Vaccination provides critical welfare protection for companion animals but evidence-based schedules are increasingly recognised as different from traditional annual vaccination protocols.
Vaccination welfare involves balancing protection from potentially fatal infectious disease against the risks of over-vaccination. Adverse reactions range from mild injection site soreness to rare immune-mediated disease. Evidence-based schedules protect welfare by ensuring animals receive necessary protection without unnecessary intervention. Annual vaccination for core diseases, once standard practice, is no longer recommended by leading veterinary bodies because protection lasts longer. This evolution in guidelines requires veterinarians to discuss individual lifestyle risk and consider titre testing rather than automatic annual boosters. The welfare-positive approach maximises protection from disease while minimising unnecessary needle procedures and immune stimulation.