This season, many customers who received notices in the mail that their pet was due for annual vaccinations have asked my opinion on whether there was any harm in postponing the appointment until they could afford the visit, or return home to their preferred practitioner. While I will NOT practice veterinary medicine without a license, as someone who has researched the subject extensively, and then put that research into practice with my own animals I can give my personal opinion.
I do not vaccinate my own dogs for anything except rabies, after they have reached one year of age. I no longer vaccinate them for leptospirosis, "kennel cough" or corona virus. You have a right to make your own decisions and according to Dr.Bob Rodgers:
" It is misrepresentation, a deceptive trade practice, for a Veterinarian to recommend, charge for, or administer a vaccine, where there is no scientifically proven benefit to the patient, or that a reasonable client would not elect to purchase or have administered if given the information necessary to make an informed decision"
If your dog spends time on BLM land, or other snake prone areas, you should consider vaccinating for rattlesnake bite, and discuss the rare but potential serious side effects.with your veterinarian.
Vaccine protocols are changing. Ronald Schultz, the professor of pathobiological sciences at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Veterinary Medicine, has been studying the effectiveness of canine vaccines since the 1970’s where he has discovered that immunity can last as long as a dogs lifetime. This suggests that are our pets being over vaccinated, and many veterinarians are beginning to realize that this can actually jeopardize the animal’s health. Studies have shown that annual vaccines may even increase the risk for cancer, hypertrophic osteodystrophy and auto immune diseases including allergic reactions, anemia, arthritis, epilepsy, thyroid disease, liver failure, and diabetes. This condition is called vaccinosis. There was never actually any data to suggest that vaccines should be given yearly, according to world renowned vaccine research scientist Jean Dodds, DVM. Three adjuvants that are used to modify vaccines are Thimerosal, (a Mercury derivative) or Formaldehyde, (a known carcinogenic) and Aluminum, (carcinogenic).
Based on Schultz’s findings, vaccine experts have developed new veterinary recommendations. These guidelines were published in the March/April 2003 issue of Trends, the journal of the American Animal Hospital Association. Schultz advises a conservative compromise between traditional vaccination protocol, and vaccinating only once, as we do for humans. He says that core vaccines are essential but last about seven years and should be given no more than every three years. Rabies should be given every three years in compliance with most state laws. This change has the support of the AAHA, along with task force members representing the American Colleges of Veterinary Internal Medicine, Veterinary Microbiology, and the American Association of Veterinary Immunologists.
It has been scientifically proven that after the initial series has been given, if vaccines are re-administered, the immune status is not enhanced. Antibodies from the initial vaccine block the subsequent vaccines from having any effect. Some veterinarians are suggesting that you perform titer tests, to check the level of antibodies your pet has to the life threatening diseases. But these can be costly and there are issues surrounding the results.
Along with pet vaccine disclosure advocate, Kris L. Christine of Maine, Dr. Dodds has established The Rabies Challenge Fund to raise money to fund concurrent 5 and 7 year rabies vaccine challenge studies in the United States. In addition to the challenge studies, the fund will finance a study of the adjuvants used in veterinary rabies vaccines and establish a rabies vaccine adverse reaction reporting system. Some pet owners, like Christine, believe the adjuvants may cause more adverse reactions than the actual vaccine -- her own dog developed a malignant mast cell tumor at the site of a rabies shot. “Unlike human vaccines where all adjuvants are required to be the same, there is no such standardization in veterinary medicine,” she said. “Hopefully, this study can be completed before the five and seven years of the parallel challenge studies, to make vaccines safer for our precious canine companions.”
There is scientific data indicating that vaccinating dogs against rabies every three years is unnecessary. The Rabies Challenge Fund has been founded to improve the safety of rabies vaccines and to determine, by challenge, if they confer immunity for 5 or 7 years. According to Dr. Dodds, “giving them more often than truly needed is unwise, unnecessary, and can be unsafe.” She further states, “To date, most states require rabies vaccination every three years, but some states still require annual rabies revaccination, even though the USDA licenses these vaccines for three years”
Given all of the new information available, you should discuss your vaccination options with your own veterinarian. “Certainly, veterinarians are aware of the adverse reactions that can occur after rabies and other vaccinations in dogs and cats,” Dodds said. “The public is the body most motivated to address the issues here, because it is some of their beloved companions that have suffered by the existing regulations.”
If you believe that your dog has had an adverse reaction to a vaccine, call the Center for Veterinary Biologics – USDA Hotline at 1-800-752-6255.
Pet Vaccine Lawsuit
The Chicago law firm of Childress Duffy Goldblatt, Ltd. petvaccine@childresslaw.net 312-494-0200 (attorneys Roy R. Brandys and John Sawin) has posted an announcement on their website about the national pet vaccine class action lawsuit that their firm is undertaking at
http://www.childresslaw.net/CM/Custom/Custom52.asp
"arising from the misrepresentation of the need for vaccinations for your pets."
Anyone wishing to have a copy of either the 1992 French challenge study data from a research team led by Michel Aubert in which dogs were demonstrated to be immune to a rabies challenge 5 years after vaccination, or Vascellari's study which documented cancerous tumors in dogs at presumed injection sites of rabies vaccine, please e-mail Kris Christine LedgeSpring@lincoln.midcoast.com
Vaccine protocols are changing. Ronald Schultz, the professor of pathobiological sciences at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Veterinary Medicine, has been studying the effectiveness of canine vaccines since the 1970’s where he has discovered that immunity can last as long as a dogs lifetime. This suggests that are our pets being over vaccinated, and many veterinarians are beginning to realize that this can actually jeopardize the animal’s health. Studies have shown that annual vaccines may even increase the risk for cancer, hypertrophic osteodystrophy and auto immune diseases including allergic reactions, anemia, arthritis, epilepsy, thyroid disease, liver failure, and diabetes. This condition is called vaccinosis. There was never actually any data to suggest that vaccines should be given yearly, according to world renowned vaccine research scientist Jean Dodds, DVM. Three adjuvants that are used to modify vaccines are Thimerosal, (a Mercury derivative) or Formaldehyde, (a known carcinogenic) and Aluminum, (carcinogenic).
Based on Schultz’s findings, vaccine experts have developed new veterinary recommendations. These guidelines were published in the March/April 2003 issue of Trends, the journal of the American Animal Hospital Association. Schultz advises a conservative compromise between traditional vaccination protocol, and vaccinating only once, as we do for humans. He says that core vaccines are essential but last about seven years and should be given no more than every three years. Rabies should be given every three years in compliance with most state laws. This change has the support of the AAHA, along with task force members representing the American Colleges of Veterinary Internal Medicine, Veterinary Microbiology, and the American Association of Veterinary Immunologists.
It has been scientifically proven that after the initial series has been given, if vaccines are re-administered, the immune status is not enhanced. Antibodies from the initial vaccine block the subsequent vaccines from having any effect. Some veterinarians are suggesting that you perform titer tests, to check the level of antibodies your pet has to the life threatening diseases. But these can be costly and there are issues surrounding the results.
Along with pet vaccine disclosure advocate, Kris L. Christine of Maine, Dr. Dodds has established The Rabies Challenge Fund to raise money to fund concurrent 5 and 7 year rabies vaccine challenge studies in the United States. In addition to the challenge studies, the fund will finance a study of the adjuvants used in veterinary rabies vaccines and establish a rabies vaccine adverse reaction reporting system. Some pet owners, like Christine, believe the adjuvants may cause more adverse reactions than the actual vaccine -- her own dog developed a malignant mast cell tumor at the site of a rabies shot. “Unlike human vaccines where all adjuvants are required to be the same, there is no such standardization in veterinary medicine,” she said. “Hopefully, this study can be completed before the five and seven years of the parallel challenge studies, to make vaccines safer for our precious canine companions.”
There is scientific data indicating that vaccinating dogs against rabies every three years is unnecessary. The Rabies Challenge Fund has been founded to improve the safety of rabies vaccines and to determine, by challenge, if they confer immunity for 5 or 7 years. According to Dr. Dodds, “giving them more often than truly needed is unwise, unnecessary, and can be unsafe.” She further states, “To date, most states require rabies vaccination every three years, but some states still require annual rabies revaccination, even though the USDA licenses these vaccines for three years”
Given all of the new information available, you should discuss your vaccination options with your own veterinarian. “Certainly, veterinarians are aware of the adverse reactions that can occur after rabies and other vaccinations in dogs and cats,” Dodds said. “The public is the body most motivated to address the issues here, because it is some of their beloved companions that have suffered by the existing regulations.”
If you believe that your dog has had an adverse reaction to a vaccine, call the Center for Veterinary Biologics – USDA Hotline at 1-800-752-6255.
Pet Vaccine Lawsuit
The Chicago law firm of Childress Duffy Goldblatt, Ltd. petvaccine@childresslaw.net 312-494-0200 (attorneys Roy R. Brandys and John Sawin) has posted an announcement on their website about the national pet vaccine class action lawsuit that their firm is undertaking at
http://www.childresslaw.net/CM/Custom/Custom52.asp
"arising from the misrepresentation of the need for vaccinations for your pets."
Anyone wishing to have a copy of either the 1992 French challenge study data from a research team led by Michel Aubert in which dogs were demonstrated to be immune to a rabies challenge 5 years after vaccination, or Vascellari's study which documented cancerous tumors in dogs at presumed injection sites of rabies vaccine, please e-mail Kris Christine LedgeSpring@lincoln.midcoast.com
For further research on this subject:
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