Vaccinating your pet

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Dr. Greg Usher of Usher Animal Hospital in Toronto is now inoculating some pets at three-year intervals. He emphasizes that the frequency is individually determined -- based on the particular animal's age, health and lifestyle as well as the risk of rabies and other viruses in the pet's home area. "From what I've been reading in veterinary journals and what we're seeing, I think this makes sense," he says. "I think we're getting away from the attitude of 'I've been doing this for 20 years, let's keep on doing it.'"

Vallée supports this approach. "Vaccination is a medical procedure," he says. "For each individual patient, we veterinarians have to do a risk-versus-benefit assessment of the vaccinations and discuss this with our clients."

City bylaws also play a role, especially with rabies prevention. Some municipalities may recommend annual rabies vaccinations even though there are vaccines available that are effective for three years.

So, does this mean you can forget that yearly checkup at the vet? Not a good idea, says Gumley. "I think as a profession we've done ourselves a disservice by making vaccines seem like the most important part of what we do each year. It's the physical exam and the history we get that is the most important thing. Everything else helps keep your pet healthy, whether it's parasite control, behavioural consultations, weight management, nutritional management or vaccine protection."

Your best bet? Talk things over with your vet so you can come up with a vaccination schedule that makes sense for your pet.

For more information, visit the following websites:
The official site of the veterinary profession in Canada
The Ontario Veterinary Medical Association

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