Our Vaccination Policy

After careful consideration and research, Dr. Larry and Dr. Beth changed our vaccine recommendations for dogs. Recent research findings coupled with newly developed vaccines that offer a longer duration of immunity prompted this revision. We strongly believe that these recommendations offer the best protection for your dog from endemic infectious disease while minimizing the risks of various problems that are potentially linked to overvaccinating. The protocol is very simple to follow and has been in place for over 2 years. We send reminders to the owners with enough advance notice to make an appointment for their pet’s examination and vaccines (if indicated). In order to ensure the protocol is cost effective, we have added discounts for the yearly exam and vaccines to keep your cost the same on a yearly basis when compared with these services individually. More information on vaccination is available in the  Pet Medical Library  on this site.

In cats, we tailor the vaccine requirements to the lifestyle of your pet. The majority of our patients are indoor/outdoor cats and still require yearly vaccinations, but if your cat is strictly indoors and not regularly exposed to outdoor cats, please mention this at your visit and we will adjust the vaccine protocol for your pet.

Below are some considerations for the vaccines we use in dogs.

Distemper, Adenovirus, Parvovirus

Research studies have recently led to the development of the first licensed three-year distemper, adenovirus, and parvovirus vaccine. While previous vaccines were believed to be efficacious for longer than the one year duration, there was no proven duration of efficacy.

Leptospirosis 

Due to environmental considerations and the prevalence of leptospirosis in this area, we recommend the administration of yearly leptospirosis vaccines to all dogs (excluding dogs that have a propensity for adverse vaccine reactions). We are very excited to announce that research has led to the development of a vaccine that protects against 4 serovars of leptospirosis. Older vaccines protected against only 2 serovars and many instances of disease resulted from the unprotected serovars.

Rabies

Recent vaccine recommendations involved administration of a yearly rabies vaccine. While the three-year rabies vaccine was available, not all counties within the state honored the three-year rule. Recent legal changes mandate that the three-year rabies vaccine is effective for the full three years for legal purposes throughout the state. Therefore we currently recommend the three-year rabies vaccine for all dogs aged two years and up (that have received at least one 1-year rabies vaccine).