Author Topic: Does a Smaller Dog Need a Smaller Vaccine?  (Read 1263 times)

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Offline Lola

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Does a Smaller Dog Need a Smaller Vaccine?
« on: August 06, 2011, 03:45:38 PM »
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1. While I do firmly believe that a half dose is likely to be less adverse vaccine event-inducing when administered to any dog, I can’t be sure that a half-dose will be effective in every dog. It’s simply not been investigated.

2. While vaccine manufacturers have not necessarily studied the safety of their vaccines in every size of dog, by now the sheer numbers of vaccinated dogs should serve as a powerful basis on which to assume safety in a wide variety of dogs at the recommended dosage.

So what will I do when the next client in search of a half-dose comes knocking?
I’ll explain all of the above. (Maybe I’ll even print it out and give them a few minutes to read it before popping back into the exam room.)
If they won’t relent I’ll make a note of it in their chart after administering the half-dose vaccines. All vaccines, that is, except the rabies vaccine.
The rabies vaccine will be administered at the full recommended dose. Because — guess what? — I risk my license when I don’t comply with the law on administering the rabies vaccine at the manufacturer’s recommended dose and schedule.
I’d like to think I’m pretty malleable for the most part. I’m willing to take lots of unsolicited advice from my clients and investigate its true worth and make concessions even when I don’t believe the science is there. But I do draw the line at putting my license at risk as some clients have demanded I do.

Dr. Patty Khuly
Everything you NEED to know about caring for your feline. www.catinfo.org