Should I get my pet vaccinated every year? The short answer to this question is that the general protocol for pet vaccinations calls for yearly vaccines However; new data indicates that it depends. Why? It has been shown that the duration of immunity to some vaccines can last much longer than a year, while the immune response conferred by other vaccinations may be considerably shorter than a year. Since it is common to combine vaccinations against several different diseases in one injection, a yearly combination vaccine is probably over vaccinating for some diseases and under vaccinating for others. Vaccines work by challenging the immune system, many experts feel that over vaccinating could be harmful. One of the ways we get around this problem is by breaking down the combination vaccine into its components and vaccinating only as needed for each disease covered in the combination. Generally, this means that after the combination puppy vaccines and first boosters, a yearly vaccine is different from year to year. Here at Apple Valley Veterinarians, we want to make sure your pet lives a long and healthy life, which means making sure your pet gets the right vaccination at the right time.
Safety and Protection: Pet Vaccines in Southington Connecticut
Just as with human beings, there are a host of diseases that can threaten your pets. Just as with human beings, there are a host of diseases that can threaten your pets. Most of them cannot be prevented by immunizations. But just like people, some pets may not get yearly vaccines and stay healthy while others become ill. It’s all based on immunity and good fortune. We at Apple Valley Veterinarians hope your pet is fortunate, but we also believe in vaccinating pets to protect them. By tailoring the type of vaccine and the intervals at which each vaccine should be boostered for each pet, we ensure that he or she receives the optimum in vaccine protection in Southington Connecticut.
Who Should Get Vaccinated and When?
When our pets are puppies and kittens, their immune systems are not fully developed so that’s when they need to be vaccinated on a more frequent and regular basis. These vaccinations work to build them a strong immune system so that when they are older they don’t need to be vaccinated as frequently.
How Do I Know If My Pet Is Protected
To see if your pet has built up his immunity, we can measure the protective antibodies made by the immune system. This titer test is a way to see if your pet needs a particular vaccination or not; however, the test is costly, and unless there is a special reason for not vaccinating, such as a history of reaction to vaccines, it makes good medical and economic sense to vaccinate on a well thought out schedule.