As giving any vaccine is a
stress to a cat's immune system, I would not go
ahead and vaccinate a cat who was initially positive, then retested
negative,
without first determining whether or not the cat had cleared the virus; I
would
want to be sure that the infection had not become latent.
There is little point in vaccinating a positive cat for the infecting
virus,
it is stressing an already-compromised immune system, which could be
harmful.
It will certainly not provide any protection from a virus which has
already
infected the cat.
It is questionable whether or not an immunocompromised cat can benefit
from
any vaccines, period. If a cat's immune system has been compromised by a
virus
like FeLV or FIV, then its body cannot be expected to respond to the
vaccination process as would a healthy cat. While it is claimed that it
is impossible
for a cat to succumb to an illness from a "killed" vaccine, any kind of
stress to a compromised immune system can have a negative ef! fect. And
if there is
enough cumulative stress, opportunistic pathogens can more easily gain a
foothold.
Sally in San Jose
_________________________________________________
If you want to find out more about the pros and cons of vaccines, I
suggest
the website Holisticat.com, which, as its name suggests is dedicated to
exploring alternative and holistic approaches to cat care and feeding. I
was able to
find some very helpful info on that site regarding vaccines. There is
also
info available about an alternative to vaccines, homeopathic nosodes,
which
have been discussed on this site in the past, I believe, if you check the
archives. I do not know or understand that much about them but there are
some members
of Holisticat who are better versed in that regard. Another site,
Wellpet.com, also has much info available and I am sure there are other
websites, as
well.
Most traditional vets are still recommending the yearly booster protocol
and
vaccinating for everything imaginable without considering the possible
ill
effects this may have, long-term, on an animal's immune system. Some more
enlightened traditional vets are now recommending a more realistic 3-4
year booster
protocol, but even that is seen as excessive by most holistic and
alternative
vets.
After doing some research, I no longer give any of my critters yearly
boosters and no vaccines at all to my immuno-compromised kittys. Feeding
the best
possible and most natural diet possible (70% of immune function is
GI-related,
i.e. that is how the appropriate nutrients get distributed and absorbed
into
the bloodstream) with supplements to boost the immune system and
minimizing
contact with possible pathogens seems to make more sense than continually
assaulting the immune system year after year with vaccines, often for
illnesses which
animals have little risk of being exposed to. I think the same could be
said
about we humans, as well. There are many who believe there is a link
between
childhood vaccines and the increasing incidence of autism.
The use of multi-valent or combo vaccines is also not a logical practice
if
you stop to think about it. It is very convenient for us to only have to
give
a single vaccine, but that is not necessarily a good approach to take by
overwhelming the immune system and asking it to build multiple antibodies
to
various pathogens simultaneously. The is not how the immune system is
typically
stimulated by nature but rather it responds to one pathogen at a time. An
individual with an inherently very strong immune system may suffer little
or no ill
effects outwardly, but the increasing incidence in domestic pets of
allergies
and auto-immune disorders and degenerative diseases over time must be
correlated to something in the way we feed and care for our pets. There
are
well-documented cases of bad, even fatal, reactions to vaccines, but
don't know if
anyone has ever put into statistics how likely such ill-effects are to
occur.
Kittens, of course, are most at risk of becoming fatally infected with
the
viruses for which the 3-way vaccine is supposed to provide immunity.
Multiple
vaccines are given to kittens initially because it is not really known
how long
any antibodies inherited from their mom will protect kittens and when
their
own immune function begins to peak. The well-known holistic/nomeopathic
vet,
Dr. Hamilton, believes that one well-timed vaccine at about 10-12 weeks
of age
is likely to provide life-long immunity for most cats. Of those 3
viruses,
panleukopenia is the most life-threatening and, typically, very young
kittens who
are too young to be vaccinated are most at risk. The respiratory viruses
rhinotrachaeitis and calicivirus are rarely fatal and usually only with
very
young kittens who do not receive necessary treatment with readily
available
antibiotics.
Panleukopenia is probably the most easily-transmitted and life-threateing
of
the viruses for which we vaccinate our cats. It is an airborne virus and
can
be picked up on shoes and carried into your home that way. It is a hardy
virus and not easily erradicated from surfaces, except with bleach, so
you don't
want it to get in carpeting or other porous surfaces. Given the factor of
"viral load" it can wreak great havoc in shelters or catteries if it
becomes
established, as it is easily spread. Typically there is a high mortality
rate.
Fortunately, the vaccine is considered to be quite effective and
relatively
safe, compared to some other vaccines. If there is one virus I would
vaccinate
for, it would be panleukopenia.
Dr. Hamilton recommends that if you feel you MUST vaccinate, that you use
a
single vaccine for panleukopenia and the intra-nasal vaccine for rhino
and
calici virus. He does not recommend the 4th component of traditional
vaccines for
chlamydia and feel is is unnecessary for most cats. He considers rabies
and
FeLV vaccines to be high risk and the FIV and FIP vaccines of
questionable
effectiveness. For those who must vaccinate for rabies due to legal
requirements
as for licensing, he believes a single dose provides adequate immunity
for the
life of the animal and that the vaccine should not be given any more
often
than is absolutely necessary. Dr.Hamilton also recommends giving the
homeopathic
remedy Thuja after vaccinating to ward off bad reactions.
I know a holistic vet locally, Dr. J. Lauren DeRock, who recommends
giving
transfer factors for 3-4 days prior to vaccinating and she said she has
not
experienced any bad reactions to vaccines since she started using this
protocol.
She is the vet who recommended to me a product called Animal Stress Pack
(from
4Life Products which contains transfer factors, electrolytes and some
other
immune-boosting ingredients, I believe) that I got to give to a friend's
horse
that was not recovering well after colic (due to oleander poisoning)
surgery.
After several doses the horse finally turned the corner and began to
recover
and the vet hospital said she was only the second horse they had been
able to
save from that type of poisoning. I used it, and also straight transfer
factors, with a 10 week old kitten who came down with panleukopenia and
was given
virtually no chance for recovery if I did not hospitalize her.
Miraculously,
she recovered with home care, only to be lost at 8 mos. due to
FeLV-related
nonregenerative anemia. The transfer factors did not benefit her at that
point...nothing did. Most of the immuno-supportive supplements seem most
effective
in helping to maintain immune function, but once an FeLV+ kitty starts to
crash
it is usually an indication that the immune system is failing and there
really doesn't seem to be anything that will halt the process. Of course
I did not
know that Purrsia was FeLV+ until she crashed. Evidently the
panleukopenia
severely compromised her immune system and she was exposed over several
months
to a playmate who was unknowingly postive. I often wonder if I had kept
her
on immunno-supportive supplements after her recovery if there might have
been a
different outcome. I'll never know, and my heart will always have a very
big
hole in it.
I'd never had to deal with FeLV before...losing Purrsia and then her
playmate, Angel Eyes, was a tragic, trial-by-fire education for me. I've
learned a
lot over the past year and a half and am still learning...I hope I can
somehow
learn enough to even the odds for the three positive kittys that have
come to
be in my care since I lost Angel. The members on this list have been so
supportive and so willing to share their own knowledge and experiences,
what has and
hasn't worked for their kittys. I have learned far more from this
talklist
and other websites than I have from any vet I've consulted.
I hope you will be prompted to do some research on your own and be able
to
decide what you think is the best vaccine regimen for your kitty and what
you
can feel comfortable with as a pet guardian. Traditional western vets do
not
have all the answers any more than human doctors do, even if modern
medicine
with all its technology has so much to offer us. I look forward to the
day when
"integrative medicine" that draws from both western and eastern
philososphies
and incorporates alternative approaches to healing in a holistic fashion
becomes mainstream. I do hope I will live to see it happening.
Sally in San Jose
___________________________________________
Interferon .....is a natural "hormone" found
in all bodies that aids in the immune system reactions, and replications. so
it in essence helps to keep the virus at bay..by supporting the immune
system..helping it out.
