Your Healthy Cat's Annual Exam:

Every cat should have an annual, comprehensive physical exam where the eyes, ears, teeth, heart, lymph nodes, skin, and abdominal organs are evaluated. Since animals can not express their symptoms verbally, the annual physical is a very important part of their care in order to detect problems early. This is the perfect opportunity to ask questions about your pet's behavior. The doctors will not give any tests or vaccinations without your consent. If your pet has been seen at previous vets, please contact them about faxing the old records to us at: (212) 665-3459.

 

Vaccinations:

Vaccinations provide critical protection against serious diseases. . The life threatening illnesses for which effective feline vaccines exist are: panleukopenia virus or "distemper"-which damages the bone marrow and brain, feline leukemia virus- which cripples the immune system, and rabies virus, which is fatal to cats and contagious to humans. The standard combination vaccine, FVRCP, provides protection against distemper as well as short-lived protection against the highly contagious airborne respiratory viruses that cause eye infections, and disease of the entire respiratory passages, from the nasal sinuses to the lungs. We give this vaccine once every three years to adults, and as a series of three boosters for kittens.

Although vaccines are essential for young cats to help them develop their immunity, and in older cats to maintain the antibody levels, the overuse of vaccines is now being questioned by concerned veterinarians.

The doctors at Symphony Vet will only provide those vaccines which your cats legitimately needs. For example, we do not give the Feline Leukemia vaccine to indoor cats ever, since that disease is not airborne or spread by casual contact. We do not carry the FIP or Ringworm vaccines, since these innoculations are of very low efficacy. Chlamydia & Bordetella feline vaccines exist against upper respiratory infections, but these are not considered the "core vaccines" usually given to indoor cats, and we do not carry them. There is a new vaccine for FIV (feline AIDS) but it is controversial and the virus is not a risk for indoor cats who are not in close contact with FIV-infected cats. Rabies vaccination is required by law for all cats, whether living indoors or outdoors, and we use only the most safe vaccine for your cat. If any cat, should bite a human then the health department is legally empowered to order that cat's euthanasia for rabies testing, if the cat does not have a current rabies vaccine. An owner may decline the rabies vaccine, but since it is required by law we recommend it.

 

Vaccine side effects:

In general, routine booster vaccines cause few effects other than transient tiredness. However,in the late 1980's, a connection was explored between a rare but very serious tumor, called fibrosarcoma, and the possibility the cancer was linked to certain feline vaccines. Research is still ongoing, but the consensus is that two vaccines were primarily implicated : feline leukemia, and the older rabies vaccine. Reports vary from 1 in 100,000 to 1 in 400,000 patients developing this tumor post vaccination, especially if multiple vaccines were given in the same body site or on the same day. The biological part of the vaccine was not found to be causative, but rather the irritant chemical (the adjuvant) that is intentionally added to the vaccine to stimulate an effective immune response. The FVRCP vaccine and the new non-adjuvant Rabies and non-adjuvant Leukemia vaccines are NOT associated with this rare cancer. In response to this discovery, some vaccine manufacturers have developed much safer vaccines without the adjuvant, which are not thought to cause the tumor. These new non-adjuvant feline vaccines are the only type of cat vaccinations used at Symphony Veterinary Center.

Although never proven, some veterinarians believe that too many vaccines can also overstimulate the immune system in sensitive patients, such as those with severe allergy or cancer. We therefore only give the minimum necessary for your cat’s individual circumstances.

Titers:

Some clients may have heard about titer tests instead of vaccinations. The well-intentioned principle behind this notion is that if an animal can be shown to have adequate protection against disease, then a booster vaccine is not necessary. However, the only test for immune protection, the antibody titer level, is not reliable as an indication of protection since it only measures one component of the complex immune response. The other main branch of the immune system response, which is medicated by the white blood cells, can not be measured. So a positive antibody titer indicates only probable protection , and a negative antibody titer does not give any information about the animal’s status. The major veterinary testing lab, Antech, runs vaccine titers against Feline Panleukopenia and Calici virus, but states that a positive titer test does NOT assure protection against infection. If an owner requests that his or her pet be antibody tested instead of vaccinated, we can run the tests (which are more expensive than the vaccine), but even with a strong antibody level, there is no guarantee that the animal is protected against these viruses. Rabies titers are not accepted by legal authorities in lieu of the vaccine, regardless of the titer level.

 

What we recommend:

For indoor cats we recommend a FVRCP once every three years in adults, to protect against the respiratory viruses (calcivirus and viral rhinotracheitis), and feline distemper, or panleukopenia virus. These airborne viruses are not just mild colds, some cause significant ocular lesions. A recent calicivirus epidemic occurred in cats in the Northeast, and caused many unprotected cats to develop serious disease and death. Panleukopenia causes infection of the brain and severe birth defects to kittens born of an infected mother cat. Kittens should receive this vaccine at 2,3 and 4 months of age, and then one year later start booster vaccines of FVRCP.

Cats that spend time outdoors also receive a feline leukemia vaccine.

We discuss the rabies vaccine laws with our clients, and most owners opt for this innoculation, particularly for cats that may possibly scratch or bite, or spend any time outdoors.

Any concerns you may have about the suitability of vaccinations for your cat’s individual situation should be discussed with your doctor. The major value of the annual visit is in the examination of your pet, as well as the discussion of any medical issues, rather than just the shots. The physical exam is essential to determine that there have been no developments, such as heart murmurs or dental problems, weight changes or enlarged lymph nodes, that may need attention. Since animals can not express their symptoms verbally, the annual physical is a very important part of their care in order to detect problems early.

 

Your Healthy Cat May Also Need:

  • Feline Leukemia and Feline AIDS (FIV) Testing
    These diseases cripple the immune system. If your cat is an indoor/outdoor cat or was picked up as a stray, we recommend this combination test. Because they are not airborne, or spread by casual contact, we never give this test to indoor cats. There is a new vaccine for FIV but it is controversial because a vaccinated cat will always test positive for the disease.
  • Neutering/Spaying
  • Dental Work
  • Microchip
    A microchip for identification is invaluable if your pet is lost. If your cat is found and taken to a shelter or veterinarian, the pet will be scanned to see if a microchip is present, and if so, you can be located by the registered telephone number, which can be changed at any time. Injecting the microchip in subcutaneously is quick and most animals barely react.
  • Bloodwork
    Like any living organism, your pet's health becomes progressively delicate as it ages. If you bring an elderly pet to Symphony Vet we may recommend doing a complete blood count (CBC), to evaluate the composition of your pet's blood cells. This provides great insight into the inner workings of your pet's immune system; often revealing potentially fatal illnesses at a stages when they are still unnoticeable, (and can be most effectively treated). A chemistry panel is used to assess kidney and liver values, electrolytes and blood proteins.