There are often a lot of questions and concerns surrounding vaccines. The real question is whether you should give vaccines to your pet or not. Some may wonder if vets are simply trying to get your money when vaccines are not even necessary.
To put it bluntly, the answer to the questions should you get your pet vaccinated and if vaccinations are necessary is a big YES. But why?
Because:
1. Vaccines increase the antibodies to fight against the disease that they are designed for.
2. Without being vaccinated, the result of infection could be fatal. Even if the treatment is successful, it could be very costly.
3. The smallpox vaccine that Ed Jenner invented in 18th century could very well be the one thing that saved the human race. Not to mention all the other vaccines developed along the way.
4. There is a report that there are numerous viruses and bacteria that we don't even know about yet. How do you think we will prevent the extinction of human race or your pets if one of them starts a disastrous disease in the future?
The bottom line is that the cost or side effects of those vaccines are so minute compared with the benefits. Yes, there is no perfect vaccine that does not cause any side effect and some of your pets will be affected with that. But can you justify the loss (worst case scenario) of your animal or many animals in your neighborhood infected from your pet because you chose not to update your pets' vaccines?
In 2017 there was an outbreak of the distemper virus in a San Bernardino county shelter that ended up killing more than 80 dogs. It could've been prevented had the dogs been vaccinated.
Click HERE to read about it.
Giving vaccines, these days, is more important than ever when there are so many people living in this world and when more than half of Americans have a pet(s) in their house. These factors make it more likely for pets to directly or indirectly contact each other and spread diseases.