First and foremost, diseases we vaccinate against do exist! The question of to vaccinate or not has more to do with potential harm we inflict to our pets by over vaccinating.
It’s become a hot topic not only amongst dog owners but also within the Vet community. The old standard practice was annual vaccinations. This in many Vet’s opinion, has become a habit first in part as a result of fear of the devastating effects of disease and it also developed into an opportunity for an annual visit. This annual physical exam is an advantage and can reveal conditions that require treatment.
More is not better in the case of vaccinations!
In an article published in 1992 in Current Veterinary Therapy Xl, by Tom Phillips DVM and Ron Schultz, Ph.D., “ A practice that was started many years ago and that lacks scientific validity or verification is annual revaccination. Almost with no exception there is no immunologic requirement for annual revaccination. Immunity to viruses persists for years or for the life of the animal. Successful vaccination to most bacterial pathogens produces an immunologic memory that remains for years, allowing an animal to develop a protective anamnestic (secondary) response when exposed to virulent organisms .... Furthermore, revaccination with most viral vaccines fails to stimulate an anamnestic (secondary) response as a result interference by exisiting antibody....THE practice of annual vaccination in our opinion should be considered of questionable efficacy unless it used as a mechanism to provide an annual physical examination or is required by law (i.e. certain states require annual revaccination for rabies)”.
In a 1998 report, the American Association of Feline practitioner ( AAFP) and the Academy of Feline Medicine ( AFM) Advisory Panel on Feline Vaccines, recommended new guidelines for vaccination protocols, recommending vaccination to be done on cats every three years after kitten vaccines and their first year booster. Many Vets have adopted this protocol. These recommendations were based on a study published in 1997 in Feline Practice. Bases on vaccination at 8 and 12 weeks of age, positive antibody titres to feline Panleukia, feline herpes, feline Calici viruses lasted six, three and four years respectively. When the cats were challenges with the viruses there were a number who got ill but recovered uneventfully.
Now, looking back at vaccinations, they were thought of, as they could do no harm, benign procedures. It was arbitrarily decided some time ago that yearly vaccines would be done amongst the veterinary community and this habit which is self-reinforcing, caught on! There was never any proof that it needed to be done for all vaccines now available!
Many Veterinary Colleges in the U.S. and some Vets in Canada have decided to take a different approach. In fact there is a growing number of veterinarians who believe that this yearly vaccination may in fact be hurting your pet!
There are a number of well documented side effects to vaccinations. By far the most common being anaphylaxis, or acute life threatening systematic reaction to repeated vaccines, very much like a reaction to a bee sting. There is another issue of cancer developing at the injection site which is relatively rare unless your pet gets this condition. Immune Hemolytic anemia ( a condition where the immune system attacks and destroys the red blood cells) and a rise in antibodies against the thyroid gland are two very well documented vaccinations reactions. There are those other problems, which have been documented to a lesser extent; skin problems such as allergies, chronic upper respiratory disease, chronic cystitius (bladder inflammation), arthritis, seizure disorders and so on.
DO I VACCINATE?
Your pet’s optimum health needs to be maintained through good nutrition, good vitamin supplementation, the lifestyle needs exercise and activity, minimizing stress....sound familiar ? We are all aware this is true for us humans!
Is your dog parasite free? A stool sample. Although not the most glamorous act for you to do, elicits much information about parasites and I recommend that rather than attempting to give your dog some kind of poison out of suspicion.
You should know as much as you can about the diseases and the risks associated with them. Next you should know the potential risks of the vaccinating your pet. These decisions are made easier by seeking guidance in these areas. It’s not a task to consider without a Vet who is up to date on the current vaccination debate! Unfortunately, your every day Vet is perhaps not up to date check our web site for a list of trusted health professionals.
Most of these vets will recommend a vaccine for pups and kittens at 8 and 12 weeks of age and can deal with the risks involved. The diseases that are mostly likely in your area are the ones that they will recommend vaccinating against. With the newer vaccines available, all animals tested will respond to the vaccine and mount a successful immune response that will protect them at this stage. They strongly believe that an annual vaccinations is unnecessary and a danger to your pets health! Before you continue injecting foreign substances year after year which can cause harm rather than protection, find out if they need it. If they don’t why are you going to do it?
Titre Testing:
A titre is a measure of the level of antibody in the blood stream. In theory if there is a certain amount of measurable antibodies in the blood, then one can assume there is a “memory” that has developed in the immune system against the virus for which we had a vaccination against or it has come in contact with. It is recommended that this test be done at the first year vaccination time instead of blindly vaccinating. It is the individual dog it’s own immune system and environment your Vet will be considering. Many Vets and associations are offering this test which you can bring to your dog’s annual physical exam.
There are other choices for protection such as homeopathic nosodes that might confer some protection. The first not here is that few studies exist that have proven effective results. In some cases the incidence of Kennel Couch was in fact lower among dogs treated with homeopathy as opposed to dogs who had been vaccinated. The homeopathic nosodes are actually medicines made from diseased tissue. A number of people are opting to use these because of they realize the side effects that come with vaccines.
The great debate is still surrounded by much controversy yet as this debate goes on I am following the newer protocol recommendations and the safest and healthiest method to protect my furry friends.
A special thanks to:
The Hudson Place Veterinary Clinic for sharing these studies and information.
Everyone at Sunwood Veterinary Hospital for my many questions.
To the many caring Vets who are working to make our pets lives healthier.
http://www3.telus.net/akitaaction/index.htm
Akita Action Association / titer and thyroid clinic
Check with your Vet, they may offer a similar clinic or get one started in your community
From: Hudson Place Veterinary Clinic
Canine Vaccinations
Parvovirus
: this virus has affinity for the intestinal tract. The signs of infection are malaise, with vomiting and /or diarrhea. It is very stable in the environment and can be carried on clothing. It can also sit on the ground for long periods of time waiting for the dog to contact it. It is found in stool as well. It can also affect rapidly growing tissues such as bone and heart, in young dogs. The virus still seems to be very common and I have seen at least 3 thousand cases.
Distemper: this virus is spread though oronasal route and is very serious. It usually starts with flu like symptoms such as nasal and eye discharge. There can also be vomiting and diarrhea. The virus can also infect the central nervous system and may cause seizures and jerky movements in the dog. I have seen about a dozen cases in 12 years of practice.
Infectious Canine hepatitis: ( CAV1): this virus is very stable in the environment and as such can be carried on clothing and on the surface of other animals as well as parasites ( fleas ). The virus mainly affects the liver, kidney and eye. The virus can cause signs such as vomiting, diarrhea and fever. There can be bleeding as well. There may also be a hazing in the cornea. Depending on how the body (immune system) reacts to it, there can be guarded to a good prognosis. I have personally never seen a case in 12 years of veterinary practice.
Canine Adenovirus type 2: this virus causes upper respiratory signs such as coughing. It primarily causes laryngitis and tracheitis.
Parainfluenza: this virus also attacks the upper respiratory system of dogs and as such, causes coughing and honking sounds. It is spread by the oronasal route and can cause laryngitis and bronchitis.
Corona Virus: this is an intestinal virus that causes mild diarrhea. It is non-life threatening but is thought to potentially complicate the Parvovirus infection. Once a pet has been exposed to the virus it is thought that they develop lifelong immunity.
Leptosporosis: this bacterium is zoonotic (can be spread from animals to humans). The bacteria can enter the skin through abrasion and then can cause kidney disease as well as chronic active hepatitis. Once infected, the body can either fight off the bacteria or can go into a carrier state in which the bacteria can be shed through the urine (this depends on the individual immunity to the bacteria). There is current controversy as to the necessity of this bacteria to be included in the vaccines as the type of bacteria to cause this disease is different than the ones currently included in combination vaccinations.
Bordetella: this bacterium is thought to be primarily bacteria in Kennel Cough. There is synergy that occurs between Parainfluenza and Bordetella in Kennel Cough disease. The bacteria can take up to 14 weeks to be cleared from the lungs once it is establishes infection.
Lyme: this is a bacterium that is spread through the tick ( Ixodes pacificus and 1.dammini ). It usually takes the tick 48 hours to transmit the bacteria.2% of the ticks studied in the porivince carry the bacteria and of those only 10% will transmit (which means 500 ticks will have a high risk). The signs are fever, lethargy, acute onset of stiffness or pain with lameness and sometimes swelling of the joints. Mostly there are two or more joints involved and a common area is the wrist joint ( carpus ). The bacteria can also affect heart muscle and have been shown to casue neurological effects. The vaccine has been available for about the past ten years and has a higher incidence of vaccine associated stiffness. There are also anecdotal cases of postvaccinal meningitis.
Giardia: this is a vaccine for an intestinal parasites that causes cramping and diarrheas, and is non life-threatening. It can be picked up from stagnant water exposed to fecal matter.
