Having been trained in what I was told was the “evidence-based” science paradigm at an excellent academic institution at Penn, I began my veterinary career in 1991 — as do most young, idealistic veterinarians — with a desire to save the animal world. That desire included not only offering cutting-edge medical and surgical treatment options when our companion animals were suffering from chronic disease conditions, but also preventing potentially deadly infectious diseases that I was taught about in my veterinary school education. However, I quickly became quite disheartened that, while there certainly were many medical and surgical wonder treatments, our animal companions were developing escalating levels of chronic, immune-mediated disease and cancers in younger and younger animals, where many of these conditions were either caused, activated, or triggered by vaccines that were intended to prevent disease.
The Science Behind Vaccine Duration of Immunity
By 1997 and 1998, I had researched this developing and controversial issue and gathered as much legitimate, evidence-based science on this topic as was available in the veterinary literature. I learned that through the research and writings of top veterinary immunologist Ron Schultz, Ph.D., as well as Jean Dodds, DVM, the research on duration of immunity to core viral vaccines that most dogs were receiving yearly was many years — if not lifelong — in most animals. I was shocked to see that the initial research on this had been done as early as 1978.
The Risks of Over-Vaccination in Dogs and Cats
Through the years, it was noted in the veterinary profession how over-vaccination and acute and chronic immune-mediated reactions to vaccinations were being recognized as causative triggers for a number of serious conditions, including:
- Autoimmune blood disorders
- Malignant vaccine sarcomas in susceptible cats
- Thyroid disorders
- Increased sensitivity to environmental and airborne allergic reactions, known as atopy — what I call “doggie hay fever” — a chronic, frustrating condition that is one of the most common chronic diseases seen in daily clinical practice
These are just a few of the immune-mediated conditions that were being increasingly noted. While I recognized the potential importance of preventing potentially deadly infectious disease under certain conditions, it was my opinion that the levels of chronic disease and potentially earlier deaths made it my passion to empower my clients with the information they needed to make informed decisions on this topic.
Core Vaccine Guidelines for Dogs and Cats
When and how to vaccinate safely
As a veterinarian who gradually moved toward more empowered means of infectious disease prevention through dietary therapies, nutritional supplements, and holistic medicines, I also recognized the desire of many other animal guardians to stick with more conventional models of infectious disease protection — the kind that experts like Ron Schultz, Ph.D. and Jean Dodds, DVM have been advocating for decades.
For those clients who choose vaccinations, I try to remind them of the principles of safer vaccine use under the right clinical conditions:
- Do not vaccinate an animal that is presenting for a common illness such as an ear infection, hot spot, vomiting, or diarrhea.
- Do not vaccinate when an animal is undergoing a surgical or anesthetic procedure, when the body is already under enough stress.
- Try not to use combination vaccines if and when possible; in other words, avoid 5-in-1 or 7-in-1 vaccinations. Try to find a veterinarian who administers only monovalent or bivalent vaccinations at a time (i.e., one or two components).
Puppy and kitten vaccination timing
There are certain core viral vaccines that veterinary academia recommends, especially for young puppies and kittens. For the canine, these include distemper, parvovirus, and adenovirus; for the feline, they include panleukopenia, rhinotracheitis, and calicivirus.
- Vaccinations do not need to be given more frequently than every three to four weeks in puppies and kittens.
- I advise clients to wait until age 14 to 18 weeks and get one or two boosters spread out, rather than starting at younger ages, which are not only less effective in offering sustained protection but may harm a young puppy or kitten’s developing immune system.
- Rabies vaccination is required by law in all states. Although it should not be given earlier than 12 weeks of age, I suggest waiting until 4 to 6 months, when the immune system is more developed.
Non-Core Vaccines: What You Should Know
Other non-core vaccinations — such as Bordetella (kennel cough complex), Leptospirosis, Lyme disease, and Feline Leukemia virus — should only be considered if the animal’s lifestyle and breed make them more susceptible to infection. However, in my experience, most non-core vaccinations are not as effective in protecting against clinical disease, and reaction rates tend to be higher with these options.
Adult and Senior Pet Vaccination Schedules
Veterinary academia and universities recommend boosters at one year of age for core inoculations, and then no more than every three years in adult animals. In fact, many experts advise minimizing or avoiding unnecessary vaccinations in senior and geriatric animals, or in chronically ill animals with immune-mediated diseases, who are often not at risk for these common “puppyhood” or “kittenhood” diseases.
If your pet is dealing with chronic allergy or immune-related conditions, this is an especially important conversation to have with your veterinarian before proceeding with routine vaccinations.
Titer Testing as an Alternative to Routine Vaccination
As an option to yearly or three-year vaccinations, many veterinarians are offering vaccination titers — tests that measure immune system antibody levels against certain infectious diseases as an indicator of protection or immunity. While titers are not perfect tests, they do have an important role in clinical veterinary practice, helping to avoid over-vaccination of our animal companions.
Because titer testing is often quite expensive and cost-prohibitive for many clients, alternative, more economical sources — such as the “Protect the Pet” movement by Dr. John Robb — provide affordable options for the nation’s veterinarians and animal guardians as an alternative to routine vaccination.
— Dr. Michael Dym, VMD
