VACCINATIONS
Vaccinations are a hot topic in today’s Veterinary society. Some vets advise to perform a set of kitten vaccines from 8 – 16 weeks of age followed by yearly boosters while others advise to vaccinate the kitten with the primal set of kitten vaccines and no yearly boosters or boosters every 3 years instead of every year.At Ethereal Persians Cattery, we have a state licensed veterinarian administer the core set of kitten vaccines – a set of 3, each 3-4 weeks apart, starting at 8-9 weeks (depending on when the kittens are weaned). We recommend getting the first rabies vaccine between 5 – 6 months old, and no yearly boosters, other than the 3 year mandatory rabies vaccine (because it’s the law).
In addition to the kitten vaccines, your veterinarian may recommend to vaccinate your cat with the Feline Leukemia Vaccine (FeLV). We only recommend this vaccine if you have Feline Leukemia positive cats in your home. Once your pet is vaccinated with the Feline Leukemia vaccine they are likely to trigger a false positive on the feline leukemia test. This can be alarming if you don’t expect it.
Dr. Karen Becker talks about pet vaccinations and also encourages you to find a holistic veterinarian who will partner with you to keep your pet healthy.
Our highest concern, as a pet owner and dedicated breeder, is the history of over-vaccination in the pet industry and the associated negative consequences. Current law is founded by outdated research and fear of the zoological spread of disease(s) from animals to humans. Some people claim that it is less about those things and more about lining the pockets of pharmaceutical companies. We belief that it started as the former, and evolved into the latter.
Modern veterinarians have the power to verify when immunity has been developed by conducting an exam called a titer test; as opposed to a vaccine being flushed out by the body. This exam measures the existence of antibodies that circulate the immune system for select disease(s). Once immunity is achieved, it does not deplete over time like a fuel tank. Furthermore, once immunity is achieved, memory cells are created which generally provide life-long protection against the disease if antigens to the disease were to be detected in the body. This is why animals, as humans, do not need yearly boosters.
To know more about immunity and the efficacy of vaccines, please read publications or watch videos by the worlds leading pet immunologist, Dr. Ronald Schultz. He has been present through the drastic evolution of vaccinations and their protocols since the mid 1900’s. He offers interesting insight about the efficiency and necessity of booster requirement of older and younger pets.
If you would like to make a difference, join the ongoing worldwide movement called “Protect the Pets,” led by Veterinarian John Robb. It urges pet owners to not over-vaccinate their beloved pet(s), with a focus on the rabies vaccine. After dead upon dead animal at his clinic, he realized the rabies vaccine should be weight dependent, not a set 2 cc volume for an animal regardless of size. A cat or small breed dog should not receive the same volume as a St. Bernard or a horse. Over stimulation of the immune system triggered by a high dose of rabies vaccine can be lethal.
We hope that you watch the videos on this page and take them to heart and mind.