No one ever said that cats herd well.
But in terms of epidemiology, herd health applies just as much to the dogs and cats of Wisconsin as to the cows.
A recent study from Ronald Schultz, a vaccinologist at UW-Madison, shows that not enough puppies and kittens are getting vaccinations to ensure herd immunity"" to certain serious and fairly common diseases. After looking at animals coming into shelters, Schultz found that 60 percent or more had no resistance to those diseases.
""This suggests they'd never seen a vet, because a vet would have vaccinated them,"" Schultz said. ""So we could extrapolate that they had no rabies vaccines either. If you want to reduce or eliminate a disease, you need a 50-percent vaccination rate in the population.""
The core vaccines for puppies cover the major diseases that threaten the population, including rabies, canine parvovirus, adenovirus and canine distemper.
""Parvovirus wipes out the bone marrow and affects the intestines, causing vomit, diarrhea and death,"" said Sandra Sawchuk, a veterinarian from the UW-Madison Veterinary School of Medicine. ""Adenovirus affects the liver, and distemper is neurologic; it causes seizuring and other neurological-type problems, as well as intestinal problems.""
Cats have a different batch of core vaccines, which cover panleukopenia, the feline version of distemper. They also receive vaccinations for calicivirus and rhinotracheitis - both respiratory diseases - and feline leukemia.
According to Sawchuk, core vaccines, aside from rabies, are usually given in a single, combination shot. The innoculant is a live, weaker form of the virus, referred to as ""modified live.""
""Modified live is like recovery from natural infection, and nothing can improve on that,"" Schultz said.
Evidence so far shows that a single dose of vaccine can convey lifetime immunity for a puppy or kitten - if it's given at the right time.
""Vaccines are efficient but have to be given at a time the dog's body is responsive,"" Sawchuk said.
Sawchuk explained that a puppy may not be responsive if he is sick or stressed at the time, or if he is still nursing. A mother dog's milk carries protective antibodies that can keep the puppy safe from disease. However, until he has been weaned long enough for those antibodies to leave his system, the puppy won't develop his own immunity to disease. He has passive resistance, but that tapers off sometimes before a vaccine can take hold.
For this reason, vets usually give a series of vaccinations at eight, 12 and 16 weeks of age. That way, the puppy is protected through a vulnerable period of his life.
""If you are a puppy under a year of age, not having a distemper vaccine is like having a death sentence,"" Schultz said. ""50 percent of puppies die.""
According to Schultz, parvovirus, which is characterized by severe vomiting and diarrhea, also strikes puppies harder than adult dogs, though the difference is not as dramatic as with distemper.
Parvovirus has its own dangers. The virus is hardy and can survive in the environment for up to a year. While it does not pose a risk to people as rabies does, people may end up carrying it from one dog to another. Parvovirus in the environment might not be entirely bad - dogs with constant low exposure tend to have better natural immunity - but it makes the disease a problem at places like the Dane County Humane Society.
""You have to be really responsible about not transmitting parvovirus,"" said Sarah Hinkes, the animal medical services supervisor at the Dane County Humane Society. ""We have a lot of protocols in place to keep it isolated.""
The Dane County Humane Society, like many animal shelters, vaccinates all the dogs and cats that come through, taking special care with younger animals. Hinkes said they measure the level of immunity in every puppy under six months, so the puppies can be protected until the vaccines kick in.
While the Humane Society has a veterinarian and several veterinary technicians to vaccinate their animals, most vaccinations do not technically require a veterinarian. Rabies vaccine can only be given by a licensed veterinarian, but the other vaccinations are available over the counter. However, that doesn't mean you should take vaccines into your own hands.
""I have issues with popping a vaccine into an animal without a physical,"" Sawchuk said. ""Though you can buy vaccines for five to six dollars a dose, you have to be careful about administering them. If the dog has an allergic reaction, it is in trouble unless the person has a bottle of epinephrine lying around their house and knows how to administer it.
""You're really getting the vet at the clinic,"" Sawchuk said. ""You are getting the physical evaluation and an assessment of the dog's needs.""
However, if a pet owner cannot afford regular veterinary care, pets can still receive important shots at vaccination clinics, offered in some local pet stores. Usually the stores advertise when they have a rabies or other vaccination clinic coming up.
What is most important, according to Schultz, is that a pet receive the vaccinations to give it lifetime protection.
""From a population immunity standpoint, the important thing is that vaccine,"" Dr. Schultz said. ""We're strongly encouraging people to get that one vaccine [the combination shot] if no other. They'll help their own puppy or kitten from getting sick, and they'll help other people protect their pets.
