County Animal Hospital

Vaccines for Cats     Vaccines for Dogs    Vaccines are a preventative medicine against infectious diseases. Newborn animals receive protective antibodies from their mothers when they nurse on the first day of life. These antibodies are an important source of protection for puppies and kittens until their immune systems are mature enough to make their own. This maternal protection fades with time. Veterinarians give vaccines to puppies and kittens to stimulate immunity to life threatening infectious diseases. The diseases and schedule of vaccinations varies between cats and dogs. A bump may develop at the vaccine site due to a normal vaccine reaction. This bump should be loose within the skin and as soft as the tip of your thumb. After time it will get smaller and harder, then eventually disappear. If a bump is felt, tell the veterinarian, who will monitor the area. If the bump is still present after 3 months, it should be removed and analyzed. Rarely, an animal may have an allergic reaction to a vaccination. Tell the hospital immediately if your pet has a swollen face or trouble breathing. Vaccines for Cats Kittens are vaccinated against Feline Viral Rhinotracheitis, Calicivirus and Panleukopenia (FVRCP) at their first visit and boosted every 3-4 weeks until older than 3 months. They are boostered again in 1 year, and then every 3 years. Rabies vaccine is given once when they are over 12 weeks of age, boostered at one year and then every three years. Cats that will be going outdoors or have multiple cat exposure should also receive the Feline Leukemia Virus vaccine (FeLV) at 8-10 weeks and then boostered in 3-4 weeks. This vaccine should be repeated every year. A FeLV blood test should be given prior to the initial vaccination. Indoor cats are no longer routinely given this vaccine. Cats rarely (1 in 1,000 to 1 in 10,000) develop tumors associated with vaccines (Vaccine-associated Sarcomas). The Rabies and FeLV vaccines are more often associated with causing this problem. The cause of this is unknown at this time, but much research is under way. It appears that some cats are genetically susceptible to this condition. To fight this problem, new guidelines were recently advocated. Some of the recommendations are: Vaccines should be selected for each individual cat based on the patient's history. All cats should receive the core vaccines: rabies and FVRCP as kittens, at one year of age and then every three years. Vaccines should be given in specific locations: The vaccine brand and lot number should be recorded. Any adverse reactions should be carefully monitored. All cats should still receive vaccines in order to protect them from acquiring diseases. The risk of catching an infection is still much higher than the risk of a vaccine reaction. For additional information about vaccine associated tumors, go to the Feline Vaccine Associated Fibrosarcoma Task Force homepage. Vaccines for Dogs Puppies are vaccinated against Canine Distemper, Hepatitis, Parainfluenza and Parvovirus (DHPP) at their first visit and then every 3-4 weeks until older than 16 weeks. This vaccination is repeated one year later and every three years thereafter. Leptospirosis is a bacterial disease of dogs that is contagious to people. Dogs aquire the infection by exposure to water contaminated with the urine of infected wildlife. Cases have been reported on Long Island, Connecticut and New Jersey. The incidence in Rockland County appears to be very low. A vaccine is available, but at this time recommended only for those dogs a high risk of exposeure (eg, hunting dogs). Rabies vaccine is given once when they are over 12 weeks old, boostered at one year and then every 3 years. Two other vaccines are sometimes used in dogs, depending on circumstances: Lyme vaccine offers protection against Lyme disease carried by ticks. It is given twice initially, and then boostered yearly. The "Kennel Cough" vaccine offers protection against Bordetella and Parainflueza virus. This vaccine is administered as a nose drop. It is repeated annually. Copyright ©1999-2000