Vaccinations Provide Disease Prevention for Pets in Cottage Grove & the St. Paul MN Area

RCP combination vaccination (feline viral rhinotracheitis, calicivirus, and panleukopenia):

Respiratory disease is easily passed from one cat to another by droplets in the air from coughing or sneezing. Kittens can die from the disease, especially if they get pneumonia.

Cats with respiratory disease have watery or sticky discharge from the nose and eyes, nose and mouth sores, inflamed eyes, and fever. Most respiratory diseases are caused by one of two viruses: feline viral rhinotracheitis or feline calicivirus. Rhinotracheitis tends to be more severe and can cause abortions in pregnant cats. Panleukopenia, or feline distemper, is an intestinal disease, causing vomiting and diarrhea and a dangerous drop in white blood cell count.

Vaccination recommendations:

• Begin vaccinations at about 8 weeks of age
• Revaccinate every 4 weeks until 16 weeks of age
• Revaccination for RCP should be 1 year after the initial doses are administered, and then every 3 years to maintain adequate protection

Rabies vaccination:

All warm-blooded animals (dogs, cats, livestock, and wildlife) can become infected with rabies virus. Because rabies is also a threat to humans, many states require vaccination of all dogs and cats. Even indoor cats can be exposed to rabies, often by wildlife (especially bats) entering the house.

Rabies is a virus that attacks nerve tissue. The disease develops slowly over 10 days to several months. Infected animals may withdraw and avoid contact with people and animals. Others become unnaturally aggressive and may attack. Death always occurs once a rabies-infected animal shows signs of disease.

In North America, most rabies exists in wildlife, especially raccoons, skunks, foxes, and bats. Rabies is spread by bite wounds and exposure to the saliva of infected animals. Therefore, an unvaccinated cat involved in a fight with a wild animal or with wounds from an unknown animal encounter should be suspect for rabies exposure. When rabies is diagnosed, any exposed, unvaccinated animals must be quarantined for 6 months or euthanized (humanely destroyed). In contrast, a vaccinated animal, when exposed, is given a booster vaccine and is then considered safe from infection.

If humans are infected, they can be vaccinated successfully in the early stages of the disease. Treatment, however, is unpleasant and costly.

Vaccination recommendations:

• First vaccination is given at 4 months of age or older
• Revaccination is done annually using PureVax Rabies

Feline leukemia and feline immunodeficiency virus test (FeLV/FIV test):

Feline leukemia virus (FeLV) and feline immunodeficiency virus are two common viruses in cats. Infection can be from mother to kitten (usually just with FeLV) or from exposure to another infected cat (both FeLV and FIV). All new additions to a household should be tested for these two important diseases. Both viruses affect cats by interfering with the immune system, leaving it unable to fight off other infections. While some cats can successfully fight off an infection with one of these viruses, most cats that become infected will eventually die from a virus-related disease.

Test recommendation:

• Test all new cats; retest kittens 1—2 months later if tested prior to 9 weeks of age

Feline Leukemia vaccination:

The vaccine for FeLV is well tested and effective, and we routinely vaccinate all kittens. In adult cats, we assess the risk of infection and help the owner decide on a case-by-case basis how often revaccination is needed. For example, strictly indoor cats in single-cat households are at very low risk of exposure and will not be revaccinated after adulthood. However, outdoor cats at higher risk may get annual revaccinations.

• Two initial vaccinations, given 2—4 weeks apart, and then revaccination every 1—3 years as indicated

FIV vaccination:

A new vaccine for FIV was released in the fall of 2002 and its effectiveness remains unproven. At this time, it is not a recommended vaccine for most of our patients.

FIP vaccination:

Feline infectious peritonitis (FIP) is a frustrating disease for researchers. Recent work suggests it is caused by a mutation of a virus common to the systems of many, if not most, cats. As such, vaccination is not likely to make a significant difference in the incidence of the disease and is no longer part of the preventive health care recommendations. We continue to vaccinate those cats that have been getting the vaccine all along, but are no longer vaccinating those that have not received it in the past.

Distemper (DHPP) combination vaccination (distemper, hepatitis, parainfluenza, parvovirus combination):

Canine distemper virus causes diarrhea, fever, respiratory disease, seizures, muscular twitches, and a discharge from the eyes and nose. While it is no longer a common disease, it is still seen in unvaccinated animals, particularly from shelters and in puppies and wildlife.

Canine hepatitis is a disease common to young and unvaccinated animals. The virus attacks organs throughout the dog’s body producing fever, respiratory disease, enlarged lymph nodes, and abdominal pain.

Parainfluenza virus causes respiratory disease. It usually is not life threatening unless pneumonia develops. It is one of the organisms implicated in "kennel cough."

Parvovirus causes severe intestinal problems in dogs. Infected individuals have bloody diarrhea, vomiting, and become quite depressed and dehydrated quickly. Puppies and unvaccinated dogs are most at risk, and parvovirus can be a devastating, life-threatening infection.

Vaccination recommendations:

• Begin vaccinations at 6—8 weeks of age
• Continue vaccinations every 3—4 weeks until 16 weeks of age
• Revaccination 1 year later, and then every 3 years to maintain adequate protection

Leptospirosis vaccination:

Leptospirosis is a bacterium most commonly affecting the kidneys, although it can affect many of the major organs. It is introduced to the environment in the urine of livestock and wildlife, especially raccoons (who will urinate on your lawn, and then your dog will eat the grass). This organism can also be transmitted to humans.

Vaccination recommendations:

• Two puppy doses at approximately 12 and 15 weeks of age
• Annual revaccination to maintain adequate levels of immunity
• Semi-annual to annual revaccination (every 6 months) in dogs at high risk of exposure to leptospirosis

Rabies vaccination:

All warm-blooded animals (dogs, cats, livestock, and wildlife) can become infected with rabies virus. Because rabies is also a threat to humans, many states require vaccination of all dogs and cats. Even indoor animals can be exposed to rabies, often by wildlife (especially bats) entering the house.

Rabies is a virus that attacks nerve tissue. The disease develops slowly over 10 days to several months. Infected animals may withdraw and avoid contact with people and other animals. Others become unnaturally aggressive and may attack. Death always occurs once a rabies-infected animal shows signs of disease.

In North America, most rabies exists in wildlife, especially raccoons, skunks, foxes, and bats. Rabies is spread by bite wounds and exposure to the saliva of infected animals. Therefore, an unvaccinated dog involved in a fight with a wild animal or with wounds from an unknown animal encounter should be suspect for rabies exposure. When rabies is diagnosed, any exposed, unvaccinated animals must be quarantined for 6 months or euthanized (humanely destroyed). In contrast, an exposed, vaccinated animal is given a booster vaccine and is then considered safe from infection.

If humans are infected, they can be vaccinated successfully in early stages of the disease. Treatment, however, is unpleasant and costly.

Vaccination recommendations:

• First vaccination is given at 4 months of age or older
• Revaccinate in 1 year, and then revaccinate every 3 years

Bordetella (kennel cough) vaccination: )—Bordetella bronchiseptica is the principle organism involved with kennel cough. Transmission usually occurs when dogs are housed together in close proximity, such as in a boarding kennel, grooming parlor, or at a dog show. It causes a dry hacking cough that can persist for days or even weeks. We primarily recommend this vaccine for "at-risk" dogs that are to be boarded or that are groomed on a regular basis.

Vaccination recommendation:

• First dose given at 3 weeks of age or older, at least 1 week before boarding, and then annually as indicated

Lyme disease vaccination: —Lyme disease is a tick-borne bacterial disease caused by the organism Borrelia burgdorferi. It is largely transmitted by the deer tick, but has also been isolated from the common brown dog tick seen in the Southern Tier. Clinical signs include pain and lameness, fever, lethargy, loss of appetite, and depression.

Vaccination recommendation:

Lyme disease has been on the rise in Minnesota over the past few years. Due to the relatively high incidence of ticks and Lyme disease in our area, we recommend this vaccine for dogs with an "outdoorsy" lifestyle—any dogs that will be leaving the yard, going for walks at the dog park or other grassy or wooded areas, and dogs that like to visit "Up North." Some dogs can even be at risk in your yard or neighborhood, depending on the prevalence of ticks in your area. Our annual heartworm and tick-borne illness test (4DX test) evaluates patients for Lyme exposure and helps us further identify our at-risk patients.

• Two initial vaccinations, given 2—4 weeks apart, and then revaccination every 1—3 years as indicated