Vaccination Protocol
There is no doubt that vaccinations have made a huge difference in the spread of infectious disease for both people and pets. In the third world, Rabies is still a constant, fatal threat to people and animals because vaccines are not available.
It has always been the goal of Blue Cross Animal Hospital to recommend vaccines that are needed for individual cats, rather than having a one-size-fits-all protocol.
Increasing concerns about vaccinations have caused people to question whether vaccines are safe for their cat or needed at all. We believe that they are safe, and we know that they are needed to prevent outbreaks of life threatening diseases such as Panleukopenia in cats. As well, vaccines are needed to prevent diseases which can be transmitted to humans, such as Rabies.
Up-to-Date Vaccination Schedule
As much as they are life savers, greatly improved vaccines and on-going research have prompted us to re-visit our vaccine protocols over the years. We used to vaccinate annually for the “Core Vaccines”. Several years ago we changed to every other year. Now we have changed to a need-based protocol based on the latest recommendations from The American Animal Hospital Association and the World Small Animal Veterinary Association and the International Society of Feline Medicine. These bodies follow research and disease trends to determine which vaccines should be considered Core and which should be given only for pets at risk.
It has always been the goal of Blue Cross Animal Hospital to recommend vaccines that are needed for individual cats, rather than having a one-size-fits-all protocol. For instance, we do not routinely vaccinate cats for Feline Leukemia if they are going to be indoors. We don’t have one blanket protocol that fits all our patients.