Vaccination protocols for companion animals: the veterinarian's perspective.

The ageing population of pet dogs and cats constitutes a group of animals that requires specific veterinary attention; particularly with respect to the prevention of infectious diseases. Although geriatric medicine for these species has received some recent attention; there has been little study of the vaccination requirements of such animals. A continuing challenge to the veterinary profession is the application of the principles of evidence-based medicine to the immune protection of companion animals. Recently, national and international vaccination guidelines have been developed to provide advice to the veterinary practitioner. There has been some reluctance to embrace these recommendations and an opinionated clientele has continued to delay acceptance of these recent insights. As has been the case in human medicine, antagonism and pessimism towards vaccination also occur in veterinary vaccinology, both for the young and the ageing animal.