When you receive reminders that your pet’s vaccinations are due, you may wonder which vaccines they will receive, and if they all are truly necessary. While you may feel that your furry pal doesn’t need vaccinations so frequently, or quite so many, keep in mind that pet and human vaccinations are much different.

To understand what vaccinations your pet needs—and why they are an important component of wellness care—our Mount Pleasant Animal Hospital team walks you through our vaccine selection process for cats and dogs.

Core versus noncore vaccinations for pets

When determining a pet’s vaccinations, we look at core and noncore vaccinations. Core vaccinations are those recommended for all pets, regardless of their lifestyle, unless the pet should not be vaccinated for a specific medical reason. Noncore vaccinations are those administered based on a pet’s lifestyle, exposure risk, and geographic locations, and may be classified as core vaccinations in certain areas or situations.

Canine core vaccinations include:

Canine noncore vaccinations include:

Feline core vaccinations include:

Feline noncore vaccinations include:

  • Feline leukemia virus for cats older than 1 year of age

Additional noncore vaccinations for cats include Bordetella bronchiseptica and Chlamydia felis, although these vaccinations are typically administered only to cats in a breeding or crowded setting.

Lifestyle factors to consider when vaccinating pets

While core vaccinations are administered to all pets, regardless of their lifestyle, because of the potential for fatal diseases (e.g., rabies, parvovirus, panleukopenia), noncore vaccinations are carefully and individually tailored. Most diseases covered by noncore vaccinations (e.g., rattlesnake bite or leptospirosis) are not fatal unless the pet is not treated. 

Lifestyle factors to consider when administering noncore vaccinations to pets include a wide range of activities and environments that increase your pet’s exposure risk. To determine whether your pet needs a noncore vaccination, we question their participation in or likely exposure to the following situations:

  • Boarding
  • Traveling
  • Grooming
  • Dog parks or daycare
  • Dog shows
  • Visits to a shelter environment 
  • Interaction with stray, rescue, or foster pets
  • Time with livestock
  • Time in an urban environment with a large population of wild rats
  • Time outdoors where wildlife are present
  • Swimming in or drinking from puddles, streams, ponds, or lakes
  • Contact with soil where wildlife may have urinated
  • Living in or traveling to an area where Lyme disease is prevalent

Vaccinations for pets based on age

We also take your pet’s age into account when devising a vaccination schedule. 

Puppies and kittens require more frequent vaccinations to stimulate their immune system, because their maternal antibodies wane with age. Vaccinating your young pet every few weeks, starting between 6 to 8 weeks until they are 15 to 16 weeks old, ensures they are protected from infectious diseases.

Adult cats and dogs need less frequent vaccinations than kittens and puppies, as their immune systems have formed an infectious disease “memory,”  and they are primed and ready to defend with appropriate antibodies, if necessary. Typically, adult pets require another vaccination series one year after their final kitten and puppy vaccinations. Then, vaccinations may protect them for one or three years, depending on the disease the vaccine protects against. Pets with a high exposure risk for certain illnesses, such as Bordetella bronchiseptica or canine influenza, may need vaccinations every six months.

Senior pets generally should adhere to the same vaccination schedule as the younger adults. 

Factors that may exclude pets from vaccination

In general, most cats and dogs benefit from lifestyle-appropriate vaccinations, as they protect against potentially fatal and highly infectious diseases. Vaccinating pets also protects people from disease, as some pathogens can be passed from pets to their owners. For example, pets infected with leptospirosis can pass the bacteria to people through their urine.

However, certain medical conditions, such as autoimmune disorders or severe allergic reactions, may preclude pets from vaccination. Titer testing can be a vaccination alternative, in certain cases, to assess your pet’s immunity to infectious diseases.

During your pet’s annual wellness visit, our Mount Pleasant Animal Hospital team will discuss the most appropriate vaccination protocol to ensure their protection against infectious diseases. Give our team a call to schedule your furry pal’s vaccination appointment.