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Is this statement accurate?

melissam87

melissam87

Savannah Super Cat
I read something on a breeder's site that had me curious to it's accuracy. No offense to the breeder, just want to be well informed on this matter:

Your kitten must receive annual routine Veterinary Care which includes the administration of vaccines under most State, City and County ordinances. Make absolutely certain any vaccine administered to your Savannah Cat is KILLED VIRUS ONLY. Failure to inform your Veterinarian of this requirement could result in death. Also please DO NOT vaccinate for FELV (Feline Leukemia Virus) or FIP (Feline Infectious Peritonitus) as it has been reported these vaccines either have very bad side effects or may even predispose cats to contract the very diseases they are purported to prevent.
I was under the impression that part of the vaccination process was for FELV or are they just tested due to the potential risk? Also the sentence stating "killed Virus Only" what does that mean exactly?
Thanks,
Melissa
 
admin

admin

Paige
Staff member
I don't know abut the reasoning this breeder gave for not vaccinating for FIP or FeLV, but I think it has been said that there is little efficacy form these two - I don't give them and my vet didn't offer...

I also don't know about the statement about killed vaccines...many vets now use modified live, which provides a stronger immune response...

I think I will defer to the experienced breeders here...
 
P

Patrycja

Guest
I'm completely new to savannahs but with all the research I've done it seems that they are at a loss whether to use live or dead vaccines. Of course this is from Wikipedia ;) But I've read this in other articles as well.

"Some (but not all) Savannah breeders believe strongly that modified live vaccines should not be used on Savannahs, that only killed virus vaccines should be used. Others are the complete opposite, having had poor reactions to killed vaccines, and no vaccine reaction (lethargy, illness, etc.) to the modified live vaccines. This, also, has not been studied, and opinions vary widely from breeder to breeder."
 
Trish Allearz

Trish Allearz

Moderator
I think opinions do vary from breeder to breeder... I used MLV on my kittens and have had no issues, but one of my cats I am required- per contract- to use only killed. My vet doesn't carry killed and neither do I, so I had to special order it for that particular kitty.

I will say- I have had a tragic experience with a MLV before. I lost two kittens to a vaccine. BUT I didn't stop using MLV- I stopped using that brand of MLV.

As for FELV/FIP vaccines... Okay- the FIP vaccine is just useless. The purpose of a FIP vaccine would be to prevent a kitten from contracting the corona virus. Because we all know (right?) that FIP is not a disease- it is the coronavirus which mutates into FIP that is the disease we want to prevent. Unfortunately, the coronavirus is no more then the common cold in cats and kittens tend to be exposed to it well before any vaccines can be given. FORTUNATELY, most kittens exposed to the coronavirus develop the sniffles, a slight fever, and then rebound and go on to live long, healthy lives. So the FIP vaccine is useless.

The reason why breeders tend to refute the FELV vaccine is two-fold. First, the FELV vaccine has been shown to cause localized cancer at the injection site. This is why a lot of vets no longer vaccinate in the back of the neck in cats. The second reason is because a household cat should never be exposed to a FELV kitty and therefore, why vaccinate for FELV if there is no chance of a cat catching it? You cannot WALK FELV into the house.

Anyways, hope to shed some light on things!
 
K

Kronos

Guest
Honestly with my F5 I follow the advice my vet gives. I think the killed vs live pertains to mainly the early gen SVs. An F1 and F2...maybe even an F3 I would want treated the same way an exotic vet would treat a Serval.
 
Rylie

Rylie

Diorcats
From what I've read, a lot of the vaccination opposition is due to, as Trish said, injection site sarcoma.. or a huge cancerous lump that is very deadly. Most vets give injections in the leg now in the event of sarcoma they can amputate.

Modified live may rarely revert to a virulent form and induce disease- which is why killed are prefer by some. Killed vaccines are not as effective though.

Some of what I read said that vaccinations are given too frequently for this sarcoma risk and cats should be only vaccinated according to how prone they are to actually get the disease/virus or RISK level. The yearly vaccinations, some believe, are unnecessary except where required by law, due to greater risk of the sarcoma. Most *INDOOR* cats are never exposed to a lot of threats that we vaccinate for. The "vaccinate yearly" regime was originated by the vaccination companies in order to boost business- or so I've read.

Here is some different perspectives on vaccinating and sarcomas. Most recommend vaccinating only according to your cats RISK level.

http://www.fabcats.org/owners/vaccination/info.html
http://cats.about.com/cs/vaccination/a/vaccination.htm
 
Lori Greer

Lori Greer

Cahaba Cats
l
Rylie said:
From what I've read, a lot of the vaccination opposition is due to, as Trish said, injection site sarcoma.. or a huge cancerous lump that is very deadly. Most vets give injections in the leg now in the event of sarcoma they can amputate.

Modified live may rarely revert to a virulent form and induce disease- which is why killed are prefer by some. Killed vaccines are not as effective though.

Some of what I read said that vaccinations are given too frequently for this sarcoma risk and cats should be only vaccinated according to how prone they are to actually get the disease/virus or RISK level. The yearly vaccinations, some believe, are unnecessary except where required by law, due to greater risk of the sarcoma. Most *INDOOR* cats are never exposed to a lot of threats that we vaccinate for. The "vaccinate yearly" regime was originated by the vaccination companies in order to boost business- or so I've read.

Here is some different perspectives on vaccinating and sarcomas. Most recommend vaccinating only according to your cats RISK level.

http://www.fabcats.org/owners/vaccination/info.html
http://cats.about.com/cs/vaccination/a/vaccination.htm
Click to expand...

Only an old rabies formula and FeLV are associated with Injection Site Sarcomas although injection sites in general are always suspect to sarcomas even when given an medication. As for over vaccinating... hell yes. Titers will quickly and easily show what vaccinations your pets need or don't need but it is more costly so the standard protocals are generally followed by the majority of vets.
 
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