Our vaccination recommendations are based on the guidelines established by the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) and the
American Association of Feline Practitioners (AAFP). As a part of those guidelines, vaccination types and frequency recommended will
be dependent on each individual pet, unnecessary vaccines are discouraged.
Factors such as indoor vs outdoor pets, travel plans, kennel/boarding plans, underlying disease conditions, previous vaccine history,
and the age of your pet will all be taken into account. There is no “one size fits all” vaccine protocol for dogs and cats.
We do strongly recommend each pet remain current on their rabies vaccination, due to the deadly nature of the disease, the
risk of shared infection with people, and to follow Washington State law, which
requires all pets to be current on their rabies vaccination.
From King County Health Services
“It is not unusual for Public Health to hear about strictly indoor cats exposed to bats – this occurs when bats get into homes through various means or when resourceful cats manage to catch bats while hunting from upper level balconies and decks. Veterinarians and pet owners both have the responsibility for keeping all pets vaccinated and up-to-date on boosters.”
Additional vaccine information:
- We use only non-adjuvanted feline vaccines to reduce the risk of inflammation at the injection site, which can cause vaccine associated sarcomas (VAS), also known as injection site sarcomas (ISS) in cats.
- We use only the thimerosal free rabies vaccine option for dogs.
- Leptospirosis is a disease caused by bacteria which thrive in our temperate, wet climate. For some dogs it may be advisable to vaccinate against this disease, depending on their exposure to higher risk areas, such as lakes, ponds, and other wet conditions.