One year vaccine versus the three year vaccine.... Best Practice

All pets deserve a regular (at least once a year) examination and assessment of their health care needs.  Things are changing dramatically, and waiting 4 to 5 years between visits is not in the best interest of your family member.

As of May 2010, we have available a Vaccination Consent information brochure.

But, now back to vaccinations or "the needle"....

Most of what is written below, I had actually written in 2007, even though the Australian Veterinary Association published the same recommendations to vaccinations in 2009. 
I have updated sections, as required, to be current as January 2011

And Best Practice dictates that we should know, as best as is possible, the immune status of every dog we see. And this can only be done through titre testing (more detail at the end).

In November 2009 to Jan 2010 there has been an outbreak of Parvovirus in the Northern suburb area, all of these cases have been puppies (dogs < 16 weeks), and the majority (according to the information given to me) have been unvaccinated. But, this month (January 2011) - I had the sadness of euthenasing a 9 yr old dog who was nursing 3 week old puppies because a colleague had diagnosed parvovirus, and the owners could not afford treatment, and I have recently seen a 2 year old dog who only had one vaccination at 9 weeks of age, infected with the Parvovirus!  

 There are some colleagues who have said that the outbreak was due to a lower "herd immunity" as a result of the 3 year vaccination.  This has since been proven to be incorrect, with similar number of cases occuring all over Australia, with a high concentration along Queensland and NSW.  But, the outbreak is here, and this is the second year we have seen a bad outbreak in Bellambi!

The facts are: (Disease infers both Distemper and Parvovirus.... these are the two diseases which appear to crop up in clusters.

1. Disease outbreaks do occur.

2.  Disease  outbreaks  will continue to occur whilst the virus exists, and whilst the environment is right (a concentration of unvaccinated puppies in an area, with high humidity and heat).

3. Disease outbreaks existed before the release of the 3 year vaccine,. 

4.  Disease  outbreaks will continue to occur despite the existing vaccines being available, whilst people fail to take due care of their puppies (initiating vaccines in puppies from a young age, and ensuring all in contact adult dogs are current on their vaccinations).

In puppies, we do not recommend the adult vaccine, but still maintain our puppy protocol.  In times of high incidence, we recommend  fortnightly vaccinations until 12 weeks. We have been using the Protech Durammune Adult vaccine (core diseases of distemper, hepatitis, parvovirus) since its release in Australia (in 2006).  

We are proud supporters of the Disease WatchDog, which is a new initiative in disease surveillance.  Never before in Australia has there been a way for vets to communicate on disease outbreaks.  As a result, such a lack of access to immediate information has led to misinformation and half truths.


We will admit that this 1 year versus three year is a controversial issue within the veterinary profession, not only in Australia, but overseas as well.

At Russell Vale Animal Clinic, we have adopted the new vaccination protocols, as this is in keeping with current Best Practice and Evidence Based Medicine for our area.


Best Practices advises that each individual animal is assesed for its risk of exposure to the disease, as compared to the risk of not vaccinating or using a different vaccine.  Each individual practice will develop what is Best Practice for their particular area.  And this is how it should be.

What do we do?  Well, its easy really.  We just do a risk assessment for our area, and with that, develop a program which supports Best Practice and Evidence Based Medicine, WITH your pet's risk of exposure being considered.  This means that we do not adopt a "one size fits all" philosophy. It means that we develop what the evidence tells us is best for your pet.

Evidence shows that diseases that we vaccinate against can be split into two main groups.  The Core diseases, which include Distemper, Heptitis and Parvovirus, are those disease which are going to kill your pet.

It is the Core diseases which can now be protected either annually (C3) or each 3 years (C3A).

The majority of our pets do need the protection of the Core vaccine.



The Non- core diseases include kennel cough (parainfluenza/Bordetella) and these still need to be given annually.  It is recommended that the Kennel cough vaccine is given within 6 months of when it is required for maximum effect.  The non-core diseases rarely cause death; they usually make the pet uncomfortable for up to a week.

Not all pets require the Non Core vaccinations, but for maximum protection, it can be considered.


We recognise that each pet is an individual, and so rather than develop a "one size fits all" protocol, we have developed the "Best Practice and Evidence based" protocol in our vaccination recommendations for your pet. And, this may actually mean not vaccinating your dog at all.

This requires extra work on our part when you come in to see us, but ultimately, we hope that you and your pet benefit from this individual assessment.

For more information, visit the Australian Veterinary Association website.  You will find it in our links page


 

Titre Testing:  We were one of the first veterinary practices in the Illawarra to provide the service of Vaccine Titre Testing.  We routinely use VetPath, which provides titre testing against Distemper and Parvovirus.   It is not new technology, however there is alot of controversy on whether the information or titre levels given actually mean anything.

At this stage, we will continue to provide the Titre testing service to all dogs if they are required, but only on the basis that the owners are aware that there are limitations to the test, and that a good result does not mean that the dog will not get disease.

If your pet is not vaccinated each year, then an Annual Titre test is required.