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Have you ever wondered why some dogs or cats continually experience skinproblems? Have you ever wondered why your dog has to constantly have itsanal glands evacuated? Have you ever wondered why your friend's dogexperiences allergies to grass pollens, fleas, house dust mites etc? Haveyou ever thought your own diligence in conforming to a Veterinary Surgeon'srequest, and the annual vaccine programme could, in fact, be killing yourbeloved pets, rather than improving their quality of life? Perhaps you areinadvertently exposing them to the ravages of the 20th century illnesses, ofimmune deficiency diseases. Those readers old enough to remember their ownchildhood animals may recall, a puppy being vaccinated at 7 to 8 weeksfollowed by a second dose at twelve weeks. If a particularly virulentepidemic was apparent in the neighborhood a booster injection wasrecommended, other than that this was the only time your domestic dogreceived vaccinations. A further observation of thirty years ago was thatdomestic cats in general, were never vaccinated.
Do we need annual vaccinations for our animals?
I run a very busy practice in animal healthcare, utilizing Homoeopathy,Biochemistry, Mineral and Enzyme therapy. I am becoming seriously concernedat the increase in the cases of Auto-immune disease, and the Canine/Feline vaccination programme which I consider to beinextricably linked.
Certainly, I do not stand alone in holding these views, as a number ofOrthodox Veterinary Practitioners have expressed their concern over theincidence of certain types of illness suddenlyappearing after a vaccination has been administered. Often these are severeskin disorders, gastrointestinal disturbances, sickness and colitissymptoms, all of which have been observed and recorded. It would appear thesubject is as controversial within animal husbandry as it is in the welfareprogramme of vaccinating children. Certainly opinion is very divided, and Ifeel we owe it to the animals and their long term future, to request anopen, unbiased research programme. This should be conducted to ascertain ifthere is evidence to support the theory of vaccination being related to theincrease of auto-immune diseases.
What is being done at present?
The Royal Veterinary College is currently conducting an investigation intoAuto-immune disease, and this is at considerable cost within the researchprogramme. Yet I am unaware of any involvement, within this research, ofany Alternative Medical viewpoint, other than Orthodox Veterinary Surgeonswho themselves use Homoeopathy as an adjunct to their practice. ManyOrthodox Vets refuse to acknowledge the efficacy of using Homoeopathy orother complementary therapies within their practice, dismissing them asbeing unscientific and at worst, complete hocus pocus. Very often by usingHomoeopathy as the primary medication one can achieve reversal or completeremission of symptoms, and in particular when "Vaccinosis" is used as thediagnostic investigation and assessment, pertaining to symptoms displayed.Responsible owners are positively encouraged to have their animalsvaccinated on an annual basis, and to this end appointment, reminder cardsare sent out to clients. This encourages them to book up for the annual"top up".
Often the general rules pertaining to the vaccination proceduresare ignored when the cat or dog is submitted to the Veterinary Surgery. Asan example the temperature should be taken to check for any evidence ofinfection, and no animal should receive a further vaccine whilst displaying ill health or immune deficiency disorders. Yet owners are told that in the past, without the vaccine programme, thousands of animals were dying on an annual basis of illnesses such as hardpad, distemper and parvo-virus. However, one could begin to question if we are entering a phase whereby we are purely exchanging one cause of death for another, namely Aids in the animal kingdom. Furthermore concern is mounting for the quality of the cat/dog's life that is constantly exposed to the ill effects of the vaccine programme.
What is this 'Vaccinosis' we speak of?
Vaccinosis, or vaccinia is the term used to describe the set of symptomsrecognized by Homoeopaths and other Naturopathic Healthcare Professionals,as being the morbid constitutional state engendered by the vaccine virus.The effects of chronic Vaccinosis are various but frequently include severeskin disorders, e.g. urticaria, excema, lupus vulgaris, warts, spongytumours etc. In the canine world skin disorders are a serious problemcurrently affecting thousands of animals, ranging from minor skin symptomsthrough to complete and total alopecia. Once this state has been reachedthe cell metabolism is impaired and the nervous system is severely affected.This leaves the animal vulnerable, and exposed to various allergic reactionsand allergens that would normally be tolerated, such as fleas and house dustmites. I suspect if one took a random number of supposedly healthy animals,and then exposed them all, to the same irritants and allergens, the chancesare that a small percentage would display symptoms pertaining to an allergicreaction. However, when one begins to look at the reverse situation, i.e.more animals showing signs of allergic reaction than not, one must considerwhy this is happening. If the immune system is strong and at optimumpotential, it should be able to safeguard the body, from attack. But thisis not the current situation, more and more canines and felines aredisplaying symptoms of immune malfunction. To date the various pieces ofresearch that have been conducted by independent sources, indicate theproblem arises from two factors, namely the use of Multiple live vaccinematerial, as opposed to killed or treated viruses, and very importantly, thefrequency of administration of vaccines.
How do vaccines affect animals?
The Multiple Live Vaccine offers a much stronger challenge to an animal'sdefense mechanism. As an example: a puppy of 7 weeks of age, and weighingonly 2 lbs. will still be vaccinated with Canine Distemper, Parvo-virus,Leptospirosis, Parain Influenza and Hepatitis, all on the same day. Theamount of vaccine given is often identical in proportion as that given to aGreat Dane puppy, that would obviously weigh considerably more. Incountries such as the United States of America and parts of Europe, thistremendous bombardment will often be followed just one week later by therabies injection. How an animal can be expected to cope with such anaccumulation of components, and all at one time, is quite extreme but inparticular the young animal whose immune system has not yet been fullydeveloped.
The immunological tolerance of this situation is often extremelypoor, and in certain instances an animal will display ill health within afew hours of the vaccine being administered. As the weeks go by manyanimals will display unfavorable response to the vaccine often bringing tothe fore front inherited predisposition to other illnesses. Furtherevidence would suggest that vaccinating an animal during pregnancy or duringthe estrus cycle can inhibit hormonal function. This not only createsphysical symptoms to the dam, but can be passed on through the gestationperiod to the unborn puppies. In severe cases of Vaccinosis puppies may bedelivered still born or already displaying skin disorders.
It is a clinical fact that following parvo-virus vaccine as an example, the number of white cells in the circulation, decreases for a period of time, thereby rendering the animal exposed to illness as a result of the lowering of immune responses. Animals suffer stress just as do we humans. A further relevant factor involving the vaccine programme is related to stress, eitheremotional or environmental. There is a general acceptance in today's societythat exposure to stress in the human quarter affects the functioning of theimmune system; the same must be acknowledged within the animal kingdom. Forexample, the young puppy having recently left its mother, and fellowoffspring, finds itself in a new and often frightening environment, is goingto display stress related disorders.
This will undoubtedly affect its response to the receptiveness of the vaccine programme, which is usually administered around the same time as the move into the new environment. There is a strange irony attached to the vaccine programme in so far as the pharmaceutical industry states. "The administration of a vaccine should only be given to healthy animals". However, if an animal was completely healthy it would not require the vaccination in the first place. Surely the correct way forward is to be looking at ways and means to enhance the immune system and bring it up to its optimum performance, principally by addressing the nutrition of the animal and using things such as essential biochemistry and homoeopathic nosodes incorporated into its welfare programme.
Is continual Vaccination really necessary?
In America the Veterinary Immunologists claim that vaccinations should onlybe given once or twice during an animal's life time. There is no need orevidence to prove that annual vaccination programmes are either essential oreffective. On the contrary research suggests that no dog over the age of 7years of age derives benefit from the annual vaccine programme.Furthermore, those animals submitted to the annual boosters, go on todisplay exacerbation of joint related ills in later life. Sadly even withinthe animal welfare programme professionals are influenced by the'biomedical' model as outlined by the pharmaceutical industry. Injectionshave become the 'norm' as being the ultimate panacea to attain optimumhealth for the domestic animal. Yet we are seeing an increasing number ofcases involving immune dysfunction, tumours, cancerous growths, severe skindisorders and behavioral disturbances. What, I wonder, is the comparison ofauto-immune diseases in the domestic animal, compared to that of his counterpart in the wild animal kingdom? Is this a worthy comparison to make whenconducting research into auto-immune disease conditions? I am convinced itshould be investigated.
What can be done about the Vaccinosis problem?
When I suspect a case of Vaccinosis in a domestic animal, I invariably treatit with Homoeopathic remedies for the specific condition coupled with immuneenhancing formulas. I further stress to the owner that until the animal hasshowed signs of significant recovery no further booster vaccinations shouldbe administered. However, problems soon arise when the owner returns to theOrthodox Veterinary system. They usually find pressure to bear to have thecat/dog re-vaccinated as soon as possible. The results of which can varyconsiderably. If the animal's immune system has recovered sufficiently itmay well withstand the vaccine without too many problems, however, if theimmune function is still below par, exacerbation of original symptomology isgenerally displayed within a few days of the vaccine taking place.
A further occurrence observed by some Veterinarians is that of a tumour orgrowth appearing directly on or around the sight of the annual injection,this is particularly noticeable in the feline world, and can take the formof fibrosarcoma. Indeed, the list of symptoms that can be linked with theover exuberant vaccination programme appears endless: warty growths, tumoursof both malignant and benign type, seizures, skin problems, bone and jointdisorders. During the current investigations being carried out by the RoyalVeterinary College, it has been observed that many of these auto-immunediseases commence as skin disorders. Aside from the inherited factor asdisplayed in certain breeds such as West Highland Whites, the disease occursas a result of the immune system attacking the skin.
Furthermore, they have also observed auto-immune blood disease leading to hemolytic anaemia - cast your mind back to the earlier fact pertaining to the parvo-virus vaccine. Following vaccination the white blood cells are severely diminished and their function temporarily impaired! A further and most alarming disease currently being observed by the R.V.C. is that of systemic Lupus Erythematosus. This disease eventually affects many body systems including red and white blood cells, and the joints, skin and kidneys. Reflect back to the inclusion of symptoms of Vaccinia as defined by Homoeopaths, does it not include all of the aforementioned as being contributory to this diseasesyndrome?
Why then the insistence on annual Vaccinations?
There are over 6 million families in England that own a dog, and this isincreasing annually. The number of animals that will fall foul of one ormore of the afore-mentioned symptoms will increase, as the vaccine programmeis vehemently maintained by the Orthodox Veterinary Surgeons. The vaccineprogramme is a highly lucrative part of a Veterinary practice and a vaccinecan vary in cost from ú15 to ú30 per time. Some sources purport as much as30% profit in a Veterinary practice is obtained from the vaccine programme.Smith Kline Beecham Animal Health division specialized in vaccines andearlier this year sold its animal division for ú920 million pounds.
It is hard not to become cynical, as to why the Veterinary profession and the drug companies do not want the problem of Vaccine related illness properly andaccurately investigated. Yet morally what are we doing to our domesticanimals, where is their future and moreover the quality of their lives? Wemust address the situation now. Certainly the weaker among their specieswill become even more vulnerable and are we not witnessing the 'geneticengineering' of their long term destiny, maybe to extinction as we know themtoday?
Having shared most of my life with domestic animals I can only viewthe world as an empty shell should it succumb to being devoid of cats, dogsand the like. Can we just turn our heads and ignore their plight or do we,should we, acknowledge their cry for help? Are we really vaccinatinganimals on an annual basis with large doses of multiple live vaccinesubstances because we are committed to the programme, and because we feel itis right? Or are we exposing our beloved friends to a lifetime of hell anddeprivation due to vested interest?
This is a subject I have researched in depth - the results of this researchare carried in the book, 'What Vets Don't Tell You About Vaccines'. BeforeI start, I want to make one thing totally clear. I am not asking you to stopvaccinating your beloved animals. I don't believe that any human being hasthe right to dictate that sort of thing to another human being. However, Ido believe that you have a right to the facts so that you can make aninformed choice.
The first fact is this:
Annual vaccination is fraud. Strong stuff, eh? There is absolutely noscientific basis for annual vaccination. It was just a practice that wasstarted many years ago, probably because the shots weren't working andsomeone had the bright idea to keep repeating it in case it helped. Infact, we have discovered that, far from helping, annual vaccination isdestroying our animals' immune systems. This is widely known in scientificcircles - but vets are reluctant to look at the evidence too closely due topotential lost booster income. I am sorry to say this but long years ofcampaigning allow me to develop no other conclusion. The vets who have readmy book they take it very seriously. However, most refuse to read it."Once immunity to a virus exists, it persists for years or life." - Dr Ronald D Schultz, head of pathobiology at Wisconsin University. My ownsix-year-old Golden Retriever - Gwinnie - gives a good example of this. Gwinnie was vaccinated ONLY as a puppy. We got her when she was five month sold, already vaccinated. She was never vaccinated again.
Last year, at theage of six, Gwinnie had a blood test and this revealed that she still hashigh antibody levels to distemper and parvo. The advice from Professor HalThomson at Glasgow University was "no need to revaccinate". After SIXyears. Dr Jean Dodds in America has just completed a study that shows muchthe same thing. You don't NEED to keep vaccinating your dogs. There is oneexception, and this is the leptospirosis component of the vaccine. Lepto isa bacterin, not a virus, and you can't get permanent immunity to a bacterin.However, the vaccine has been described as 'useless' and there have beenmany calls for it to be withdrawn from the market.
There are hundreds ofstrains of leptospirosis, but only two in the vaccine, AND it providesimmunity (if at all) for only between three and six months. This means thatyour dog is probably unprotected against the two strains for around ninemonths of the year, and against all the other hundreds of strains for ever.Australian research shows that the lepto component of vaccines can causehorrendous side-effects, so top veterinary immunologists, microbiologistsand pathobiologists have advised we don't use it.
Fact two:
Vaccines can cause a whole range of diseases. Skin problems: Frick andBrooks, in 1983, showed that dogs who were genetically susceptible todevelop atopic dermatitis ONLY contracted the condition IF they werevaccinated before being exposed to an allergen. So - vaccines trigger skindisease.
Arthritis: There are many, many studies which show that vaccines can causearthritis. Vaccine components have even been found in the bones ofarthritis sufferers.
Cancer: Vaccine components have been found at the cancer sites of victims.Worse, they have been found at the cancer sites of the CHILDREN of thepeople who received the guilty vaccine. In other words, vaccines can causeinheritable cancer.
Leukaemia: Dr Jean Dodds has linked leukaemia to vaccines. Also, Merck, avaccine manufacturer, has linked leukaemia to a leukaemia-like retrovirusfound in birds. Merck were investigating the link between this retrovirusand the eggs they cultivated the measles vaccine on. Distemper and measlesare virtually the same virus, and both vaccines are cultivated on chickembryos.
Aggression: Vaccines are acknowledged to cause inflammation of the brainand, in severe cases, lesions in the brain and throughout the centralnervous system. This condition, known as encephalitis, lies at the root ofmuch aggressive and violent behaviour, autism, epilepsy, attention deficitdisorder, and other neurological conditions (for example, CDRM, Ataxia,etc).
Autoimmune disease: It is widely acknowledged that vaccines can cause awhole range of autoimmune diseases, such as Cushings disease, Addisonsdisease, thyroid disease, autoimmune haemolytic anaemia, and many others.The scientific evidence is there for anyone who wants to look at it. DrLarry Glickman at Purdue University has found that routinely vaccinated dogsdevelop autoantibodies to a wide range of their own biochemicals. This meansthat vaccines cause dogs to attack their own bodies - which is whatautoimmune disease is all about.
Fact three:
Some animals are genetically pre-disposed to suffer fatalreactions to vaccines, or to develop vaccine-induced disease. The MerckManual (the doctor's bible, published by a vaccine manufacturer) says thatchildren with B and/or T cell immunodeficiencies should not receive livevirus vaccines as the vaccine can stimulate a severe or FATAL infection.Not to put too fine a point on it, 'fatal' means death. Merck explains thatfeatures of B and T cell immunodeficiencies include eczema, dermatitis,heart disease, inhalant allergies, food allergies and neurologicalconditions. They say that humans suffering with any of these conditions, orfrom families with these conditions, should not receive live virus vaccinesbecause the vaccine can kill them. Our dogs also have B and T cells, and Band T cell immunodeficiencies. So if your dog has allergies, or heartproblems, or neurological problems . . .vaccines represent a lifethreatening risk.
Fact four:
Vaccines cause more diseases than they prevent. This is the onethe scientists are currently arguing about. You can probably guess whichway I've fallen on the debate. In my humble opinion, vaccination isprobably the worst thing we can do for someone we love. Obviously, this isa scarey statement. Let me tell you a little about why I'm here saying thisto you. Oliver, a beautiful Golden Retriever, lost the use of his back legsone day when he was four years old. We rushed him to the vet but he wasdead by four that afternoon. For two years, I asked every vet I met 'why?'No one could tell me until I met a homoeopathic vet called Chris Day, and heasked me when Ollie had last been vaccinated. He told me it was a classicvaccine reaction, falling within three months of the shot. Since then Ihave met many people whose dogs died in exactly the same way. Prudence,another Golden Retriever, died of leukaemia when she was six.
The last timeI vaccinated her, her eyes rolled in her sockets, and she climbed up on myback, begging me not to have it done. But we carried on because I thoughtit was good for her. Distemper and parvo are horrible diseases, of course -but so is leukaemia. You don't want to see a dog die this way. Samson'sback legs were paralysed the day after his second puppy shot. I thoughtmaybe someone had put poison down because I didn't know vaccines could dothis. The next year he was boosted, and his head swelled up like a footballand he ran around screaming - I now know that this was a massive allergicreaction to the vaccine. At the age of two we had a blood test done, and itcame back autoimmune disease. He died of cancer at the age of five.
Havingstudied the scientific evidence, I know that Sammie was killed the day avaccine destroyed his immune system. Edward and Daniel are three-year-oldGolden Retrievers. Neither has ever been vaccinated. Not once. They arethe healthiest two Goldens I have ever had the privilege to share my lifewith. No sickness, no diarrhoea, no allergies, no illness. The vet doesn'tknow who they are - they have only ever visited to have their blood tested(both have antibodies to distemper and parvo . . . which means they've metthe diseases but not succumbed). They also went to the vets a few weeks agoto have ticks removed.
The Vet remarked on how fit and healthy they were.But that's it - their entire veterinary history at the age of three.Compare this with Samson's veterinary history! I was literally at the Vetevery two weeks with Sammie. Edward and Daniel are fed real food - rawmeaty bones, vegetables, etc. This means that they have optimal immunesystems, so they are in a good position to fight any viruses or bacterinsthat come along. They also receive the homoeopathic vaccine alternative.When they were nine months old, my older vaccinated dogs contracted kennelcough. My two homoeopathically protected pups didn't cough once. A fewdays ago on the CHC discussion list, one of our members reported meeting two17 year old Golden Retrievers on the beach. Both ran and jumped around likeyoung ones. The owner told her that they had never been vaccinated and, ashe was a butcher, he had fed them raw meat. Seven years into the campaign,we are beginning to see the results of not vaccinating and feeding realfood. Canine Health Concern members are now constantly reporting that theirdogs are incredibly healthy, and those who show are winning at all theshows. Don't blame the 'irresponsible breeders' - blame vaccines. Withoutvaccines, you too can hope for long-lived friends who get through theirlives without the crippling debilitating diseases that have become common inthe dog population.
One last fact: Vaccines don't offer GUARANTEED immunity. Nearly all of thedogs in the CHC vaccine survey - which involved over 4,000 dogs and is stillongoing - contracted distemper, parvo, lepto, hepatitis, etc, within threemonths of being vaccinated. I am going to be away on Monday and Tuesday, soshall answer any questions on Wednesday. Please give your post the'Vaccinations' heading so I can plough through incoming e-mails as quicklyas possible. I know that this post is going to unsettle and disturb manylist members and I apologise for this. My motivation is that you don't haveto sit and watch your beloved friends die years before their time, or sufferfrom any of the many vaccine-induced diseases. We are making a terriblemistake on behalf of our animal friends. What we think is best for them isin fact the worst thing we can do. I am not alone in saying this - the verytop veterinary specialists agree. We just need to get the other Vets up todate. CHC members and people like your own beloved Bonnie are doing thisthrough example. I promise you this - annual vaccination is coming to anend. We will look back in horror at what we used to do.
This is a message from Catherine O'Driscoll:
Do you really regularly see puppies dying of distemper? That's a first forme - the vets I speak to in the UK tell me they haven't seen a case ofdistemper in ten years. As for parvo, there are examples in my book ofvaccinated pups dying of it, with expert opinion stating it wasvaccine-induced. Parvo was also created by vaccine manufacturers whocultivated the distemper vaccine on cat tissue infected with felineenteritis and distributed it around the world. We have exchanged distemperand parvo with cancer, leukaemia, diabetes, brain damage, skin disease,allergies, arthritis and other autoimmune diseases - all vaccine-induced.We have a sickly dog population, made sick by vaccines.
According to Marty Goldstein DVM, and many others (including me), vaccination is just about theworst thing we do to our dogs. Somewhere in the middle? What about thedogs who are genetically pre-disposed to have vaccine reactions. Why arethey not being screened out of the programme? Why the relaxed attitudeabout over-doing vaccination? Why are vets vaccinating animals againstviral disease annually, when immunity to a virus is known to last for yearsor life? Also consider the very important work by Dr Teresa Binstock,showing that prior infection and/or antibiotics causes the release ofcytokines and permeability of the blood/brain barrier leading toencephalitis post vaccination.
Consider the following:
It is well known that there are risks associated with vaccination of dogs,just as there are risks for humans. The trouble is, no one has adequatelyquantified the risks. Is it true that only a tiny minority of dogs sufferadverse reactions to vaccines, or is the problem more common? And what is avaccine reaction? Is it something that happens immediately after the jab, orcan you expect a reaction to manifest weeks or months later? ChristopherDay, Honorary Secretary of the British Homoeopathic Veterinary Association,told us that, in his experience, where the start date of a dog's illness isknown, a high percentage (around 80%) begin within three months ofvaccination.
Canine Health Concern tested this observation and has analysed the histories of over 3,800 dogs post vaccination. This critical mass, byany standards, is a very high number from which to draw valid statisticalconclusions. Most commercial scientific research involves significantlyfewer dogs (tending to base their conclusions on data involving a couple oflitters of puppies, if that). We have been able to show a definitestatistical correlation between a vaccine event and the onset of a number ofspecific illnesses. Our published conclusions have satisfied mathematicalor inferential statistical tests at a level of confidence of 99% or better.
Overall, we found that 66% per cent of all sick dogs start being sick withinthree months of vaccination, which is considerably more than double theexpected rate of illness. Worse, 49% of all illnesses reported in the surveyoccurred within 30 days of vaccination. This is over five times the expectedpercentage if vaccination had no bearing on subsequent illness. Moredamning still, 29% of sick dogs first became sick within seven days of theirvaccine jab. This means that a dog is 13 times more likely to become illwithin seven days of vaccination than at any other time. In the study,69.2% of allergic dogs first became allergic within three months of beingvaccinated - more than double the expected number. 55.8% of dogs withautoimmune disease developed the condition within three months of beingvaccinated - again, more than twice the expected figure. Of dogs withcolitis, 65.9% developed the complaint within three months of beingvaccinated and, of dogs with dry eye/conjunctivitis, 70.2% developed theirconditions within three months - both nearly three times higher thanexpected. 73.1% of dogs with epilepsy first became epileptic within threemonths of vaccination. As 2% of all dogs in the UK are epileptic, vaccinesare clearly causing horrendous damage.
For statisticians, our Chi score forepilepsy is 96: any Chi test statistic higher than twelve gives a 95%confidence about the conclusions. Without doubt, then, the majority ofepileptic dogs in our survey are vaccine damaged. But perhaps mostastonishing is the fact that a majority of dogs (64.9%) with behaviouralproblems appear to have developed their difficulties within three months ofvaccination. Similarly, 72.5% per cent of dogs with nervous or worryingdispositions became nervous within three months of their jabs (with a Chiscore of 112), and 73.1% per cent of dogs with short attention spans losttheir attentiveness within three months of vaccination.
All of our evidenceties in with research in the human field, and a growing body of veterinaryresearch, which says that vaccines cause allergies, hypersensitivityreactions, autoimmune disease, encephalitis, epilepsy, personality changesand brain damage. The CHC results are statistically very significant, andcarry with them very high statistical certainty. This means that theevidence is strong that the above diseases can be triggered or caused byvaccination.
Other diseases that were highly represented within threemonths post vaccination included cancer (35.1%) , chorea (81%), encephalitis(78.6%), heart conditions (39.2%), kidney damage (53.7%), liverdamage/failure (61.5%), paralysis of the rear end (69.2%), and pancreasproblems (54.2%). Research conducted at Purdue University shows routinelyvaccinated dogs developing autoantibodies to a vast range of normal caninebiochemicals - which corroborates our findings. Interestingly, our studyshowed that arthritis and Chronic Destructive Reticulo Myelopathy (CDRM - adegenerative disease affecting myelin in the spinal cord) occur in clustersnine months after vaccination, suggesting that the damage from vaccinesresulting in these two diseases takes longer to develop or to show theirsymptoms.
Many contend that vaccines are a necessary evil; that we needthem to protect our dogs against certain deadly canine diseases. However,our survey found that high percentages of dogs are developing the diseaseswe vaccinate against, soon after vaccination.
Of dogs with hepatitis, 64% contracted it within three months of beingvaccinated and, of those with parainfluenza, 50% developed it within threemonths of their shots. Also, 69% of dogs with parvovirus, 56% of dogs withdistemper, and every single dog with leptospirosis in the survey contractedthe diseases within three months of vaccination. Our figures support theview that vaccines don't confer guaranteed immunity and may actually causethe diseases they're designed to prevent. Our figures appear to demonstratethat vaccines cause illness in one in every hundred dogs - and this is aconservative estimate. For human beings, the World Health Organizationconsiders a reaction of one in 10,000 unacceptable. Surely the samestatistics apply to dogs. Worse - and bordering on corporate dogslaughter -is the fact that we are urged to vaccinate companion animals every year.There is no scientific justification for this; it is a crime.
Catherine O'Driscoll
There's a homoeopathic rescue in the South of England called Raystede. It'sbeen going for about 40 years and they never vaccinate. They've never hadan outbreak.
How can an unvaccinated dog be more of a risk than a vaccinated dog ifneither have the disease? Surely it would be the other way around in thecase of the live virus vaccines? These dogs are assured of having the virusin their bodies to spread.
Vaccine Damage TribunalsIn the U.K. there is government tribunal to assess and award damages topeople who have suffered from the use of vaccines. It is believed that asimilar body exists in the United States.
Now, if vaccine damage is acknowledged with regard to humans why do we nothave the same principle for animals?
This is taken from Kirk's Current Veterinary Therapy XI (Small AnimalPractice) Pg 205.
Authors: Tom R Phillips DVM PhD, Associate Member, The Scripps ResearchInstitute, La Jolla California & Ronald D Schultz PhD, Professor andChairman, Department of Pathobiological Sciences School of VeterinaryMedicine, University of Wisconsin
Ronald Schultz, of the University of Wisconsin, Madison, Center forVeterinary Medicine has done some duration studies that show that, forgreater than 90% of dogs, a single DHPP vaccination provides immunity for*at least* 7 years, and probably for life. There is an article by him in..pdf format that you can download from http://www.noofies-zoo.com/schultzvaccinations.pdf
Dr. Schultz is the author of this paragraph in Kirk's "Current Veterinary Therapy XI", theconventional medicine textbook: "A practice that was started many years ago and that lacks scientific validity or verification is annual revaccinations. Almost without exception there is no immunologic requirement for annualrevaccination. Immunity to viruses persists for years or for the life of theanimal. Successful vaccination to most bacterial pathogens produces animmunologic memory that remains for years, allowing an animal to develop aprotective anamnestic (secondary) response when exposed to virulentorganisms. Only the immune response to toxins requires boosters (e.g.tetanus toxin booster, in humans, is recommended once every 7-10 years), andno toxin vaccines are currently used for dogs and cats. Furthermore,revaccination with most viral vaccines fails to stimulate an anamnestic(secondary) response as a result of interference by existing antibody(similar to maternal antibody interference). The practice of annualvaccination in our opinion should be considered of questionable efficacyunless it is used as a mechanism to provide an annual physical examinationor is required by law (i.e., certain states require annual revaccination forrabies)."
Some quotes from enlightened Vets:"In this article we begin to address the subject of vaccinosis, the general name for chronic dis-ease caused by vaccines. For some readers the very ideathat vaccines are anything but wonderful and life-saving may come as asurprise, and it's not a very pleasant one. After all, the generalpopulation pictures vaccines as one of modern medicine's best and brightestmoments, saving literally millions from the scourge of diseases likepoliomyelitis and smallpox." Dr. Richard Pitcairn D.V.M., Ph.D
"I suppose we veterinarians who do a lot of work with skin and hair problems ought to thank the commercial pet food manufacturers for all the business they create for us." J. Keith Benedict, D.V.M.
"Over vaccination is the main problem (along with malnutrition) that affects our pets today." Michele Yasson, D.V.M., C.V.A.
"Standard vaccines are the single biggest cause of immune system damage in animals and humans. All chronic disease in animals is traced to genetics and standard vaccinations before anything else." John Fudens, D.V.M.
CAN VACCINATIONS HURT YOUR CAT OR DOG?
May issue of Prevention magazine
They give the following points to determine your pet's vaccination protocol:
-What is required by law
-Your pet's chance of exposure to the disease
-The incidence of the disease in your area
-The vaccine's effectiveness and safety
-Age and health of the pet
Pet Vaccination - Common Questions
Q: Should I vaccinate my dog or cat every year?
A: There is absolutely no scientific justification for annual vaccination.
Q: I thought vaccines were safe - what are the adverse effects?
A: Inflammatory ('itis') diseases in dogs and cats are becomingincreasingly common, due largely to vaccines. Vaccines contain modifiedlive viruses; formaldehyde (a cancer-causing preservative used to embalmcorpses); mercury and aluminium salts (both toxins); serum (bloodproducts); and other worrying substances. The medical and veterinaryprofessions readily acknowledge that both humans and animals can haveallergic reactions to serum. But add all the other components, and it's nowonder some individuals have allergic reactions. In addition, vaccines areoften cultivated on dog and cat brains and kidneys, on hamsters, on monkeys,and on chick embryos.
If any of these animals' tissues are inadequatelyremoved from the vaccine, the patient can have a hypersensitivity reactionto them. The words 'hypersensitivity', 'allergy', and 'inflammation' areinterchangeable. Sometimes the hypersensitivity reaction is so severe thatthe patient must be immediately injected with adrenaline or they will die. Because vaccines are generally injected straight into the bloodstream, components can be carried around the body. Depending upon the animal's genetic predisposition, the allergic reaction could manifest as inflammation of the brain, inflammation of the digestive system, inflammation of the bones and joints - in fact, any of the many inflammatory conditions. This is why scientists have written and produced scientific papers that link vaccines in with brain damage, epilepsy, behavioural problems, colitis, arthritis, thyroid disease, heart failure, kidney failure, cancer and more.
The practice of cultivating vaccines on animal tissue has also been called into question. The Salk Polio vaccine illustrated the dangers of this when it was discovered that it was contaminated with a range of monkey retroviruses. SV40, a monkeyretrovirus found in the Salk vaccine, has been found at the cancer sites ofpeople who received this vaccine. Worryingly, it has also been found at thecancer sites of their children. SV40 switches off the part of the DNA thatprotects from cancer. SIV, another monkey retrovirus, was also acontaminant in the Salk vaccine. SIV and HIV are closely related viruses,and independent scientists have traced the emergence of AIDS to mass poliovaccination in the Belgian Congo and amongst male homosexuals in New Yorkwho were given the vaccine in an attempt to protect against genital herpes(however strange this might sound!).
Similarly, an avian (bird) retrovirushas been found in leukaemia patients, and it is thought that the retroviruscame from the MMR vaccine. Distemper and measles are virtually identicalviruses, and both vaccines are cultivated on chick embryos. Where didparvovirus come from in the 1970s, killing thousands of dogs? Scientistshave been quoted as saying that it was a cross-species disease, created by avaccine manufacturer who cultivated the distemper vaccine on cats infectedwith feline enteritis.
The first vaccine for this new disease was astopgap: the feline enteritis vaccine. The disease occurred simultaneouslyaround the world. Naturally occurring diseases spread slowly, but vaccinemanufacturers send their products out in batches around the world, easilycreating a worldwide epidemic.
Q: Is CHC saying that we should leave our dogs unprotected against horriblediseases like distemper and parvovirus?
A: No, certainly not. In fact, we would say you should not leave your dogsunprotected. But you can minimise the risks. Firstly, if you choose tocontinue vaccinating, you could have puppy shots and possibly the firstyear's booster, and leave it at that. This is the advice being given now byveterinary colleges in America. Secondly, you could use the homoeopathicalternative instead. This has been used by many breeders and show peoplefor years. Reports indicate that homoeopathically protected dogs are farhealthier than vaccinated dogs. There are several scientific studiesshowing that the homoeopathic alternative works. Telephone the BritishAssociation of Homoeopathic Veterinary Surgeons - 01367 718115 - if youwould like more information about the homoeopathic vaccine alternative.Vaccine manufacturers are currently trying to tell us that dogs need annualboosters against leptospirosis, which is a bacterin rather than a virus.However, many eminent scientists say that this vaccine should actually bewithdrawn as it is not very protective, and it is the vaccine mostassociated with adverse reactions. The kennel cough virus mutates (like theflu) so you can't guarantee permanent immunity from the vaccine. However,scientific research has shown that the homoeopathic nosode is moreprotective against kennel cough than the vaccine - and it's safer.
Q: My vet tells me that you are scaremongering and that I should continueto vaccinate every year. I don't know what to do.
A: Vets, however well-meaning, are educated in colleges that rely uponvaccine and pharmaceutical companies for funding in the form of sponsorship,research grants, scholarships and bursaries. Colleges are reliant upon bigbusiness for funding, and few people are willing to bite the hand that feedsthem. Vets' education with regard to vaccines tends to stop beyond "doit". The practice of medicine is a continuously evolving entity of newknowledge and technology. Keeping abreast of the latest informationrequires a passionate commitment to continuing education. Our knowledgeabout immunity has improved greatly over the past five years. Some of theinformation coming to light about vaccines will present an ethical andeconomic challenge to veterinarians. But your pet deserves to come first,over and above any such challenges. If your vet says annual vaccination isnecessary, ask him if he has heard of the huge body of research available,and the advice that annual vaccination is unnecessary. If he has heard ofthis research, he cannot dismiss your questions. If he has not heard of it,then he lacks the knowledge to advise.
Finally, your dog looks at you with love and trust in his eyes, not at astranger in a white coat. It is vitally important that you do as much asyou can to understand the facts. Please don't do as I did and allow yourdogs to die before you discover the truth. I wish you and your animalsfriends many happy and healthy years together.
Catherine O'Driscoll - Canine Health Concern
Longnor SPO
Derbyshire SK17 ONS
If you study the history of disease you will see that all diseases have anatural cycle, you will see a rise in deaths due to the virus/bacteria thena natural decline..when 67% of a population has been exposed to the disease and survived there is 'herd immunity'. In all cases of vaccines, the disease they have created the vaccines for was on a natural decline anyway, but the vaccine manufacturers like to take the credit for it.
Dr. Parish at Cornell was one of the pioneers in the parvo vaccine. In fact,are you aware that Cornell OWNS the PATENT on the parvo vaccine? They havemade over SIX million dollars on this vaccine alone. Since PARVO isMANMADE, I'll leave you to speculate on just WHO is benefiting from this...
Holistic Animal Health: Vaccinosis
Health Hazard of Routine Vaccination: Placing our animals at risk
"Routine" vaccination has adverse side-effects, either short or long term.With vaccines that are repeated year after year, the frequency and severityof these side-effects in our pets has increased dramatically. Most of theproblems involve the immune system. After all, the immune system is whatvaccines are designed to stimulate. But they do so in a very unnatural waythat can overwhelm and confuse the immune system." Donna Starita Mehan DVM
"Homeopathic veterinarians and other holistic practitioners have maintainedfor some time that vaccinations do more harm than they provide benefits.Vaccinations represent a major assault on the body's immune system."DrCharles E Loops DVM " 55% of all illnesses reported by participants occurred within the first three months of vaccination." Arthritis - Diarrhoea - Allergies -Dry eye/conjunctivitis - Epilepsy - Loss of appetite Nervous/worrying disposition - Skin problems - Nasal discharges - Vomiting - Weight loss - Behavioural problems - Tumour or growth." Catherine O'Driscoll'
"In the process of training as a doctor or veterinarian, one goes in as arelatively naive young person. The conditioning is heavy; it costs a lot ofmoney, and of course you want to do well. Students are told how wonderfulvaccines are, and they don't really question it; they accept as a fact thatthey're these great boons to health, are never harmful, and have saved a lotof lives-it's black and white. The companies making the vaccines have greatamounts of money and influence to campaign and advertise. You have asituation on the one hand where doctors are conditioned to accept, and onthe other hand companies powerful enough to squelch negative comment."
"Immune-mediated hematological disease and transient bone marrow failure areincreasingly recognized sequelae of...vaccination. ... Postvacinalpolyneuropathy is a recognized entity associated with...vaccines. ...Adversereactions to vaccination have also recently been reported with increasingfrequency in cats." (Dr. Dodds, 1990)
VACCINATIONS IN VETERINARY MEDICINE - A NEW PERSPECTIVE
David M. McCluggage, D.V.M.
Dr. McCluggage covered the holistic perspective on vaccinations. "...Hestated that we must stop advocating yearly vaccines because of the harm weare doing to the animals we vaccinate. He covered the homeopathic concept of"vaccinosis". Vaccinosis is a disease entity that may be introduced throughvaccinating animals or people. Once vaccinosis develops, there is adisturbance in the bodies vital forces that leads to symptoms of chronicdisease that can be very difficult (and often impossible) to cure. Dr.McCluggage also stated that there are no good reasons to recommend annualvaccinations for our companion animals. For clients Interested in a holisticapproach, nosodes should be employed instead. Dr. McCluggage discussedalternative methods to run a profitable veterinary practice, includingutilizing alternative modalities such as acupuncture and chiropractic medicine.
Dr. Chambreau DVM: "Holistic veterinarians are finding that vaccines arecausing great harm to our animals (and ourselves). To cure an animal of anyproblem we have found through experience that we must use homeopathicremedies that are known to reverse vaccine related problems as well as fitthis individual." In this paper, Dr. Chambreau DVM, "Dr Ronald D Schultz, one of the foremost veterinary immunologists in the world, is on record as saying that annual vaccination for viral disease is not only unnecessary, but that it also causes significant problems. A growing number of vets, predominantly in America but also in the UK, contend that vaccines are now causing more diseases than they are preventing."
The arguments against vaccination include the following viewpoints:- vaccines do not prevent disease or immunise, they sensitise- vaccines cause encephalitis, inflammation of the brain - vaccines aredeadly poisons- vaccines can cause the disease they are designed to prevent- vaccines shed into the environment, spreading disease - vaccines disarmand unbalance the immune system
"The homoeopathic veterinarian Christopher Day, on the other hand, suspectedthat around 80% of the diseases he treats in his surgery are vaccinerelated, and occur within three months of vaccination where the start dateof the illness is known."
Vaccination Decisions
by Susan Gayle Wynn, DVMMany pet owners and some veterinarians have begun to question both the needfor annual, life-long re-vaccination, as well as the long term consequencesof vaccination in general. Most recently, an article appeared in the Journalof the American Veterinary Medical Association entitled "Are We VaccinatingToo Much?" The veterinarians interviewed included Dr Schultz, Dr Dennis Macyof Colorado State University, Dr Leland Carmichael, and Dr Fred Scott ofCornell University. These leading veterinary immunologists admit puzzlementat the current situation but stop short of making recommendations, since nostudies have been done to show maximum duration of immunity.
Natural Immunity - Why You Should NOT Vaccinate!
by Pat McKay
If after knowing that some of the health hazards from vaccinations include,allergies, arthritis, asthma, cancer, cataracts, cerebral palsy, chronic earinfections, conception rate lowered, encephalitis, epilepsy, fibrosarcoma atthe vaccination site, hyperactivity, hyperthyroidism, hypothyroidism,interdigital pyoderma, juvenile type diabetes, learning disabilities,leukemia, lupus, meningitis, multiple sclerosis, tuberculosis, damage toand/or failure of heart, kidneys, liver, pancreas and other organs of thebody, and ALL of the diseases for which your animal or child werevaccinated, are you still willing to take that risk of vaccinating? If so,WHY? There is no proof that vaccinations work at all.
Do Vaccines Disable the Immune System?
Randall Neustaedter, O.M.D.Two research models have been used to discover the possible adverse effectof vaccines on the immune system. Laboratory researchers observe whethervaccines have any negative effect on white blood cells, the body's primaryimmune defense system. Clinical researchers study illness patterns precedingand following vaccination. All of these investigative channels have reachedthe same conclusions--vaccines can trigger immune system suppression.
THE BIG SCAM--RABIES VACCINATION
By: Dr. John Fudens, D.V.M.
"All mandatory rabies vaccination programs are colorable law, in that theyhave been passed and mandated upon the pet owning public by certain vestedinterest groups. Who are these groups? First and foremost are veterinarians,in general, and veterinarian medical organizations. Second are the localanimal control personnel, bureaucrats and politicians. What are theirreasons? GREED, POWER AND CONTROL. Both these large powerful interest groupsstand to benefit greatly by having rabies mandated by colorable law.""Veterinarians receive a large percentage of both their gross income andprofit from vaccines given in the office. On average vaccines cost 60 to 95cents per dose and are charged to the client at $15 to $25 per injection andsubstantially more in the large cities. Therefore, if veterinarians lobby tohave a colorable law passed to give rabies vaccine every year that enhancestheir financial picture." "The vaccines, particularly rabies, are apolitical and economic scam being forced upon pet owners because they do notknow the truth."
Over-Vaccinating"This morning I ran into a frantic lady, who recently lost her 5 yr. olddachsie, (died of complications due to back paralysis), which she claimedwas due to having her dog vaccinated for rabies every year. She said sheonce worked for a Vet, and said she also had pamphlets that claim many vetsover vaccinate these small dogs for the sake of making extra $$$$. She alsosaid this breed is far too small to intake yearly vaccinations and this willeventually paralyse them as it did hers."
CAV-1 vaccines carry the risk of "hepatitis blue-eye" reactions & kidneydamage
Adverse Effects of Vaccines: main page Vaccines and Sudden Infant DeathSyndrome (SIDS)Information needed to help with vaccine/SIDS research AUTISM:Is there a vaccine connection? Measles Vaccine Experiment Litigation PendingAnthrax Vaccine Facts & Gulf War Syndrome. How To Legally Avoid UnwantedImmunizations Of All Kinds. The First International Public Conference OnVaccination Vaccine Support Groups & Organizations Animals: chronic dis-easecaused by vaccines. Nosodes: alternative to conventional vaccines
Dee Blanco - Vaccines - Are They Safe for Your Dog?
The questions surrounding the issue of veterinary vaccinations are many. Myintent is to open other doors of thought that might help you make yourdecisions align with your animals well being, your lifestyle, your left andright brain and most importantly - your heart. ... Because I cannot completely separate from this topic, you will clearly hear my bias,my emotions as well as my perspective from my years practicing allopathy andsubsequently homeopathy. I will make recommendations based both on thisstudy of many years and on the way I hope to be of help in the world. I strongly recommend for you to let this info simmer a bit .... please make sure to do more research. And always listen to your inner voice. You are your own authority, you are your animal's primary health care practitioner, on call, 24 hours a day. You may decide some of this info is useful, and some you will let go by. Please make sure you do not allow fear to run your decisions. I have spent a good amount of time in the last 12 of my 19 years as vet, studying the issue of vaccinations. During this time in holistic vet practice, I have been able to see the clinical manifestations and harmful effects of the use and abuse of vaccinations. I have also been able to see improvements of many common maladies in our domestic animals using holistic medicines, in particular homeopathy. It is from this clinical standpoint as well as my own study of the available info on vaccinations that I present my info. I am continually compiling more info in my 'database', so if you would like to add anything you might have, please feel free to send me your info.
The History of Vaccinations
The birth of vaccinations came when the English doctor Edward Jennerdiscovered that the people who worked closely with cows seemed to be lesssusceptible to smallpox. He injected small amounts of the smallpox crustsinto healthy individuals (including his own son) and found these people toalso be less susceptible to smallpox. Unfortunately, this process may havefatally weakened his son and his son's friends, because he died at the earlyage of 21 of tuberculosis. Then, during the American Civil War, LouisPasteur, an accomplished microbiologist, was able to change the vaccines hewas using enough that some of the harmful effects were diminished. He wasfamous for his work in cattle where he was able to prove that vaccines couldprotect against the deadly disease, anthrax. Thus, he started the new fieldof medicine called immunology. Pasteur also became famous for his conceptof the 'germ theory'. This is still the theory modern medicine uses toexplain all illness. Thus we have created a 'war on bugs' that we seem tobe losing. It's interesting to note that on his deathbed Pasteur recanted hisprior work of blaming the microorganism. His last words were "seed isnothing, soil is everything". In Chinese medicine we say "it's not theagent, but the terrain". Both are saying the same thing - the germ is nothing, but the host's resistance is everything. These concepts lay the foundation for all forms of holistic medicine.
How Vaccines Work
The primary intention of the vaccine is to produce a stimulation to thecellular immune system, via the production of antibodies. Antibodies attachonto the virus and render it inactive and harmless. It is through thisstimulation and resultant production of antibodies that the body is nowprepared for a possible 'attack' by 'foreign invaders' later down the line.These invadersare typically known as bacteria or viruses. This immunitywill later provide protection without having to go through the diseaseitself. It's a bit like the vigilant minute-men always on guard for apossible attack. There are problems with this way of thinking which we willdiscuss later.
Why Vaccines Cause Problems
Typically, the vaccines are injected into the body; subcutaneously (underthe skin) or intramuscularly (in the muscle). These vaccines usually havenumerous viruses as well as other ingredients in them. Exceptions to thisinclude the rabies, corona, and bordatella vaccines. Herein lies the secondand third problem with the vaccination process. The process of injectingnumerous viruses at one time into the body does not mimic in any way what wewould see in the natural world. There would never be such an enormousexposure to that many microorganisms at one time. ... These diseases have never, in the real world, occurred at onetime, never. The purpose for which mother nature uses and continues to useacute illness is to thin out the population, whereby the fittest survive.Everything in nature has a rhythm, everything. The rhythm of distemper, ofpolio, of measles, of influenza, of parvo, of rabies are all on a schedule.This schedule, much to the chagrin of the vet profession, is not determinedby the vet profession!
Neil Miller, a father of two, in his desire to understand the issues aroundvaccinations for his children, decided to explore the issue extensively. Hestudied the rise and fall and the death rate of the childhood diseases ofpolio, measles, and whooping cough in both the US and the UK. He comparedthe death rates and the point at which vaccinations were introduced. Muchto his surprise, in all three of these diseases, he saw that the death ratesstarting in the early 1900s were markedly decreasing by the time thevaccines were introduced. In the case of polio there was actually a bit ofan increase after the vaccines. The increased numbers of deaths after poliovaccines were covered up by reclassifying them as aseptic meningitis.Therefore the deaths didn't show up in the records, but it is quite clearthat vaccinations did not really have a beneficial impact on the alreadydeclining health rate.
The reason the diseases were declining had more to do with the increased natural resistance and better understanding aboutprevention through hygiene. Thirdly, the process of injecting viruses intothe body is a very unnatural method of introducing viruses, with theexception of Rabies virus. Most other forms of exposure are through themucous membranes - the nose, throat/mouth, even the eyes. This createsanother huge insult to the immune system. First we gather a whole bunch of viruses and other 'stuff', then we inject them into the body at one time!
I have to ask myself if this could be the start of massive confusion and havoc causing the body to attack itself? In other words, could this be why we are seeing so much autoimmune disease? Fourth, when these viruses are injected into the body, they find their way into the small capillaries, then into thelarger vessels and are filtered by the lymph nodes. This sounds fine exceptthat usually these viruses are first introduced into the mouth and nose,where the humoral immune system is stimulated. It produces the powerfulimmunoglobulins (IgA, IgG, IgM) which provide the first line of defense. When this primary defense mechanism of the humoral immune system is bypassed, you are dependent on the cellular immune system only; this is the branch that produces antibodies.
Producing antibodies is a finething, but when the natural pathways are bypassed it creates an extra loadon the system. Having the natural stimulation of both wings of the immunesystem is a more balanced approach and isn't what happens with injectedvaccines. Last, but certainly not least, are the other substances that arein the vaccine vials that are potentially problematic. This discussionfollows.
What Is In A Vaccine?
The two forms of vaccines available are the modified-live (MLV) and thekilled vaccine. For obvious reasons, the Rabies vaccine is a killed product.... the MLVs are the viruses that were once alive and now have beenchemically attenuated (altered) so that they are still recognized by the body but are, theoretically, not able to cause the full blown clinical disease. Typically, the chemical agent used to alter the virus is formalin or formaldehyde, a known carcinogen.
Attenuating the virus so that it cannot attach to a cell wall and infect that cell is a good idea, but not all the virus particles may be altered. Some may escape attenuation and are free to cause disease. This may be part of the reason that we see 'breaks' in vaccinated animals. There has also been much speculation that these MLVs have shed into the environment, exposing other animals, including wild animals, to these diseases.
Additional components of the vaccines are the preservatives that do what preservatives do. These ingredients are also known in current medicine to be carcinogenic agents, including a compound called thymersol, a mercury derivative and aluminum, used to attenuate the viruses.
We all know the possible effects of aluminum. Even the cells these viruses are grown on can produce allergic reactions in the body. Some of the tissue lines used arefrom ducks, monkeys, pigs, and the like. These could be creating much ofthe constant itching, inflamed bowel, and eczematous ears that are soprevalent.
There are additional ingredients called adjuvants. These areforeign proteins that are added to give a generic, non-specific immuneresponse. These proteins are proprietary (secret) info and are not givenout to anyone. It's much like the ingredients on a bottle of BBQ saucewhere they list 'herbs and spices' generically. No one really knows what'herbs and spices' really means. These preservatives and adjuvants are whatare believed to be the major cause of the surging incidence of fibrosarcomas in cats.
Studies at Colorado State U. by one of my professors, Dr. Dennis Macy, are showing this strong correlation. It is felt by the biologics companies that if the body doesn't respond to the numerous viruses that are in each vial of vaccine, than surely the body will respond to other foreign proteins.
One rep from a major biologics company, at a meeting on vaccines in 1997 I attended, said quite embarrassed, 'We know how to turn the immune system on, but we don't know how to turn it off". This is the fundamental problem with vaccines: they are generically stimulating to the body, usually creating illness where there once was none.
How Do You Tell If a Vaccine Is Working?
The easiest way to determine if a vaccine is working is to take a bloodsample and send it to a lab to determine if there are still circulatingantibodies against that virus. This is called an antibody titer. This is a simple test, but there has been some controversy as to what titer level will provide protection from the clinical disease, and what level tells you there has been exposure to the disease. The next way is to believe the biologics companies. This is not my ideal choice since I believed them many years ago when I would vaccinate animals and they would break out with the disease. Perfectly healthy animals coming down with the diseases they were being vaccinated against! It was embarrassing and horrifying that I caused these illnesses.
The biologics companies told me their vaccines could never have caused theillness. They justified this by saying that the animals must have beenincubating the illness and it coincidentally came out at the time of thevaccine. This never made sense to me but as a young, brain-washed vet, Ipassed this info on to the clients. I still to this day find it interestingthat we are a self-serving profession creating the illnesses that return later through our doors to be treated again.
What could be more self-serving? I believe this is one of the reasons the vet profession turns its back on the issue of vaccinations. It would mean wewould have to take a good hard look at what we are doing. It would mean wewould have to take responsibility. Enough of my soap box, for now. One wayto determine how long a vaccine is capable of lasting in the body is byduration of immunity studies.
These are studies that the biologicscompanies conduct to determine whether vaccinated animals can withstand achallenge from a live virus contact. The problem here is that there areinadequate duration of immunity studies at this time. These are difficultand expensive test and there has not been enough pressure on these companiesto do these tests.
One of the reasons is because the profession has assumedthat vaccines are harmless and giving repeated doses or annual vaccinationsis 'good medicine'. Because of inadequate studies, the biologics companiesare not willing at this point in time to change the recommended protocols. Much info available from numerous sources verifies that the MLVs, if given after 14 wks of age (after maternal antibodies have decreased), are effective for a lifetime.
Most rabies titers at this time are showing effective protection at 5 to 6 years after vaccination. I believe the rabies duration of immunity studies would help us change the ludicrous yearly vaccination requirements in many states. Many animals I test are showing protection to parvo and distemper after 10 years or more. The real question here is: how did these recommendations for yearly vaccinations start?
Why Are We Vaccinating Yearly?
This is a really good question, isn't it? The first massive vaccinationprogram began in the 1940s and the 50s for distemper and adenovirus. Theseearly vaccines showed that one third of the puppies did not maintainprotective titers to distemper for one year after the initial vaccination.By the way, we have yet to talk about susceptibility, which theseresearchers did not take into account. This led to the recommendation in1959 that dogs should be vaccinated annually, as a safety measure. Distemper was a horrible, life threatening disease and was capable of going through a population of puppies very quickly. Usually it caused gastrointestinal symptoms such as bloody diarrhea (much like Parvo), or respiratory symptoms, and in the most severe state would cause neurological symptoms which were rarely successfully treated.
In 1961, recommendations that a serum analysis of the blood was the best wayto determine immunological protection. Since clients would need to pay forthat, plus an exam, and possibly the re-vaccination fee, it would be easierand cheaper, based on the local incidence of distemper, the history of the animal, and the potential risk, that annual vaccinations be given. Thus start the annual standard of practice. There was no science here! Unfortunately, there were few people willing to push for the serum analysis, or to really look at the exposure of each animal, or to look at any other factors influencing susceptibility.
Dr. Ron Schultz and the U. of Wisconsin-Madison, a veterinary immunologist,questions the lack of scientific evidence to support our current practices.In his article in the 1992 edition of Current Veterinary Therapy, Dr Schultzand his co-author, Dr. Phillips, discuss the issue. Their words follow: "A practice that was started many years ago and that lacks scientific validity or verification is annual vaccinations. Almost without 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. Only the immune response to toxins requires boosters (e.g. tetanus toxin booster, in humans, is recommended once every 7-10 years) and no toxin vaccines are currently used for dogs and cats.
Furthermore, revaccination with most viral vaccines fails to stimulate ananamnestic response as a result of interference by existing antibodies(similar to maternal antibody interference). The practice of annual vaccination in our opinion should be considered ofquestionable efficacy unless it is used as a mechanism to provide an annualphysical exam or is required by law (i.e. certain states require annualrevaccination for rabies)." Whew! The summary of his statement is this: yearly boosters are unnecessary and the current antibody protection in the body will actually interfere with other new vaccines. Therefore, they are not useful and certainly don't provide more protection if given annually.
This report also emphasizes that yearly reminders get people into the clinic to give yearly vaccines and put little to no emphasis on a wellness exam. This is a backward approach, isn't it? Shouldn't we remind our clients to come in for a yearly wellness check and if necessary then suggest the vaccinations? Have we become so complacent and dependent on these little vaccine vials and their financial power? Are there not other methods ofpreventative medicine? If you choose these yearly vaccines will youranimals be protected against all the harmful diseases known to animals?
Who Is Susceptible? And To What?
There is a questions as to who is susceptible and to what diseases, which really distills down to: at what age are the animals mostand least susceptible, and what diseases are species specific or regionallyspecific? It is odd to me that the topic of age susceptibility is rarely ifever spoken about and yet it seems to be such an important consideration inthe decision about the need for vaccinations. We are not talking aboutbreed susceptibility, we are talking about the ages at which certainillnesses are more likely to manifest.
For example, measles and chicken poxare a childhood disease that if allowed to be expressed while young arerelatively benign. As the child grows older, the susceptibility to theseillnesses decreases. This is the same with many of the animal vaccines. As a clinician it is very, veryuncommon to see distemper, parvo, parainfluenza, adenovirus, panleukopenia,calicivirus, herpesvirus, and others in adult animals. These seem to bemost dangerous when the animal is young and their immune system is not fullydeveloped.
When I see an adult with parvo or distemper, it is frequently apurebred or has other immune dysfunction or is likely poorly cared for. Ido see a predominance of parvo and distemper in young animals less than 6-8months old, and less frequently as they get closer to 1 year old.
Myquestion is this: why are we vaccinating animals that have passed the pointof great susceptibility? Would it not be similar to humans being vaccinatedevery year of our lives with chicken pox, measles, diphtheria, whoopingcough, hepatitis, tetanus, etc.?
The other question concerns thevaccination of diseases that are not seen at all in a particular region, orthat vaccines are not effective against because the viruses have manydifferent serovariants.
For example, leptospirosis. This is a vaccine that does not providelong-lasting protection and will not provide cross-protection for all thedifferent strains of lepto. Then why are we using this?
Coronavirus is another vaccine enigma. Corona in dogs produces a mild,transient diarrhea and it is known that the vaccine does not provideprotection against an infection with corona. Hardly worth the vaccine,isn't it? Lepto is not seen in my area, so why are we vaccinating? I haveseen this practice with Lyme, Corona, Feline Leukemia, Feline InfectiousPeritonitis, and many equine vaccines. This seems to be an issue ofconvenience since the manufacturers supply all over the country/world. Italso seems to fall into the category that the practice of injecting virusesinto a healthy body, or an unhealthy one for that matter, is a benignprocess.
What are the adverse reactions, if any? Unfortunately, adversereactions to vaccines have been considered to be the immediatehypersensitivity reactions of anaphylaxis. This severely limits the typesof reactions that are ever even considered to be related to vaccines. Otherproblems surface which make accurate tallying of adverse reactionsdifficult.
At present time there are no easy or effective reportingsystems; many vets are reluctant to report even those where an animal dies,and the cause-effect relationship is not always clear. Even to those whobelieve that many of the illnesses we see, both acute and chronic, aredirectly related to over-vaccination, it is still at times difficult to showhow this works. There are many situations where the perfectly healthy puppyis taken at 6 weeks for his first vaccines. Maybe he has a slight fever orlack of appetite and energy for a day or so. Then he is returned 2 to 3 weeks later for more vaccines. Maybehe will show another fever or maybe a day of diarrhea. Then he is returnedin 2 or 3 weeks for more vaccines. Maybe he starts to itch a bit. Often bythe time the pup is 6 months old he has several problems going on. He oftenhas loose stools and he itches, but there are no fleas. Thus begins thefirst stages of chronic illness brought on by the vaccines.
When aperfectly healthy individual is given viruses that cause illness, the animalis going to manifest illness-related symptoms. This healthy individual isasked to maintain a low-level stimulation of a state of distemper, a lowlevel state of parvo, a low level state of rabies, and so on. As long asyou are in a low level state of illness you are not in a high level state of health. Therefore, the vaccines provide protection by keeping the body in a diseased state of health. Often the animal will not manifest the illness it is vaccinated for, at least not in its acute form, but it will manifest in other conditions. Usually these conditions are inherited weaknesses.
Chronic symptoms look very much like the acuteillnesses but they are often not life-threatening unless allowed to continuefor years and years.
For distemper we often see:
Watery fluid drippingfrom the nose, conjunctivitis, eye discharge, entropion, chronic gastritis,hepatitis, pancreatitis, appetite disorders, recurrent diarrhea, sensitivityto food with resultant diarrhea, epilepsy, rear leg paralysis, spondylitis,lip fold dermatitis, excessive licking of feet, eruptions between the toes,allergies, kennel cough, chronic bronchitis, chronic skin eruptions,especially lower half of body, failure to thrive, abnormally thin.
For rabies we often see:
Restless nature, suspicion of others, aggression toanimals and people, changes in behavior, aloofness, unaffectionate, desireto roam, OR clingy, separation anxiety, 'velcro dog', restraining can leadto violent behavior and self-injury, self-mutilation, tail chewing, voicechanges, hoarseness, excessive barking, chronic poor appetite, very finicky,paralysis of throat or tongue, sloppy eaters, drooling, dry eye, loss ofsight, cataract, eating wood, stones, earth, stool, destructive behavior,shredding bedding, seizures, epilepsy, twitching, increased sexual desire,sexual aggression, irregular pulse, heart failure, reverse sneezing.
For panleukopenia in cats we see:
Lazy cats, lie around most of the time,finicky appetites, chronic fever for weeks, with few symptoms, possibleenlarged cervical lymph nodes, poor groomers, chronic dehydration leading tocystitis and calculus formation, emaciation, hyperthyroidism, inflammatorybowel disease, chronic respiratory problems, sinusitis, some of theillnesses you are familiar with include any auto-immune, disease such as lupus, red cell aplasia, auto-immune hemolyticanemia, cardiomyopathies; neoplasias such as fibrosarcomas, mast cell,tumors, thyroid tumors, etc.; inflammatory bowel disease, eczematous, ears,any dermatological condition, warts, lipomas, poor hair coats, stomatitis,periodontal disease, thyroid disease, and the list goes on and on.
Now youcould be wondering why I am so bold to 'blame' all these and more onvaccines. The reason is simple: I have an empirical, call it experimentallab where I visit daily and watch the animals, year after year. In the short years of my career I have seen the incredibleincrease in all these illnesses, some we never even learned in vet school.In fact, my vet school is now primarily an oncology treatment center! This was not the case a short 20 years ago. I have alsospoken with many vets who have practiced longer than I and their response isthe same. They did not see the level of chronic illness, nor the resistantand concretized type of illnesses that we see today. Because I am able touse homeopathic remedies to help resolve these effects of the vaccines I amable to see first hand the cause-effect relationship.
I have also looked atthe info of those who have come before me to help in this process. One such person was J. Compton Burnett,a British physician of the late 1800s and early 1900s. Burnett was aproponent of the smallpox vaccine until he started noticing that thevaccines given to young people in the prime of their lives were causing many'other' health problems. He coined the term 'vaccinosis' to describe theillnesses caused by vaccines, separate from the illnesses they wereprotecting against. Much of what Burnett saw closely resembles what we see today in our animals. This is interesting howthis human model is actually teaching us about what happens with animals.
Burnett further verified his hypothesis by giving the homeopathic remedy,Thuja, to many of these vaccinated individuals, as was describedby Hahnneman. He was able to reverse many of these harmful effects. Thisis still a widely used remedy for the effects of vaccines. Alternativesremember, the body has incredible capacity to provide protection against allsorts of invaders. So, if our approach to protection is from the standpointof supporting the body in doing its job, which it already knows how to do,we are working at a more fundamental level.
If we support the energy andphysical systems of the body we will support the immune system, not overloadit. Clean hygiene, good nutrition, clean water, plenty of exercise,constitutional treatments (preferably homeopathic), good breeding practices,and homeopathic nosodes, where needed. This all sounds very simplistic and,in fact, it is! Should you decide to use nosodes they must be used underthe guidance of a qualified vet, just as with any medication.
Nosodes arehomeopathic remedies made from the diseased products of whatever disease youare wanting to protect against. For distemper, nasal discharge is used.For parvo, fecal material is used. These are subsequently filtered, andsterilized, diluted and succussed as any homeopathic remedy and areadministered orally. I use them starting at 7-9 weeks andcontinue for the first year of life only. They cannot be used for rabieslicensing.
Nosodes provide protection by stimulating a non-specificimmunological response. They fill the susceptibility the animal has to thedisease without actually producing antibodies. If that susceptibility isfilled, much like a cup of coffee to the brim, then nothing else can come inand fill it up. You can't be over-susceptible. In my practice nosodes arevery effective with the exception of animals with chronic illness and poor breeding practices. The primary nosodes I use arefor the life threatening diseases such as parvo, distemper, andpanleukopenia. I will also use bordatella for animals in kennel situations.
If You Do Vaccinate
If you choose to vaccinate, please be careful. My recommendations are asfollows: wait until 14 weeks for puppies and kittens, until the maternalantibodies are no longer present. If you must use something before 14weeks, use nosodes; after 14 weeks, give one MLV parvo/distemper combinationfor dogs; for cats, give one panleukopenia, and one rabies vaccine at leasttwo weeks after the above. OR: One distemper at 12 weeks, followed by oneparvo at 14 weeks (these arethe single vaccines and are the best, but often difficult to find). Allother vaccines, except rabies, I cannot recommend, period.
Other Issues
We have yet to discuss the topic of rights, animal rights, and guardianrights. This is one you can play with on your own. Additionally, we haveyet to talk about the laws that mandate rabies requirements that don'treflect the current science. I hope to see these laws changed as there ismore info from the duration of immunity studies. It will be up to thegrassroots movement to initiate this as most vet associations will notsupport a law that will hurt the pocketbooks of the vets. So, you can seethere is quite a bit of info to assimilate, and there is more! With this, Ibelieve there is enough to shed some light on a topic that even confusesmost vets.
Catherine O'Driscoll - Canine Health Concern
WHAT IS THE EFFICACY OF CURRENT VACCINES?
Ronald D. Schultz, Ph.D., Dipl. ACVM (honorary)
Unfortunately neither the maximum nor minimum duration of protectiveimmunity of most vaccines is known. Many vaccinated animals are neverchallenged because the pathogens are not present in the animal'senvironment. Every vaccine appears to be 100% efficacious when there isno challenge!
In a random survey of serum samples collected in the early 1990s from about100 dogs presented to several clinics for their first revaccinations, Ifound more than one-third of the dogs did not have detectable antibody toCPV-2. The reasons the dogs didn't have antibody were 1) Some pups werevaccinated before maternal antibody had disappeared [at that time manyvaccines were ineffective in immunizing pups younger than 18 to 20 weeks ofage with high titers of maternallyderived antibody], 2) some pups were vaccinated with a commercial productthat was later shown not to effectively induce an antibody response toCPV-2, and 3) a small percentage had not been vaccinated previously withCPV-2. The dogs without antibody did not develop canine parvoviral infectionor disease during the year. Thus, the animals appeared totally protected,even though they had not been effectively immunized. We must assume thatthey didn't develop disease or become infected because they were not exposedto the virus.
The negative serologic findings show that the dogs hadn't beeninfected with the virus during a period of being completely susceptible toCPV-2. These results demonstrate that many pet dogs are never exposed toCPV-2, a highly infectious, often deadly, and extremely environmentallystable virus of dogs, similar in stability to feline parvo virus. As anexample of its stability we recently tested some MLV CPV-2 vaccines that satin a refrigerator for 10 years, and it was demonstrated that the virus wasstill infectious and able to immunize puppies (L.J. Larson et al:Unpublished data, 1997).
Another reason we don't know the real efficacy and duration of immunity ofcurrent vaccines is that animals are rarely, if ever, experimentallychallenged one year or more after vaccination.
Furthermore, no studies are reported in the literature that compare dogsvaccinated as pups and then vaccinated annually for three years with dogsvaccinated only as pups to determine resistance to challenge infection ordisease. Studies to determine whether annual vaccination is needed forprotection are rare for any canine or feline vaccine. The exception israbies, for which minimum duration of immunity studies have demonstrated(because they are required for licensing by the U.S. Department ofAgriculture [USDA]) that protective immunity is present in a similarpercentage of dogs whether three years after rabies vaccination or one yearafter vaccination. Certain one-year rabies products have become three-yearproducts by extending the interval oftime before challenge studies were done. Until 1995, the USDA did notrequire minimum duration of immunity studies for any vaccine other thanrabies, so the recommendation for annual vaccination is not based on oneyear's being the duration of immunity.
The one-year recommendation was not determined by any scientificallyvalidated studies nor will one find in the literature publications thatdemonstrate a need for annual vaccination with many of the products in use.Furthermore, we do not know if there would be any difference in immunitybetween animals that are vaccinated annually or animals vaccinated only onceevery three years when challenged. We do know that many animals, whenrevaccinated with viral vaccines, do not show a four-fold or greaterincrease (the minimum change required for significance) in their antibodytiters (unpublished observations from my studies with viruses such as CDV,CPV-2, CAV-2, FPLV, and FCV). For example, in a study we performed with 106dogs that had been vaccinated for CPV-2 within the last one to four years,only one dog had a significant increase (four-fold) in its CPV-2 antibodytiter, and that dog had a very low titer (1:40) before vaccination.Therefore, revaccination frequently doesn't lead to an enhanced antibodyresponse, because the vaccine virus is neutralized before it can reach thememory B or T cells.
An important question to ask yourself is: "What do we do to ensure that children who are vaccinated at an early age, usually less than 6 years of age, still have immunity at 20, 40, 60, or 90 years of age?" Nothing! We don't measure titers in people, and we don't routinely vaccinate adults. We rely on the memory cells of the immune system. Since vaccines for peopleare similar in many ways to canine or feline vaccines, since the immunesystem of a person is similar to that of an animal, and since immunitypersists for the life of a person (average 70+/- years), then why wouldn'timmunity from canine or feline vaccines persist for 10 to 15 years? Theanswer is that many canine and feline vaccines do provide the same lifelongimmunity. However, just as thereare certain human vaccines that provide short-term immunity (e.g. Vibriocholera vaccine) there are certain canine vaccines (e.g. leptospira) andfeline vaccines (e.g. chlamydia) with only short-term immunity.
Very recently it was reported that dogs vaccinated with CDV at an early agethen moved to a country free of distemper had CDV antibody titers as long as10 years later. Similar observations had been made previously, but the dogswere not in a distemper-free environment. My own observations and those ofDr. Leland Carmichael show that dogs not only have CDV antibody but arecompletely protected from infection when challenged five to seven yearsafter vaccination. CDV antibody titer correlates directly with protection inthese studies, and dogs with virus neutralization titers of > 1:20 hadsterile immunity (were protected from infection).
Therefore, when dogs with immunity to CDV are challenged with virulent virusone year after vaccination, more than 90% of the dogs have protective levelsof antibody, and if the dogs were challenged seven years after vaccination,greater than 90% would still be immune based on protective titers (R.D.Schultz: Unpublished data, 1984).
If cats were challenged with feline herpes virus one year after vaccinationwe might expect protection from disease in about 65 to 70% of the cats. Andif challenged three years after vaccination, 50 to 60% of the cats likelywould be protected. This level of protection in catsis based on limited observations in a cattery and is not based onscientifically controlled studies. However, challenge information will soonbe available on cats vaccinated more than seven years earlier from a studyby Dr. Fred Scott. Dr. Scott recently documented the duration of immunity toseveral feline viruses, as determined by the presence of antibody. In hisstudy kittens were given two doses of killed vaccines containing FPLV,feline herpes virus, and FCV. These cats, raised in an isolated environment,have had antibody titers to the three vaccines that have persisted for atleast six years. These results demonstrate that even when killed vaccinesare used, the immune system continues to be stimulated in the absence ofinfection and that memory cells as well as certain effector B and T cellsare present for at least six years. Furthermore, these cats, because theyhave memory cells as well as effector T helper and B cells, would beexpected to resist challenge to virus as effectively as cats that had beenvaccinated annually. What is remarkable about these studies is that a killedvaccine generally produces a shorter duration of immunity than does an MLVvaccine.
The duration of immunity study in cats should demonstrate that even killedvaccines provide immunity far beyond the one year currently recommended forrevaccination. How do I know this is the case before the challenge studiesare performed? Because we know there is a direct correlation betweenantibody titer and protection from infection with FPLV and FCV. Protectiveantibody titers for FPLV are > 1:100, and the cats in this study havemaintained titers higher than 1:1,000 for seven years. And protection fromFCV can be demonstrated in cats with titers less than those in the cats inthis study.
Local (mucosal) antibody and T and B memory cells will be more importantthan systemic antibody to protect against herpes virus infection anddisease, so systemic titers do not correlate with protection. However, sincethis disease most often occurs in young cats with poorly developed immunesystems and there is an age-related increased resistance in older animals,it may be that the 7-year-old non vaccinated control cats will not evendevelop significant disease and that the vaccinates will have memory cells,so they should have even greater protection.
Similarly, I have found that adult dogs vaccinated twice with an MLV CPV-2vaccine one to four years earlier as pups were completely immune whennaturally challenged with CPV-2 virus. The exposure occurred during a severeoutbreak of CPV-2 disease that lasted six months and killed ahigh percentage of pups less than 12 weeks of age (R.D. Schultz: Unpublisheddata, 1989). The adult dogs did not become sick and did not have evidence ofinfection, so the dogs had maintained sterile immunity for up to four yearsafter vaccination. This is not to suggest that adult vaccinated dogs do notbecome infected or diseased when exposed to pathogens such as CPV-2 or CDVat a later age but that those few adult animals that do may become infectedand diseased whether or not they have been revaccinated annually. The adultanimals that become diseased may have a compromised immune system or forvarious reasons may have failed to develop immunity even after multiplevaccinations. Annual vaccination for diseases caused by CDV, CPV-2, FPLV,and FeLV has not been shown to provide a level of immunity any differentfrom the immunity in an animal vaccinated and immunized at an early age andchallenged years later.
Vet Med 93[3]:233-254 Mar'98 45 RefsRonald D. Schultz, PhD, Dipl. ACVM (honorary)Department of Pathobiological SciencesSchool of Veterinary MedicineUniversity of Wisconsin-MadisonMadison, WI 53706
Here's a post from Dr. Blake a holistic/homeopathic vet that explains it...
All of the dogs I have treated for Kennel cough have all been vaccinatedsince the availability of vaccines for kennel cough. Once I stoppedrecommending them, the percentage of dogs who got kennel cough droppeddramatically 90+%. When intranasal vaccines came out it got worse. Myexperience has been that the intranasal can cause chronic URD and sinusitisconditions. The disease is self limiting and easily treated with homeopathyand nutritional support. My advise has been not to vaccinate for thisdisease and let them develop their own natural immunity. Normally thedisease lasts from a few days to 2 weeks depending on the vital force of thedog.
Stephen Blake, DVM, CVA, CVH
THE BIG SCAM--RABIES VACCINATION
By: Dr. John Fudens, D.V.M.
I would like to give you, the reader, the truth about the so called requiredvaccinations, particularly rabies. There are two basic forms of law. One isthe legal Constitutional and Common law that this country was founded on,and the other is "colorable" law passed by Administrativeagencies/bureaucrats who have been given so called authority to pass laws.Black's Law Dictionary 5th Edition defines colorable law as "That which is in appearance only, and not in reality, what purports to be, hence counterfeit, feigned, having the appearance of truth." Yes, I study the law, am a paralegal, and have an extensive law library.
So any and all mandatory rabies vaccination programs are colorable law, inthat they have been passed and mandated upon the pet owning public bycertain vested interest groups. Who are these groups? First and foremostare veterinarians, in general, and veterinarian medical organizations.Second are the local animal control personnel, bureaucrats and politicians.What are their reasons? GREED, POWER AND CONTROL. Both these large powerfulinterest groups stand to benefit greatly by having rabies mandated bycolorable law.
Veterinarians receive a large percentage of both their gross income andprofit from vaccines given in the office. On average vaccines cost 60 to 95cents per dose and are charged to the client at $15 to $25 per injection andsubstantially more in the large cities. Therefore, if veterinarians lobby tohave a colorable law passed to give rabies vaccine every year that enhancestheir financial picture.
The veterinary medical societies, by working with other groups and areapoliticians, are rewarded by increased prestige and professional standing inthe community. After all we are protecting you from the dreaded diseaserabies, whether it exists or not. Some areas of the country are moreenlightened and fortunate to have the rabies vaccine mandated every threeyears. You can be assured the rise of rabies is never taken into account asto whether the vaccine should be required or not. More on this later. Thelocal government personnel benefit by extending more control over our lives,enriching the public treasury with fees, tags and fines, and giving theappearance that local government is doing something about animalpopulations, disease and risks to the public. Since rabies vaccines havebeen mandated, what county or area has seen less dog and cat bites, betteranimal control, more public awareness and educating of pet owningresponsibility, better birth control of unwanted animals, less euthanasia ofanimals and decreased growth of animal control facilities?
These special groups and lobbies will use any argument, realistic or not, tojustify their position. They are excellent at using the media to spread thelies and distortions. Examples: We have increased numbers of dogs bitingpeople, pitbulls attacking and killing children are on the increase, moredogs and cats are running loose terrorizing neighborhoods, killing wildlifeand other domestic stock, etc...ad nausaem. The only thing rabiesvaccination is for is the protection from rabies virus, all other justifiersfor the vaccine fall under human control and exist because there are acertain number of humans, connected to animals, who are irresponsible.Rabies is spread by the bite of an infected animal. The number of dog/catbite cases in the U.S. that expose humans to rabies is as rare as sharkattacks. This low incident rate has nothing to do with mandatory vaccinationas the number of cases was low before the mandatory requirement.
Let me give you an example of Pinellas County, FL where my Affinity Clinicis located. I secured information from Pinellas Animal Control through theFreedom of Information Act. The record of animal control starts in 1964.From 1964 to 1978 there were zero cases of dog rabies in the county.Magically in 1978 rabies vaccine was mandated to be given every year and alldogs tagged and licensed. WHY? Well it seems four veterinarians, with animalcontrol bureaucrats, pushed the county board of supervisors to pass a lawmandating rabies vaccination every year. There were three local vets and oneprofessor from the State Veterinary College who were behind this. It wasinteresting reading their letters pushing this law and the minutes of thecounty meeting. There was talk of dogs biting people (no actual figuresgiven), dogs running loose, animal overpopulation, rabies on the increase inthe U.S. (the increase was in wildlife, not dogs), etc.,etc. Not once wasthe issue discussed that there was no rabies in the county in dogs. To thisdate there still has not been one case of dog rabies, including thepopulation of dogs whose owners, GOD BLESS THEM, do not vaccinate forrabies. Let's go further.
From 1964 to 1989 there were no cases of rabies in cats in Pinellas County.Magically in 1989 a law was passed mandating rabies vaccination, tags andlicenses for all cats. Same tired worn out excuses were used. Since the 1989law there was one cat with rabies contracted from the bite of a bat. DO YOUREADERS REALLY UNDERSTAND WHAT I HAVE JUST STATED? This is standardthroughout the Country. No allowance is made for dogs/cats who never leavethe house or yard, could never be exposed to rabies under any circumstances,or who are so ill, old or at the end of their life cycle that the rabiesvaccine would throw them over the edge. No, all dogs and cats are treatedthe same because we have the bogeyman, rabies, stalking the streets waitingto strike unprotected dogs and cats.
Is there rabies in this Country? You bet. Are there areas of this Countrythat have rabies in their wildlife population and do some dogs/cats becomeinfected? You bet. But let's be realistic. Rabies has been on this earthlong before man walked here and will be here long after we are gone. Theonly way to get rid of rabies is to remove mankind and the upper animalssusceptible to the virus. Then maybe the virus will die off. It is a selflimiting disease in the wild as it is fatal. So the virus has an extremelyhard time spreading far and wide.
What is wrong with targeting those areas of the Country that have a problemwith rabies using a realistic and specially formulated program that willprotect the population at risk? Too logical and the special groups don'tmake any money. Why not educate the pet owner to the risks and dangers andlet them decide whether the immune system damage from rabies vaccination isgreater or lesser than contracting the disease. We do have a God givenConstitutionally secured right to LIFE, LIBERTY, AND THE PURSUIT OFHAPPINESS. Public health officials always have the right to mandateemergency health care procedures in case the public, in general does notrespond properly. But why should every day, month and year be as if anemergency or crisis exists? And why should we have more and more control ofour lives taken from us?
The vaccines, particularly rabies, are a political and economic scam beingforced upon pet owners because they do not know the truth. Rabies,nationwide, is nowhere near the problem the veterinarians, media,politicians and bureaucrats would like you to believe. If you wish more ofthe truth go to your local city or county government building and look upthe codes and statutes concerning vaccines and rabies. Get figures fromlocal animal control for rabies in dogs, cats and wildlife in your area.Then you can start to fight back, take control of your life, and protectyour pet from the only dreaded disease that is important--special interestgroups pushing their program leading to vaccine induced damaged immunesystems. Only you can set yourself free.
Current Veterinary Therapy by Kirk, the textbook bible for veterinarians ingeneral, has an article on canine and feline vaccines by two researchers.Near the end of the article is a paragraph called Annual Vaccinations. Itstates "The practice of annual vaccinations lacks scientific validity or verification. There is no immunological requirement for annual vaccinations.
The practice of annual vaccinations should be considered of questionable efficacy unless it is used as a mechanism to provide an annual physical examination or is required by law." Sure, if we can't manipulate you with annual vaccinations let's pass a law to get you into the office. Nice trick!
Well reader, it is your choice. I can only hope to stimulate you to look and go further. You don't have to take this suppression. Fight back. The only thing you have to lose is your freedom and you have already lost a great deal of it. I can fight with you but I can't do it alone. Dr. Fudens can be contacted at the Affinity Holistic Clinic, 1171 Lakeview Road, Clearwater, Florida. Phone: (813) 446-3603.
Our Pets: Vaccine Alternative
by Donna M. Raditic, D.V.M.
"Titering" is a blood test that is drawn from your pet and sent to a lab tomeasure the current protective immunity your pet has maintained from priorvaccinations or exposure. Currently, we can routinely titer for caninedistemper, lyme and parvo and feline panleukopenia and herpes. Adequatetiters demonstrating protective levels may replace the need for annualvaccinations against some diseases.
THE VACCINATION DILEMMA and YOUR HEALTHY COMPANIONS
Homeopathic veterinarians and other holistic practitioners have maintainedfor years that vaccinations are doing harm. Aside from the immediate risk ifvaccination side-effects such asallergic reactions and anaphylactic shock, there are more compelling reasonsto avoid vaccinationswhenever possible. Vaccinations represent a major assault on the body'simmune system. Attenuated organisms or chemically killed viruses or bacteriaare injected directly into the blood stream via subcutaneous orintramuscular injection, an unnatural route of infection. This profoundinsult, avoids the body's first line of defenses, flooding the system withmillions of organisms or viral particles, causing irregularities andabnormalities in the immune system which then manifest as chronic diseasesin animals. The overall effect, while potentially protecting the individualfrom a specific, acute disease, is to weaken or create imbalance in theimmune system so that underlying tendencies to disease are brought to thesurface. In other words, vaccinations represent a major stress.
Followingvaccinations we often see chronic problems begin such as epilepsy, skinallergies, persistent upper respiratory infections, irritable bowelsyndromes, auto-immune diseases and cancer, just to name a few. What we arenow seeing are generations of over-vaccinated animals and these currentoffspring are suffering the penalty of this medical abuse. Wherevaccinations have helped in eradicating or reducing the incidence of severe,acute disease processes, the result has been to plague humanity with moreinsidious, chronic diseases that are difficult to treat or even cure andthat lower the quality of life for many individual and animals.
After twenty years or practicing veterinary medicine, I am observing chronicdiseases that beginmuch earlier than before. Cancer before five years of age in dogs and catswas a rarity and now it's not unusual to see fatal cancers in two and threeyear old animals. And the incidence of number of cases is definitelyincreasing. While poor breeding practices, poor commercial diets and otherenvironmental factors play their part, I believe it is the practice ofvaccinating an animal repeatedly with multiple vaccinations throughout theirlifespan that factors the most. We have genetically weakened our companionswith this practice.
A normal dog or cat living to twelve years of age willreceive at least twenty and possible thirty vaccinations during theirlifetime. Fifteen or so of these shots will have four to seven diseasefractions present in each vaccination. In all of this, balance in nature hasbeen lost to the pharmaceutical-medical complex's philosophy,propelled in great part by monetary factors, that all vaccinations arebeneficial and that vaccinating is always better than not vaccinating. Riskof Exposure should be the main guideline for consideration of whether tovaccinate and what to vaccinate against.
If your cats are indoor only or ifyour dogs' outside activities are on a leash or within a fenced area undersupervision, there is little risk. The other considerations for a vaccine'suse are its proven safety, its effectiveness, and is the disease serious orlife-threatening that the vaccine is used for. Remember, VACCINES ARE NOTHARMLESS. Only vaccinate if the threat is real.
The following are some of my recommendations concerning your companions' health in choosing whether to vaccinate.
1. If you can, don't vaccinate puppies under three months of age.Vaccinations are much more stressful on the underdeveloped immune system.Also, these vaccinations are much less effective at providing immunitybefore three months of age. If you feel you must vaccinate, do so with onevaccination of Distemper at three months, followed by a vaccination forParvovirus at four months of age, and stop with that. If you can't find asingle Distemper vaccine use the Distemper-measles combination. Use killedvaccines only.
2. Kittens should only be vaccinated for Panleukopenia andnot before three months of age. All other vaccinations should be avoided.One vaccine is sufficient.
3. Puppies and kittens can be given homeopathicnosodes beginning at three weeks of age, if there is a potential forexposure to Distemper, Parvovirus, or Panleukopenia. These nosodes can beused until vaccinations are given or continued periodically for the firstyear of life, if vaccinations are not given. Common sense should be used inavoiding exposure of very young animals to other, possible unhealthy,animals of the same species.
4. Booster vaccinations are completelyunnecessary. Studies are now showing that these vaccinations are effectivefor many years and most probably for life. Vaccinated animals do not needany boosters. Homeopathic nosodes can be given periodically if you areconcerned or if you think your animals live a high risk, life style.
5.Rabies Vaccinations should be given as dictated by state laws. Lyssin, thehomeopathic nosode, should be given within a few hours after thevaccination. Clearly, the rabies vaccination is effective for many yearsmore than state laws require booster vaccination.
6. Booster vaccinationscan cause SEVERE set-backswhen an animal is being treated homeopathically for chronic problems. Theycan completely erase any progress that has been made towards improving ananimal's health.
7. My personal recommendation is NOT to vaccinate at all.The best road to good health is feeding a diet rich in fresh foods, rawmeats for the carnivores, and avoiding vaccinations and allopathicmedications. Antibiotics and other allopathic drugs should only be used insituations where their use is clearly indicated, and this should be only inpotentially, life-threatening situations. Every time you suppress a symptomthe body produces, you are potentially lowering the health status of thebody system. Treating with the correctly prescribed, homeopathic remedy, herbs, or other non-invasive therapies, not of a chemical nature, will enhance your health and your companions health.
8. Commercial diets should be carefully chosen. Your companion is at themercy of your good or poor judgement in selecting foods. Cats and dogs whichhave free access to the outside can to some degree supplement their diet.Otherwise, they are totally dependent on you. Science diets and Hill's dogand cat food products are not good diets. They use chemical preservativesthat have been shown to cause problems in some animals, and they useby-products, which are words on the ingredient label that need to be avoidedat all costs. This generally means food not utilized for human consumption.If you feed a carefully selected commercial food, some supplementation withfresh food is necessary to maximize your companions' health. Raw poultry,beef, lamb, or rabbit and occasionally liver should be added to the diet atleast three times per week, and fresh vegetables in small amounts shouldalso be offered.
9. The best diet is a RAW FOOD DIET and we have recipes.There are also many good books with recipes for raw diets. Definition ofHomeopathic Nosodes (Pronounced no'-sodes), are remedies or medicines madefrom the disease itself and are diluted or potentized so only the energyexists. They are administered orally. So far, experience has shown noproblem with side effects if the animal has been healthy. The following isDr Loops recommended schedule for Nosodes
SCHEDULE FOR IMMUNIZATION WITH NOSODES
FOR PUPPIES 3 WKS TO 6 WKS
[Begin or give nosodes on same day of each week]
A dose of nosode is 4-6 drops of the nosode on the tongue.
WEEK ONE - Give 30C Parvo Nosode once [twice] daily for 2 days
WEEK TWO - Give 30C Parvo Nosode once daily for 5 days
WEEK THREE - Give 200C Parvo Nosode once
WEEK FOUR - Give 30C Distemper Nosode [twice] daily for 2 days
WEEK FIVE - Give 30C Distemper Nosode once
WEEK SIX - Give 200C Distemper Nosode once
WEEK SEVEN - Wait
WEEK EIGHT - Give 200C Parvo Nosode once
WEEK NINE - Wait
WEEK TEN - Give 200C Distemper Nosode once
WEEK FOURTEEN - Give 1M Parvo Nosode
WEEK EIGHTEEN - Give 1M Distemper Nosode
Repeat the 1m doses every 4 months with one month in between the parvo anddistemper nosodes. After several repetitions the schedule can be stopped atone to two years of age depending on the potential exposure.
For nosode kennel cough protection, give the 200C nosode once daily for twodays, follow with one dose two weeks later. Wait until 6 months of age tobegin. Repeat every 3-6 months depending on potential for exposure.
For nosode Heartworm protection, give the 200C nosode once daily for twodays, follow with one dose two weeks later. Repeat once dose every 6 weeks.
More reading:
http://www.vaccinationnews.com/
http://www.canine-epilepsy.com/vaccination.html
http://www.critterfixer.com/vaccinations_not_recommended_dogs.htm
http://www.asr-svcs.dircon.co.uk/wwwchc/vac_rslt.htm
http://www.b-naturals.com/fall97.htm
http://www.naturalrearing.com/J_In_Learning/Vaccinations.htm
http://www.shalako.com/vaccine.htm
http://critterfixer.com
http://www.itsfortheanimals.com
http://www.natural-akita.com
http://www.yourpurebredpuppy.com/health/common/vaccinations
Research, reports etc are at CHC's web site:http://www.asr-svcs.dircon.co.uk/wwwchc/
If you do not wish to vaccinate your pet with vaccines required by law you can get a waiver from your veterinarian. If your dog has had problems with vaccinations in the past, you can BY LAW be waived from the vaccination requirement. Here's the quote:
(1) The owner or person having the care and custody of an animal that is inor has a physical condition that precludes the safe immunization or reimmunization of the animal against rabies is exempt from the requirement of this Regulation where,
(a) a statement of exemption is issued by a veterinarian with respect to theanimal that sets out the reason why the animal cannot be immunized or reimmunized; and
(b) the animal is controlled in such a manner as to preclude its being exposed to rabies. R.R.O. 1990, Reg. 567, s. 8 (1).
You will find this here:http://192.75.156.68/DBLaws/Regs/English/900567_e.htm
These waivers are supposed to be accepted at obedience/agility classes and at the border. If you are traveling call ahead to confirm this.
This particular copy applies to Ontario but it is my understanding that all provinces/states have made similar allowances to protect themselves frombeing sued should a dog have a fatal reaction to a vaccine due to beingforced by law to have that vaccine. By having made these allowances theyprotect themselves by putting the responsibility on the owner to know thislaw and to use correct judgement in the administration of vaccines and theanimals overall state of health. Many people don't even know that theseexemption allowances exist.
You can also ask a holistic/homeopathic vet to sign a note like this for your dog:
To Whom It May Concern:
This Doberman(any breed) named _____________ has had all the vaccinationsthat I deem appropriate for the species.
(signed - vet)
In 2001 I was made aware of a new product called ProHeart and after reading the literature on this product I advised all my readers and clients not to use this product. Here is a letter from one of my favorite clients about this very important topic.
FDA recalls popular heartworm drug for dogs Medicine linked to thousands of injuries, deaths.
"Haven't you been telling us this for years???"
"I'm so glad I trusted you!"
from Lisa
Fort Dodge to Comply with FDA's Request to Recall ProHeart 6
Injectable Heartworm Product from the Market Due to Serious Health
Concerns Fort Dodge Animal Health, of Overland Park, Kansas, at FDA's
request, has agreed to immediately cease production and recall its
heartworm medication ProHeart®6 from the market until the FDA's
concerns about adverse reaction reports associated with the product
can be resolved.
As of August 4, 2004, FDA's Center for Veterinary Medicine (CVM) had
received 5,552 adverse event reports for ProHeart®6. The actual
number of adverse events is likely even higher because studies show
that only a fraction of actual ADEs are reported.
The Agency has observed an increase in the number of cases associated
with liver and bleeding abnormalities followed in some cases by death.
To learn more about heartworm disease, check this very good link on the life cycle and the pros and cons of heartworm treatment protocols: http://www.danebytes.com/heartworm.htm
I have been caring for dogs for over 20 years all over the United States in many heartworm endemic areas. In all those years, I have never had a case of heartworm disease in one of my patients except for two over 20 years ago before I knew better how to help them naturally repel the disease.
I mainly recommend natural-food diets, colostrum, minimal or no immunization and no monthly wormers or heartworm protection. I recommend also that if there are mosquitoes in your area you use my combination of the blend of the following essential oils; Lemon Grass, Lemon and Eucalyptus oils. Two drops of each per ounce of water and spritz the dogs when they go out in bug infested situations. This mixture works equally well on humans and is my bug repellent of choice for my family and myself. You can order these oils off my website www.thepetwhisperer.com under the essential oil section.
As you all aware, Drs. Christian and Stephen Blake have been outspoken against annual vaccines for 21 months and 24 years respectively. I just returned from the 2004 Annual Conference of the American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association in Kansas and was fortunate to hear Dr. Jean Dodds and Dr. Ron Shultz speak on vaccine issues.
With the help of Drs. Jean Dodds and Ron Schultz, the following information is now mainstream information for all veterinarians in the world. Please pay this forward to all pet owners and veterinarians with whom you come into contact. With your help, over-vaccination will go the way of other Flat Earth Medical Practices that have preceded it, i.e., bleeding, purging, using flat earth maps to navigate the healing of animals, etc.
All of the 27 Vet Universities in the US have followed the immunization protocol as suggested by Dr. Dodds for years.
I would like to make you aware that all 27 veterinary schools in North America are in the process of changing their protocols for vaccinating dogs and cats. Some of this information will present an ethical
& economic challenge to Vets, and there will be skeptics. Some organizations have come up with a political compromise suggesting
vaccinations every 3 years to appease those who fear loss of income vs.
those concerned about potential side effects. Politics, traditions, or the
doctors’ economic well-being should not be a factor in a medical decision.
NEW PRINCIPLES OF IMMUNOLOGY
Dogs’ and cats’ immune systems mature fully at 6 months. If a modified live virus vaccine is given after 6 months of age, it produces immunity, which is good for the life of the pet (i.e.,: 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 reactions 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 mother’s milk. This natural protection can last 8 - 14 weeks. Puppies & kittens should NOT be vaccinated at LESS than 8 weeks. Maternal immunity will neutralize the vaccine and little protection (0-38%) will be produced. Vaccination at 6 weeks will, however, DELAY the timing of the first highly effective vaccine. Vaccinations given 2 weeks apart SUPPRESS rather than stimulate 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 months of age will provide LIFETIME IMMUNITY.
As for Rabies vaccine, it is a law that all dogs must be vaccinated according to each state. Currently all but two states require annual vaccines and all the rest will honor three-year vaccines. Write and call your local state animal control agencies and petition for acceptance of rabies titers in lieu of repeated vaccination for licensing.
As always, Dr. Schultz delivered an informative, provocative and important message to all attendees at the 2004 Conference.
General Principles
He began by reminding us that the original vaccinologists were all virologists. He then compared Innate or Natural Immunity which is nonspecific with Acquired or Adaptive Immunity which is specific. The former is present from birth, operates against any substance, and is not enhanced by prior exposure, whereas the latter is a defense mechanism, tailored to individual pathogens, and is enhanced by prior exposure. Age is related to innate immunity, as eventually there is immune senescence which plays a role in longevity. Vaccines sometimes enhance innate immunity, although they are designed to enhance acquired immunity. An example is the intranasal kennel cough vaccine, which is preferred over the parenteral version, as it stimulates innate immunity immediately.
In the presence of Protective Immunity, when re-infection occurs, the immune challenge agent(s) is recognized by pre-formed antibody and effector T-cells; rapid expansion and differentiation of the effector cells occurs; and the infectious agent(s) is removed. When Immunologic Memory is present, only mild or unapparent infection occurs; this protection may last a lifetime. Effector B-cells are plasma cells that live for at least 10 years and likely forever in the bone marrow. Sterile Immunity exists when there is no infection or unapparent reinfection.
The endocrine and nervous systems are intimately interactive with the immune system, i.e. neuroendocrine system and immunity.
It was in 1978 that Ron Schultz and Fred Scott at Cornell first recommended triennial vaccination [Vet Clin N Am 8(4):755-768, 1978]. So it has taken 25 years for this recommendation to be adopted by veterinary scientists, industry, and mainstream veterinary medicine!
Cell-Mediated Immunity is not important in canine parvovirus (CPV) but very important in canine distemper virus (CDV) infections. In the presence of very low or no measurable immunity to CDV after appropriate vaccination, it is basically useless to revaccinate. Currently licensed CDV vaccines, including the recombinant (Merial) vaccine, produce excellent sustained immunity. He recommends giving MLV CDV vaccines twice, once before 12 weeks and once after 12 weeks of age, then every 3 years thereafter. For the recombinant vaccine, he recommends vaccination at 6, 8, and 12 weeks of age, then every 3 years thereafter.
Core Vaccines. These for dogs are distemper, parvovirus, adenovirus 2 (CAV-2), and rabies; for the cat, core vaccines are panleukopenia and rabies. The last dose of vaccine must be given at 12 weeks or older, and revaccination is given at 1 year of age or 1 year later. Non-Core Vaccines for dogs are Leptospirosis, Bordetella, Lyme , and canine parainfluenza vaccines; for cats, these are calicovirus and herpes (rhinotracheitis) viruses. Canine corona virus and Giardia vaccines are generally not recommended.
Duration of Immunity
The minimum duration of immunity (DOI) is 7-10 years for CDV, CPV-2, and CAV-2. Booster vaccination more than every 3 years offers no benefit. Two methods are used to measure DOI: disease agent challenge studies, and serology measurements. But, what is the DOI for natural infection for these important pathogens? The protection generated by MLV vaccines is equivalent to that of natural infection or disease. For killed vaccines, DOI is usually less and immunity is less complete. Recovery from disease is for life with CDV, CPV-2, and CAV-2.
CPV lives in the environment for years or more, whereas CDV is fragile and survives about 15 minutes in the naked state. With CDV exposure, one has up to 72 hours to vaccinate and still induce protection, but with CPV, one has only 72 minutes. In specific pathogen-free animals, vaccination against core agents lasts at least 4 ½ years.
After only 1 dose of rabies vaccine, DOI is 5-7 years based on serologic titers.
Pfizer’s published study in January 2004 showed DOI of at least 4 years for their 5-way canine and 3-way feline vaccines. Schering Plough now guarantees their CDV, CPV, and CAV-2 vaccines for 3 years; their panleukopenia and FeLV vaccines are also guaranteed for 3 years. Fort Dodge recently showed 3-–year protection after challenge studies for their CDV, CPV, and CAV-2 vaccines.
Miscellaneous
Feline Leukemia Vaccine
Recommends product by Fort Dodge or Schering Plough; 2 doses must be given 3 weeks apart, and preferably at 9 and 12 weeks of age. No measurable titers are typically found, and no more vaccines are needed for cats over 1 year of age as FeLV is not that contagious.
Lyme disease
Infection and disease seen mostly in northeast and around the Great Lakes region. Vaccination is generally not recommended except in high-risk areas, and then only the recombinant vaccine is recommended at the beginning of the tick season. [Generally good advice to avoid bacterin vaccines, whenever possible, as they are immune modulators (e.g. Lyme, Leptospirosis, and Bordetella parenterals; intranasal Bordetella is satisfactory).]
Leptospirosis Vaccine
As a zoonotic disease, there is concern about contagion with leptospira spp. However, vaccination does not prevent against shedding of the organism, so it is not protective of others. Even 2 vaccinations and annual boosters will not adequately protect against re-infection, because of the short-lived immunity induced (several months). Hypersensitivity reactions to leptosirosis vaccines (Type I hypersensitivity) are long-lived, and can be recalled acutely even after 4 years. Many dogs now have measurable titers against L. bratislava and L. autumnalis, but they do not have disease unless titers are in the thousands and clinical signs are present. Serovars of leptospira spp. cross-react, especially with L. grippotyphosa, L. pomona, L. canicola, and L. icterohemorrhagiae.
Kennel Cough Vaccines
In 5,000 dogs studied in shelters, it made no difference which vaccines were given, as some dogs still got kennel cough. Upper respiratory infection is endemic in most pounds and shelters because of the crowding, poor ventilation, and variable hygiene. Kennel cough vaccines are basically useless, as natural immunization is ubiquitous.
Recombinant Vaccine
Good for use in shelters as are more likely to overcome maternal immunity. CDV recombinant can boost immunity rapidly in 90% of cases, whereas MLV CDV can do so in only about 10%. Excellent antibody titers are produced to the rCDV product, and they don’t cause immunosuppression like MLV vaccines. Merial’s recombinant CDV vaccine should be given at 6, 8, and 12 weeks of age , and then 3 years later. A question remains about the induction of autoimmune disease with recombinant vaccines, although hypersensitivity reactions should not occur. Naked DNA vaccines are being developed, as the next stage of vaccinology.
Horses
Generally, equine vaccines perform poorly (give one year or no immunity). Must ignore information about dogs, cats, and humans when dealing with horse vaccines. Even the newer equine influenza vaccine gives immunity for only about 11 months. Equine herpes vaccines are lousy, giving immunity for only 2-3 months in attempting to prevent herpes abortion, but these vaccines should never be given to pregnant mares, despite common recommendation to do so.
Tetanus vaccines
produce good 3-year immunity. For West Nile Virus (WNV) vaccine, 2 doses are given 2-3 weeks apart at 6 months of age, but duration is only about 6 months. The newer WNV vaccines give 11-12 months immunity.
Vaccine Non-Responders or Poor Responders
The estimated frequency of these low responders is 1:1000-1:10,0000, and is genetically determined. It more likely occurs with CPV than CDV (10 times less) or CAV-2 (100 times less) vaccines, especially in Dobermans and Rottweilers, although most of these bloodlines have died off now. Non-responders to one vaccine are unlikely to be non-responders to another vaccine agent.
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) have devised a portentous new blueprint to ensure the economic success of this season's flu vaccine. Concerned over data documenting that almost 65% of people surveyed in 2003 did not receive the flu shot—including nearly 47% with chronic
illnesses and 78% of children aged 6-23 months—a new strategy has been devised.
The language within the presentation reveals the intent of the government and their drug company "partners" to use major news media (newswires, TV) to send scheduled, fear-based messages in an attempt to convince the unsuspecting public that, not only is the flu shot necessary, but to motivate them to demand it. This will amount to millions of dollars of free advertising for flu-vaccine manufacturers.
Last year, there were 1,026 messages sent via the media between September 21-28. Phrases used included, "this could be the worst flu season ever," "the flu kills 36,000 people per year" and "the flu shot is the best way to prevent the flu." Even though less than 175 people actually died from influenza in 2003, anticipate exponentially more messages regarding the "deadly flu" will be pushed through the news media this year.
Health officials are expecting that, through the publicity generated by
last year's flu hype, coupled with a carefully planned and implemented
new strategy, record numbers will seek vaccination this year. Perhaps
understanding the tactical maneuvers of the CDC-Big Pharma-Media
partnership will result in another "bust" year for the flu vaccines.
approximately 45 pages in Word format
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