Vaccinations
Keeping Your Pet Healthy: Vaccinations as a Part of a Pet Health Program
Linda Ross, DVM
Vaccination programs, for people and for animals, have played a very important role in preventing the spread of disease. Pet should be vaccinated to protect them from many serious and communicable Diseases – Rabies is the most commonly recognized of these diseases, and represents a fatal risk to animals and humans.
“Clearly, the benefits and risks of using vaccine products must be carefully considered,” says Dr. Linda Ross, owner of Laurelhurst Veterinary Hospital and President-Elect of Portland Veterinary Medicine Association. “Just as in human medical practice, the use of vaccines is sometimes controversial.” “The American Veterinary Medical Association communicates information, research and suggested protocols to help Veterinarians administer vaccination programs, says Ross. Individual Veterinarians are knowledgeable and current on medical conditions, viruses and particular issues in their own region that would require particular medical treatments, including vaccinations,” she stressed.
Vaccinations against the following diseases, caused by pathogens that are widely distributed in North America and may pose a significant risk of severe disease in essentially all dogs and cats should be considered core vaccines for pets:
For Cats: Feline Panleukopenia (feline Parvovirus infection) Feline Viral Rhinotracheitis Feline Calicivirus Infection Rabies For Dogs: Canine Distemper Canine Parvovirus Infection Hepatitus Rabies “Your pet’s health needs can best be assessed by your Veterinarian, who is experienced and educated on current medical procedures, risks and community conditions that may effect your pet”, says Ross.
Rabies:
Vaccinate at 16 weeks, then at 1 year of age, then every three years thereafter.
Rabies is transmitted from the bite wounds of infected animals. The rabies virus resides in nerve fibers and salivary tissue. Any warm blooded animal can be infected, but bats, skunks, raccoons, coyotes, and foxes are considered the "reservoirs" for the virus. Bats are the reservoirs in the Northwest.
Vaccination is extremely important due to 1)the public health significance of the disease (animals can directly transmit the disease to humans) and 2) the seriousness of the disease (always fatal).
Clinical signs include neurologic signs (seizures, behavior changes, hyper-reactivity, ataxic or wobbly gait), fever, aggression and paralysis. The inability to swallow water does not occur in animals. A diagnosis of rabies can only be made post-mortem by analyzing brain tissue.
Once bitten, clinical signs can develop anywhere from 9 days post bite wound to greater than a year. The virus can actually be transmitted 1-3 days before clinical signs appear. Animals typically die within eight days of showing signs.