Table: Vaccination Recommendations for Exotic Mammals - Merck Veterinary Manual

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Vaccination Recommendations for Exotic Mammals

Vaccination Recommendations for Exotic Mammals

Causative Agent	Disease	Vaccine Type	Recommended Animal Groups	Recommended Protocol
Rabies virus	Rabies	Killed Recombinant canarypox	Licensed in cats, dogs, sheep, cattle, horses, and ferrets Core vaccine in areas where endemic in all exotic carnivores, Old World bats, primates (including prosimians, great apes), macropods, elephants, artiodactylids and perissodactylids	Varies based on taxon; licensed to start vaccination at 12 weeks of age with booster at 1 year then every 3 years or based on titer response
Canine distemper virus	Canine distemper	Recombinant c MLV^a	Core vaccine in multiple families in order Carnivora Canarypox recommended for the following: Panthera spp of Felidae, Procyonidae, Hyaenidae, Mustelidae (licensed canarypox vaccine in ferrets), and most Canidae (MLV used in Mexican grey wolves Canis lupis baileyi and red wolves C rufus)	Begin at 6–9 weeks, booster every 3 weeks for 3 doses then annually or based on titer response
Canine parvovirus	Canine parvovirus	Killed MLV	Core vaccine in Canidae: killed safest; MLV used in red wolves, grey wolves, and adult maned wolves (Chrysocyon brachyurus). Killed vaccine recommended if indicated through risk-based assessment in giant pandas (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) of Ursidae and Procyonidae, although MLV has been used in raccoons (Procyon lotor)	Begin at 6–9 weeks, booster every 3 weeks for 3 doses then annually or based on titer response
Feline parvovirus	Panleukopenia	Killed MLV	Core vaccine in all Felidae: recommend killed. Killed also recommended if indicated through risk-based assessment in Hyaenidae, Viverridae, Mustelidae, Procyonidae, giant pandas of Ursidae.	Begin at 6–9 weeks, booster every 3 weeks for 3 doses then annually or based on titer response
Clostridium tetani	Tetanus	Tetanus toxoid (included as part of multivalent clostridial vaccines)	Core vaccine in New and Old World monkeys, great apes, Equidae and Tapiridae, elephants Recommended vaccine in prosimians, macropods, artiodactylids, and rhinoceroses (often as part of multivalent clostridial vaccine)	Varies by taxa in foals, begin at 4–8 months, booster after 4–6 weeks and then annually (similar to recommendation for tapirs, rhinoceroses, and elephants). Macropod young are often not vaccinated until they are out of the pouch, with booster at 4 weeks then annual booster recommended. In artiodactylids as part of a multivalent clostridial vaccine, begin at 4–8 weeks, booster after 3–4 weeks and then annually as able. For primates with DTP/TDAP, recommend first dose at 2 months, with boosters every 2 months for 2 additional doses and then booster at 15 months.
Measles virus, mumps virus, rubella virus	Viral respiratory diseases of primates (measles, mumps, rubella/German measles)	MLV^d	Core vaccine in great apes; recommended in New and Old World monkeys	2-dose series starting at 12–15 months; second dose can be at 4 weeks after the first
Polio	Poliovirus	Killed (inactivated polio vaccine or IPV) MLV (oral polio vaccine or OPV) historically used in the face of epidemics and outside the US	Core vaccine in great apes	2-dose series starting at 12–15 months; second dose can be at 4 weeks after the first
Corynebacterium diphtheriae, Bordetella pertussis	Bacterial respiratory diseases of primates (diphtheria, pertussis)	Inactivated (part of TDAP, DPT; combined with tetanus toxoid)	Core vaccine in great apes	4-dose series starting at 2 months with boosters at 4 months and 6–18 months with final booster at 4–6 years
Feline herpesvirus 1, feline calicivirus	Feline upper respiratory viral diseases (rhinotracheitis, calicivirus)	Killed MLV	Core vaccine in all Felidae; killed safest; some suggest MLV booster in cheetahs^e	Begin at 6–9 weeks, booster every 3 weeks for 3 doses, then annually or based on titer response
Eastern equine encephalitis, western equine encephalitis, West Nile virus	Equine encephalitides	Killed (often combined in multivalent vaccines; often in combination with tetanus toxoid; some combination products also contain equine influenza virus)	Core vaccine in equids	Begin at 4–6 months of age with 4- to 6-week intervals between first and second dose, with third dose at 10–12 months of age; then booster annually
Canine adenovirus 1	Infectious canine hepatitis	MLV	Risk-based use in Canidae (use caution due to MLV components) and Ursidae	Begin at 6–9 weeks, booster every 3 weeks for 3 doses, then annually or based on titer response
Leptospira sp.	Leptospirosis	Inactivated	Risk-based depending on geography in black rhinoceroses (Diceros bicornis) and greater one-horned rhinoceroses (Rhinoceros unicornis), Camelidae, Suidae, and Tayassuidae; Canidae, primates	Generally recommend 2-dose primary schedule 4 weeks apart with annual boosters
Rotavirus, coronavirus	Bovine viral diarrhea (calf scours)	MLV	Risk-based for third trimester dams in artiodactylids (including Giraffidae) and/or in neonates	Dams: vaccinate in final trimester of pregnancy (parenterally) with 2 doses 3–6 weeks apart Neonates: oral vaccination at birth
^aMLV, modified live vaccine ^bSafety and titer-based efficacy studies on MLV use in tigers after initial dose or series of canarypox vaccine ^cManed wolves (C brachyurus) should be vaccinated with a killed vaccine product until protective titers (>80) are present, then boostered with an MLV vaccine to avoid vaccine-associated disease ^dCare must be used when using MLV measles in nonhuman primates because vaccine-induced disease has been reported; CDV vaccination has also been used in some species with evidence of cross-protection against measles. ^eSome institutions use MLV in cheetahs after an initial course with a killed product.