Vaccination Information

In light of new information relating to:

• The duration of action of vaccinations
• Changed technology for producing vaccines
• The incidence of different diseases
• The concern over viruses changing their host: (animal to human)
• The value to risk ratio of different vaccines
• Alternative ways to enhance immunity

The following changes are suggested. This is based on information from many sources (veterinary, medical, and pharmaceutical):

Health Assessment Programs: are recommended annually

Core Vaccinations: (against distemper, hepatitis, and parvovirus) for dogs and (panleukopenia, and leukemia) for cats will only be done every 3 years after the pet has had its’ vaccinations at 15 months of age.

Rabies Vaccination: is of increasing importance from both pet and public health perspectives because of the increased urbanization of wildlife. Rabies vaccines will continue to be done every 3 years for dogs and cats.

Non-Core Vaccinations: (against influenza, leptospirosis and if indicated, against lyme disease and giardia) in dogs and (against influenza viruses) in cats will be done annually.

With the increasing concern about influenza viruses, the yearly vaccination against them is emphasized.