Why you should choose to vaccinate your pet at a veterinary clinic

This month we had the opportunity to help one of our patients more than normal. Smokey (his name has been changed for privacy) came to us with a severe cough after playing with a dog friend who also had a cough. He had been previously vaccinated for Bordetella, the most common cause of “Kennel Cough”. It was confirmed that he did not have pneumonia and that “Kennel Cough” was the likely diagnosis, but that it was probably not from Bordetella but from some other virus going around town. Smokey had been vaccinated by me at our clinic, and our vaccine provider guarantees their vaccines. We contacted Elanco, and they paid for the majority of Smokeys treatment. Most vaccine providers that veterinarians use have similar policies to Elanco’s and will pay for the cost of treatment if a dog seems to have gotten an illness they were vaccinated for. Smokey ended up getting better, his owners were reimbursed for his treatment, and all is well in the world.

This raises the question I hear pretty frequently: Why should I pay a veterinarian to vaccinate my dog or cat when I can buy the same vaccines for a lot less expensively at the feed store? Great question!

1.        The first answer is the one we just discussed. The vaccines your veterinarian gives are guaranteed. That means that if there is any question about efficacy, the vaccine company will reimburse at least a portion of your bill. They all have different ways of doing this, but in the end, guaranteed.

2.        The second answer piggy backs off the first. Efficacy of vaccines can be altered by a variety of things:

   a.       Technology during production – it seems like all vaccines are the same, and some rarely change, but the main vaccine manufacturers are always trying to stay ahead of diseases to make their vaccines the most effective they can be.

   b.       Transport – transport from the production facility to the clinic is huge. These vaccines need to be refrigerated 100% of the time. They are transported on ice in coolers, but if a package arrives and sits outside or doesn’t get transferred to the refrigerators right away, that entire shipment is compromised.

   c.       User – the vaccine user can also change a vaccine’s effectiveness. Vaccines should be given either subcutaneously or intramuscularly except for the Bordetella vaccine, which is either injectable, intraoral, or intranasal depending on the product. During administration, animals virtually NEVER sit still. They are moving all over the place and that can certainly cause problems with administration.

3.        The third answer is timing. Vaccines work amazingly well if the timing is right! There are lots of different vaccines out there, and they are all given on differing schedules. This is impossible to keep track of. As a dog mom, I can’t keep track of my own dogs’ vaccines, so why should you? All veterinarians keep track of their patients’ vaccine schedules through their practice management software because it can be so complicated with so many moving parts. Let’s dive a bit deeper into vaccine timing. Dogs have an immune system that encounters invaders all the time. Often it will create varying immunity to certain invaders. The job of the vaccine is to stimulate that immunity without causing disease. Most vaccines stimulate a small increase in immunity the first time they are given, and that boost generally happens 2-4 weeks after the injection. If the second vaccine is given 2-4 weeks after the first, it can ride the wave so to speak, of the first injection, and a much bigger immunity spike occurs. So timing is everything. Once a dog or cat has been initially vaccinated, often their immunity may wane for certain vaccines, and they need to be repeated, again, all on different schedules. Who has time to remember all that?! That’s were we come in.

4.        The fourth and last answer is documentation. There are many people and places that require documentation of your pets’ vaccines. Some examples include the county you live in (dog licensing is more and more common), your apartment or rental house, your groomer, your dog trainer, the place where your pet is boarded, and the list goes on. Also, if your dog or cat ever finds themselves in a situation where they bite a person, you are potentially liable particularly if they don’t have proof of rabies vaccination. Documentation of vaccines is something that every veterinarian takes seriously, and therefore we don’t acknowledge feed store vaccines in our schedules. If we were to acknowledge those, we take on the liability of that pet entering the world and potentially spreading disease to other animals.

The last topic I want to discuss are vaccine reactions. What are they and more importantly, what are they NOT?

True vaccine reactions are anaphylactic (i.e., allergic) reactions. Signs this is happening are the following:

-          Facial swelling

-          Hives

-          Vomiting immediately after the vaccine

-          Airway constriction and difficulty breathing

True vaccine reactions are dramatic, potentially life threatening, and should be dealt with immediately. If you notice this in your pet, call your veterinarian immediately, and they will have you come right in.

Things that can happen secondary to vaccine administration that can be uncomfortable for your pet but that are NOT considered a vaccine reaction are the following:

-          Fever (this can cause lethargy and decreased appetite)

-          Pain around the injection site (sometimes animals can act dramatically about this)

-          Swelling around the injection site

The above are normal and anticipated side effects of a vaccine. If you find that your pet is experiencing these side effects and they are worrying you, call your veterinarian! More than likely, they can send you with some pain medication or something to help with their fever. Or they can always preemptively dispense those medications with you the next time your pet needs vaccines.

I hope this helps you understand more about your pets’ vaccines, and why they are important. Keep in mind that every state has different diseases, so your pet’s vaccine protocol may be different in California versus Maine, for example. This is normal, and another good reason why having your veterinarian keep close track of your pets’ vaccines is so important.