Vaccines May Be The Single Biggest Contributor to the Decline of Our Pet’s Health
The British Small Animal Veterinary Association, BSAVA, recently tweeted this:
The BSAVA then suggests this in their article:
Really?
I don’t think so. In fact their statement is somewhat misleading, and further entrenches those who are in the ‘no vaccine’ camp.
Clearly vaccines have helped thousands of animals. Rabies for instance is fully preventable with vaccines.
I, in fact suggest that your dog or cat be vaccinated for rabies if they are at risk of contracting the disease.
But there is now some pretty powerful research suggesting that the rabies vaccine may give lifetime protection to your dog or cat (minimal 7 years), and should not be given yearly.
Overvaccination has been linked to a variety of adverse effects:
Research has demonstrated that overvaccination can cause harmful adverse effects in dogs. Immunologically, the rabies vaccine is the most potent of the veterinary vaccines and associated with significant adverse reactions such as polyneuropathy resulting in muscular atrophy, inhibition or interruption of neuronal control of tissue and organ function, incoordination, and weakness, auto-immune hemolytic anemia, autoimmune diseases affecting the thyroid, joints, blood, eyes, skin, kidney, liver, bowel and central nervous system; anaphylactic shock; aggression; seizures; epilepsy; and fibrosarcomas at injection sites are all linked to the rabies vaccine. It is medically unsound for this vaccine to be given more often than is necessary to maintain immunity, yet scientific research strongly indicates that the 3 year booster interval required by state laws may be unnecessary. ( Source: Rabies Challenge Fund, http://www.rabieschallengefund.org/about-the-rcf/about-the-rabies-challenge-fund)
Rabies is not the only vaccine linked to serious disease.
There are the ‘regular’ canine and feline shots that have been used for years by veterinarians as a method of getting you back in to their veterinary practice.
These can include: distemper, parvovirus, parainfluenza, adenovirus, leptospirosis, bordetella, lyme disease, coronavirus in dogs, and feline viral rhinotracheitis, calicivirus, panleukopenia, feline leukemia virus, FIP, and FIV in cats.
But, they have also caused thousands of adverse effects.
This is what Dr Ronald Schultz, School of Veterinary Medicine of the University of Wisconsin has to say:
Once a year, Ronald Schultz checks the antibody levels in his dogs’ blood. Why? He says for proof that most annual vaccines are unnecessary.
Today, many vaccinated dogs receive a shot for Lyme disease.
However, Schultz says that the ticks carrying the Lyme disease pathogen can be found in only a few regions of the United States.
More importantly, Schultz adds, “The vaccine can cause adverse effects such as mild arthritis, allergy or other immune diseases. Like all vaccines, it should only be used when the animal is at significant risk.” He notes that the Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital at the UW-Madison School of Veterinary Medicine rarely administers the Lyme disease vaccine.
(Source: Ron Schultz DVM, http://www.news.wisc.edu/8413)
Many of the common, chronic dog and cat diseases such as allergies, arthritis, cancer, feline urinary tract disease, ear infections, kidney disease, cognitive dysfunction have been linked to the bodies inappropriate response to proteins, known as antigens.
Vaccines work because they stimulate to the immune system to respond as if a disease were threatening your pet. But when they are given repeatedly, it is fairly easy to see how they can then lead the immune system to respond adversely, attacking organs ( as in hypothyroid disease), or causing your pet’s body to over-respond to a benign threat (as in allergies).
So what should you do?
Well clearly it’s a very personal decision, based on your research, communication with your veterinarian, and the likelihood that your dog or cat will get a particular infectious disease in your area.
Personally I am no longer vaccinating my own dogs or cats- they are all middle aged, all had vaccines as puppies and kittens, and they are no longer at risk of infectious disease.
Now the risks to vaccinating my pets outweigh the rewards.
I advise a very limited vaccine protocol, giving a small number of core vaccines, only to puppies and kittens.
My suggestions to those pro-vaccine veterinary associations:
How about some basic acknowledgement- it goes a long way with your spouse, and will help your cause.
If you present both sides you just might engage the ‘questioning vaccine camp’, and have those who are shying away from the veterinarian’s office willing to listen to you.
Andrew Jones, DVM
P.S. In my upcoming webinar on Dog Health and Nutrition I am discussing my Advised Dog Vaccine regimen. What to vaccinate with, what to avoid, and when to STOP.
You can get on my Free Webinar here:
I agree completely with the limited vaccine regime. I have a kennel and do not require vaccines for the dogs. I leave that up to the discretion of the owner. Once my dogs are 7 years of age I do not do any other vaccinations other than rabies and only do it because the state requires it. I’ve never vaccinated for Bordetella or lepto.
I agree with why should animals be vaccinated every year when we as children only need jabs then. The problem with this is though, if you want to put your animals in boarding kennels to go on holiday here in England, they wont be accepted without up to date vaccines. Which is a right pain in the backside!
Great article on vaccines Dr. Jones. I couldn’t agree with you more. My midsized dog had enjoyed amazing health up to 11 years old when a new vet suggested that she had vaccines again. She had had none since she was a puppy. He gave her the gammut plus Rabies(which we had no need of) Soon after she developed Cushings Disease and terrible mites. It was downhill from there. I have since learned more about holistic animal health and love that you support that. My cat recently developed Hyperthyroid. She would yowl at night for food and early morning. She was losing fur and weight.(I assumed this was her problem) I bought her Thyroid Support Gold from Pet Wellbeing and overnight she stopped her yowling, her appetite normalized and she has stopped pulling out all of her fur. She is 17 years old. It has the Bugel weed in it among other things. Do you sell something similar? Just wanted to share that good news!
Keep up the great sharing. Thank you!
I live in Serbia, where annual vaccination is required by the law. I am a very lucky one to have a veterinarian who understands the risk of vaccination. To avoid such frequent vaccination I buy the vaccine from him, but never give it to my dog. He puts the marks in my dogs passport and we are done. Maybe this does not looks all right, but my dogs health is more important then the law. She is five years old and was never sick. Of course we use Dr. Jones supplement.
I disagree with vaccinations in general. We only have the drug companies’ ‘word’ of their effectiveness and the ‘results’ of their testing. Needless to say, I don’t trust them, especially after reading how they edit the ‘results’ of their research to show what they want to show, put unsafe drugs on the market to further line their pockets, invent diseases so they can sell more drugs, etc. I have 14 cats at present – all were either abandoned pets or ferals. They got their first set of shots at the time of their neutering/spaying when I first adopted them and the only one they have gotten since is rabies – and ONLY when the vet insists on it before doing any procedure. They are all totally indoor cats and healthy. Two are approaching 15 years of age. I disagree with the State law requiring yearly rabies vaccinations and while my vet does work with me, I can’t afford the titer test for 14. It’s very frustrating.
I have 2 dogs; one female that has been rescued from a shelter and a male bought privately.
The “girl “was 3 months young when we got her and was given all the vaccinations required to that point- by the shelter staff. Within 4 Months in our care, she started to develop health problems- Lots of health problems. Where we live we don’t have a holistic Vet, so we went with the conventional treatments-BIG mistake. By the age of 18 Months she was a mess and we were told to put her done. We tried every Vet in town just to get the same answer. The weird thing about it, no one really knew what the problem was; had lots of diagnostics, from mange to Lupus.
At that point I have decided to take the problem in my hands and started researching alternative healing- Thank you Dr Jones 🙂
Now she is 6 years young but she is not 100% “over the hill”…she is just about 90%,improving steady.
My “boy ” instead ,has never had a vaccination in his life, ever or any medication and he is the picture of health.
I chose NO vaccination; but I chose a natural organic Raw diet, a diet as close as possible to what they would normally eat in the wild and plenty of exercise.
This way their bodies, the gut and the immune system are strong and healthy and able to deal with the odd pathogens.
Yes, it can be expensive but I prefer to spend the money on keeping them healthy and happy instead of spending the money on vet bills and watching them being in pain and miserable- Sorry,No offense meant Dr Jones 🙂
Trust the Mother Nature and have no fear to learn from it!
It is mandatory in our part of NY that our pets get rabies shots every year and we have to send proof to the City Clerk’s Office. Now I am worried after reading this article that they are damaging our dogs in so many ways.
What can I do, as there is no other choice?
Thank you
There are homeopathic remedies that can help. So called ‘nosodes’ that you give after vaccination. If you have a homeopathic vet in your area consult them?
Hi Gina,
an option would be to look for a holistic Vet in your city and ask them for advise…but try to get more than just an opinion.
I know a beautiful lady in Nevada ( USA), the founder of holistic animal hospital….maybe it is a good place to start. Her name is Pat McKay; ph. nr 775-313-5884; email: pat@patmckay.com ….also she has a great website; I think is http://www.essential4all.com…if it hasn’t changed – just Google her name. Good Luck!