Core vaccines are a must for pets

Vaccines are an integral part of pet wellness programs. As such, your customers may look to you for information on disease prevalence, revised guidelines and recommendations, new vaccines and more.
While vaccines today are “cleaner,” with reduced risks to patients for adverse reactions, no medication is completely risk-free. Still, although vaccines are associated with relatively infrequent occurrences of allergic reactions, hives, certain cancers and, on rare occasions, anaphylactic reactions, veterinarians generally agree that their benefits far outweigh any risk. The consensus today is that vaccines need not be administered as frequently as was once believed. But, pets must never miss their core vaccines, according to experts.

Core vs. noncore vaccines
Puppies and kittens, like children, require a series of vaccines to boost their immunity. At six or seven weeks of age, their
maternal vaccines that were passed on to them begin to wane, and they are ready to begin a vaccination program. Depending on the vaccine, some are given during the first several months of life, while others are given at one year, three years or annually. The American Association of Feline Practitioners (AAFP) and the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) recommend a series of core vaccines (those considered absolutely necessary for all dogs and cats) and a secondary series of noncore vaccines (those given at the veterinarian’s discretion, often depending on the prevalence of a particular disease in a given location). So, for instance, Lyme disease generally is more prevalent in wooded regions rather than urban locations. As such, veterinarians may not recommend this vaccine for city dwellers, unless they are traveling to an area where it is indicated. Sales reps should keep their customers informed and encourage them to discuss each patient’s needs with its owner.

For cats, the AAFP recommends four core vaccines: panleukopenia (distemper), feline viral rhinotracheitis, feline calicivirus and rabies. Noncore vaccine recommendations include feline infectious peritonitis (FIP), ringworm, Chlamydia, bordetella and feline leukemia (FeLV). In some cases, feline leukemia vaccine has led to fibrosarcoma, a type of cancer that easily reoccurs, and repeated surgeries may result in amputation of the affected limb. The AAFP now recommends administering the vaccine in the left rear leg, as cats can remain mobile when they lose a back limb, but not a forelimb.

For dogs, AVMA recommends the following core vaccines: canine distemper, parvovirus, hepatitis and rabies. Noncore vaccine recommendations include measles, respiratory disease from canine adenovirus-2, parainfluenza, bordetella, leptospirosis, coronavirus and Lyme Disease. Two new noncore vaccines available today are canine influenza vaccine and rattlesnake vaccine, which helps minimize a reaction to a rattlesnake bite and buys the pet owner time to take his or her dog to the veterinarian for treatment. (See related vaccine guidelines.)

How to sell
In today’s economy, clients may shop around for the best vaccine prices, but, more often than not, they continue to stay current with their pets’ vaccines, according to experts. So, veterinarians must maintain strong client/patient relationships by keeping their clients informed. Sales reps can offer a value-added service by providing consumer education materials, which veterinarians can read and then pass along to clients.

When discussing the importance of certain vaccines with veterinarian customers, reps should focus on several points, including:

• Prevalence of disease, both locally and in highly traveled areas/vacation spots.
• Potential side effects (both short- and long-term) of different vaccines.
• Efficacy of different brands of vaccines.

It is also important for reps to provide third-party research and clinical studies to back up a vaccine’s value. In addition, they should offer to take stock of their customers’ vaccines supply and point out which ones are outdated or running low. And when old-school veterinarians raise concerns that updated vaccine schedules – which recommend that certain vaccines no longer be given every year – can result in a loss of revenue for their practice, reps should remind them of the importance of establishing lasting patient/client relationships. Knowing their patients in health as well as sickness is key to building client loyalty and a successful practice.