Please Vaccinate your Dogs/Cats!!

[Bombalurina]

Originally Posted by Pitluvs

Yes! I have had a few that were horribly stricken with URI's, $300 a visit for meds every 6 weeks for a year is hard on an owner, pet and the pocket. At least 75% of my rats have had URI's, 3 passed from Pituitary Tumors. That's hard to go through as well. I'm a bit rusty but Myco is constant lung issues right, or is it a bloat of the stomach? Are high whites prone to it?

Myco is the the URI, megacolon is the thing high-whites suffer from. I'm glad I've never had to encounter that, but yes, I have spent about $1000 in vet bills on my boys this year for URIs alone. Luckily the vet trusts me and I can pick up medications without an appointment, which cuts down on some of the expense. :) Sadly, Richelieu now apparently has some permanent lung scarring after a particularly bad URI, but he's not in any pain. :)

[BettaMiah]

O.e wow. Chili- Time for a schoooootttttttt.....

Bella doesn't go outside. But she tries.

[Kytkattin]

Originally Posted by Silverfang

I can't speak for anyone else, but I keep my girl (Cat) up to date with her vaccines. I don't know why people wouldn't keep their pets up do date with their shots (at least the basic ones like rabies). And the 3 cats I had growing up were all kept up to date with all their shots. (they were out door cats who hunted so they needed it more). They lived to be 16 and a half, 18 and 18. It's not just about vaccines, it's about spaying/neutering your pets as well. The better care you give your animals the better life they will have.

(I know nothing about dog specific diseases or vaccines so I can't comment)

They have done tests on cats where they vaccinate them once, check the titers to make sure the body is producing anti-bodies for the disease (that is, the vaccine is working), and then put them back into the wild (these are feral cats). Those same cats are caught 8 years later and when the titers are re-done the vaccines are still working just fine. Hence why my family does not believe in the need for vaccinating after a certain age (or only for vet visits as required for treatment). I do strongly believe in spaying and neutering though. Female outdoor cats wouldn't last more than 2 years without being spayed, and males tend to wander into danger.

[Tikibirds]

I know bubbles was vacinnated recently but I'm not sure for what..?

I hate the local vet, last time i went in there I got charged $550 and I knew more about chinchillas then she did. God I hate that woman but the boyfriend insists she is the best and wont go to any other vet..grrr

[Bellus Bellator]

Oh Darkmoon, I feel so sorry for you. I work in a veterinary referral hospital as a nurse and god parvo is just the worst.I don't think people truly understand the smell or how quickly it kills, and what kind of death it is.It's just revolting.

Originally Posted by Kytkattin

They have done tests on cats where they vaccinate them once, check the titers to make sure the body is producing anti-bodies for the disease (that is, the vaccine is working), and then put them back into the wild (these are feral cats). Those same cats are caught 8 years later and when the titers are re-done the vaccines are still working just fine. Hence why my family does not believe in the need for vaccinating after a certain age (or only for vet visits as required for treatment). I do strongly believe in spaying and neutering though. Female outdoor cats wouldn't last more than 2 years without being spayed, and males tend to wander into danger.

The Australian veterinary board has just changed their recommendation of cats being vaccinated once every year to once every three years,that's of course assuming that your cat got it's full course of three shots when they were a kitten.You really don't need to vaccinate any more than that.

Environment is also a big part of whether or not you need to worry about vaccinating too often.Mine are indoor cats and none of my work clothes ever come into the house so i haven't vaccinated either of them since their 3 shots as kittens.Both are fine.One is an asthmatic so he'll get a shot every three to four years but my eldest,probably not until she has to have an extended stay in hospital and considering she's a healthy young cat this could be for a long time.But if you have a cat that's an outdoors cat who fights/is an asthmatic/isn't spayed or neutered then I would actually keep doing the shots every 1 to 2 years,better safe than sorry.

If there's anything I would recommend/stress to people (besides getting the snip) is to stay on top of their worm medication.You can get good flea and worm combos.Heart worm is spread via mosquitoes so no cat is safe.

[laughing]

Why was this thread pulled up...? LOL

Parvo is a VIRUS. It'll be completely cleared from the system within 2 weeks. Thing is, most people can't keep their animal alive until then. They're losing so much fluid that they get dehydrated and the virus takes over so they die. It's such a grueling job. You have to catch it right at the beginning and force liquids down (sometimes have to result to an IV) and force down easily digestible foods. (Like plain cooked chicken.)

I think too many people have a misconception about parvovirus... It's very treatable, it's just too much work for the average person and sending them to the vet for the vet to care for them is too expensive. Thus, such a high mortality rate. The same with distemper.

Vaccinations also do NOT equal "100% guarantee".

I believe in raw diet as well... But I will feed high quality kibble if reliable meats are not available. If anyone wants information on diet, vaccinations, etc PLEASE message me. I have a multitude of mentors and a wealth of knowledge I would love to share!!

For my environment? I like to vaccinate for distemper because it can be transmitted through the air. I'm on the fence with parvo, but I am very educated, becoming a vet, and have had proper schooling to understand the virus properly and to catch it very early. I am forced by law to give rabies. Bordetella? No. Lepto? No. Parafluenza? No. Lyme? No. But I live in a suburban area, my dogs have never been around water besides pools and such, there is no such thing as a tick out in this part, and they're never boarded. It's just not a priority in my world. And I don't feel the risk is worth it.

For the average owner, seriously, vaccinate! Titers are a great tool, but I'm sad to say, they have never been proven. We don't know if a 8:1 titer is preventative or if a 2500:1 is preventative... So don't trust those alone!! PLEASE educate yourselves and find a reliable vet. Do not take what anyone says as a fact, you must find out for yourselves. Thousands of pets die needlessly because of lack of vaccinations!