URI Vaccination for FIV/FHV cat?

Sorry to bother you guys again, but I need to take my guy in for a checkup soon, and would greatly appreciate your input so I'm better prepared.  Sometimes I get really flustered once I get there, and can use all the help I can get. :-)

I'm not too keen on the idea of vaccinating my cats for everything under the sun, just because a vaccine is available.

But since Buddy tends to get a LOT of upper respiratory infections, I was wondering if he might benefit from the vaccine(s) to help prevent them.  Or would that be contraindicated since he has FIV/FHV?

His last vet was reluctant to vaccinate him for anything since he's almost always sick with something.  But this new one seems a little eager to do so (as well as put him on Revolution), which I admit, makes me a little nervous. ;-)

I can only tell you what my holistic vet recommended. As way of background, Ritz throws up about twice a week. It is possible (though personally I think unlikely) that she has IBS (acid reflux more like it) or some other immune-supressant illness. Vet advised strongly against vaccinating Ritz for distemper/cold. Additionally, Ritz' FHS symptoms seem to increase after being vaccinated.
I am around a lot of cats (volunteer at a cat sanctuary and take care of a small community cat colony). Ritz has never been sick, except for UTIs.

If he is not actively sick right now then i would contemplate the KILLED only version of the FVRCP vaccine which protects (mostly) against some URI's and adding L-Lysine to his diet if you haven't already would be a good idea if he has chronic URI's.  The revolution in the dead of winter seems a bit much unless you're in a warm place....

Ritz said:

Additionally, Ritz' FHS symptoms seem to increase after being vaccinated.

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Oh, dear.  Sorry to hear that.

But that's exactly the sort of thing I worry about.  I want to do what I can to help keep Buddy as healthy as possible, but I don't want to do more harm than good.

Thanks much!

StephenQ said:

 
If he is not actively sick right now then i would contemplate the KILLED only version of the FVRCP vaccine which protects (mostly) against some URI's and adding L-Lysine to his diet if you haven't already would be a good idea if he has chronic URI's.  The revolution in the dead of winter seems a bit much unless you're in a warm place....

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Thanks oodles!  I wasn't sure if there was a killed version of the vaccine, and you're helped to put my mind at ease re: that aspect.  To be honest, I guess my main concern is that since Buddy is almost always sick, he might just appear to be enjoying a brief respite between illnesses, when there could be something brewing on a sub-clinical level.  And yes, I've been giving him L-Lysine ever since I took him in a couple of years ago, but maybe 500 mg. isn't sufficient for his needs.  On the other hand, he IS still here, so there is that. ;-)

Alas, we don't really have winter where I live.  We have almost summer, summer, still summer, and not quite summer.  So fleas can be a problem all year round. :-)

Back in the day when Advantage was being promoted as the best thing ever, I let my vet talk me into giving it to my cats, and one got sick almost immediately and died after starting her on it (although the vet swore up and down that Advantage was completely safe, and it was just a coincidence).  So I've been really leery about that sort of thing ever since.  But this new vet is telling me that it will help to keep Buddy healthier since it protects against so many different kinds of parasites that he could get, even though he's strictly an indoor cat (while every fiber of my being is shuddering in fear).