I have just received information that the newly published American Association of Feline Practitioners feline vaccination guidelines now recommends a kitten's final vaccination to take place after 16 weeks of age.

It has recently been discovered that maternal antibodies interfere with vaccination of *some
kittens* until as late as 16 weeks. (They have also found that *some kittens* will respond favourably to vaccination as early as 6 weeks of age.) I will be adjusting my vaccination proocal as a result of these new findings, starting shots at 6 weeks and finishing them (or recommending that new owners complete the kitten series) at 16 weeks. In the meantime, pet owners who have just received a kitten from me are being advised to speak with their vets about the necessity of one more *immediate* booster shot to ensure full protection.) Our kittens have been vaccinated at 8 and 12 weeks of age up til now.

http://www.aafponline.org/resources/practice_guidelines.htm

"The new information is definitely making people sit up and take notice. It is partly from research published this past June at the meeting of the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine. The researchers were looking at the effect of surgery on vaccinations given at or around the same time (turns out surgery and anesthesia have no detrimental impact on the immune response to vaccination).

They vaccinated kittens at 8, 11 and 14 weeks and they did antibody titres for herpes, calici and panleuk at 8, 9, 11, 14, and 17 weeks.

Only 75% of kittens had protective titres against panleuk at 17 weeks of age and only 50% of kittens had protective titres against herpes at the same age using that vaccination protocol. This was due to maternal antibody interference.

Pretty scary, right? We thought we were protecting kittens as long as the last vaccine was around 12 weeks of age. At my clinics, we have now changed our kitten vaccination protocols."

"These guidelines were put together with the assistance of many feline specialists from around the world, including the UK, so they are applicable to cats everywhere."

From:
Susan Little, DVM
Diplomate ABVP (Feline)
President, Winn Feline Foundation
http://www.winnfelinehealth.org

Feline Consultant, VIN
http://www.vin.com

Forum Moderator,
http://www.goodnewsforpets.com

As posted to the Fanciers' Health List, December 23, 2006.



...Pam