A Holistic Approach to Pet Vaccinations

As the public (and medical community) become more and more educated about the care of their pets, many traditional recommendations have been called into question. People are choosing to vaccinate themselves and their children more judiciously than ever before, and their four-legged children are no different.

The Whole Pet Vet Hospital and Wellness Center wants you to know that our approach to pet vaccinations is holistic, just like everything else that we do.

Our Approach to Pet Vaccinations

There are lots of vaccinations out there for pets. While at first glance it may seem like you would want your pet to have them all (who doesn’t want to keep their beloved family friend healthier?), it isn’t that simple.

Vaccinations, although life-saving, run the risk of causing side effects. Sometimes they are not as effective as we might like. Others are great at preventing a disease; however, your pet runs a small risk of contracting that particular illness.

At the Whole Pet Vet Hospital, we look at each pet as an individual. We take his or her unique needs and situation into account and develop a recommended vaccine and wellness program to suit. This allows us to weigh the risk versus benefit of each vaccination and maximize our results.

Getting to the Core of the Matter

Some pet vaccinations are considered essential for every pet. While there are exceptions, they are few and far between. These are often referred to as core vaccinations. They include:

• Rabies (a significant human health concern and required by California state law for dogs)
• Distemper (dogs)
• Canine Adenovirus 2 (dogs)
• Parainfluenza (dogs)
• Parvovirus (dogs)
• Feline rhinotracheitis (cats)
• Calicivirus (cats)
• Feline panleukopenia (cats)

We vaccinate for core diseases only as needed, meaning many of these vaccines can be spaced out over several years, rotating them so your pet doesn’t need to receive so many at once.

For some core vaccinations, we are able to provide titer testing. This helps us determine if your pet still has antibodies against certain diseases, which allows us to avoid the unnecessary vaccine(s).

Careful Pet Vaccination

Some pets are at higher risk for certain diseases than others. A strictly indoor cat has different needs than a ferocious outdoor hunter. A competitive agility dog who travels the country will also be at risk for different diseases than a couch potato homebody.

Because we get to know you and your pet, we can help you make educated choices about whether vaccinations beyond the core vaccines are beneficial.

We also choose which vaccine products we use with care. We focus on selecting the safest and most effective products available. For instance, whenever possible, we use non-adjuvanted vaccines for cats as recommended by the American Association of Feline Practitioners in order to maximize feline safety.

We strongly believe in looking at your pet as an individual in order to provide the best care possible. This means critically assessing which vaccinations we recommend and administer.

We are always happy to talk with you about your concerns and questions. Please let us know if you would like to discuss the best options for your pet’s care. It is just as important to us as it is to you!