aplastic anemia and vacs

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amo4716	aplastic anemia and vacs	Lead	[-]
Posts: 23 (04/05/09 18:00:00) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	Tags : None quick (or not so quick) question about whether to get my molly vaccinated. she's got aplastic anemia (idiopathic), and i'm wondering whether she should be vaccinated or not. she's not due til january (might actually even be NEXT january, can never be too prepared lol) for her rabies and whatever else they give kitties every 3 years. but i heard somewhere that cats with auto-immune diseases shouldn't be vaccinated. molly has and will never go outside, so rabies isn't an issue. and the other cats are all up to date with everything. so my point is that molly wouldn't get something from not being vaccinated, but since it's a state law, should she be vaccinated, or will it do something wacky to her immune system? if she shouldn't be vaccinated, how do i handle that with the vet?
RWDVM		#1	[-]
Posts: 2075 (04/06/09 05:05:00) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	I indeed avoid vaccines as much as possible in cases of autoimmune disease. It is a tricky scenario when it comes to rabies, since it is state law in any state I have ever lived in to have that one particular vaccine current. What I do with my patient with history of autoimmune disease that I choose not to vaccinate, is to take rabies blood vaccine antibody levels (titers). Each state is different when it comes to what the authorities will accept when it comes to current rabies status. Here in Florida, protective titers are not considered a legal substitute when it comes rabies protection, however, when I have kept my clients armed with a recent copy of protective vaccine titers, as well as a letter stating that I deem vaccines are unadvisable for the health of the patient given the history of autoimmune disease, I have never had an Animal Enforcement officer issue fines or even reprimands. If blood titers are ever found to be low, then I feel legally and ethically obligated to recommend a rabies booster. However, the ultimate choice come down to the client. It would be a good idea to discuss my approach with your vet to see if this would work for all parties. Roger L. Welton, DVM Need a good source for free canine and feline health information? Please visit: Web-DVM
amo4716	re	#2	[-]
Posts: 27 (04/06/09 11:43:25) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	thanks, doc. is there any way for the government to know that molly isn't vaccinated? i'm just really uncomfortable doing anything that might tweak her immune system, esp. with your comments and things i've read online. she's almost completely off her meds FINALLY, and i don't want to risk it if there's the slightest chance.
RWDVM		#3	[-]
Posts: 2079 (04/07/09 06:41:52) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	Realistically, that cannot know without actually seeing your cat and asking for documentation of current rabies vaccination status, for example, if she escaped and was found and brought to a shelter, or if you had an animal control or police officer visit your home. Roger L. Welton, DVM Need a good source for free canine and feline health information? Please visit: Web-DVM
latergatorj		#4	[-]
Posts: 34 (04/30/09 21:08:36) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	Thanks Dr Welton. I didn't know that about blood titers. Ps. Little Forest is 9 months old and has finally grown bigger. He's 5 1/2 pounds, 2 1/2 pounds heavier than his vets said he'd grow. :-) And he's still growing!
RWDVM		#5	[-]
Posts: 2098 (05/03/09 08:35:09) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	Hey Lat, where have you been??? We all miss you! Glad to hear your little one has filled out a bit. Roger L. Welton, DVM Need a good source for free canine and feline health information? Please visit: Web-DVM
latergatorj		#6	[-]
Posts: 35 (05/04/09 16:52:40) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	Sorry- time has gotten away from me. A lot has happened, I got a new job, fell off a horse (landed on my arm and for the longest time, even typing was hard), I've also taken over management of my rescue's website and some leadership roles. And on the weekends, Forest and I have been on the road a lot. I'm glad he's doing much better too, he had me worried. How is your little family doing?
RWDVM		#7	[-]
Posts: 2099 (05/07/09 06:44:09) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	Family's great, thanks for asking. My baby who started off very undersized (only 4 1/2 pounds at birht), is now a beast, last seen at the pediatrician found to be 90th percentiel for height, and 75th percentile for weight! Dogs and cats all taking well to him, but my wife and I painstakingly supervise him in their company, making certain he does not pull ears or tails, or handle them in a rough manner. He's a crawling maniac now, so being vigilant is getting increasingly labor intensive. Glad to hear you are mor eimmersed in your rescue group - it seems to me that this is your calling. Hope the typcing hand continues to feel better, and I look forward to you participating again on the board. Roger L. Welton, DVM Need a good source for free canine and feline health information? Please visit: Web-DVM
latergatorj		#8	[-]
Posts: 489 (05/26/09 16:15:29) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	Dr. Welton: That's wonderful to hear that your son is doing so well! It must be partly due to your, and your wife's, care and experience with making life thrive. Ceasar Millian has an episode where he taught a dog how to behave around babies and their "things" (such as walking next to a stroller). I don't know if this is a type of course that is typically offered, but I do wonder how else someone would learn how to teach that to their pet, especially since babies are as helpless as they are. Nearly all of my boys from Josie's litter went home to families with children. Rhett Butler went home to a family that had a little 16 month old baby girl. I'm told that Rhett took to her immediately. They talk to each other, and she kisses and holds him close all the time. He doesn't meow to anyone else, and follows her around everywhere, even plays with her when she's taking a bath- sits on the ledge and bats around her toys. This connection and understanding Rhett has for the little girl in his family isn't one I'm convinced is instinctive and true of all animals. I'm not too sure how easy it would be to teach Forest to behave similar to how Rhett is. Forest is learning how to walk on a leash, he's doing quite well with this and will go about an 1/8 of a mile. He is also learning that biting is not something he should be doing. After he was neutered, he started biting when he was due for the next dose of pain meds. Its been difficult to get him to stop. Teaching him not to use his claws was really easy, which is why I'm so surprised at how long it is taking for him to learn this same thing about his teeth. I've tried... water spray bottles, walking away from him, providing no reaction whatsoever, always saying "NO," having him spend more time with other cats so he can learn how it feels to be bitten and another cat's reaction to being bitten, an aggression toy (giant sock filled with catnip that he can kick and bite to death), more playtime and attention. I think he's improving and that it is just a matter of time for him to learn this too. This little boy has been a challenge, but I wouldn't trade any of my time with him. One thing he has learned, interestingly enough, with all the time we spend traveling, is how to make friends with other cats that aren't used to cats. I feel that this may partly be due to the other cats realizing that he's mentally just a baby :-), but also that he loves following them around and trying to play with them, so they may just become okay with him because of his persistence and playfulness. These same cats- will get into hissing matches, fight, or run away and hide when they come in contact with any other cats. My arm is much better. :-)