Vaccinations

[Joey's mom]

Have 2 indoor sibling cats, found as kittens raised by a foster, they are now approx. 15 months, are due for their rabies vaccination. Rescue handled all the important vaccinations at 5 months of age, before adopting them out including, spay/neuter, microchip, deworming. I was told they were 1yr old when I adopted them.They were vaccinated, by the rescue org. for feline respiratory and panleukopenia. Does the respiratory and panleukopenia vaccinations have to be repeated. I have received misleading info from 2 vets at 2 different locations regarding a former cat that was treated daily for 2 yrs (fluids, meds) for kidney disease. I was talked into letting him go, he was almost 20, even though his behavior was normal for age and disease. Afterwards 1 vet told me he could have been given a different medication, but he did not like going to the vet every day. You have no idea how heartbreaking to hear all the things she said in addition she had to inject him twice, telling me he doesn't want to leave me. Therefore, I don't have much trust in vets and am asking the community for help to know if the above vaccinations are necessary or a vets way of making money. Of course the rabies will be done. Thanks to all who respond.

 

[duckpond]

Mine got all of their kitten shots, after i think 3 years our vet pulled back and they dont get anything right now but the 3 year Rabies vaccinations. Mine are all indoors only, but legally we must get that one. He said at age 7 to 10 we will do another run of vaccinations.

I have a vet i trust, and can talk to, so if you do not trust the one you had i highly recommend trying someone else.

 

[Joey's mom]

Mine got all of their kitten shots, after i think 3 years our vet pulled back and they dont get anything right now but the 3 year Rabies vaccinations. Mine are all indoors only, but legally we must get that one. He said at age 7 to 10 we will do another run of vaccinations.

I have a vet i trust, and can talk to, so if you do not trust the one you had i highly recommend trying someone else.

Thank you for responding and info. I'm guessing that's a photo of one of your furry family members. He/she is adorable. Elaine

 

[duckpond]

Thats itty, my little girl we have 4 cats, and i love them all. But she had so much trouble when she was very young. She was spayed by the humane society the day before i got her. It was 4 long months trying to get her healthy. I learned to love my vet in those 4 months, he put in so much extra effort with her, including keeping her for 2 weeks after her last surgery. She has a special place in my heart, because we didnt know if she would make it for a long time.

Find a vet you love and trust, can take a bit of trial and error, but so worth it.

 

[Joey's mom]

Thank you for responding and info. I'm guessing that's a photo of one of your furry family members. He/she is adorable. Elaine

Thanks for sharing, glad all is well now. Had a vet for 25 yrs, sole owner, deeply compassionate, caring, she would even cook a turkey on Thanksgiving to bring to the hospitalized animals for those whose guardians were on vacation. She had a busy practice with very low fees, her interest was more in animal well being. She sold to VCA, (like Home Depot, VCA is everywhere) Charges went extremely high. Fortunately my 2 male cats were physically well only needed periodic nail trimming and blood work. When one reach 16 he became ill, the other a yr older developed kidney disease. Fortunately for me and them, there were 2 amazing doctors (I forgot to mention I started with this place in 1974) One doctor I knew, he was a surgeon experienced in doing more complicated surgeries than the others. My boys started seeing him, very caring, great, assertive doctor who knew just what to do, acted quickly. He was never happy with the VCA structure and left. The other doctor was amazing she handled both my boys for a yr before deciding to relocate out-of-state. I was a wreck, didn't like any of the new replacements. By this time Smokey died (at home) but it was Joey I was concerned about. He began daily treatments for over a yr, I even had a couple of his meds fulfilled at the pharmacy in liquid marshmallow flavor rather than forcing the mouth open with so many pills. Now I have 2 siblings adopted this past April, I don't believe in unnecessary vaccinations and just read an article that's 39 pages long about overvaccinating. I received the card today from the vet office that it's time for rabies, and the other 2 I mentioned and I only want to give the rabies. These cats were already vaccinated at 5 mos (I think) they are young, healthy. Knowing how cars stress cats out I go to one that's 10 mins away the other about 20 or so mins, they are both VCA, it's difficult to find one that's private these days. Elaine (I will always be Joey's mom) We share our home to give a good life to a cat/dog, never thinking about the dreadful decision we someday have to make, sometimes it's made for us. All my cats gave me the "sign" except Joey, he wasn't ready, both vets kept saying "you've done so much to keep him comfortable, don't wait until he suffers, let him go while he's still him." He had a seizure, I was frightened, thought it was a sign so I ended his life. Later the vet told me medication could have possibly prevented seizures, but neither vet mentioned it to me, they decided between themselves. Experiencing him being injected twice, has destroyed me.

 

[molly92]

The more I read, the more I worry about vaccinations. I think you're right to be concerned. It's worth noting that there seems to be a very probable link
between overvaccination and kidney disease, among other risks.

I defer to Dr. Pierson's judgement:

catinfo.org/vaccines-for-cats-we-need-to-stop-overvaccinating/

According to this, you probably do not want to do an FVRCP booster for these cats. If you need to appease a vet (or give yourself reassurance), you can ask for a titer test to measure the antibody levels to prove that your cats are still immune to panoleukemia. That vaccine is also supposed to protect against a couple of respiratory viruses, but it would not be worth getting a booster just for these. They cause the equivalent of a human cold. The panoleukemia is the serious one.

I love my vet, but the next time my cats are "due" for any shots I'm going to insist on a titer test instead, even for rabies (in my state it is not required by law, just highly recommended). Be aware that a titer test is going to be more expensive than just getting the shot, but I think it's worth it at this point.

I'm so sorry about your past experiences. It seems like vets get a bit used to certain ways of doing things sometimes, and I suspect that they encounter so much resistance from people about the expense of additional options that they stop bringing them up. Which is not a good excuse.

I also think a lot of vets aren't keeping up with the scientific research and instead do things the way they were taught, which isn't good when the literature shows problems with current standards, like vaccines.

I think even with a great vet you should do your own research and be ready to discuss things with your vet if your findings differ from their opinion. Unfortunately you can't assume that the vet knows best in every situation, and a good vet will take the time to educate themselves if they encounter new information, or explain and back up their position with evidence if they disagree.

 

[Joey's mom]

The more I read, the more I worry about vaccinations. I think you're right to be concerned. It's worth noting that there seems to be a very probable link
between overvaccination and kidney disease, among other risks.

I defer to Dr. Pierson's judgement:

catinfo.org/vaccines-for-cats-we-need-to-stop-overvaccinating/

According to this, you probably do not want to do an FVRCP booster for these cats. If you need to appease a vet (or give yourself reassurance), you can ask for a titer test to measure the antibody levels to prove that your cats are still immune to panoleukemia. That vaccine is also supposed to protect against a couple of respiratory viruses, but it would not be worth getting a booster just for these. They cause the equivalent of a human cold. The panoleukemia is the serious one.

I love my vet, but the next time my cats are "due" for any shots I'm going to insist on a titer test instead, even for rabies (in my state it is not required by law, just highly recommended). Be aware that a titer test is going to be more expensive than just getting the shot, but I think it's worth it at this point.

I'm so sorry about your past experiences. It seems like vets get a bit used to certain ways of doing things sometimes, and I suspect that they encounter so much resistance from people about the expense of additional options that they stop bringing them up. Which is not a good excuse.

I also think a lot of vets aren't keeping up with the scientific research and instead do things the way they were taught, which isn't good when the literature shows problems with current standards, like vaccines.

I think even with a great vet you should do your own research and be ready to discuss things with your vet if your findings differ from their opinion. Unfortunately you can't assume that the vet knows best in every situation, and a good vet will take the time to educate themselves if they encounter new information, or explain and back up their position with evidence if they disagree.

The more I read, the more I worry about vaccinations. I think you're right to be concerned. It's worth noting that there seems to be a very probable link
between overvaccination and kidney disease, among other risks.

I defer to Dr. Pierson's judgement:

catinfo.org/vaccines-for-cats-we-need-to-stop-overvaccinating/

According to this, you probably do not want to do an FVRCP booster for these cats. If you need to appease a vet (or give yourself reassurance), you can ask for a titer test to measure the antibody levels to prove that your cats are still immune to panoleukemia. That vaccine is also supposed to protect against a couple of respiratory viruses, but it would not be worth getting a booster just for these. They cause the equivalent of a human cold. The panoleukemia is the serious one.

I love my vet, but the next time my cats are "due" for any shots I'm going to insist on a titer test instead, even for rabies (in my state it is not required by law, just highly recommended). Be aware that a titer test is going to be more expensive than just getting the shot, but I think it's worth it at this point.

I'm so sorry about your past experiences. It seems like vets get a bit used to certain ways of doing things sometimes, and I suspect that they encounter so much resistance from people about the expense of additional options that they stop bringing them up. Which is not a good excuse.

I also think a lot of vets aren't keeping up with the scientific research and instead do things the way they were taught, which isn't good when the literature shows problems with current standards, like vaccines.

I think even with a great vet you should do your own research and be ready to discuss things with your vet if your findings differ from their opinion. Unfortunately you can't assume that the vet knows best in every situation, and a good vet will take the time to educate themselves if they encounter new information, or explain and back up their position with evidence if they disagree.

I read Dr. Pierson's articles on vaccinations, all 39 pages, was able to print out a few, till I ran out of ink. If rabies wasn't a law in my state I wouldn't give it to healthy, young, indoor cats. The 3-yr vaccination should be available at all (most) facilities I know vets prefer annually because it ensures a client coming in thereby being paid on a regular basis. I will never know if Joey's kidney disease was a result of early vaccinations or just a common illness with senior cats. When Smokey @ 16 became ill, same time Joey @18, I started doing some research. I even contacted out-of-state animal clinics. Some responded with info, others were reluctant referring me back to my own vets. I had 2 trusted vets, the treatment plan for S & J was working well, Smokey died @ 17, Joey 20. What transpired at the time of his death and conversations afterwards with the vets, It's difficult for me to trust any vet and I learned I have to become more educated. I will take the recently cats in for their annual exam and rabies shot but won't allow the other 2 listed on the "reminder" card. I thank you for replying, your time, your info is very helpful. By the way, as you mentioned, I did come across a vet, an older one (at same facility) who clearly stated he practiced the same way as his father, he wasn't interested in updated info/research, I never allowed him near Joey again.

 

[Joey's mom]

I read Dr. Pierson's articles on vaccinations, all 39 pages, was able to print out a few, till I ran out of ink. If rabies wasn't a law in my state I wouldn't give it to healthy, young, indoor cats. The 3-yr vaccination should be available at all (most) facilities I know vets prefer annually because it ensures a client coming in thereby being paid on a regular basis. I will never know if Joey's kidney disease was a result of early vaccinations or just a common illness with senior cats. When Smokey @ 16 became ill, same time Joey @18, I started doing some research. I even contacted out-of-state animal clinics. Some responded with info, others were reluctant referring me back to my own vets. I had 2 trusted vets, the treatment plan for S & J was working well, Smokey died @ 17, Joey 20. What transpired at the time of his death and conversations afterwards with the vets, It's difficult for me to trust any vet and I learned I have to become more educated. I will take the recently cats in for their annual exam and rabies shot but won't allow the other 2 listed on the "reminder" card. I thank you for replying, your time, your info is very helpful. By the way, as you mentioned, I did come across a vet, an older one (at same facility) who clearly stated he practiced the same way as his father, he wasn't interested in updated info/research, I never allowed him near Joey again.

 

[Joey's mom]

ages, was able to print