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Post by ttfr on Jul 12, 2011 1:14:08 GMT -5
How do y'all feel about not vaccinating your cat who sleeps inside, and outside? I just realized tonight while going over the vaccine list for tomorrow. Sam has been over due on shots since fall 2010. Oppppps!  But I have the choice between, Getting my new meter tested with another BG check for nyu, My dogs distemper so he can go to training ( which is needed ASAP), or Sams Rabies & distemper. -.- Money is tight at the moment and I'm hoping I will be getting a paycheck this week. If not. than the two checks last week was the one from this week.  yeah..work is rearranging their check sending ways as of like a week ago. But yeah. I think sam's going to have to wait till the end of the month when mom takes the dog, and other animals for vaccinations. Just can't believe I never got a message about his vaccines since october of last year!!   |
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Post by Deleted on Jul 12, 2011 1:16:04 GMT -5
How old is Sam? Has he been previously vaccinated - how many times? How long ago?
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Post by ttfr on Jul 12, 2011 1:32:43 GMT -5
He's 2ish 3ish? This is his third distemper, and he has the 1 rabbies shot, and than the 3 so he's set on that till next year.
I just read they only get it every three years, the combination shots?
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Post by Deleted on Jul 12, 2011 1:52:08 GMT -5
I wouldn't worry about it. ALL vacines are good for life. I've never had any of my indoor/outdoor cats done, and have never had any problems.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 12, 2011 12:24:18 GMT -5
It depends on the vet. Mine only does the Rabies every 2 years and the Combination vaccine every 3, which I personally prefer to the yearly vaccines. I won't be getting the Rabies again for my kitty because she had an awful reaction to it.
However if the cat has only had 1 rabies vaccine in his lifetime, he may need a one year booster on it, and then it will be good for a long time. Do you know how much it costs to titer in your area? That's the other option, you could titer to see if he needs the vaccines at all. I think I'm going to start doing this with my animals, depending on the cost because working at a vet clinic, I am absolutely apalled at the drastic increase in vaccine reactions over the past couple years. We are definitely over-vaccinating.
That being said, it is very important for outdoor cats to have immnunity to things like Feine Leukemia and Feline HIV virus, as these are lifelong conditions that cannot be cured and do spread to other cats once they contract them. I've seen a lot of people put their cats down because they've contracted these diseases and there's no cure and they don't want to spread them to other cats. It's quite sad.
The chances of him getting rabies... pretty slim. That's more of a law thing.
While people are saying vaccines are good for life, that's not always 100% true. Although there is proof most last for a very long time, It's my personal opinion that if you aren't going to vaccinate, you should at least titer once in a while to be sure.
If you think about it, we owe vaccines for drastically reducing the incidence of preventable disease in our pets. Have they gone too far with the vacciines? absolutely. But no one's willing to put the time and money into researching exactly how long they last because vaccines are how the drug companies and the vets make money. So I think it's porbably not a bad idea to vaccinate once every 3 years or titer.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 12, 2011 12:40:48 GMT -5
The problem with titers are
1) they don't measure non-antibody immunity (macrophages, neutrophils, etc. The first lines of defense that are not antibody-mediated). This is a huge part of the immune system.
and
2) most animals will have low responses because antibodies are not produced when the animal doesn't need them. An antibody response will occur when the animal comes into contact with the virus/pathogen/etc. So a high response merely means that the animal has recently come into contact with the virus. A low titer does not mean that the animal isn't protected though.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 12, 2011 12:45:50 GMT -5
The problem with titers are 1) they don't measure non-antibody immunity (macrophages, neutrophils, etc. The first lines of defense that are not antibody-mediated). This is a huge part of the immune system. and 2) most animals will have low responses because antibodies are not produced when the animal doesn't need them. An antibody response will occur when the animal comes into contact with the virus/pathogen/etc. So a high response merely means that the animal has recently come into contact with the virus. A low titer does not mean that the animal isn't protected though. Well there goes that plan  good to know though! |
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Post by Deleted on Jul 12, 2011 12:49:29 GMT -5
Best bet is to titer 2 weeks after a vaccination, to ensure that a proper response was initiated. If that occurs, then you shouldn't need to re-vaccinate for several years, if not life depending on the vaccine and the age of the animal.
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Post by goingpostal on Jul 12, 2011 17:15:11 GMT -5
All my cat's had in the last 7 years has been one rabies shot. I don't know what she got as a kitten because she was a stray, but she was spayed and front declawed and the vets won't do that without shots. And then the first 4 years we had her when I still lived at home she got massively overvaccinated for everything every year, the local vets are huge on giving everything out there, even the non-recommended ones and she is an inside, only cat.
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