The Pet Wellness Update
Dedicated to Rabies Medical Exemption Nationwide
Overkill
Companion animals are suffering chronic diseases previously unknown in pets - allergies, asthma, arthritis, ear infections, thyroid disease, heart disease, kidney failure and cancer. And there's a large body of evidence that points to over-vaccinating our pets as one of the primary causes.
The Symptoms
The Science
Who benefits?
The Symptoms
The Science
Who benefits?
Intentional actions
Through the years, new vaccines have emerged to fight previously deadly diseases. They have been a boon to pet owners and a relief to the veterinary profession.
So in the name of prevention, veterinarians reminded us annually that it was time to "top off" Muffy and Spot's immunity to myriad diseases to which they may or may not be exposed.
Every year, our dogs and cats can receive up to 16 different vaccines, many of which are combined into a single shot.
Four of these products protect against life-threatening diseases, including rabies, canine parvovirus type 2 (CPV-2), canine distemper virus (CDV) and canine adenovirus type 2 (CAV-2) in dogs, feline herpesvirus 1 (FHV1), feline calicivirus (FCV), feline panleukopenia virus (FPV) and rabies in cats; the rest protect against milder diseases to which only some dogs and cats are exposed, including Lyme disease.
Few vets were accounting for the cumulative effect of such a biologic load on individual dogs and cats. Many veterinarians were ignoring the general rules pertaining to the vaccination procedures. For example the temperature should be taken to check for any evidence of infection. No animal displaying ill health or immune deficiency disorders should be vaccinated.
Indeed, as State and local governments codified annual booster shots, requiring annual rabies vaccinations in order to qualify for dog tags, many veterinarians believed that they were simply helping pet owners obey the law. Many still do.
Unintended consequences
Fast forward thirty years, our companion animals are suffering an increase in chronic disease not hitherto known in pets. Symptoms are manifold:
In dogs, these include arthritis, chronic ear infections, hypothyroidism, heart disease and immune related disorders.
Also present now in dogs as a consequence of repeated distemper, parvovirus, rabies and other vaccines are such clinical signs as muscle atrophy, atypical aggression and seizures.
Skin disorders in dogs are epidemic; they range from minor symptoms like itchy, flaky skin to total hair loss.
Cats are suffering a host of chronic diseases not previously known in the species; they suffer asthma, kidney failure, inflammatory bowel disease, dental calculus and decay, heart disease and cancer.
And there's a large body of growing evidence to support the fact that over-vaccinating our pets is one of the primary causes.
The science has been done
It's more than conjecture. The science has been done.
Today, the American Animal Hospital Association, the American Veterinary Medicine Association Council on Biologic & Therapeutic Agents, the American Association of Feline Practitioners as well as immunologists and clinicians at 22 veterinary schools in North America all err on the side of fewer vaccinations rather than more.
Yet the annual vaccination protocol persists in many veterinary practices.
Some veterinarians argue that there is not enough data to support the duration of immunity against the four major threats; that dogs and cats that react adversely are few and far between in their practices; and that without the annual vaccination visits, they will lose a valuable opportunity to practice preventative medicine.
This argument begs the question, does one size vaccine protocol really fit all dogs and cats?
Is overkill too strong a word?
I am a responsible and conscientious pet owner. My dog and all the cats who ever owned me have been hauled to the vet's office annually for a wellness exam and religiously inoculated with booster vaccines.
Sissy, my first calico cat, was vaccinated and re-vaccinated thus and lived to the ripe old age of 19.
At age 13, Aimee was euthanized with renal failure within 18 months of her last rabies re-inoculation.
Seeing her health issues through the prism of today's vaccinology research, I can see the signs of adverse vaccine reactions in skin allergies and cystitis. These were treated with steroids and antibiotics that further suppress the immune system.
Add to vaccinosis the potential side effects of annual systemic toxins aimed to kill fleas (Program) and the daily assualt of grain-based kibble (Sensible Choice), Aimee, not only looked like a B. Kliban cat by age 2, she was the poster cat for the long-term, life-shortening effects of a compromised immune system.
In 13 years, on the recommended schedule, Aimee had received 135 antigens. Yet, according to the most recent recommendations of the American Association of Feline Practitioners, 32 antigens would have been more than adequate to protect her.
By contrast, you and I are vaccinated once for smallpox when we
are a child and are protected for life.
In my mind, the word, "overkill," is not too strong.
So who benefits? Read more.
Sign the Petition to Grant a Medical Exemption from Rabies Shots for Sick and Senior Pets
Give responsible pet owners a reasonable way to obey the law and protect the health of our companion animals.
Sign the petition
Through the years, new vaccines have emerged to fight previously deadly diseases. They have been a boon to pet owners and a relief to the veterinary profession.
So in the name of prevention, veterinarians reminded us annually that it was time to "top off" Muffy and Spot's immunity to myriad diseases to which they may or may not be exposed.
Every year, our dogs and cats can receive up to 16 different vaccines, many of which are combined into a single shot.
Four of these products protect against life-threatening diseases, including rabies, canine parvovirus type 2 (CPV-2), canine distemper virus (CDV) and canine adenovirus type 2 (CAV-2) in dogs, feline herpesvirus 1 (FHV1), feline calicivirus (FCV), feline panleukopenia virus (FPV) and rabies in cats; the rest protect against milder diseases to which only some dogs and cats are exposed, including Lyme disease.
Few vets were accounting for the cumulative effect of such a biologic load on individual dogs and cats. Many veterinarians were ignoring the general rules pertaining to the vaccination procedures. For example the temperature should be taken to check for any evidence of infection. No animal displaying ill health or immune deficiency disorders should be vaccinated.
Indeed, as State and local governments codified annual booster shots, requiring annual rabies vaccinations in order to qualify for dog tags, many veterinarians believed that they were simply helping pet owners obey the law. Many still do.
Unintended consequences
Fast forward thirty years, our companion animals are suffering an increase in chronic disease not hitherto known in pets. Symptoms are manifold:
In dogs, these include arthritis, chronic ear infections, hypothyroidism, heart disease and immune related disorders.
Also present now in dogs as a consequence of repeated distemper, parvovirus, rabies and other vaccines are such clinical signs as muscle atrophy, atypical aggression and seizures.
Skin disorders in dogs are epidemic; they range from minor symptoms like itchy, flaky skin to total hair loss.
Cats are suffering a host of chronic diseases not previously known in the species; they suffer asthma, kidney failure, inflammatory bowel disease, dental calculus and decay, heart disease and cancer.
And there's a large body of growing evidence to support the fact that over-vaccinating our pets is one of the primary causes.
The science has been done
It's more than conjecture. The science has been done.
Today, the American Animal Hospital Association, the American Veterinary Medicine Association Council on Biologic & Therapeutic Agents, the American Association of Feline Practitioners as well as immunologists and clinicians at 22 veterinary schools in North America all err on the side of fewer vaccinations rather than more.
Yet the annual vaccination protocol persists in many veterinary practices.
Some veterinarians argue that there is not enough data to support the duration of immunity against the four major threats; that dogs and cats that react adversely are few and far between in their practices; and that without the annual vaccination visits, they will lose a valuable opportunity to practice preventative medicine.
This argument begs the question, does one size vaccine protocol really fit all dogs and cats?
Is overkill too strong a word?
I am a responsible and conscientious pet owner. My dog and all the cats who ever owned me have been hauled to the vet's office annually for a wellness exam and religiously inoculated with booster vaccines.
Sissy, my first calico cat, was vaccinated and re-vaccinated thus and lived to the ripe old age of 19.
At age 13, Aimee was euthanized with renal failure within 18 months of her last rabies re-inoculation.
Seeing her health issues through the prism of today's vaccinology research, I can see the signs of adverse vaccine reactions in skin allergies and cystitis. These were treated with steroids and antibiotics that further suppress the immune system.
Add to vaccinosis the potential side effects of annual systemic toxins aimed to kill fleas (Program) and the daily assualt of grain-based kibble (Sensible Choice), Aimee, not only looked like a B. Kliban cat by age 2, she was the poster cat for the long-term, life-shortening effects of a compromised immune system.
In 13 years, on the recommended schedule, Aimee had received 135 antigens. Yet, according to the most recent recommendations of the American Association of Feline Practitioners, 32 antigens would have been more than adequate to protect her.
By contrast, you and I are vaccinated once for smallpox when we
are a child and are protected for life.In my mind, the word, "overkill," is not too strong.
So who benefits? Read more.
Sign the Petition to Grant a Medical Exemption from Rabies Shots for Sick and Senior Pets
Give responsible pet owners a reasonable way to obey the law and protect the health of our companion animals.
Sign the petition
Aimee's Blog
Follow developments in our advocacy to reform outdated and inconsistently applied rabies laws in Texas and nationwide on Aimee's blog.
Go to the blog.
