Over the last decade, the veterinary profession has generally become more accepting of the need to reevaluate standard vaccination practices. Currently, several alternative approaches are being implemented. Examples include: lengthening the interval between adult booster vaccinations to 3 or more years, measuring serum antibody titers for the clinically important diseases of dogs and cats to determine the need for boosters, separating boosters to include fewer antigens given at one time, and booster vaccinating only for the clinically important diseases of dogs and cats. Of course, any vaccination required by law must be followed unless a specific waiver is obtained on a case-by-case basis.

Our approach has been to offer serum distemper and parvovirus antibody titers routinely for dogs, although titering for other antigens is also possible, and serum panleukopenia virus titers for cats. Some clinicians request feline calicivirus and herpes virus titers as well. While we can also measure rabies antibody titers, we generally do not recommend them, unless a particular animal has had a serious adverse reaction to rabies vaccine and the clinician wishes to request a vaccine waiver.

The very large database accumulated to date (>2500 cases) indicates that over 95% of dogs and cats tested had adequate serum antibody titers against distemper and parvovirus (dogs) and panleukopenia (cats). These results confirm the utility of using serum antibody titers as a measure of existing immunologic memory to a specific viral or other infectious pathogen.

References

1.  Dodds W J. Vaccination protocols for dogs predisposed to vaccine reactions. JAAHA, 38:1-4, 2001

2.  Twark L, Dodds W J. Clinical application of serum parvovirus and distemper virus antibody titers for determining revaccination strategies in healthy dogs. JAVMA, 217:1-4, 2000.