Topic: Vaccine brands (Read 12240 times)

Millys Mum · « **Reply #31 on:** May 19, 2007, 16:55:25 PM »

I think alot wouldnt go, but atleast if they are paying for vaccinations they should be the kind of people who would go if signs of illness were seen.

Yearly checks are a good idea but i weigh it against the possible problems with over-vaccinating (in relation to CRF)

I shall definately query my vet over it, they are always happy to talk things through, i would be mad if it was me sat in the waiting room though. The receptionist probably thinks "oh its her again, il book her for a double"

Susanne (urbantigers) · « **Reply #30 on:** May 18, 2007, 22:54:07 PM »

But I'm sure a lot of people who currently take their cats for annual vaccinations wouldn't go for an annual check up. Not always intentionally - it's something some people would just put off and then not get around to. Having a date that you have to go focusses the mind - you can't put it off for long without having to have a full course again. Take away that reason and I think very few would go for an annual check up.

Desley (booktigger) · « **Reply #29 on:** May 18, 2007, 22:28:30 PM »

But there are still so many people that dont take their cats for an annual health check, so I dont know if the vets can use that as an excuse not to go to 3 yearly vaccines - my neighbour (the one that did rescue for years) only takes her animals if there is somethign wrong, none of hers ever have annual checks or vacc's, and she is supposed to be an experienced, knowledgeable cat owner.

Susanne (urbantigers) · « **Reply #28 on:** May 17, 2007, 12:32:08 PM »

Quote from: Millys Mum on May 17, 2007, 12:27:35 PM

I pity the vet i see with the next lot at booster time

I'd love to be a fly on the wall!

I generally find it's not worth discussing this kind of thing with my vets unless I'm particularly worried as the downside of being at a referral practice is that the general practice is seen by a series of interns so not only are they young and newly qualified, but they are usually only there for about a year. If I brought up the idea of not vaccinating every year I think they'd just repeat the mantra of annual boosters.

Millys Mum · « **Reply #27 on:** May 17, 2007, 12:27:35 PM »

I think with the components its not mixed as you wish but is manufactured as separate concoctions.
So RC year one and two and RCP year 3.

I pity the vet i see with the next lot at booster time

Childhood vaccinations have cleared the world of most serious human diseases so i dont see why animals are different and need so many for life.

Susanne (urbantigers) · « **Reply #26 on:** May 17, 2007, 12:08:18 PM »

Quote from: Millys Mum on May 17, 2007, 11:56:14 AM

Purevax is made by merial and they themselves say 3 years for the enteritis part
Revaccination: For all components one year after primary vaccination, then every year for the rhinotracheitis and calicivirosis components, and every three years for the panleucopaenia component.

http://www.noahcompendium.co.uk/Merial_Animal_Health_Ltd/Purevax_RCP/-38591.html

So its the vets who aren't asking people if they need it annually, probably why alot of them dont stock Purevax, it would make them less money.
I checked and all the other manufacturers say annually on their data sheets.

I wasn't aware that you could have individual components administered separately, tbh, as mine have always had 3 in 1 injection.

I think this is the one they have - as you say, it recommends annual boosters

http://www.pfizerah.com/product_overview.asp?drug=F4&country=US&Lang=EN&species=FL

I do wonder whether one of the reasons vets encourage annual boosters is because if they didn't people wouldn't take their pets for annual health checks. cost wise it makes little difference to me as the consultation is included in the vaccination so if I went for just a health check they'd make the same amount of money out of me. Of course that doesn't mean I want them vaccinating with something that they don't need, but I've always thought that the FeLV was the potentially risky one and they don't have that. I don't mind having annual boosters for flu and enteritis, although I'm not convinced they need them every 3 years.

Millys Mum · « **Reply #25 on:** May 17, 2007, 11:56:14 AM »

Quote from: Susanne (urbantigers) on May 16, 2007, 23:18:53 PM

I think it's the vaccine manufacturers who are going to have to make the first move re every 3 years instead of every year. As long as they say their vaccines need to be given annually vets are going to follow those recommendations.

Purevax is made by merial and they themselves say 3 years for the enteritis part
Revaccination: For all components one year after primary vaccination, then every year for the rhinotracheitis and calicivirosis components, and every three years for the panleucopaenia component.

http://www.noahcompendium.co.uk/Merial_Animal_Health_Ltd/Purevax_RCP/-38591.html

So its the vets who aren't asking people if they need it annually, probably why alot of them dont stock Purevax, it would make them less money.
I checked and all the other manufacturers say annually on their data sheets.

Desley, i agree, vets claim they see no problems so where do all the cats who get issues get treated! I read that some vets are saying not to vaccinate for felv until the kitten reaches a year old. Its seems to cause more dangerous problems in small ones.

Quote

Now i cant remember what it is with dogs but they did change that and now only booster for one of the diseases every 2nd year instead of doing everything every year

Its parvo and distemper they did that with, like cats its only the one brand.

Ela · « **Reply #24 on:** May 17, 2007, 11:06:55 AM »

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Now i cant remember what it is with dogs but they did change that and now only booster for one of the diseases every 2nd year instead of doing everything every year, so its a slightly cheaper booster every 2nd year.

Allegedly the enteritis injection for a cat lasts almost 2 yrs but not quite, I know of one vet many years ago that used to give the flu injection every year and the enteritis and cat flu every two years. Of course nowadays catteries insist on yearly. I expect it is to cover their own back. However, I find if difficult to understand how some catteries insist on a FeLV injection as iit is passed on by contact, it would only be via their negligence that cats from different situations came into contact.

CurlyCatz · « **Reply #23 on:** May 17, 2007, 10:33:06 AM »

I am sure cats dont need to be done every year and once the legislation changes then great.

Now i cant remember what it is with dogs but they did change that and now only booster for one of the diseases every 2nd year instead of doing everything every year, so its a slightly cheaper booster every 2nd year.

Ela · « **Reply #22 on:** May 17, 2007, 08:34:40 AM »

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an oncologist told me to question whether annual is really necessary and not to have them vaccinated between the shoulder blades as if a lump did develop, it's really difficult to remove

only one cat in 32,000 develops a ftbrosarcoma.
But we must not lose sight of the risk-benefit ratio. The risk of potentially fatal disease is much higher in an unvaccinated or improperly vaccinated cat than is the risk of a fatal reaction or tumor.

Quote

I find it interesting that vets dismiss the side effects of the FeLV jab, yet quite a lot of rescue people have seen them.

I appreciate what you say and that some people may have seen some side effects however, as previously posted I myself have seen a vast reduction in the number of FeLV cases since more and more owners have taken up the opportunity to vaccinate. I personally feel that the side effects of a few (although I personally have not known any) are worth it if tens of thousands of little ones are saved

The Cats Protection Vets advice is:-
Vaccination is generally a safe procedure that has substantially reduced the incidence of serious disease within the feline population. Side effects are rare, especially in view of the thousands of doses that are administered every year, and we feel the risk of a reaction outweighs the protection that the vaccination provides.

I think this again is one of those topics where we have to agree to disagree. All we can do is post what we actually know as fact and our own personal experience and then let people decide for themselves which way to go.

Desley (booktigger) · « **Reply #21 on:** May 17, 2007, 07:51:58 AM »

I find it interesting that vets dismiss the side effects of the FeLV jab, yet quite a lot of rescue people have seen them. Wonder if they are saying it just to try and convince us to have them?

Susanne (urbantigers) · « **Reply #20 on:** May 16, 2007, 23:18:53 PM »

I think it's the vaccine manufacturers who are going to have to make the first move re every 3 years instead of every year. As long as they say their vaccines need to be given annually vets are going to follow those recommendations. And as there's less profit in doing them once every 3 years I can't see that happening any time soon. Vets and the rcvs can, of course, put pressure on manufacturers to alter their guidelines. I think eventually there will be sufficient research indicating that they don't need to be given so often that they will have to change the way they do things. But I'm not holding my breath. As I put my boys in a cattery I have no choice but to go with annual boosters.

I don't give my boys the FeLV vaccine and I've never had a problem with the others so I suppose I've never considered it an issue (I'm sure that would change if I did experience any problems) and I've never questioned what brand of vaccine my vets use. I think the one they have is felocell or something. They seem to have used that for years and my boys have never experienced any side effects from having it.

Gill (sneakiefeline) · « **Reply #19 on:** May 16, 2007, 20:32:37 PM »

I mentioned that to my vets about the States and he was not impressed!!!!!!!!!!

I hate putting more and more meds into cats than are really needed, and that goes for flea and worming too, I think that like with antibiotics and humans the bugs and stuff will become resistant through overuse.

Millys Mum · « **Reply #18 on:** May 16, 2007, 20:21:06 PM »

In the states alot of vets say 3 yearly for enteritis, maybe in 5 years that will reach here.

If you use a cattery you have no choice, im doing them yearly as a just incase they have to board but dont like the idea of overmedicating!

Gill (sneakiefeline) · « **Reply #17 on:** May 16, 2007, 19:44:51 PM »

I totally agree with you concerning annual vaccinations but in the Uk its just doesnt sem to be accepted that its not necessary.

Last year Sasa jab had come to end of annual period but because I cant touch her didnt know what to do and certainly didnt want to have to try and catch her twice, and dint know if it was possible to catch her once!

Spoke to vet and they said they would ring up the manufactorer of the jab to see how long we could wait....booster was due in Jun and they said only for two months and then we would need to start again.

now I dont know if this really the case but its such a closed shop and we the customers maybe only get told what they want us to know.

Millys Mum · « **Reply #16 on:** May 16, 2007, 18:38:22 PM »

Quote

I had just assumed that all brands would be equally safe

I think thats what most think until you have a problem, it doesnt come to mind that its something to read about.

My vet stocks all types of vaccines and asks me if i "have strong opinions on it". I use Purevax(not felv), but also wonder about annual boosters for everything, we dont jab our kids every year so why our furries! The NHS would be even more bankrupt

Gill (sneakiefeline) · « **Reply #15 on:** May 16, 2007, 18:16:23 PM »

I wont have mine vaccinated for FELV cos Misa was very ill two years ago after it.

My vet only vaccinates younger cats against it anyway, unless requested, so the question did not arise for the other 3.

He also uses only certain makes vaccines, presumably for the same reasons others have given, although he told me it was cos the ones he uses have a good record.

Cant remember the make off hand but I know on the FELV vaccination he used on Misa there was a well documented case of a bad reaction when i did a search on the web.

CurlyCatz · « **Reply #14 on:** May 16, 2007, 13:09:47 PM »

I think it fair to say ALL vaccines on the market go through unbeleivable amounts of quality control and testing just as human drugs do. Some cats may have an odd reaction but thats minority compared to the thousands that dont. I think maybe there was one brand which seemed to provoke more of an issue than others, I only know that after joining cat forums so cant remember which brand it was.

where we worked we used the leucogen seperate vaccine from flu/enteritis and cant really summon any particular problems with that.

Lottie (Team Svartalfheim's) · « **Reply #13 on:** May 16, 2007, 12:03:48 PM »

I had just assumed that all brands would be equally safe.

CurlyCatz · « **Reply #12 on:** May 16, 2007, 11:27:33 AM »

I cant see many vets catering for individual preferences to be honest..not when you consider the vaccs often come in packs of 25 or 50 and often ordered in multiples of that.

unless i'd specifically had a bad reaction and felt very strongly i wouldnt dream of asking for a specific type of brand, nor would i from the doctor for any meds for myself.

I guess if i was that bothered by brand i might find which vet uses the type i want and go to them for boosters.

Ela · « **Reply #11 on:** May 16, 2007, 11:20:52 AM »

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They can order in a different one for you if you request it - you may have to pay more though.

Also sometimes there is a minimum order, so some vets are loath to place an order for something they don't use much.

swampmaxmum · « **Reply #10 on:** May 16, 2007, 11:07:17 AM »

Think most vets do a deal with a certain drug co rep and use their vaccines. They can order in a different one for you if you request it - you may have to pay more though.

Team Svartalfheims · « **Reply #9 on:** May 14, 2007, 16:21:39 PM »

I'll see if my vet uses PureVax or can get hold of it to use on all three of them at booster time then if it's safer. I just generally trust what my vet uses plus some vets will start getting cross if people go in demanding certain vaccines I'd have thought and will just say no (considering some get cross if you ask for a prescription for milbemax lol)

Millys Mum · « **Reply #8 on:** May 14, 2007, 16:07:04 PM »

Work always uses PureVax because it is believed to be the safest, i thought that others may have had views on vax types! Especially those who do have the FeLV jab

It seems people just use what their vets offer.

Theres abit on this site about how vaccinating for FIE may be linked to CRF in the older cat
http://www.littlebigcat.com/index.php?action=library&act=show&item=vaccination

CurlyCatz · « **Reply #7 on:** May 14, 2007, 15:01:48 PM »

we always had a marker on the case cards or then logged info on computer as to where the injection site had been so the following year it would be alternated to the other side. I suppose that might have been incase of reaction.

Ela · « **Reply #6 on:** May 14, 2007, 14:48:56 PM »

I know no vaccine is 100%, but we have seen an enormous reduction in the number of cats we hear about FeLV+. Before the vaccination it was not unusual to hear about a number FeLV+ cats each week, now I often don't hear of one in a month, I hope I am not tempting fate here when I say we have not taken one cat in during the last 5 years that has later tested FeLV+. FIV is another story of course.

Michelle (furbabystar) · « **Reply #5 on:** May 14, 2007, 14:40:26 PM »

I have never vaccinated mine against FeLV
they all have the Flu and Enteritis
just looked on cert and TriCat was the name of the vaccine

swampmaxmum · « **Reply #4 on:** May 14, 2007, 10:08:24 AM »

Try to find out which drug co has the lowest level of aluminium adjuvant. That is what causes the nasty reactions. Also an oncologist told me to question whether annual is really necessary and not to have them vaccinated between the shoulder blades as if a lump did develop, it's really difficult to remove. He said to only vaccinate against leukaemia if the benefit outweighs the risk ie the cat is an outdoor cat.

Team Svartalfheims · « **Reply #3 on:** May 13, 2007, 16:56:31 PM »

Miss Boopy was vaccinated against FeLV with PureVax, Bilbo was done with Leukogen and Tigger with Leukocell.
They were vaccinated with whichever one the vet practice they had the jab at used.

tammy · « **Reply #2 on:** May 13, 2007, 16:52:34 PM »

Ive always vaccinated my cats against FELV, mainly coz the vet had it and since they are already there for annual vaccines I didnt see any harm. As for brand Im not sure Ive use several vets in the past due to moving house and used just whatever the vet offered. I see it as an extra bitr of protection for my cats.

Millys Mum · « **Reply #1 on:** May 13, 2007, 16:44:22 PM »

A while back everyone discussed whether they vaccinate for FeLV and why.

What brand of vaccine does everybody choose to use and why?

Author Topic: Vaccine brands (Read 12240 times)