Vaccines are important to the health and safety of our animals and our selves. The current low incidence of these diseases is mostly due to animal owners having their pets routinely vaccinated. However these diseases have not been eradicated. In fact they are still seen in dogs and cats regularly. If contracted these are serious diseases.

More information on canine and feline vaccines.

We strive to create a vaccine protocol that suits the life style of your animal and follows the laws of the State of Maine. We discuss with you the benefits and risks of vaccines and tailor our vaccine protocol to your individual pet's needs. We want to protect your pet and you from these diseases and also protect your pet from potential side effects such as vaccine related sarcomas in cats.

There are generally 2 categories of vaccinations in feline and canine medicine: Core and Non-Core Vaccines. Core vaccines are those that are required by law for public health or are necessary because of the severity of the consequences to the animals and the ease of infection. In cats and dogs Rabies and Distemper Vaccines cover these. Non-core vaccines are those that should be considered based on the health, life-style and potential for exposure of each individual animal.

Click to see more information about specific canine and feline vaccines.

We recommend doing a series of vaccinations for kittens and puppies to make sure they are fully vaccinated. Puppies and kittens acquire some temporary immunity through antibodies from their mother. As the animal ages this immunity begins to drop off. This is where vaccinations come in to create the lasting immunity necessary for protection. All animals are different so we do not know when mom's antibodies wear off. Also, mom's antibodies interfere with the ability of the vaccines to stimulate the immune system. It is not the number of vaccines that is important so much as the timing. We know some animals' acquired immunity begins to wear off as early as 6 weeks while some will last to 16 weeks. Because of this we must give a young animal multiple vaccines over its first 2-4 months of life to make sure it is adequately protected. Rabies vaccines are made of a killed virus so the mother's antibodies do not block their effectiveness so only one initial vaccine is required.

Click to see our recommended kitten and puppy care checklists.

Annual examinations, tailoring of the vaccination protocol, and using safer vaccines are all important steps in preventing long term and sometimes devastating side effects. Evaluating the overall health, discussing the pets environment, and generally getting to know an animal as well as possible all contribute to making their life as long, comfortable and happy as possible. We believe that an annual physical exam, including a thorough history, is our best weapon in protecting your pet.

Signs of acute vaccine reactions include difficulty breathing, swelling of the face and neck, hives and vomiting. These most severe reactions happen very quickly, often while you are still at the veterinarians and need to be treated immediately. Itching, pain, diarrhea, fever, lethargy and swelling at the injection site can occur within a few hours. It is ok to administer diphenhydramine (Benadryl) at a rate of 1mg/1lb of body weight and then call Veazie Veterinary Clinic immediately to see if they may require more treatment. Pets should always be monitored post vaccination for these signs and your veterinarian should be contacted whenever they happen. Long-term reactions include hair loss at the injection site and cancer development at the injection site.

Vaccines stimulate the immune system. This is why there is some belief that immune mediated diseases in dogs may be related to vaccination. While there are no scientific studies that have fully confirmed this we continue to strive towards minimizing vaccines while still having adequate protection for the future health of all our patients.

Titering is a measure of a pet's blood antibody level to a specific disease. However, titers do not actually indicate an animal's ability to protect itself from disease, as this is only one part of the immune response system. There is a great deal of controversy regarding whether or not a certain level of antibody can be considered equal to protection. Each animal is different: a pet with a high titer may have less protection than a similar animal with a low titer. Some clients may choose to titer their animals to see where their immunity stands. However we cannot titer for all viruses at this time and a Rabies titer is not considered sufficient proof by the State of Maine for protection against the disease. We are happy to discuss this as an option with all owners and determine what the best option for your pet will be.

Vaccines are not based on the weight of an animal. When we give drugs such as antibiotics or wormers, the effect depends on achieving a certain level of the active ingredient in the body. This is why the larger the body mass, the greater the total amount of medication needed to reach an effective level. However, vaccines don't work like this. When we give a dose of vaccine what we are doing is giving a sufficient dose to stimulate the body's immune system to generate a response. The immune system requires the same amount of stimulus regardless of the weight or breed; therefore we need to use exactly the same dose of vaccine for a Chihuahua as for a Great Dane.

There are no breed-specific issues for any of the vaccines currently on the market. Some breeders occasionally suggest that a vaccine component affects their particular breed. When such reports are investigated the information appears to be purely anecdotal. This does not mean that individual animals will not occasionally have an adverse reaction. Pets should always be monitored post vaccination to make sure they are doing fine.

To get the full benefit of a vaccine it is important that your pet is healthy when it is administered. This is why it is essential that we give exams before vaccinating your pet. When faced with an animal with long-term disease such as heart disease or diabetes, we will usually advise that vaccinations should be continued. There is no evidence that such animals fail to respond or are at greater risk of problems.