Why is it important to get my kitten vaccinated by a veterinarian?

The most truthful answer is people that don't handle vaccines for a living don't always know how you're supposed to handle a vaccine. The biggest example of this are feed stores—that's what we run into here. They deal with feed, with all due respect. They have a very important role, but their job is not to vaccinate animals. So when they get a shipment in, they don't know to look to see if that thing was stored below X degrees. The vaccines have to be refrigerated. They have to be stored under refrigeration without fail. Sometimes those things are not there when the vaccines are not from a veterinarian. On the veterinary side, we are ordering from veterinary specific vendors that ship and package them properly. They arrive refrigerated and at the proper temperature, we immediately know how to handle those things. And if ever there's a situation where that shipping process was not satisfactory, we send it back and we get the right shipment to us. So there's no way to get around that. I would never imply that the vaccines from a feed store are ineffective. It's just, I personally want the reassurance and peace of mind to know that they were handled by animal healthcare professionals.

We do an exam when we're vaccinating your cat to ensure that your cat looks healthy enough to receive vaccines. If the kitten is not healthy, we don't want to make them feel worse by giving them a vaccine. As veterinarians, we're a bit more in tune with making sure that they're healthy enough to receive the vaccines. But then we also do other things, like making sure that they don't have any intestinal parasites or diseases that could be transmitted from cat to cat. And that's going to be a critical factor. Lastly, a vaccine like rabies can only be administered by a licensed veterinarian.

When we vaccinate your kitten, we are doing a complete physical exam. We're making sure to the best of our ability that that kitten is healthy. And again, vaccines ... we're asking the body to respond to that. And so if you vaccinate a kitten that is not well or that is sick, then their immune system is fighting off that sickness. And so when you give a vaccine, it can't mount a proper immune response. We're checking the kitten’s temperature. We are doing a full physical exam to ensure that they're healthy enough to take that vaccine.

It's important for a couple of reasons: the quality of vaccines makes a huge difference. I'm not going to point fingers at any of these places where they might be selling vaccines, but I always wonder about the quality of the vaccine manufactured in the first place and the reaction rate to vaccines. Second, how are those vaccines handled? They had to be refrigerated continuously. If they have not been properly handled and refrigerated, say it's a hot summer afternoon, and a truck backs up with some pallets on the back loading dock of a big box store with cat dog vaccines, and it sits out there for a few hours, it's probably not the best thing for you or for your cat or your dog for that matter. The other consideration, I can't tell you how many times I've had clients who tried to give their dogs or cats vaccines, and they shot all the way through because they don't really know or are not comfortable giving a vaccine under the skin. They go all the way through the skin and squirt the entire contents out on the other side of the pet. They just wasted a vaccine unnecessarily. The two big concerns I have are the quality of the vaccines they're going to purchase and also the actual administration of it. In North Carolina, and I can't speak for other states, only veterinarians can purchase rabies vaccines, and only veterinarians, veterinary technicians, and registered individuals by law can legally administer a rabies vaccine.

There are different types of vaccines. Not all vaccines are created equal, so if you go to a low-cost or if you get your vaccines from a tractor supply, we can't guarantee that the vaccines are, number one, stored appropriately. If the vaccine sits out for any longer than about 10 to 15 minutes, the vaccine doesn't always have as much of a response because the particles can start to die, so you won't get an immune response at all. Low-cost vaccines do have their place, but your vaccines given by a veterinarian, even though they might be at a slightly higher price point, you are assured that they've been stored appropriately and they're given appropriately. Because when you give your cat vaccines at home, you really want to make sure you're giving it at an appropriate time, place, and position on the body, and you don't want to harm your kitten. So while there is a place for that, I am not a huge fan because we can see kittens that are not given appropriate vaccines, or if they're given a vaccine that hasn't been stored properly, and they may not have any protection at all.

Getting your kitten vaccinated by a veterinarian is vital because vaccines are a medical procedure. Veterinarians and their support teams are trained to properly administer vaccines and ensure proper storage. Improper storage or transportation of vaccines can result in inactivation, potentially leaving your pet unprotected. If you have any questions about your cat's vaccines or the vaccination protocol for kittens, reach out to your veterinarian or call a local pet hospital.

Vaccines from other sources may not be as effective in stimulating the proper immunologic response that vaccines from a veterinary clinic would provide. Ensuring your kitten receives the appropriate vaccine to create a strong immunologic response is crucial for their protection against various diseases.