9 / 12
small
talk
09
of opportunity for the
virus/bacteria to replicate. In
essence, the vaccine aims to
‘prime’ the immune system
and produce this memory, so
that the body can respond
more quickly to subsequent
infection.
My pet has always
been very healthy,
why do I need to
vaccinate?
When an animal is infected,
even if it does not look ill, it
can still produce more viral/
bacterial organisms into the
environment and infect other
animals. The more animals
that are ‘infectious’ the more
opportunity the organisms have
to spread around and infect
more animals. Vaccination
reduces the rate of spread of
disease and in some cases can
even bring the level of disease
down to such a low level that it
is hardly ever seen by vets. For
this to work however, the vast
majority of the population
of cats and dogs must be
vaccinated. Therefore it is not
only important for your own
cat/dogs health but it also
benefits the health and welfare
of the rest of the animal
population. This is known as
‘herd immunity’.
Do I need to vaccinate
my animal every year?
In 2016 the World Small
Animal Veterinary Association
(WSAVA) reviewed and
updated its guidelines for the
vaccination of dogs and cats
(JSAP, 2016). In these global
guidelines, it advises that all
animals should be vaccinated
with ‘core vaccinations’. These
are for severe, life-threatening
diseases, which are distributed
throughout the world and
include canine distemper virus,
parvovirus and adenovirus for
dogs, and feline parvovirus,
calicivirus and herpesvirus for
cats. Additionally non-core
vaccines should be given when
the geographical location and
population indicates that they
would be beneficial. Within
the UK, most dogs are also
vaccinated against a bacterium
called Leptospira, which causes
leptospirosis, as dogs within
this country are considered to
be at high risk of encountering
the bacteria.
The WSAVA recommend that
the vaccines are boosted at
their minimum duration of
immunity (DOI), which is the
length of time that immunity
to that pathogen has been
tested to last up until, but may
last longer. For leptospirosis,
the DOI is as short as one
year, so this should be given
annually. This means that in
the UK, most dogs are
vaccinated annually, but the
constituents of the vaccine
changes from year to year.
Feline core vaccines for the
respiratory viruses (calicivirus
and herpesvirus) have a less
robust immunity, and therefore
it is recommended that in high
risk cats (those that go outside
or contact other cats) should
be re-vaccinated annually. In
low risk cats (single indoor cat),
this can be extended to every
three years.
The annual
health check
It may be useful to move
away from thinking ‘my pet
is going for their yearly
booster’ and more towards
‘my pet is going for their
yearly check-up’. This takes
the emphasis off the single
vaccination and on to the
individual animal. Many
diseases and illnesses may
be picked up at the health
check with a vet, which
may not have been apparent
to the owner. Common
conditions often noticed
are dental disease, heart
disease and arthritic
problems, as well as others.
The sooner these are noted
and treated, the longer and
happier the life your pet
may live. One can also
discuss the vaccination
protocol for the individual
animal, thus targeting
non-core vaccinations at
high-risk groups of animals.
Vaccination provides a
relatively safe, effective method
for protecting domestic species
against life-threatening
diseases. Dog and cats must
be vaccinated with at least the
core vaccines, against globally
important diseases, and
should be vaccinated using
non-core vaccines when
deemed necessary.
Conclusion...