Vaccinations

Why do I have to revaccinate my pet?

Adult Pets:

We periodically revaccinate adult animals because the body only keeps the specialized T cells for so long. After a period of time passes and the body has not been exposed to that virus, those T cells that have been created will die off and the body will simply decrease or stop production of that particular T cell.

For this reason, we purposely re-introduce that virus into the body, still in a killed or modified live form, to trick the body into making more ammunition for that specific virus.

Different vaccinations are repeated at different intervals. Sometimes this depends on the vaccination, and sometimes, especially with regards to rabies, the interval can depend upon local or state laws.

Most vaccinations in adult pets are done at intervals of every 12 months. Rabies is typically the only vaccination boostered every two or three years, but in some areas, it too is repeated annually.

As these recommended intervals can vary greatly, we recommend that you ask your veterinarian about what is recommend for your pet, depending on the patient's history and the disease conditions in the area where you live.

Young Pets:

Puppies and kittens have different vaccination protocols than adult dogs. Typically, their first vaccinations are given at six to eight weeks of age, and then repeated every three to four weeks thereafter until the pet is 16 to 20 weeks-old.

The reason for this is two-fold.

Firstly, young animals have no immunity of their own. We are starting from scratch, and must build up a sufficient level of protection for them.

Secondly, puppies and kittens get a certain level of immunity from their mother through her milk. While this will protect them to a certain extent, it does not offer complete protection, nor will this protection last any great length of time.

Unfortunately, while this maternal protection is in effect, it blocks the vaccine from working effectively. And since each pet is an individual, it is impossible for us to determine when the maternal protection will drop off and the vaccinated protection, which the juvenile animal makes for itself, will pick up.

This is why we do a series of vaccinations in young animals. We try to get as much protection on board as early as we can, to pick up the slack when the protection from their mother declines.

Please see the kitten and puppy vaccination pages for more information on what vaccinations are recommended at what ages.

What if my pet has a vaccine reaction?