Spaying Less Than Two Weeks Following Vaccinations

[VioletGT]

Hello,

I have a new kitten, Violet, approximately 14 weeks old, who is scheduled to be spayed at a low-cost spay and neuter clinic on Sept. 4. She received her first combination vaccines at our local vet on Aug. 4 and will be getting her second round on Aug. 25, ten days prior to surgery. Is it safe to go through with the surgery at this time?

The clinic is one of the only places in my area which will spay kittens her age--the veterinarians in my town do it at six months. Needless to say, the clinic books up quickly, and if I try to reschedule, another appointment may not be available until well into October. I tried to reschedule the appointment for the vaccines for an earlier date, but Violet's vet doesn't have any openings.

The clinic is high-volume and I'm concerned about her exposure to disease as well as whether surgery would be too hard on her immune system while it's building up antibodies from the vaccines.

My kitten has a clean bill of health. I would like to proceed with the surgery as scheduled, but want to make sure it is safe to do so. I've contacted both the clinic (waiting to hear back) and my local vet office (recommends against spaying until 6 months), but would greatly appreciate your opinion as well.

 

[Esther Mechler]

Since this is a medical question and I am sure Dr. Bushby's answer will carry far more weight, I hope he will jump in - but for now I can say to you that for nearly twenty years I worked with the high-volume clinics nationwide, and they have excellent track records. Their very strength is in the large numbers of surgeries they have done, and they are truly experts at what they do.

 

[VioletGT]

Thank you for your reply. I feel fairly comfortable going ahead with the surgery. I suppose the bigger of my two concerns is about exposure to disease as the clinic also serves the local feral community. I'm thinking even partial immunity should have her covered, but since you folks just happen to be here at the time this issue came up (great timing!), I figured it wouldn't hurt to ask the experts.

I really wish more vets in my area would shift their thinking on this issue. My previous kitty (RIP) was a stray who had had a litter of kittens when she was about 6 months old!

Thanks again for your quick reply!

 

[Dr. Phil Bushby]

Thank you for your reply. I feel fairly comfortable going ahead with the surgery. I suppose the bigger of my two concerns is about exposure to disease as the clinic also serves the local feral community. I'm thinking even partial immunity should have her covered, but since you folks just happen to be here at the time this issue came up (great timing!), I figured it wouldn't hurt to ask the experts.

I really wish more vets in my area would shift their thinking on this issue. My previous kitty (RIP) was a stray who had had a litter of kittens when she was about 6 months old!

Thanks again for your quick reply!

If you kitten is now 14 weeks old and is getting another round of vaccines on the 25th, she will be approximately 16 weeks old at that time. She is old enough to develop full immunity at that age and there should be minimal risk of getting an infectious disease at the time of surgery.

 

[VioletGT]

If you kitten is now 14 weeks old and is getting another round of vaccines on the 25th, she will be approximately 16 weeks old at that time. She is old enough to develop full immunity at that age and there should be minimal risk of getting an infectious disease at the time of surgery.

Thank you very much for the information. That really puts my mind at ease.

I also heard back from the clinic today; the individual who emailed me said that approximately 80% of the cats coming through their clinic haven't had all or any vaccinations prior to surgery (they administer them there if not). Would you recommend I ask Violet's vet to administer a Feline Leukemia and/or FIV vaccine in addition to the FVRCP when we go back in on the 25th?

 

[Dr. Phil Bushby]

Thank you very much for the information. That really puts my mind at ease.

I also heard back from the clinic today; the individual who emailed me said that approximately 80% of the cats coming through their clinic haven't had all or any vaccinations prior to surgery (they administer them there if not). Would you recommend I ask Violet's vet to administer a Feline Leukemia and/or FIV vaccine in addition to the FVRCP when we go back in on the 25th?

I would not recommend those vaccines.

 

[VioletGT]

I would not recommend those vaccines.

Okay, thanks very much for your reply. I'm curious why you don't recommend those vaccines. I do understand your time is coming (or has come) to a close, so if you don't have time to explain I will look into it myself.

Thanks again to you and Esther Mechler for your help! It's very generous of you both to offer your time and expertise.

 

[Willowy]

The FIV vaccine is not very effective and will make the cat always test positive for FIV. So that could lead to the cat being put down if they ever ended up at a shelter or in a home that didn't know they had been vaccinated. The AAHA has it under Not Recommended.

The FeLV vaccine isn't necessary for indoor cats. FeLV is spread through extended contact with bodily fluids, or a deep bite. Not something that happens casually.

 

[VioletGT]

The FIV vaccine is not very effective and will make the cat always test positive for FIV. So that could lead to the cat being put down if they ever ended up at a shelter or in a home that didn't know they had been vaccinated. The AAHA has it under Not Recommended.

The FeLV vaccine isn't necessary for indoor cats. FeLV is spread through extended contact with bodily fluids, or a deep bite. Not something that happens casually.

Oh wow, I had no idea. Thank you for answering my question! That saves me from falling down another rabbit hole of research. I've already spent waaaay more time than anyone should researching cat food in recent weeks. I really appreciate it. Thanks again

 

[Dr. Phil Bushby]

The FIV vaccine is not very effective and will make the cat always test positive for FIV. So that could lead to the cat being put down if they ever ended up at a shelter or in a home that didn't know they had been vaccinated. The AAHA has it under Not Recommended.

The FeLV vaccine isn't necessary for indoor cats. FeLV is spread through extended contact with bodily fluids, or a deep bite. Not something that happens casually.

I really can't add much to this response. The critical concern with FIV is the fact that testing for FIV can not differentiate between a cat with the disease and a cat vaccinated for FIV. The could result in misdiagnosis of the disease and possible euthanasia of the cat.

Since FeLV requires a deep bite, and your concern is the risk of spread of infectious disease at a spay neuter clinic. The chances of your cat getting into a fight with another cat at the clinic are somewhere between never and not at all.