Appropriate vaccinations schedules for feline patients outlined

From Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery (2013)

The American Association of Feline Practitioners' (AAFP) Feline Vaccination Advisory Panel has this month released updated guidelines on appropriate feline vaccination schedules based on risk assessment.

The guidelines offer recommendations for vaccination of household pet cats, shelter house cats, and cats in breeding catteries. Updates to the guidelines include information on:

• Vaccination frequency and interval
• Core vs Non-core antigens
• Vaccination recommendations for specific situations
• Pet owner guide
• A brief review of the immune response to vaccination (including immunoscenence)
• Disease Information Fact Sheets (online only)
• Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) for quick access to information
• Consideration and management options for feline injection-site sarcoma risk reduction

These guidelines offer a comprehensive review of all the literature presented, resulting in recommendations for vaccine protocols being offered to practicing veterinary practitioners.

Margie Scherk, Co-editor of the Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery as well as the chair of the advisory panel of the recently published American Association of Feline Practitioners Vaccination Guidelines said of the new guidelines:

"It is important to rethink vaccination and realize that it is a medical procedure and not a cookie-cutter, every cat is the same, protocol. Vaccination remains a very important part of preventative healthcare. However, just as with any other medical procedure, vaccination is not an innocuous procedure and unfortunately, can infrequently have unpleasant or even devastating life-threatening results. Because of this, we need to change the focus of the annual visit from "shots" to comprehensive physical examination and consultation with a re-evaluation of that individual cat's vaccination requirements every time. These guidelines set out to make that distinction and impact."