Panleukopenia and Rabies Antibody Titers

[Venita]

I am thinking about moving my cats to getting a Panleukopenia (distemper) titer instead of the every-three-year vaccines. Same thing with a rabies titer (I understand they won't be vaccinated as required by law, but we can be rebels).

For those who have had the titers done, what lab did it and how much did it cost?

Thanks for the info. ~Venita

 

[Larry and Kitties]

Call your vet and ask them. Those tests are done by the major labs that vets use like Idexx and Antech. For example
http://www.antechdiagnostics.com/Main/T ... t-316.aspx
How much the lab charges the vet is usually standard by some vets can negotiate a lower price. The vet price is not publicly available. How much the vet charges is totally up to the vet. Their markup varies a lot.

 

[Karen & Angus(GA)]

Some states allow medical exemptions from the rabies vaccine. MD does and I think NJ does too. Your vet should know if a titer is sufficient.

 

[Venita]

Thanks Larry and Karen for the information.

Information I have learned elsewhere that may help others with this question.

A video on YouTube has an interview about veterinary vaccines with Dr. Ronald Schultz, the head of the patho-biological department at the University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L1Xd5ghnlJ4 His opinion is that the titer tests done at University veterinary labs are better than those done by commercial labs because of the superior technology used.

I spoke to one of the consulting/evaluating vets at the Diagnostic Center for Population and Animal Health at the University of Michigan vet school. I know this lab because I have had acromegaly/IAA tests run on several cats there. DCPAH runs the panleukopenia antibody titer test as item 80035, the Feline Panleukopenia HI.

The vet at DCPAH told me that the rabies antibody titers are run in Kansas. This is the place--Kansas State University Rabies Laboratory. Kansas State University runs three different rabies antibody titer tests. https://www.vet.k-state.edu/depts/dmp/service/DiagFeeSchedule/DiagFeeSchedule.aspx?Category=Rabies The export test is for when you need documentation to take an animal into another country. The endpoint test gives you an exact titer number. The screen test gives you a general idea of the titer level.