DHPP
- DHPP is a four in one vaccine, each letter standing for a different disease.
DISTEMPER
- is caused by a virus that affects the respiratory and central nervous systems. This disease is often fatal despite treatment.
HEPATITIS
- is caused by a virus that attacks and compromises the liver. This disease is also often fatal despite treatment.
PARVO
- is caused by a virus that attacks intestinal cells causing severe, often bloody diarrhea, but also attacks the bone marrow, compromising the body's ability to make red and white bloods cells. As a result, the patient is often anemic and immune compromised. Patients afflicted with parvo will often die despite treatment.
PARAINFLUENZA
- is caused by a virus that infects the upper respiratory system, causing nasal congestion, cough, fever, and rarely pneumonia. Patients may become quite sick, but death rarely ensues.
Now begins the controversy. Until recently, this vaccine was always given as three puppy boosters, followed by yearly administration for the life of the patient. However, isolated studies have shown that protection offered by this vaccine may extend up to and even beyond three years for each disease. Therefore, some veterinarians continue to administer the vaccine yearly, while others administer the vaccine once every three years following the one year puppy booster. Maybeck Animal Hospital follows the latter administering the vaccine as follows:
- Puppy vaccines given at 6, 9, and 12 weeks of age
- Booster one year later, followed by administration once every three years for the life of the patient
Leptospirosis
- Leptospirosis is a disease caused by the bacteria leptospira. After infecting the patient, leptospira attacks the liver or kidneys or both. Lepto is a serious disease, causing death in greater than 50% of patients presenting with clinical symptoms. This disease is transmitted via the urine of many species of animals, including but not limited to: dogs, horses, squirrels, opossums, and raccoons. The disease tends to persist in warm/moist environments, making it especially prevalent near lakes, marshes, and puddles. As a general rule, vaccines for bacterial diseases offer much shorter lived protection, making yearly leptospirosis boostering necessary in susceptable dogs.
Bordatella -
Bordatella is the causative bacteria for kennel cough, an upper respiratory disease of dogs characterized by extreme potential for contagion and a severe hacking cough. Kennel cough almost never resolves without treatment, and left untreated, will often lead to pneumonia. Both the available vaccine for kennel cough (intranasal or injectable) unfortunately are known to be very short lived. Most kennels or groomeries will allow admission with proof of yearly vaccination, however, I strongly recommend boostering every 6 months if your dog is frequently in contact with other dogs (kenneling, show, bark park, groomery, etc.)
Coronavirus
- Coronavirus attacks the intestinal cells, causing moderate to severe diarrhea. Fatality is rare, with symptoms typically resolving within 3-7 days. Given its transient nature, many veterinarians choose not to vaccinate for this disease. Maybeck is currently phasing out the Coronavirus vaccine.
Lyme Disease
- Lyme disease is caused by a bacterial organism that is transmitted from the bite of the deer tick, leading to fever, joint and muscle pain, and rarely kidney failure if left untreated. The disease, therefore, has the potential to exist wherever there are deer. However, Lyme disease is most prevalent primarily in the Appalachian states and mid-west, making it very much a regionally administered vaccine at this time. In Lyme hotpots, yearly booster is necessary for protection. Maybeck does not regularly vaccinate for Lyme disease at this time.
Rabies
Rabies is caused by a virus that attacks the brain causing severe dimentia, aggression, and imminent death once the patient is showing clinical symptoms. Furthermore, no known treatment exists for rabies once the patient is showing clinical symptoms. Rabies is most commonly transmitted via bite wound from an infected animal. Since humans can contract the disease if bitten by an infected animal, rabies has been deemed a public health hazaard, making vaccination state law for dogs and cats, as well as other species. The vaccine exists as a one year vaccine or a three year vaccine, each as equally effective. Maybeck Animal Hospital administers the three year vaccine for dogs.
Feline Vaccines
FVRCP is a three in one vaccine, each letter standing for a different disease.
Rhinotracheitis
- is caused by a herpes virus, infecting the eyes and/or upper respiratory system of the cat. Once infected, the patient is latently infected for life, with outbreaks sometimes occurring in times of stress or immune compromise. Death rarely ensues, however, clinical outbreaks can be quite severe and debilitating.
Calici virus
- also infects the upper respiratory system and eyes, leading to upper respiratory disease, sometimes severe in nature. However, unlike rhinotracheitis, infection is not for life.
Panleukopenia virus
- behaves much like parvo in the canine, causing severe bloody diarrhea, anemia, immune compromise, and is often fatal.
The frequency of the FVRCP is controversial in much the same way the DHPP is in the canine. Until recently, this vaccine was administered at 6, 9, and 12 weeks of age, followed by yearly administration for the life of the patient. Like the DHPP, recent isolated studies have shown the vaccine to offer protection as long as or even longer than three years. Therefore, many veterinarians now administer this every three years following the one year kitten booster. Like the DHPP, Maybeck Animal Hospital follows the latter administering the vaccine as follows:
- Kitten vaccines administered at 6, 9, and 12 weeks of age
- Booster one year later, followed by administration once every three years for the life of the patient
Feline Leukemia
- Feline leukemia is caused by a retrovirus that attacks the patient's bone marrow, leading to compromise of the feline immune system, leaving the patient susceptible to secondary disease. Feline leukemia remains untreatable, with death the imminent consequence of infection. The same controversy exists with this vaccine, as with the FVRCP, with some veterinarians administering the vaccine yearly, and some changing to tri-yearly administration based on isolated studies supporting longer lived protection. Given the imminent fatal nature of the disease, Maybeck's policy is to continue yearly vaccination until more studies have been performed, and more concrete data is available to suggest otherwise. Since intimate contact with another cat is required for transmission of the virus (fighting, copulation), this vaccine is restricted to indoor/outdoor cats, outdoor cats, or indoor cats regularly in contact with cats that go outside.
Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV)
- FIV is caused by a retrovirus that attacks the feline immune system and leads to death from secondary diseases in much the same manner as HIV in humans. Like feline leukemia, intimate contact with another cat is required for transmission. There is no effective treatment for this disease, with death being the imminent consequence of infection. A vaccine exists for FIV, but its effectiveness is questionable at best at this time. Maybeck does not vaccinate for FIV at this time.
Rabies
Rabies is caused by a virus that attacks the brain causing severe dimentia, aggression, and imminent death once the patient is showing clinical symptoms. Furthermore, no known treatment exists for rabies once the patient is showing clinical symptoms. Rabies is most commonly transmitted via bite wound from an infected animal. Since humans can contract the disease if bitten by an infected animal, rabies has been deemed a public health hazaard, making vaccination state law for dogs and cats, as well as other species. The vaccine exists as a one year vaccine or a three year vaccine, each as equally effective. In cats, however, past research regarding the formation of tumors at sites of vaccine administration, tentatively linked these tumors to vaccine adjuvant (a substance placed in a vaccine that extends the time of protection). Although these tumors, known as sarcomas, are very rare (approximately 1 in 60,0000), and the link between sarcoma formation and vaccine adjuvant is controversial, Maybeck Animal Hospital's policy is to administer adjuvant free rabies vaccines until such time that research conclusively disproves the link. This type of rabies vaccine has to be boostered every year.
