Burnt Hills VeterinaryHospital
"The Best of Care for The Best of Friends"
 

To our Clients

Regarding Yearly Vaccinations:
Controversy Exists about how to provide the best protection you can and still create the least risk for an adverse vaccination reaction.  On the internet and in the papers, from breeders, friends, trainers, groomers, and quacks, you may obtain an absolutely certain opinion that may be true, partially true, or completely wrong.  Please ask us your questions and voice your concerns to us.  We are the ones who care the most about you getting the best information. We constantly seek out the newest reliable information to see if changes in our protocols are warranted.

Our Vaccination Policy:
We do not administer vaccines except as a medical procedure that we feel is properly indicated based on the age, risk of exposure, health status, past vaccine history, and intended life- style of your pet.  We recommend yearly physical examinations for every pet, and we can discuss the appropriateness of vaccination at those times.  There are antibody titer tests that can be run to know weather your pet is properly protected or not.  25% of those we have tested do not have adequate protection and require vaccination booster, even though some experts have said all pets are protected many years longer.
For the Future:
There are new vaccines that have been granted 3-year duration by the FDA, but they contain 5 times the regular amount of viral particles, so we are currently waiting to see if they are safe over a long period of time as the ones we currently use.  As information becomes available, as vaccine companies develop improvements in their produces, as we understand the immune system and vaccination reactions better, we may recommend less frequent vaccinations, or individually created protocols for each pet.  But for now, we choose the safest vaccines available, which routinely provide the highest level of protection, with the least likelihood for vaccine reaction, and we recommend yearly revaccination for most pets, except for rabies which is every 3 years.

Burnt Hills Veterinary Hospital Feline Vaccination Schedule.

Many diseases are currently prevented through vaccination. A schedule prepared by your veterinarian can greatly contribute to good health and a longer life span for your cat. Below are the most important diseases for which vaccines are currently available.

Feline Panleukopenia (feline distemper) is among the most widespread of all cat diseases and is extremely contagious. Characterized by fever, loss of appetite, vomiting and diarrhea, feline panleukopenia causes high death loss, particularly among kittens. Even older cats that recover from panleukopenia may never totally regain their health.

Feline Viral Rhinotracheitis (FVR) is a highly contagious respiratory disease characterized by sneezing, loss of appetite, fever, and eye inflammation. As the disease progresses a discharge is noticeable from both nose and eyes. Although few adult cats die from FVR the death rate among kittens can range from 50 to 60 percent. Feline viral rhinotracheitis often occurs simultaneously with feline calicvirus infection.This herpes virus of cats can also cause ocular, nasal and sinus infections that are chronic and recurrent.

Feline Calicvirus (FCV) is another serious feline respiratory infection ,often occurring simultaneously with feline viral rhinotracheitis. Signs of infection are similar to FVR (fever, loss of appetite, nasal discharge),but calicivirus-infected cats may also have ulcers on the tongue. Feline calcivirus most seriously affects kittens and debilitated cats. Calicivirus infection may pave the way for other viral or bacterial agents which cause pneumonia. It has also been associated with gum infections and inflammation.
 
The first 3 disease are included in the FVRCP vaccine.

Rabies one of the worlds most publicized and feared disease is almost always fatal. Rabies virus attacks the brain and central nervous and is transmitted to humans chiefly through the bite of an infected animal. Cases of feline rabies have increased steadily over the past five years.

Feline Pneumonitis  A less common respiratory ailment in cats is caused by the organism Chlamydia psittaci. Except for catteries, we do not currently recommend this vaccine.

Feline Leukemia (Felv) is a viral disease that that can take several forms. Some cats have transient infections with few ill effects. Others have persistent infections varying in severity, some of which may be fatal over time by causing cancer or immune system malfunctions. Cats are most commonly exposed to feline leukemia virus though intimate contact with another infected cat. Thus the likelihood of infection is greater in multi-cat households or where cats are allowed to roam free. There is no relationship between feline leukemia and human leukemia. We recommend testing all kittens and stray cats and vaccinating all outdoor cats for this disease.

Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV, Feline AIDS) is a serious cause of immune deficiency and death in cats. There is no relationship between feline AIDS and human AIDS. Although there is no available vaccine for this disease we currently recommend testing all kittens and stray cats.

We recommend the following vaccination schedule:

8-9 weeks: FVRCP first vaccine, Felv/FIV Test, Leukemia first vaccine (if going outside)

12 weeks: FVRCP second vaccine, Leukemia second vaccine(if going outside)

16 weeks: FVRCP third Vaccine & 1 Year Rabies

1 year & older: FVRCP yearly, Rabies 3 year, Leukemia vaccine yearly(if going outside)