This is an updated guide to vaccination for dogs and cats that was developed and published by the World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA) in 2015. The general rules for dogs and cats are as follows: Puppies and kittens are vaccinated several times. The last dose of vaccine is given at the age of 16 weeks or older. This is due to the fact that babies after birth receive maternal antibodies with colostrum as passive immunity. The quality of maternal protection depends on how the mother is vaccinated. When a vaccine with attenuated virus enters the puppy’s body, its own antibodies start to produce. If maternal antibodies are still circulating in this period of time, they interfere with the effective action of the vaccine and immunity is not produced or can be just partially developed. This explains the cases of the disease in double-vaccinated animals at the age of 3-4 months. The level of maternal antibodies differs in different animals, even among littermates. This process cannot be controlled. Therefore, it is recommended to vaccinate at least two times and in some cases (with early vaccination) up to 5. From an immunological point of view, it is believed that a stable immunity is developed if the vaccine is given at least twice with an interval of four weeks (21-28 days). For example, if a dog is not vaccinated and now is 5 months old, then it can be vaccinated at the age of 5 months, the next one at 6 months. In this case you can count on good antiviral protection. But if the interval is more than 28 days, then it is impossible to be sure of good antiviral protection. In such situation we recommend to re-vaccinate the animal. There are three categories of vaccines:
- basic, that protect from severe life-threatening diseases (canine plague, canine adenovirus, canine parvovirus type 2, panleukopenia / feline parvovirus, feline calicivirus, herpesvirus-1 + rabies, depending on the region) – should be received by all dogs and cats, regardless of their geographical position and situation. Such protection should be made as early as possible;
- additional – for animals, which location, conditions or lifestyle create a risk of infection with certain infections (leptospirosis, borreliosis, bordetellosis);
- not recommended, when there is insufficient justification for the usage (coronavirus enteritis).
Vaccine groups:
- live vaccine (contains attenuated live virus) – it forms a stable immunity against all main diseases for 3 years. Its advantage is the formation of stable and effective cellular and humoral immunity in the necessary anatomical places;
- inactivated vaccine (contains a killed virus) – it cannot infect an animal and cause mild symptoms of the disease. Therefore, adjuvants are introduced into such vaccines to increase the effectiveness. More doses are needed to protect even an adult animal. Immunity develops more slowly and lasts less (up to 12 months).
So we use a standard and complex vaccine. We recommend vaccinating an adult animal once a year. Side effects after vaccination:
- the live vaccine is less well-tolerated. Fever, lethargy, poor appetite, poor physical condition is quite possible. Therefore, it is important to ensure that the animal is clinically healthy before vaccination;
- inactivated vaccines contain preservatives and additional substances. This can give local side effects – induration, pain, redness at the vaccination site;
- if the animal has a helminthic infestation at the time of vaccination, the side effects will be more pronounced. Therefore, we recommend vaccinating animals that have undergone antiparasitic treatment.
The annual re-vaccination with a complex vaccine is necessary since it is impossible to separate basic vaccines from additional ones in our conditions and there is an unfavorable epizootic situation in our country.
