AAHA updates guidelines on canine vaccination

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The American Animal Hospital Association has updated its 2006 guidelines on canine vaccination to reflect available vaccines and new information.

The 2011 AAHA Canine Vaccination Guidelines offer a comprehensive review of canine vaccines currently available in the United States and Canada, updated recommendations for core and noncore vaccines, and revised recommendations for vaccination of dogs in animal shelters.

The task force that developed the guidelines included experts in immunology, infectious diseases, internal medicine, law, and clinical practice.

"Having served on every AAHA Canine Vaccination Guidelines Task Force to date (2003, 2006, 2011), I am confident in saying that the 2011 guidelines are the most useful from the practitioner's perspective," said Dr. Link V. Welborn, chair of the 2011 task force.

New in this edition of the guidelines are a section addressing frequently asked questions, updated recommendations on serologic testing, expanded discussion of adverse events, a review of the legal implications of administering vaccines in clinical practice, and full consideration of U.S. and Canadian regulations relevant to canine vaccination.

The 2011 guidelines appeared in the September edition of the Journal of the American Animal Hospital Association and also are available at aahanet.org/Library/CanineVaccine.aspx.