Cat Vaccinations

[buggygal]

My nine barn cats need their annual shots (distemper, leukemia and rabies). I'll take them to the vet for their rabies, but am trying to save some money on the other two shots by purchasing them myself and having a friend who can give shots to cats vaccinate my cats. Could someone please tell me where I can purchase distemper and leukemia. I've tried TSC, but they only carry a nasal distemper.

Thanks.

[Highflyer]

You might ask your horse vet if s/he will do the rabies next time she is out (assuming your vet comes out routinely, anyway). Ours doesn't mind, and it saves a trip--or 9 trips! Pretty sure I got the vaccines from Jeffers last year: http://www.jefferspet.com/ssc/products.asp?CID=0&mscssid=0G3H3E5NUQPB9G1CU1JP601WF2HQ0FE6&area=cat&dept_id=198

[wendy]

"they" aren't recommending annual vaccination with these anymore for cats- every three years for rabies (varies by law in some places) and distemper, and since leukemia vaccines may cause sarcomas they only recommend it for adult cats for cats at high risk.

[Liberty]

[QUOTE=wendy;4296225...since leukemia vaccines may cause sarcomas they only recommend it for adult cats for cats at high risk.[/QUOTE]

True (as that's what I've heard from vets too), but I think barn cats fall into that "high risk" area when it comes to leukemia.

When I had barn cats, I always just had my equine vet take care of their vaccs when she came to do my horses.

[Horsegal984]

In adult cats with a good vaccine history it is common now to change to every other or every third year for distemper(FVRCP) vaccines.

Most barn cats do fall into the high risk as far as leukemia goes, so that one I would stick with annualy, but make sure that whoever gives it goes low hip on a hind leg. By vaccinating low on the limbs you have to option to remove the limb and save the cat should it devlop a fibrosarcoma at the injection site.

Also it is helpful to give the vaccines at different locations, usually FVRCP rght front, Rabies right rear, leukemia left rear. This way if there is a reaction you can tell to which vaccine it is to.

Many horse vets will do the barn animal shots while they are there, just make sure to tell them ahead of time, so they can bring the right shots. Plus most of them won't charge an exam fee for the cats if you just want vaccines.

Katherine
Vet Tech

[TXnGA]

I was worried about fibersarcomas too with my cats, but there are vaccines out there that don't have "adjuvants" in them- which is linked to fibersarcomas. My cats get Purevax vaccines: the purvax rabies, purevax leukemia and Purevax rhino, leuk, calici and clamidya (all the house and barn cats get this). The last two cats I adopted from a humane society tried to tell me that the barn cats needed a micro chip, but because any inflammation under the skin in a cat is linked to the fibersarcomas., I was adament that they not get it- and they finally agreed (ha, doing my homework did some good :D ) When I was doing my research, i found that some articles suggested that if you vaccinating yearly using a non adjuvanted vaccine is way better than using an adjuvanted vaccine every few years. I know that the purvax rabies and leukemia are totally non adjuvanted, they have some sort of technology that makes them different than other vaccines. My 15 year old cat, 3 year old cat, and 16 week old kittens all get these vaccines, a little more price wise than the average vaccines but better for the cats in the end.

I know some clinics and humane societies will hold vaccine clinics (when I had just graduated college- this is where I had to go to get my vaccinations b/c I couldn't afford the vet visit). Ask some local vets or look in the local paper for any dates/ locations. I think rabies and the shots for most animals are $21-30 per animal depending on dog/ cat. I don't know if you will find the non adjuvanted vaccines there though....

PS adjuvants are what are in most rabies and leukemia , those diseases are so bad that the vaccines are given as a killed vaccine and need that extra boost (the adjuvant) to cause the right immune response in the animal which is inflammation

[Chall]

Within one state I get varying opinions on vaccines. When I take my cat into NYC, the vet won't vaccinate for the leukemia. If I insisted he said he would vaccinate them in their tails (so they could be amputated if they got cancer). In the suburbs, my vet insists on it. So even within one state opinions are very different.
Rabies is required by law, every year.

[BuddyRoo]

We normally vaccinated for FVRCP, FIP, FELV and Rabies.

IMHO, barn cats ARE high risk.

In some states though, rabies must be administered by a licensed veterinarian...you can't even buy it. So check on that. The "rabies laws" for vaccinations are based more on the prevalence of rabies than on the titers. It's all the same vaccine for the most part...it's just that in states with lower risk, they require it every 1-3 years whereas some higher risk states will require it every 6 months.

[danceronice]

In MA, rabies is a three-year. And I know in MI, when we had the horse, our vet would do the barn cats when he came to see the horse and spare everyone a trip. It's always worth asking if you have a vet who has to make farm calls anyway.