Hi,

I took both my cats to the vets this morning for their booster injections. The female is 7 years old and the male about 12 years old, and both are in good health.

Previously they have both been vaccinated with Feligen RCP. This morning they were given Leucofeligen RCP. Previously when I discussed with the vet about giving the vaccine for feline leukemia I was told that my cats were at low risk (even though they both go outside) and not to worry about it. This morning I wasn't given the option whether I wanted to vaccinate against FeLV or not; it was just given.

My concerns from this morning's visit are that a test to see if the feline leukemia virus (FeLV) was present wasn't done beforehand, and the vaccine was given as a booster, i.e., I wasn't advised to come back in 3/4 weeks for a second injection.

My questions are, has this been a waste of my money getting a triple vaccine when there may or may not be any advantage gained, i.e., the FeLV may be present, and will the vaccine work when it is given in a single dose?

I have posted my message to get a second opinion on whether it is worth getting the triple injection, and depending on your reply will discuss this further with my vets if necessary.

Thanks for your time.

Tanya

Hi

That does need talking out with your vet and you should ask why the different vaccine was given. It may have been a genuine mistake and no harm has been done. If your cats are to gain protective immunity however, they should receive a second dose against the FeLv. That said, if your cats' lifestyle is not that adventurous you may consider the risk less significant and prefer not to do that. I do always encourage use of the FeLv vaccine for outdoor cats because here we have a high stray cat population that does carry FeLV in the town so I consider that outdoor cats are at risk of getting the disease, especially if they get scratched or bitten in a fight with an infected cat. I have to say I would only test for FeLv if a cat was ill, not at a routine vaccination including an upgrade to add FeLv protection.

Cathy Wickenden BVet Med MRCVS
Barton Lodge Veterinary Centre
1 Midland Road, Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, HP2 5BH
Tel: 01442 216048 24 hours
[www.bartonlodgevets.co.uk]