Telltale tails

Telltale tails

Sarah Carey

Tail vaccination IMG_2366

Administering vaccinations in the tip of a cat’s tail appears to be as effective as injecting vaccines at traditional sites, UF researchers have found. Current protocol suggests injections be given in the leg, because if a cancer develops near the injection site, the most effective treatment would be amputation of a limb. But in a study published online this month in the Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery, UF’s Julie Levy, D.V.M., and a national team of experts reported that tail vaccinations are just as effective and would make surgical treatment of any cancer occurring near the site much easier and less disfiguring for pets.