Update | 3 Year Vaccination Protocol Now in Effect

October 12, 2010
We at Cascade West Veterinary Hospital would like to keep you informed of a recent change we’ve made for our canine and feline patients in regards to their vaccination process. In accordance with the most recent recommendations from the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) and American Association of Feline Practitioners (AAFP), we have decided to institute a 3-year vaccination protocol for our patients’ health and well-being.

Depending on your pet’s age, health and previous vaccination history, your pet may now qualify for the 3-year protocol. As always, we advise that ALL pets receive an annual physical examination. Physical examination will frequently identify disease processes including dental disease, obesity and heart murmurs BEFORE they become serious! The 3-year protocol does NOT imply your pet does not need to be seen on an annual basis! A summary is as follows:

Canine Patients: Puppies will receive vaccinations every 3-4 weeks until 14-16 weeks of age. We’ve eliminated coronavirus from our vaccination protocol, in accordance with the AAHA recommendations. Leptospirosis is recommended for all canine patients on an annual basis. Rabies vaccination will continue as previous: the initial vaccine is good for 1 year, with subsequent vaccinations effective for 3 years. After a minimum of 2 annual distemper-parvo combination vaccines, your dog will be eligible to receive a 3-year Distemper-Adenovirus-Parvovirus vaccination.

Feline Patients: Mounting concern about injection-site fibrosarcomas is one of the main reasons we’ve implemented these changes. Research has shown that a specific gene is present in animals that develop these tumors, but chronic inflammation from some injections will stimulate expression of this gene. We’ve changed the TYPE of vaccine we’ll be administering to minimize the long-term inflammation associated with adjuvented vaccines previously used. We are now recommending that ALL kittens, regardless of lifestyle be vaccinated until 14-16 weeks of age, including feline leukemia regardless of testing status. We continue to recommend that all kittens be tested for feline leukemia. Following their first annual vaccine at 14-16 weeks of age, a “lifestyle evaluation” should be performed and risk for FeLV be assessed. Those cats continuing to receive FeLV vaccinations should be vaccinated annually. We’ve eliminated vaccination for Chlamydophilia in accordance with the recommendations from the AAFP. The Rhinotracheitis-Calicivirus-Panleukopenia vaccine will be utilized every 3rd year after the initial kitten annual vaccine. At this time, we will continue with the 3-year Rabies vaccine for our feline patients.

If you have any questions about your pet’s specific vaccination needs, please feel free to contact us either by phone, at 360.736.3361, e-mail admin@cascadewestvet.com or via your PetPortal. If you’ve not utilized our PetPortal system, please go to our home page to access this great service! You can manage your pet’s information, view vaccination history & expiration and even request appointments!