Is this true?

consumerkitty

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I read on another forum that vets are starting to give the distemper vaccine every three years now instead of annually. They said vets were giving them yearly because the makers of the vaccines would not admit they last 3 years and vets just wanted to cover their backs. Has anyone else heard of this?
 

sharky

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In most juristictions the new allowed protocal is three years but some vets wont stop the yearly shots... My vet says she foresees five year shots in the not too distant future ...
 

blue ash

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As scientific research yields more proven results regarding the effectiveness of vaccines in our companion animals both veterinaries and the government will start to be more open to suggestions of vx every 3 years.

Hopefully ultimately just get the rounds done once, some with boosters for the first time around and then never again, much like in humans.
However, those days are far off.
 

pat

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One of the vets I worked with during a brief stint at a small animal hospital shared information from a conference that suggested vaccinations every 3 years was adequate - this was over 6 years ago! It is slowly getting to be the accepted protocol.
 

sharky

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Originally Posted by Pat & Alix

One of the vets I worked with during a brief stint at a small animal hospital shared information from a conference that suggested vaccinations every 3 years was adequate - this was over 6 years ago! It is slowly getting to be the accepted protocol.
Imagine if all things were that slow
 

jaycee

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Originally Posted by LokisMum

My vet in Canada still recommends it every year.
make sure you do your own research and make your own decisions. you dont HAVE to get them vaccinated every year just because your vet recommends it. over-vaccnation is very unhealthy for your animals.
 

squirtle

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Originally Posted by jaycee

make sure you do your own research and make your own decisions. you dont HAVE to get them vaccinated every year just because your vet recommends it. over-vaccnation is very unhealthy for your animals.
I did a lot of research on this 2 years or so ago. I made the decision to get Dori's distemper shot every 3 years, and I decided against giving her the FELV shot. Her vet slightly disagreed with me on that, but respected my decision. I have to get her rabies shot every year though, by law.
 

jen

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I vaccinate my cats from kittenhood until they receive their adult cat shots. Then I never vaccinate them again. Vaccinations basically last a lifetime. Try getting a vet to admit that. Over vaccinating is really unhealthy and I have seen so many cats get sick from the vaccinations themselves. Only once for my cats. That's it.
 

jaycee

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Originally Posted by Jen

I vaccinate my cats from kittenhood until they receive their adult cat shots. Then I never vaccinate them again. Vaccinations basically last a lifetime. Try getting a vet to admit that. Over vaccinating is really unhealthy and I have seen so many cats get sick from the vaccinations themselves. Only once for my cats. That's it.
same here, im not sure if i will even get the first year adult booster though.
 

shengmei

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It doesn't really matter what the vet tells me. I read enough research to convince myself that every three year is adequate. Since distemper is not one of those vaccines where it is illegal to not have shots, I would take my cats for distemper shots every three years.
 

vik61

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When I took Pixel in for her last visit to her vet in Vermont, before we moved, I remember him telling me Pixel was all set for her vaccinations. He seemed to think even her rabies would last several more years. She was about three or four years old then.
 

jen

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Originally Posted by Vik61

He seemed to think even her rabies would last several more years.
Oh they do, vaccinations are basically good for a lifetime.
 

coaster

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Mmmmm.....I don't think the science supports that. What I've read is that the protection offered by these vaccinations declines slowly over time. No one really knows for sure how long they provide protection against infection. Certainly longer than one year. And since the guidelines are now three years that indicates the accepted belief that they provide adequate protection to the majority of the cat population at least that long. But lifetime? Doubtful.

Actually, there are blood tests that can be done to determine an immune system's response to an infectious agent -- to see if a vaccination is still offering protection. But they're very expensive.
 

gizmocat

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Like human vaccinations, cat vaccinations decline over time.
The law requires a yearly rabies shot; I'm not sure I'll go with the other shots this November since Gizmo is an indoor cat who never sees other cats. But I'll do what the vet recommends.
 

jaycee

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Originally Posted by gizmocat

Like human vaccinations, cat vaccinations decline over time.
The law requires a yearly rabies shot; I'm not sure I'll go with the other shots this November since Gizmo is an indoor cat who never sees other cats. But I'll do what the vet recommends.
the only human vaccine i know of that declines over time is tetanus, and thats after 10 years minimum. all the ones (hepatitas, polio, mmr, etc) are good for life after you get the three boosters or whatever
 
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