The American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) and the American Association of Feline Practitioners (AAFP) released the 2020 AAHA/AAFP Feline Vaccination Guidelines to the veterinary community, which are published in the Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery.
The AAHA and AAFP convened a panel of experts to update the 2013 AAFP Feline Vaccination Advisory Panel Report. The release provides updated recommendations and the most current information for feline vaccinations.
The Task Force approached the update with evidence-based recommendations and peer-reviewed literature on feline vaccinations. “Working together with these two organizations affords our veterinary community exposure to the wisdom of colleagues who are dedicated to increasing the standard of care for cats,” said Amy ES Stone, DVM, PhD, Chair of the 2020 AAHA/AAFP Feline Vaccination Guidelines Task Force.
These updated Guidelines stress the need for an expanded understanding by veterinary professionals of individualized feline risk factors to determine a proper preventive healthcare plan. Practitioners are encouraged to gain better insight into feline patients’ risk factors, which may include life stage, environment, and lifestyle.
The Task Force included Amy ES Stone, DVM, PhD (Chair); Gary O Brummet, DVM; Ellen M Carozza, LTV; Phillip H Kass, DVM, MPVM, MS, PhD, DACVPM (Specialty in Epidemiology); Ernest P Petersen, DVM, PhD, DABVP (Feline); Jane Sykes, BVSc (Hons), PhD, DACVIM, MBA; and Mark Westman, BVSs (Hons), PhD, MANZCVS (Animal Welfare), GradCert Ed Stud (Higher Ed).
This Practice Guideline updates and replaces: 2013 AAFP Feline Vaccination Advisory Panel Report; 2006 Feline Vaccine Guidelines; 2006 Vaccine Guidelines Summary