Titer Testing in Animal Shelters: It Saves Lives! by Max Mazov 873 Using titer testing is a valuable investment for shelters to quickly identify, and manage the spread of infectious disease such as Parvovirus, Distemper and Panleukopenia. Prompt identification of these diseases simply helps save resources, time, and most importantly our pets lives. It is as simple as this. How can VacciCheck help? Titer testing is often underutilized in the field of shelter medicine due to cost. VacciCheck though, is an in-shelter titer test, that makes titer testing and disease surveillance easier, faster and more affordable, when compared to other alternatives. The Maddies Fund discusses in depth the use of titer testing in general, and VacciCheck in particular. What do the vaccination guidelines recommend? The latest WSAVA Vaccination Guidelines recommends titer testing, such as VacciCheck, for the following 2 reasons: If there is a disease outbreak within a shelter: all animals within the shelter should be titer tested for Distemper and Parvovirus (dogs/puppies) or Panleukopenia (cats/kittens). If protected, our pets should not become infected or possibly die. Simple and clear thinking. Protected pets can then be separated from non- or low-responding animals.If our pets test negative, it indicates that these animals are susceptible to the disease and should not be taken out of the shelter until after the incubation period for the infection. These animals should be vaccinated and then retested to confirm that they test positive after the incubation period mentioned above. For animals outside of a shelter needing to be admitted in the face of a disease outbreak in the shelter, if the pets test positive with VacciCheck, they may safely enter the shelter as they are protected from disease.If the pets test negative, these animals should be vaccinated and sent to foster homes until after they have developed protection for these diseases. They should not be allowed to enter any shelter until they are testing positive. The new AAHA Vaccination Guidelines describe how to use titer testing via their flow chart. As important as it is for us to care for our own pets, it is just as important to protect all animals in all shelters. Tags: animal shelter titer testing vaccicheck infectious disease Parvovirus Distemper Panleukopenia About Max Mazov
