| Vaccinations |
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Q. I’m concerned that my pet is being over-vaccinated?Q. Why is vaccination quite expensive? Q. Is vaccine protection lifelong? Q. Are we behind other countries such as the States when it comes to vaccination? Q. If some of the diseases now have protection for two years, why does my pet need to have everything again at its first yearly booster? Q. Why does everything have to be given every year? Q. Why do boosters have to be given: I don’t get boosted every year so why does my pet need to? Q. Who has decided the recommended booster intervals? Q. Is there any similarity to the MMR vaccine in children debate? Q. Do vaccines affect different breeds in different ways? Q. What about homeopathic vaccines? Q. I’m still concerned about one or more aspects of vaccination. What should I do?
Your pet is not being over vaccinated but is being protected against killer diseases such as parvovirus, hepatitis, distemper and leptospirosis. Vaccination provides the single greatest contribution to the health of your pet and is absolutely necessary if you don’t want to run the risk of him succumbing to these diseases, for which there is no cure. Q. Why is vaccination quite expensive? The main priority of Championvet.com vets is for the health and welfare of your pet. Vets are indeed duty-bound to ensure they give you and your pet the best possible advice and appropriate treatment. Veterinary work is the only totally privately funded form of medical healthcare in Scotland and therefore you have to pay for the real cost of professional time and medicines (although at Championvet.com we control our costs such that we can offer you what we believe to be the best value for money in Glasgow). Before each vaccination we give your pet a thorough Annual Heath Check (a bit like a car’s MOT!). During this examination we advise you on other aspects of healthcare such as worming, flea control, feeding and dietary requirements. Q. Is vaccine protection lifelong? Unfortunately not. The protection from vaccines wanes over the course of the year and routine annual “boosters” are required to return that immunity to protective levels. At Championvet.com however we keep our fingers on the pulse of the latest research and thus only boost those vaccinates that really need it. Your pet will not be over-vaccinated but will be adequately vaccinated at Championvet.com. Q. Are we behind other countries such as the States when it comes to vaccination? The UK is in fact leading the way in terms of vaccine research and in particular with respect to extended duration of immunity. None of the vaccines in the States can make that claim. This means that Championvet.com can now protect your pet against distemper, hepatitis and parvovirus for two years. However, there are still some diseases where an annual vaccination is crucial, like Leptospirosis, and so your pet must still be presented annually to us, when we will inform you which protection is required. Q. If some of the diseases now have protection for two years, why does my pet need to have everything again at its first yearly booster? The first year full vaccination is a belt and braces reassurance just in case the initial active titre is at the lower end of the acceptable range. This is a standard that many vaccine manufacturers and academics recommend in order to keep your pet safe and healthy for life. Q. Why does everything have to be given every year? It doesn’t at Championvet.com! The frequency of booster vaccinations depends on the disease in question and on the vaccine being used. At Champonvet.com, the protection for distemper, hepatitis and parvovirus lasts for a full two years and so is boosted thus. However, there is no vaccine available which lasts for two years for Leptospirosis (a killer disease which can be passed on to humans). Therefore, we need to see you pet annually to boost this immunity and to give him his Annual Health Check. Q. Why do boosters have to be given: I don’t get boosted every year so why does my pet need to? Sadly immunity is not necessarily lifelong following vaccination and therefore booster vaccination will be required at intervals to ensure your pet remains fully protected. Let’s use sunscreen as an analogy. You apply sunscreen to your child to protect him against sun burn, in the same way as you would vaccinate your animal to protect him against disease. But, the length of protection from the sunscreen depends on things like the strength of the sun, time of day, skin type and the child’s activity. The cautious parent will reapply sunscreen more frequently rather than less frequently as it is better to be safe than sorry. The same principal applies to vaccination and your pet: we should always cater for the worst possible scenario to ensure all pets are fully protected. Q. Who has decided the recommended booster intervals? The recommended booster intervals are designed to ensure that all animals under field conditions maintain a level of protective immunity. Certain individuals may not require boosting as frequently, but there is no quick and easy way to tell the animal’s state of immunity. Therefore the most beneficial and cost-effective way to minimize the risk of disease is by routine booster vaccination. Q. Is there any similarity to the MMR vaccine in children debate? The MMR issue has been raised in the public forum and parents have been opting not to get their children vaccinated. As a direct result we have seen a marked increase in the number of reported cases of measles. As in the veterinary field, there is no conclusive evidence that giving vaccine components separately is any safer or more effective than giving them together. Whilst there are parallels between some of the MMR issues and some of the “anti vaccine” issues we face in the dog world, they are definitely not the same! Q. Do vaccines affect different breeds in different ways? There are no breed-specific contra-indications for any of the vaccines currently on the market. Despite this, some breeders occasionally suggest that one or other of the live vaccine components affects their particular breed. When such reports are investigated the information appears to be anecdotal and often incapable of substantiation. Q. What about homeopathic vaccines? The main concern most vets have about their use is that there is no proper evidence to show that they work in protecting dogs by preventing disease. Indeed, the few properly-designed trials that have been carried out by using homeopathic nosodes have shown no evidence of protection. Without evidence of effectiveness, homeopathic nosodes may pose a far greater risk to dogs by leaving them very susceptible to disease. Q. I’m still concerned about one or more aspects of vaccination. What should I do? Please come into the surgery and speak to us (or email us). One of our vets will be more than happy to go through any issues that concern you with respect to vaccination, or any other health issue relating to you pet. We are here to help! |
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