Pet Care Tips During Tough Economic Times

During tough economic times it may be difficult to make a decision on what to cut back on such as that weekly movie or weekly dinner. It can become especially tough when those decisions involve your pet. The best thing you can do is make an appointment with your veterinarian to discuss what is important and what isn't. This will also be a great time to make sure all is well with your pet.

Periodically I will post a tip that will help you make sure your pet stays healthy when you have to make some cuts.

Topic #1: Vaccinations

Make sure that you do not skip on schedules vaccines! This is especially important in puppies that need a complete vaccine series or newly adopted pets that need a follow-up booster. Although it may sound like a good idea to get a vaccine at a vaccine clinic, usually this does not come with an exam.

One tip is to get the first vaccine at the veterinary clinic so that you can speak with the veterinarian about any concerns you have regarding your pet, get tips on everything from which vaccines are needed and when they are due, other necessary treatments (deworm) or preventative medications (flea, ticks, heartworm), best diet as well as training tips. All this information in one visit!

If you really do find a vaccine clinic that is much cheaper and nothing has changed with your pets health since the veterinary visit, it may be ok to head there. Before doing this, you may want to ask your veterinarian if there is a follow-up visit charge or if you will only be charged for the booster vaccine. Even if the vaccine is a little bit more, again, you get the chance to ask questions which could end up saving you more money down the road!

Remember, puppies are very susceptible to infectious diseases that can be deadly or very costly to treat. It is best to keep puppies away from public areas and from interaction with dogs of unknown vaccine history to avoid ending up with a sick puppy, an expensive bill or having to make a tough choice of humane euthanasia if your pet is very sick and you cant afford its care.

One good way to save costs is to make sure that you are not getting unnecessary vaccines. Vaccine protocols have changed and core vaccines (DA2PP for dogs or FVRCP for cats) may be given every 3 years instead of yearly if your pets received an appropriate vaccine series and this was followed 1 year later by a booster. Also, some rabies vaccines are good for 3 years, check with your veterinarian about this. But just because you dont have to vaccinate yearly, this DOES NOT mean that you should skip on that yearly exam though, it just means one less charge at that visit. The yearly exam is still the most important thing you can do for your pets health!

There are other vaccines that may or may not be recommended by your veterinarian. These will depend on what part of the country you live in and your dogs exposure risk to that disease. Again, your veterinarian will speak with you regarding this and make a decision on which vaccines are necessary. Some of these vaccines need a booster every 6-12 months. One vaccine which is given for kennel cough may not be necessary if your dog is indoors all the time, is in your back yard (or purse!) and never interacts with other dogs.

Finally there are two vaccines which are not recommended except in certain specific situations. This includes the Giardia vaccine for dogs and the FIV vaccine for cats.

Again, all of this will depend on your pets situation and your veterinarian will help guide you with your pets vaccine plan.

Next time I will cover what is the best diet for your pet!

Why do puppies and kittens need a series of vaccines?

When a puppy or kitten is born its immune system has not yet matured. Kittens and puppies remain protected from infection because of the transfer of maternal antibodies in special milk from their mother called colostrum. Colostrum is only produced a few days after giving birth and it can only be accepted during the first days after birth before their intestines “close up” and can no longer absorb the antibodies.

Sometimes antibodies are not transferred either because the puppy did not drink the colostrum or the mother did not have certain antibodies, other times those transferred only last for a short period of time. If an appropriate number of antibodies are transferred there is protection for a longer period of time. However, the maternal antibodies that are transferred do not last forever.

What does this have to do with vaccinations? Well, there is really no way to tell if maternal antibodies were transferred, which were transferred or how long they will last and therefore a vaccination given early will help protect them.

So why not just give one vaccine early and forget about it? If a vaccine is given to a pet that still has maternal antibodies present it will be inactivated and new antibodies will not be made. How long maternal antibodies last in a pet varies with each individual and for specific diseases. We do know that maternal antibodies are gone or have decreased enough to not interfere with vaccines by 16-20 weeks of age. This is why the final booster is usually given at this time when there will be no interference and protection ensured.

So why not just give one vaccine when they are older, when we are pretty sure maternal antibodies will not interfere with vaccines? Again, since there is no easy way to tell if a pet has protection from maternal antibodies at birth or if protection will last until 16-20 weeks of age, waiting to vaccinate until that time puts them at risk of developing dangerous and deadly diseases.

Therefore, vaccinations are given in series every 2-4 weeks until age 16-20 weeks. This is done to protect those that lose maternal antibodies early while ensuring that those that have longer lasting maternal antibodies are protected as well.
What if the pet is older than 16 weeks of age? In this case there is no worry about interference from maternal antibodies, but one booster 2-4 weeks after the initial vaccine is necessary to ensure a better response.