Pets should be vaccinated to protect them from many highly contagious and deadly diseases, according to North Dakota State University Extension Service veterinarian Charlie Stoltenow.

“Experts agree that widespread use of vaccines within the last century has prevented death and disease in millions of animals,” he says. “Even though some formerly common diseases have now become uncommon, vaccination is still highly recommended because these serious disease agents continue to be present in the environment.”

Vaccines are health products that trigger protective immune responses in pets and prepare them to fight future infections from disease-causing agents. Vaccines can lessen the severity of future diseases and certain vaccines can prevent infection altogether. Today, a variety of vaccines are available for use by veterinarians.

For most pets, vaccination is effective and will prevent future disease. Occasionally, a vaccinated pet may not develop adequate immunity and, although rare, these pets become ill.

“Remember that although breakdowns in protection do occur, most successfully vaccinated pets never show signs of disease, making vaccination an important part of your pet’s preventive health care,” Stoltenow says.

Although most pets respond well to vaccines, vaccination, like any medical procedure, carries some risk. The most common adverse responses, including fever, sluggishness and reduced appetite, are mild and short term. Pets also may experience temporary pain or subtle swelling at the site of vaccination. Although most adverse responses will resolve within a day or two, excessive pain, swelling or listlessness should be discussed with your veterinarian.

Rarely, serious adverse responses occur. Stoltenow recommends you contact your veterinarian immediately if your pet has repeated vomiting or diarrhea, whole-body itching, difficulty breathing or swelling in the face or legs, or collapses. These signs may indicate an allergic reaction. In very rare instances, death can occur.

“Visit with your veterinarian about the latest information on vaccine safety, including rare adverse responses that may develop weeks or months after vaccination,” Stoltenow says. “Remember that while vaccination is not without risk, failure to vaccinate leaves your pet vulnerable to fatal illnesses that are preventable.”

Vaccination is especially important for very young puppies and kittens because they are highly susceptible to infectious diseases, particularly as the natural immunity provided in their mother’s milk gradually wears off. To keep gaps in protection as narrow as possible and to provide optimal protection against disease for the first few months of life, veterinarians schedule a series of vaccinations, usually three to four weeks apart. For most puppies and kittens, the final vaccination in the series is administered when they are 12 to 16 weeks old.

Discuss with your veterinarian your pet’s lifestyle, access to other animals and travel to other geographic locations because these factors affect your pet’s risk of exposure to disease. Not all pets should be vaccinated with all vaccines just because these vaccines are available. “Core” vaccines are recommended for most pets in a particular area. “Noncore” vaccines are reserved for pets with unique needs. Your veterinarian will consider your pet’s particular circumstances, the diseases at hand and the application of available vaccines to customize a vaccine recommendation for your pet.

Your veterinarian also will tailor a vaccination schedule to suit your pet’s needs, Stoltenow says. For many years, a set of annual vaccinations was considered normal and necessary for dogs and cats. Veterinarians have since learned more about diseases and pets’ immune systems, and increasing evidence shows that immunity triggered by some vaccines provides protection beyond one year. The immunity triggered by other vaccines may fail to protect for a full year. More than one successful vaccination schedule is possible. Talk with your veterinarian about what is best for your pet.

For more information on pet health, visit the American Veterinary Medical Association’s Web site at http://www.avma.org/careforanimals/animatedjourneys/pethealth/pethealthfl.asp.

NDSU Agriculture Communication