Veterinarian Patty Khuly, DVM, writes a daily blog called Fully Vetted. Her recent post on pet vaccinations from a veterinarian’s perspective was food for thought. Here’s an excerpt. You can read the whole article at http://www.petmd.com/blogs/fullyvetted/2010/march/pet_vaccinations. 
“…the lion’s share of vaccines seem to provoke no illness. The pet is vaccinated in hospital and goes home within fifteen minutes, where no untoward effects of the vaccine are typically noted.
Most reactions we do see include swelling of the muzzle and face, myalgia (muscle pain) and fever, and less commonly, vomiting. These are often treated with antihistamines and pain relievers. The most severe, life-threatening reactions are very rare indeed. The only one I have had the displeasure to attend occurred in vet school when a cat, vaccinated at a nearby hospital, suffered acute respiratory distress almost immediately after a vaccine was administered. The kitty died — very quickly, I might add.
Lest I forget, let me now mention another more common, if controversial, life-threatening reaction: the vaccine-related sarcoma. As the cat people among you probably already know, vaccine-related, highly-malignant tumors are sometimes seen in cats. Although it was difficult to prove, this disease has finally received its due respect as a phenomenon related directy to vaccination. Our hospital has only seen four or five possible cases in over thirty years, but it’s out there as a potential consequence of vaccine administration.
My goal here is not to scare the bejeezus out of you, just to inform you of how we vets think about vaccines. We know they’re potentially dangerous. We all worry about the possibility of a reaction. And that extends to our families, too. I didn’t have my own son vaccinated without trepidation either, but — believe it or not — I consider it my civic duty to vaccinate myself and my whole family, pets included.
If you want to discuss safety, here’s the reality: In a population where 100 percent of the individuals are vaccinated, the safest condition is to be the only unvaccinated one. The implication here is that vaccination has its risks. Best not to receive the vaccine. But if everyone opts out, no one’s protected. A conundrum, indeed.”
What do you think about vaccinating your pets? Do you vaccinate? Do you titer instead?
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