Annual boosters

[Mollycat]

Yes I'm not sure how much early though.

But depending on the specific ones you have you can also go 13 or 15 months.

Only your vet can tell you but it should be a free phone call not a consultation.

Funny isn't it, we were always told we could not be late or we would have to start again, and suddenly there's a pandemic and vets are doing the minimum and oh actually 15 months is absolutely fine.

[Ruth B]

No harm in asking, and if you explain that she does get stressed during the visit any good vet would do it early if it was safe to.

Quite a few years ago my parents asked their vet about the annual boosters and giving them late and he admitted that the vaccines were really good for at least 18 months, but the manufacturers wouldn't guarantee them that long which was why they had to be done at 12 months. I guess I wasn't surprised when this year 15 months suddenly became the norm.

[Mollycat]

Is 15 months the norm now? I haven't had a cat regularly vaccinated since 2002. Molly had her initial course of two after missing one booster appointment because she wouldn't be caught and then I thought why am I even doing this she's indoors!

[fjm]

I have to admit to stopping annual boosters when the cats stopped going into boarding. By then they were 0ver 8, and my feeling was they probably had lifetime immunity to all the serious things. My vet murmured about one vaccination - can't remember which - but accepted the decision. We live in the country, neighbouring cats are all owned and well cared for, so it is not as if they risked immersion in a pool of infection.

The dogs are on a three yearly cycle, in accordance with the latest internationally accepted veterinary protocol.

I think a large part of annual boosters is ensuring animals get a regular vet check - I do the check without the jab.