As Jiggy and I grow older,  we find that we're not quite as agile and strong as we used to be.

For a while we were practically living with our chiropractor and acupuncturist dealing with pulled groin muscles, sore arthritic knees and the like. (Read about my chiropractic care.) But guess what? We haven't been there for more than 6 months. Our joints and muscles feel great, and my back -- which has bothered me since puppyhood -- feels terrific and my topline looks sexier and smoother than ever. (No more unslightly dowager's hump!)

What changed? Mom put no-slip mats on our hard stone floors. She positions them where we dart around corners trying to get to our favorite places as quick as we can. The traction keeps our legs from slipping out from under us. It's amazing how well they work. Try it!

Okay, the mats aren't gorgeous, but they beat the purple yoga mats Mom tried initially. They're actually no-slip bath mats so she can wash them in the washing machine. Mom pulls them up when company comes.

We bought our rugs at J.C. Penny's on-line store. They seem to always be on sale. They've saved us a fortune on chiropractic and acupuncture bills -- and we feel so much better. I can't imagine why she didn't try them sooner. Humans! They can be so slow to make changes.
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World-renowned pet vaccination expert Dr. Jean Dodds has written a wonderful article on managing and treating adverse reactions to vaccination (published here with her permission). She also clears up common misconceptions about vaccination, titer testing and vaccinating against rabies. This is an important article.

Because Dr. Dodds is a scientist, researcher and veterinarian, this article is more scientifically technical than my own vaccination articles. I really hope you’ll read it and bookmark or print it for future reference and also send it to your veterinarian and dog loving friends.   

CLINICAL APPROACHES TO MANAGING AND TREATING ADVERSE VACCINE REACTIONS by W. Jean Dodds, DVM

Viral disease and recent vaccination with single or combination modified live-virus (MLV) vaccines, especially those containing distemper virus, adenovirus 1 or 2, and parvovirus are increasingly recognized contributors, albeit relatively rare, to immune-mediated blood disease, bone marrow failure, and organ dysfunction. 
Read more>>
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Peaches, pictured here, ended her career as Judy Shor's champion agility dog, when a rabies shot caused her painful skin disease, Ischemic Dermatopathy. Peaches and Judy have raised $30,000 to support the Rabies Challenge Fund.

Dr. Dodds writes (in the article above): "Rabies vaccines are the most common group of biological products identified in adverse event reports ...."  The more shots your dog gets, the more likely a reaction. Such reactions can be serious: life-threatening and life altering. Dr. Dodds and Kris Christine, whose dog Meadow died from a rabies vaccine injection-site sarcoma, founded the Rabies Challenge Fund, a nonprofit research study hoping to prove that the rabies vaccine lasts 5 years, then 7, so we don't have to give this dangerous shot more often than necessary.

Reactions immediately or up to 3 days after the shot include:

Vomiting
Facial swelling
Fever or lethargy
Circulatory shock
Loss of consciousness
Death 

Reactions days, weeks or months after the shot include: 

Fibrosarcoma (cancer) at the injection site
Seizures and Epilepsy
Allergies
Autoimmune diseases, including organ disease, allergies and skin problems
Chronic digestive problems
Muscle weakness, especially lack of hind end coordination
Chronic digestive disorders
Serious skin diseases like Ischemic Dermatopathy / Cutaneous vasculitis
Behavior problems: aggression, destructive behaviors, separation anxiety and odd obsessive behaviors (like tail chasing and paw licking). 

Blood antibody testing provides good evidence that the rabies vaccine persists 7 years or longer after vaccination. A French study proved, in the early 1990's, that the shot lasts at least five years.

The three year shot is guaranteed for only three years because that's how long the manufacturer chose to continue the expensive testing. Although all states, thanks in large part to Kris, have changed to a three-year vaccination schedule, some locales, and many vets, still choose to vaccinate every year or two. It's all about money, honey!

Renowned veterinary vaccination experts Drs. Dodds and Ronald Schultz (Chair of the Department of Pathobiology at the University of Wisconsin, Madison) are volunteering their time to conduct 5 and 7 year tests to prove how long the vaccine protection lasts and to increase the time between shots. The University is waiving its overhead fee -- usually 48% of direct costs.

The second phrase of the study, if donations provide funding, will test the safety of the shot’s ingredients and will establish an adverse effects reporting system -- something desperately needed. All donations go to the direct costs of the study.

The Rabies Challenge Fund relies on donations to finance the multi-year challenge studies that began in November 2007. Due to the economic downturn, the Fund has a $125,000 shortfall for the third year of the studies, scheduled for this fall. This deficit threatens the future of the research. Even a small donation of $5 – $10, less than the cost of a rabies shot, will help finance this important study. Please, donate here. Don't let this important study end!  If you belong to a dog group, invite members to donate as many other breed groups have.
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Exciting News!  We invited Dr. Dodds and Dr. Schultz to come to So. California to speak at a seminar this spring to benefit the Rabies Challenge Fund. They said yes!  If you'd be willing to help us arrange the event -- there's a lot of work to do -- we'd love to hear from you. For sure we'll have an event in San Diego. Maybe LA. This is a rare opportunity to learn the truth about vaccination from the country's top experts while supporting the Fund. Please e-mail us if you can help. And don't forget to donate now.
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If you haven't seen our Tear Stain page in the past month, take a look. We've been adding things every week. This addition just went up:

A world-renowned veterinarian very generously answered my questions on the dangers of using low-dose tylosin and tetracycline to control tear stains. If you use a product containing the antibiotic tylosin (or tylan), or your vet has given you an oral antibiotic to use for tear stains, I hope you'll read this. Note: Even if you don't think you're using an antibiotic, you may be if you're using a product sprinkled on your dog's food! Read the label.

The veterinarian: Dr. Stanley L. Marks, BVSc, PhD, DACVIM, DACVN (board certified in Internal Medicine, subspecialties of Internal Medicine and Oncology, and Veterinary Nutrition); Professor, Department of Medicine and Epidemiology UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine: Director of the Companion Animal Gastrointestinal Laboratory; Speaker of the Year: 2003 North American Veterinary Conference 

My Question:  Dr. Marks, I am researching the long term use of low-dose tylosin by people trying to rid their dog of tear stains. I’m told you use tylosin a great deal for chronic canine diarrhea and know more about it than anyone. To clear up tear stains, people give this antibiotic (and also tetracycline) in unknown strengths for years and sometimes even for the life of the dog. I am concerned that not only aren't underlying causes of epiphora [excess tearing] being addressed, but also that antibiotic resistance and dysbiosis may result. I'd greatly appreciate your thoughts on long-term use of tylosin for cosmetic purposes.

>>Read his response
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Some veterinarians are wonderful. Others, not so much.

Every day — almost hourly – I hear stories of careless, profit-driven or uninformed vets harming, even killing, dogs and cats by vaccinating unnecessarily or inappropriately. How can you tell if your vet vaccinates safely?  Would you know if he or she didn’t?

Read more>>
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Read more>>
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Scared Poopless has two info-packed chapters on how to feed your dog, but people wanting to prevent or cure disease often want to learn even more. To fill this need, I teamed with Dr. Jean Hofve, one of the top pet food and pet nutrition experts in the country.

Disk #1: Truth, Lies & Pet Food (about selecting the safest commercial foods)
Disk #2: Diet, Disease and Longevity (how to feed dogs and cats with health problems)
Disk #3: From Mere Survival to Glowing Health (how to feed for optimum health) 

The cost is just $12 for each hour-long recording or $28.70 for all three. This is a once-in-a-lifetime chance to learn pet nutrition from real experts from the comfort of your home or car. Note: We will send you a link to the recordings instantly. For actual disk rather than links, add $3.70 more and we'll mail them.

Click here to order now. Click here to learn more about our dog nutrition recordings.
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