is really the only one they should receive, the last one being at 14-16 weeks.  It is recommended to begin vaccinating your pet at 8 weeks and then again at 12 and 16 weeks.  

It is important to find out if the vaccination has created an immune response in your pet and you test this with antibody titer tests.  These should be done 2-4 weeks after the vaccination has taken place.  Getting your pet immunized the goal of vaccinating your pet and by doing the antibody tests you can determine whether or not your pet has the specific antibody present or not.  So, after you have given your pet the first round of core vaccinations by 16 weeks and have confirmed that their immune system has responded, there is absolutely no reason why they should be re-vaccinated.  

Re-Vaccinations

A great advice is to check after 3 years to see if their immune system is still immunized.  If so, then you know there is no reason to re-vaccinate.  What you want to look for in titer tests is diagnostic labs that are associated with veterinarian schools to perform the test, because they have different standards and this is the test you want.  

The reason why you want this particular test is because it is measured in numbers, so even if you have a low number it means that their immune system has responded.  The majority of vet offices recommend re-vaccination even with a low number and this is not the best practice, since it is unnecessary because the pet is protected.  

So please if you have a pet, research this test and make sure you give it every 3 years, instead of re-vaccinating automatically with your vet.  Be proactive in your pet’s health and vitality by avoiding unnecessary vaccines.