Sick because of annual shots??

[Catlady711]

over vacinating has definitely been cited as the cause of reactions and cancers and death. Those vacines can last for many years and an annual vaccine is overkill which your vet will not tell you!

Of course there can be vaccine reactions, whether cat, dog or humans. (do you not get imminizations for Tetnus, smallpox etc. because of possible reactions?) In most cases reactions are mild if present at all, and death or cancers are much more rare than the diseases they protect against, and some of the diseases are incurable and result in death as well. As I discussed earlier in this thread, the brand of vaccine a vet uses may affect the number and severity of reactions.

Annual vaccinations are a debate among veterinarians. There has been alot more research into length of immunity in dogs, but very little in cats in comparison. Some vaccines may last longer than others, and some longer than one year, but not all vaccines. Research is still being done on vaccines in cats.

My cat Dusty has been with us since 1995 and has recieved vaccinations for Feline Leukemia, Feline Distemper (CVR-C) annually, as well as her Rabies vaccination every 3 years. She has never had any type of reaction or cancer and she's 16 1/2 yrs old now. My other cats (ages 7, 2, two cats age 5, and three age 4 months) who also recieved and will recieve the same annual vaccinations and have never had any type of reaction/cancer.

I have worked at a vet hospital for almost 7 years, in that time I can't begin to count the number of cats we have vaccinated annually and have only about 2 a year with any type of reactions, mostly mild ones, and never have had an incidence of vaccine sarcomas or a death from vaccinations. However our incidence of finding Leukemia in cats that are unvaccinated are alot higher, and many of those end up being euthanasia's because of the progression of the diseases.

If you have a vet that won't discuss your concerns about vaccines, reactions and length of immunity, then you need to find a new vet.

It's what makes them their money as well as the kick back on prescription foods.

A vet takes an oath (similar to a human doctor) that they will first 'do no harm'. Any ethical vet will NOT deliberately do anything harmful to an animal for the sake of getting $$ later from something he/she did.

A vet has to have a pharmacutical license to be able to carry and dispense medicine from their office. This is an extra cost, requires extra storage space and alot of money tied up in inventory, all for the sake of making it more convienet for their clients and to help animals feel better faster with the meds available right away. Yes they make some money from the sale of those drugs, however their sole purpose of having those drugs is NOT because of vaccinating annually.

There seem to be many vets that like to compete with the pet stores when it comes to the sale of foods, and carry just about as many kinds too. I don't happen to work for a vet like that, we only carry the prescription foods, and we ONLY prescribe them when it's medically necessary, not as a way to make $$$. Actually we make very little off the sale of those foods, and what we do make doesn't make up for the hassle of ordering/stocking, nor for the amount of space it takes up.

If you have a vet that is more interested in selling you many medications/prescription foods without explaining the reason he/she believes it is necessary for your pet, there again I'd find another vet.

Do some serious research on vacines. It will shock you! Cats years ago never needed them and never got sick like our cats do today.

The testing was not available years ago to know cats were dying all over from Feline Leukemia and cats were not a common household pet that people took to the vet. Cat's just simply died and no one knew why. Kind of like for years people thought malaria (caused from bites from an infected mosquito) was caused by poisonous vapors from swamps! Today we have definite tests to explain why these cats were dying and what from. And cats are living longer lives than ever before, it's not uncommon at all for cats to live to be 16-20 years old, all due to vaccines, research, and new/better medicines.

The cat overpopulation increases every year, more people own cats than ever before, and people move all over the country every year. All of this contributes to an increase in unvaccinated cats contracting and spreading diseases such as Lukemia.

sorry if I step on toes, which I don't mean to do, just trying to help you save your pets from overkill.

Hugs
Lucy

I understand that not all people are fortunate enough to have a vet that truely puts the animals first, and not all vets take the time to help their clients understand why they should do xyz for the health of thier pet. It's an absolute shame that the world has to be that way, same as in human medicine.

I understand you only mean to help. If you don't believe in vaccinations as a disease prevention that's your choice. If you don't feel like you can trust your vet in his/her care of your animals and the decisions of treatment/prevention, then I'd seriously consider finding a new vet that you feel you can trust.

I happen to believe in the necessity of vaccinations as a disease preventative, I work in a profession that does that on a daily basis with only a rare incident or two a year, and I have many times seen the suffering, and eventual death (whether euthanised or dying on it's own) from the diseases the vaccines are designed to protect against.

Nothing personal, however I felt the need to respond. We will have to agree to dissagree on this subject, as you are entitled to your opinon as much as I am entitled to mine. No hard feelings intended.