Overdue boosters - how long?

[Gillian Harvey]

Ooops, sorry Susanne, thats exactly what you said LOL!!

[Gillian Harvey]

The rescues vet told me that one part of the combined jab lasts more than a year, but the other part doesn't, so they have to vaccinate yearly.

But, you can ask to have the vacs separately - you can have cat flu jab without enteritis, and vice versa.

[Susanne (urbantigers)]

It's only one manufacturer too, I think.  I know the one that my boys have (and have always had) is still recommended by the manufacturer to be done annually.

I'd have thought you could get the 2 parts of the combined jab done separately? If they are producing a combined jab where part of it lasts for 3 years and the other bit for one year, then they must be available separately.  But I guess you'd have to ask for it as vets probably don't stock it routinely.

[Desley (booktigger)]

The rescues vet told me that one part of the combined jab lasts more than a year, but the other part doesn't, so they have to vaccinate yearly.

[Millys Mum]

I'm not sure it's the vets tbh - if the manufacturers insist that annual boosters are necessary, then I don't think the vets can go against that and tell people they will last longer. 

It is the vets, theres at least one manufacturer who says 3 yearly for the enteritis part of the vaccine, the vets choose not to mention this.

As children you get a course of jabs and the majority lasts you years, convenient for the NHS but not if your a vet currently making a mint from unneccessary vaccinations 

[Ralph's mum (angie)]

my vet says a long as they are done within 4/6 weeks after due date 

[Michelle (furbabystar)]

I never do my lot on exactly a year, I leave 13-14mths in between. I do not like the idea of doing them every 12mths as i feel it is an over load and the vaccines are "live" so they dont just run out at 12mths.

My Vet does actually agree with me and he was also saying that it wont be long before there is a 3yr vac (especially for cat flu)

[Mark]

It was the last vet, not the new one. I am really thinking about this as I may have accused him of something he didn't do. He definately insisted on me going in every 6 months -  It's hard to prove as I always forgot my vac cards.

The new vet is happy to give them - they get them free anyway. They are a good vet and don't charge CP overnight boarding - also letting me have Fortekor indefinately at little over cost price so they are good guys. When we were discussing a possible exploratory for Alice, when I asked about cost, he gave an estimate but said the money wasn't an issue and he would do a discount or whatever was needed but her health was the only important thing.

[Beanie]

Hi Mark,

Like others I have never heard of 6 month boosters. It may have been in vogue during Queen Victoria's reiign. 

Demand a Vacc card. Any vet worthy of the title would automatically offer one.

[Desley (booktigger)]

I've never heard of 6 monthly boosters, but I would ask for a vacc card, I dont think that is good practice, just in case something happens unexpectedly and cats need emergency boarding (might never happen, but I would prefer to be safe), and it needs proving.

[Susanne (urbantigers)]

I can't understand why my old vet did 6 monthly boosters - money I guess 

I can't understand that either.  I'm not aware of any vaccine manufactureres who claim they only last 6 months!  Sounds like a money grabbing so and so.

[Maddiesmum]

One of our previous vets used to have our dogs (we had three in those days) in twice yearly each for their boosters - I checked with every other vet in the phone book and no one else did.

[Mark]

I'm not sure it's the vets tbh - if the manufacturers insist that annual boosters are necessary, then I don't think the vets can go against that and tell people they will last longer.  At least they could, but not if people are putting their cats in catteries or taking them anywhere where the vaccinations have to be 'up to date' as that wouldn't be acceptable under those circumstances.  The cost of boosters at my vets is about £3 more than a standard consultation and they do get a pretty thorough check (which I'd want them to have annually regardless of vaccinations) so I consider myself as only really paying £3 for the actual jabs.

I can't understand why my old vet did 6 monthly boosters - money I guess 
My new vet doesn'teven give you a vac card unless you want it.

[Mark]

The only people who may have an issue with that is if you had to board them at a cattery

Come to think of it, he did ask if I plan to use a cattery and was satisfied with my "never have, never would" answer 

[Susanne (urbantigers)]

I'm not sure it's the vets tbh - if the manufacturers insist that annual boosters are necessary, then I don't think the vets can go against that and tell people they will last longer.  At least they could, but not if people are putting their cats in catteries or taking them anywhere where the vaccinations have to be 'up to date' as that wouldn't be acceptable under those circumstances.  The cost of boosters at my vets is about £3 more than a standard consultation and they do get a pretty thorough check (which I'd want them to have annually regardless of vaccinations) so I consider myself as only really paying £3 for the actual jabs.

[Gill (sneakiefeline)]

My vet would not do Sasa without starting all over again , unless it was within 2 months and he said all the vaccines are different and he checked with the manufactorer!

I know in London they also would only allow about 6 weeks over the date.

personally I think they are all conning us cos its quite common knowledge that in the states they are saying that boosters are not needed every year but here vets will not accept it cos they have bumped the costs up so much, they stand to lose loads of money.

[Susanne (urbantigers)]

I think it will probably depend on the manufacturers recommendation as much as anything.  If they recommend annual boosters (irrespective of whether they actually last a bit longer in reality) then you will be in trouble with a cattery, like Milly's mum says, if you go more than a few weeks over and don't start over with the full course.

I was reading in one of the cat mags that there is a vaccination amnesty in March (or may be Feb) where participating vets are giving a full course for the price of a booster to those who have lapsed and are not up to date with vaccinations.

[Millys Mum]

The only people who may have an issue with that is if you had to board them at a cattery

[Mark]

My old vet did them every 6 months  - I always thought he was a mercenary bstard! 

[Dawn F]

Oscar is seriously overdue but he has so many issues with vaccines that I'm dreading it, I keep telling myself that because he doesn't have contact with any other cats and the girls are all up to date he should be ok but I know there are airbourne things I need to worry about.  Trouble is he is allergic to certain vaccines and even having the program jab made him ill for a few days

[Gillian Harvey]

Boosters can actually be done up to a year, prob even longer after they are due - vets just don't wanna tell you that obviously! The only reason they say they should be done every year is because the vaccines have only ever been tested for efficiency for that time, not because they are any less effective after that year, and some vaccines like enteritis (panleu) are believed to be effective for life!

[Mark]

My vet did say it's OK as a one-off but not a regular thing.
I said they have no contact with other cats - except once in a while, Kylie beats up an interloper 

[ccmacey]

My vets said it has to be done within the month they are due, they couldn't give Ollie his because he had a steroid jab so they had to give him his 2 weeks later, and they wern't happy about that.

[Mark]

With various things going on. not least having Alice to the vet so many times and changing vets, the other cats boosters were due on 21st November. I fully expected the new vet to say they would have to start a refresher course but he said  they can be done up to 6 months AFTER they are due as a one-off but he wouldn't recommend it happening more than once. I was quite surprised.