Vaccines have allowed people and animals to live longer and healthier lives in this world filled with virus and bacteria. The decision of when to vaccinate, and what to vaccinate for, is one of the most complicated decisions facing veterinarians today. Many pet owners base their decisions on what they have always done in the past, or what their pet’s breeder recommends.
The decision factors should include:
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Changes in our understanding of the immune system.
•Better reporting and therefore better understanding of the effectiveness of individual vaccines.
•Longer animal life expectancies.
•Changes in local/regional susceptibilities to specific diseases.
•An individual pet’s exposure risk to specific diseases.
The American Veterinarian Medical Association concludes that there is not one vaccine protocol that will be effective for all pets. Their task force published a 28 page report with recommendations and cautions. The AVMA recommends a customized approach to pet vaccination based on that pet’s age, previous vaccine history and lifestyle.
Your Veterinarian is the best person to decide what vaccines your pet needs because of his or her knowledge of immune response, local disease trends and adverse effects of individual vaccines. Your veterinarian’s goal is to provide optimal immunity against clinically relevant diseases that your pet is at risk to contract, while minimizing the potential for adverse effects.
