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| Picture taken from http://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vaccine#mediaviewer/File:Smallpox_vaccine.jpg |
Today is not a
topic between core or non-core vaccines. I will write about
the difference and importance of those in another post.
In my personal
opinion, I truly believe there is a place for vaccines. They are important for
the safety of our pets as they help in the attempt to minimize and eradicate the
threat of lethal viruses. Without them, the cases of sick or dying pets’ would
be much greater, just as the cases of sick or dying humans would be greater around the world. Vaccines are effective; it is why we use them. They are the
reason smallpox has been eradicated worldwide.
However, over vaccination (administering booster
vaccines) is an issue that is occurring in vet offices needlessly. When your
pet is young, they undergo a series of vaccine shots, this series is important
to complete. Young animals have not had the time to develop their immune system
and this leaves them vulnerable to lethal viruses which is why introducing microbes
of the dead viruses in a way they cannot actually contract it, is a smart and effective
way to protect your pet.
As said above,
it is important to complete these series of shots; giving one shot of each
vaccine is not enough to guarantee immunity against the virus you wish to
protect against. Because the body’s immune system is young and not developed,
it must learn and match the appropriate T cell with the virus to build immunity
within the body. This is why completing the series of shots is needed,; after
one shot, the body does not always ‘take’ fully to the vaccine leaving your pet
still vulnerable to potentially contract the virus.
After the puppy
or kitten series are complete, your pet is immunized. Many of these have an average
immunity duration of 5 to 7 years or more. Within those years, if your pet’s body is
challenged with the any of the virus’s you immunized against, then the
antibodies in the blood will increase again which allows your pet to have more
years of immunization against the viruses. In many cases, your pets will be
immunized for life without ever having to give “booster” vaccines. If the
average duration of vaccinations are 5-7+ years, than it makes absolutely no
sense to vaccinate (boost) the animal every year.
Some people like
to titer their pets every year or every other year after the completing their series
of puppy or kitten vaccinations. Titers tests the level of antibodies in the
blood at that given time. It does not test for T memory cells that help the B
cells create antibodies.
*I would like to note that just because a pet’s titer
count is low, it does not mean the pet has low immunity. That just means the
animal’s body has not been challenged recently causing the antibody count in
the blood to reduce over time.
If the pet were to be challenged recently before
you did the titer, that same low titer would no longer be low anymore because
the memory T cells have recognized the virus and alerted the B cells to start
producing more antibodies in the blood to kill the virus before you even knew
you dog or cat was ever sick with the virus again. That increase in antibodies
in the blood will give you a higher titer count. This same process goes for
humans.
This
is why I truly feel boosters are not needed and can be more harmful than beneficial
for you pets. I've listed resources below that help explain immunology,
titers, vaccine protocols, and even the risk of over vaccinations.
Resources:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uwMYpTYsNZM
(series of videos that explain immunology)
I had never heard of over vaccinating before. We always just vaccinate when the vet tells us to!
ReplyDeleteThank you for your comment, Becca. Unfortunately, many vets are still practising out-dated vaccine protocols even with new studies about vaccine immunity duration are coming out. Only a handful of vets practise minimal vaccine protocols, but the numbers are growing as more and more newer/training vets are becoming educated in more recent information. Adverse reactions to vaccines seem to be far more common in pets than I have ever heard of in humans. This, I have no doubt, is caused by over vaccinating our pets without much thought of whether they are already immunized or not.
DeleteI’m very glad you stopped to read my blog. Hopefully, I have provided you with enough information so you can prevent your fur baby from receiving unneeded vaccines.