Today's Vaccine Controversy
I've owned many dogs in my adult life, always having four or five at a time. And every year we trudged off to the vet for our annual round of vaccinations. I always thought I was being a good, responsible dog owner, but with the brewing controversy over the over-vaccination of our companion animals, I now wonder if I was taking good care of them or causing them needless possible damage.
I have vaccinated against almost everything offered by my veterinary hospital, except the rattlesnake vaccine they were trying to push a few years ago. It's not that we don't have the occasional rattlesnake around here, it's just that with Dale's military background, we have ten acres of meticulously mowed property ready for inspection at any time. I don't like snakes, I don't go in high grass or anyplace else I think a snake might be, and my dogs won't go far enough away from me to find them on their own. I decided that passing on the rattlesnake vaccine was a risk I could take.
Dog owners are now faced with the same dilemma facing new parents who have to balance the long held belief in childhood immunizations with the current suspected association in a variety of problems with the childhood vaccines.
Vaccinosis is the common name for chronic diseases caused by vaccines. These suspected vaccine induced illnesses range from muscle pain, joint inflamation to auto-immune diseases, chronic allergies, seizures, adrenal failure, behavioral changes including aggression and seperation anxiety and fibro sarcomas at the injection site. That's a lot of blame!
Rabies vaccination is required by law in nearly all areas. Even though protection from rabies is documented to last at least three years, current law in some states or cities still require an annual or biannual rabies shot. According to the CDC domestic animals account for less than 10% of the reported rabies cases, with cats, cattle and dogs most often reported as rabid in the domestic animals.
Emerging scientific data now indicates that vaccinating dogs against rabies even every three years, is unnecessary. Dr Jean Dodds, noted holistic veterinarian, specializing in hematology and immunology, is one of the pioneers in vaccine studies the the United States. Studies have shown the duration of protective immunity as measured by serum antibody titers against rabies virus to persist for seven years post-vaccination. A titer is a measurement of how much antibody to a certain virus (or other antigen) is circulating in the blood at any given time. Titers are expressed in a ratio, which is how may times the technician can dilute the blood until they couldn't find antibodies. Lets say the technician could dilute two times only and they they didn't find anymore, that would be a titer of 1:2. If they could dilute it a thousand times before they couldn't find any antibody, then that would be a titer of 1:1000.
In other words your dog is being vaccinated for rabies in some cases every year, when in fact the antibodies from one rabies shot can last from five to seven years. Than is a lot of over-immunization. I've found out that state requirements for Mississippi is rabies vacination every 3 years. My vet, as most do, uses a 3 year vaccine. The city requires an annual vaccine, but I live in the county outside of city limits. My vet has lobbied unsuccessfully with the city to change the city requirements to match the current state requirements.
Dr Dodds has started a program called The Rabies Challenge Fund to allow continued research and lobby against required mandatory annual vaccinations.
Well, since rabies vaccine isn't the only thing your dog is getting every year, what about the traditional 5 in 1 vaccine given by most vets today? It protects against Canine Distemper, Hepatitis, Leptospirosis, Parainfluenza and Parvo Virus. Additionally, Bordatella (Kennel Cough), Carona virus (similar to Parvo but generally only detrementally affecting puppies), Lyme disease, Giadia (a parasitic disease) are all additional vaccines that you might be offered at your annual veterinary visit.
Both the holistic and traditional veterinarians agree that the puppy vaccines are necessary. The disagreement comes in the scheduling of these vaccines and in the annual booster given. The holistic veterinary approach is that the 5 in 1 shot is an over bombardment of an immature immune system that can compromise the development of the puppy and lead to chronic problems mentioned earlier. The traditional veterinary approach is....well, traditional. We have the vaccines available so lets use them and better to get it done all at one time.
In her "New Principles of Innunology", Dr Dodds, states, "Dogs and cats immune systems mature fully at 6 months. If a modified live virus (MLV) vaccine is given after 6 months of age, it produces an immunity which is good for the life of the pet (ie, canine distemper, parvo, feline distemper). If another MLV vaccine is given a year later, the antibodies from the first vaccine neutralize the antigens of the second vaccine and there is little or no effect. The titer is not "boosted", nor are more memory cells induced". Not only are annual boosters for parvo and distemper unnecessary, they subject the pet to potential risks of allergic reaction and immune mediated hemolytic anemia.
"There is no scientific documentation to back up label claims for annual administration of MLV vaccines." Puppies receive antibodies through their mothers milk, This natural protection can last 8 to 14 weeks. Puppies and kittens should NOT be vaccinated at LESS than 8 weeks. Maternal immunity will neutralize the vaccine and little protection will be provided. Vaccination at 6 weeks will, however, delay the timing of the first highly effective vaccine. Vaccinations given 2 weeks apart suppress the immune system. A series of vaccinations is given starting at 8 weeks and given 3-4 weeks apart up to 16 weeks of age. Another vaccination given sometime after 6 month of age (usually at 1 year and 4 months) will provide lifetime immunity.
So now armed with all of this information, what did I do? I can tell you that Zilya came to me already having received a set of 5 in 1 shots. I didn't do any more. Instead of got single system vaccines (Parvo and Distemper) and staggered them by two weeks (IE he got Parvo, then 2 weeks later Distemper, then 2 weeks later Parvo-fitting in the required 3-4 week interval, yet not so much vaccine at once) for the required amount of time until he was 4 months old. He was not given his rabies vaccine until he was 6 months old. Every year we go to the vet for our checkup and I run titers for Distemper and Parvo. He will be 5 years old next month and we have never had to revaccinate for either of those....he still has enough antibodies in his blood stream to protect him from exposure. That is the only vaccine he has had except for the 3 year Rabies shot. He is healthy, with no allergy problems, nor any other problems. I think that Dr. Dodds program warrants consideration and her recommendations are in the below document.
3/28/13.
I also have a link to an interesting article on puppy vaccinations. http://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/3-puppy-vaccination-mistakes-too-early-too-often-too-much/
I have vaccinated against almost everything offered by my veterinary hospital, except the rattlesnake vaccine they were trying to push a few years ago. It's not that we don't have the occasional rattlesnake around here, it's just that with Dale's military background, we have ten acres of meticulously mowed property ready for inspection at any time. I don't like snakes, I don't go in high grass or anyplace else I think a snake might be, and my dogs won't go far enough away from me to find them on their own. I decided that passing on the rattlesnake vaccine was a risk I could take.
Dog owners are now faced with the same dilemma facing new parents who have to balance the long held belief in childhood immunizations with the current suspected association in a variety of problems with the childhood vaccines.
Vaccinosis is the common name for chronic diseases caused by vaccines. These suspected vaccine induced illnesses range from muscle pain, joint inflamation to auto-immune diseases, chronic allergies, seizures, adrenal failure, behavioral changes including aggression and seperation anxiety and fibro sarcomas at the injection site. That's a lot of blame!
Rabies vaccination is required by law in nearly all areas. Even though protection from rabies is documented to last at least three years, current law in some states or cities still require an annual or biannual rabies shot. According to the CDC domestic animals account for less than 10% of the reported rabies cases, with cats, cattle and dogs most often reported as rabid in the domestic animals.
Emerging scientific data now indicates that vaccinating dogs against rabies even every three years, is unnecessary. Dr Jean Dodds, noted holistic veterinarian, specializing in hematology and immunology, is one of the pioneers in vaccine studies the the United States. Studies have shown the duration of protective immunity as measured by serum antibody titers against rabies virus to persist for seven years post-vaccination. A titer is a measurement of how much antibody to a certain virus (or other antigen) is circulating in the blood at any given time. Titers are expressed in a ratio, which is how may times the technician can dilute the blood until they couldn't find antibodies. Lets say the technician could dilute two times only and they they didn't find anymore, that would be a titer of 1:2. If they could dilute it a thousand times before they couldn't find any antibody, then that would be a titer of 1:1000.
In other words your dog is being vaccinated for rabies in some cases every year, when in fact the antibodies from one rabies shot can last from five to seven years. Than is a lot of over-immunization. I've found out that state requirements for Mississippi is rabies vacination every 3 years. My vet, as most do, uses a 3 year vaccine. The city requires an annual vaccine, but I live in the county outside of city limits. My vet has lobbied unsuccessfully with the city to change the city requirements to match the current state requirements.
Dr Dodds has started a program called The Rabies Challenge Fund to allow continued research and lobby against required mandatory annual vaccinations.
Well, since rabies vaccine isn't the only thing your dog is getting every year, what about the traditional 5 in 1 vaccine given by most vets today? It protects against Canine Distemper, Hepatitis, Leptospirosis, Parainfluenza and Parvo Virus. Additionally, Bordatella (Kennel Cough), Carona virus (similar to Parvo but generally only detrementally affecting puppies), Lyme disease, Giadia (a parasitic disease) are all additional vaccines that you might be offered at your annual veterinary visit.
Both the holistic and traditional veterinarians agree that the puppy vaccines are necessary. The disagreement comes in the scheduling of these vaccines and in the annual booster given. The holistic veterinary approach is that the 5 in 1 shot is an over bombardment of an immature immune system that can compromise the development of the puppy and lead to chronic problems mentioned earlier. The traditional veterinary approach is....well, traditional. We have the vaccines available so lets use them and better to get it done all at one time.
In her "New Principles of Innunology", Dr Dodds, states, "Dogs and cats immune systems mature fully at 6 months. If a modified live virus (MLV) vaccine is given after 6 months of age, it produces an immunity which is good for the life of the pet (ie, canine distemper, parvo, feline distemper). If another MLV vaccine is given a year later, the antibodies from the first vaccine neutralize the antigens of the second vaccine and there is little or no effect. The titer is not "boosted", nor are more memory cells induced". Not only are annual boosters for parvo and distemper unnecessary, they subject the pet to potential risks of allergic reaction and immune mediated hemolytic anemia.
"There is no scientific documentation to back up label claims for annual administration of MLV vaccines." Puppies receive antibodies through their mothers milk, This natural protection can last 8 to 14 weeks. Puppies and kittens should NOT be vaccinated at LESS than 8 weeks. Maternal immunity will neutralize the vaccine and little protection will be provided. Vaccination at 6 weeks will, however, delay the timing of the first highly effective vaccine. Vaccinations given 2 weeks apart suppress the immune system. A series of vaccinations is given starting at 8 weeks and given 3-4 weeks apart up to 16 weeks of age. Another vaccination given sometime after 6 month of age (usually at 1 year and 4 months) will provide lifetime immunity.
So now armed with all of this information, what did I do? I can tell you that Zilya came to me already having received a set of 5 in 1 shots. I didn't do any more. Instead of got single system vaccines (Parvo and Distemper) and staggered them by two weeks (IE he got Parvo, then 2 weeks later Distemper, then 2 weeks later Parvo-fitting in the required 3-4 week interval, yet not so much vaccine at once) for the required amount of time until he was 4 months old. He was not given his rabies vaccine until he was 6 months old. Every year we go to the vet for our checkup and I run titers for Distemper and Parvo. He will be 5 years old next month and we have never had to revaccinate for either of those....he still has enough antibodies in his blood stream to protect him from exposure. That is the only vaccine he has had except for the 3 year Rabies shot. He is healthy, with no allergy problems, nor any other problems. I think that Dr. Dodds program warrants consideration and her recommendations are in the below document.
3/28/13.
I also have a link to an interesting article on puppy vaccinations. http://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/3-puppy-vaccination-mistakes-too-early-too-often-too-much/