Article Index
The debate over vaccination duration
In July 2011 The Australian Veterinary Association (AVA) released a position statement regarding the vaccination of dogs and cats. It stated vaccination was required no more frequently than every three years for "core vaccines"1. This was to bring Australia into line with most international recommendations for vaccination and in particularly the recommendations of the World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA) (Read their guidelines here).
You can read the AVA position statement by clicking here.
This has caused considerable controversy within the veterinary community. Different vets have very strong opinions about the validity of the recommendation.
Some vets believe this will compromise pet health. It will certainly have impacts on the way veterinary clinics financially operate.
In January 2011, in anticipation of this official position, Boronia Veterinary Clinic moved proactively to adopt 3 yearly vaccination.
We believed the benefits for pets and owners clearly outweigh the arguments against triennial vaccination.
1 "Core vaccines"
Dogs : Canine distemper virus, canine adenovirus and canine parvovirus.
Cats : Feline parvovirus, feline calicivirus and feline herpesvirus.
