Combination Shots for Dogs: Weapons of Over-Vaccination
Written by Jan on September 9, 2009 – 11:04 am
Whombo combos, mumbo jumbos: that’s what veterinarians who understand immunology call combination shots. Unlike a vaccine such as rabies, which contains a single virus, combination vaccines contain multiple “modified live” viruses mixed with various bacteria. Think of them as toxic soups, biochemical wolves in sheep’s clothing. When your vet sends out reminders to bring your dog “up to date on shots,” expect the whombo combo. Beware the wolf.
You’ve probably seen combo shots listed on your vet bill as DHLPP, DHLPPC, DA2LPPC, 5-Way, 6-Way, 7-Way, 7 in 1 or the like. After you learn more about them, you won’t want to see them on a bill again.
Why would your vet use combination shots?
Profit and convenience are the big selling points. Vets in large corporate practices, even those who don’t like combo shots, may be under orders to use them.
I suspect some vets don’t realize (or want to believe) how dangerous these weapons of over-vaccination can be. Pharmaceutical reps, frequent visitors to veterinary clinics, promote the shot’s many benefits for the vets while minimizing potential risks for pets. Adverse reaction reporting is voluntary and rare. The 2007 World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA) Vaccine Guidelines reports (regarding all vaccines) there is: “gross under-reporting of vaccine-associated adverse events which impedes knowledge of the ongoing safety of these products.” Unless a vet is an avid veterinary journal reader, he/she may be stuck in the mindset of believing shots are safe and that if shots are good, more shots are better.
Proponents say that the combo saves Spot multiple needle pricks, and saves you and your vet time and money. True — but only if vaccinating against multiple diseases is really necessary … and only if expensive adverse reactions don’t occur.
Why should you avoid combination shots?
- Immunity given by some vaccine components can last for years, even a lifetime, but other components may give immunity for less a year, yet they’re packaged together.
This is the pharmaceutical equivalent of packaging beef jerky and ice cream together. To keep immunity strong with short-duration vaccines, the long-duration vaccines have to be given again and again needlessly. This exposes your dog repeatedly, for no good reason, to adverse reactions which may include skin diseases, autoimmune disease, allergies and even death. Vets who still, for monetary reasons or ignorance, vaccinate annually find this practice quite convenient. Jab away. But vets who’ve switched to vaccinating every three years — which is still a misunderstanding of current guidelines recommending vaccinating “no more often” than every three years — aren’t using the short-duration vaccines often enough. Either they don’t believe the short-duration shots are really necessary (which is usually true) or they are being negligent and putting your dog at risk.
- Some combo components are made from viruses, some are from bacteria, all delivered at once with a dangerous punch.
Dr. Patricia Jordan, author of Mark of the Beast, writes about one manufacturer’s combo shot: “… the absolutely worse adverse vaccine reactions have been noted with … the “mumbo jumbo” polyvalent with several modified live viruses, killed whole bacterins of Leptospirosis, killed corona virus (the vaccine looking for a disease), lots of adjuvant, mercury, aluminum, antibacterial like gentocin, antifungal and fungi stats, proprietary ingredients of whose true identity makes me shudder to even speculate.”
Author Catherine J.M. Diodati wrote about combination shots in her Vaccine Guide for Dogs & Cats: “The number of pathogens plus toxic and carcinogenic chemicals that the animals are exposed to all at once generate an enormous toll on the immune system. The results can be devastating.”
- Small dogs and puppies suffer more adverse reactions when receiving multiple antigens at once.
Melissa Kennedy, DVM, PhD, DACVIM wrote in DVM360 on-line magazine: “The likelihood of adverse reactions in dogs has been found to correlate with the size of the dog and the number of inoculations given, with higher risk associated with small size and multiple inoculations.”
Renowned pet vaccination expert Dr. Jean Dodds has written about combo shots (she calls them combo whombos) that they: “can overwhelm the immunocompromised or even a healthy host…. The recently weaned young puppy or kitten being placed in a new environment may be at particular risk.”
This means: no combo shots for small dogs — or any other dog for that matter. And NEVER EVER GIVE ANY OTHER SHOT — ESPECIALLY A RABIES SHOT — WITHIN 3 WEEKS OF A COMBO. This also means no Bordetella given nasally. Giving rabies and Bordetella with a combo could mean as many as 9 shots in one day. Some dogs don’t survive this.
- If your dog experiences a reaction to the combo shot, there is no way to determine which antigen caused the reaction and must be avoided in the future.
Determining which antigen caused the reaction is like trying to determine which ingredient is causing an allergic reaction to kibble. It can’t be done.
If all this isn’t bad enough, the components are unnecessary for most adult dogs, the great majority of which have lifetime immunity to the important shots or have no need for other ingredients.
So, exactly what’s in these combination shots?
The ingredients differ, but here are some in the most common combos.
Give me a D! Give me a P!
The D is for distemper and one P is for parvovirus. Your dog very likely has lifetime immunity to both if he has had even one shot for these diseases after 4 months of age. These are important shots, but they needn’t be given again and again. In fact, adult dogs rarely need revaccination for parvovirus and distemper and there is a simple blood test called a titer test that your vet can run to prove immunity.
H stands for hepatitis, a disease virtually nonexistent in North America. Sometimes this is expressed as A2, or adenovirus 2, which gives cross protection to hepatitis. According to the 2006 American Animal Hospital Association Canine Vaccine Task Force Report, it gives immunity for 7 or more years. To protect against the disease reemerging, renowned pet vaccination expert Dr. Ron Schultz recommends giving adenovirus-2 just once after a dog is 16 weeks old.
L is for leptospirosis, a highly-reactive “non-core” shot (says the AVMA, AAHA, AHVMA, and all North American vet schools). Non-core vaccines are to be given only in special cases, not to every dog who trots into the clinic. It often doesn’t even protect against the specific disease strains in your area. Jeffers Pet veterinary supply, a vaccine seller, warns: “Many vets do not recommend vaccinating small dogs or young pups with Lepto. The vaccine is not normally needed and can cause harsh and sometimes fatal reactions. House dogs do not need to be vaccinated for Lepto; adult outside dogs need to be vaccinated for Lepto only if there is a possibility of traveling in the same area as feral animals.”
The other P is for parainfluenza (giving immunity for at least 3 years). It is also a non-core shot and does not protect against the canine flu.
C is for coronavirus, a vaccine specifically “not recommended” by any major vet organization or school. Extremely rare, it’s called “a vaccine looking for a disease.” Diodati reports that the reactions from the shot are more dangerous than the disease itself.
Combination shots are part of the unethical practice of over-vaccination of pets. They should have no place in your dog’s health care regimen. And vets who use them should have no place in your dog’s life.
Did your vet inform you fully about this shot before giving it?
If your dog was given a combo shot, and your vet didn’t explain exactly what was in it, why your dog needed it, why your dog may not have needed certain components, and what adverse reactions they may cause, change vets (and tell him/her why) and report that vet to your state veterinary board for using products not backed by science and not informing you properly. This is the only way things will change. Veterinarians have a legal obligation to obtain your informed consent before vaccinating by fully disclosing benefits and risks of the suggested shot — and alternatives. Of course, had they told you the truth about these shots, you’d probably wouldn’t have consented.
Alternatives to Combo Shots
To avoid the combination shot, you have to take action and be willing to stand up to your vet (or switch vets). Most are reluctant to give up their cash cow. Here’s what to do:
1. Test titers for parvovirus and distemper. If titers are strong, don’t revaccinate. (If weak, read my article.) Forgo lepto, coronavirus, hepatitis and everything else unless your dog has an urgent, proven need because of the special circumstances of his lifestyle.
2. Avoid clinics that subscribe to “one size fits all” vaccination even though all vet schools and organizations recommend otherwise.
3. If you’re vaccinating a puppy, or a young dog with low antibody titers, ask your vet to use a monovalent vaccine (meaning the vial contains only one vaccine). Also, use vials with only one dose to avoid the extra chemicals preventing contamination in multi-dose vials. Three readily available vaccines include: Galaxy Pv (a shot containing only parvovirus, offering 7+ years of immunity) and Galaxy D (a shot containing only distemper, giving 5 or more years of immunity). If those aren’t available, use Intervet Progard Puppy DPV containing both parvovirus and distemper but nothing else.
4. If your vet won’t purchase monovalent shots (protesting that his distributor doesn’t carry them), purchase them yourself and have your vet give them. Refrigerate until use. Better yet, have them sent to your vet by the reseller. You may not be able to purchase just one vial, but the extra cost is worth the savings from potential adverse reactions.
5. Better still, find a holistic vet who’ll know how to vaccinate, or not vaccinate, without harming your dog and already use monovalent vaccines.
I asked holistic vet Tamara Hebbler what she thought about combo shots. She responded: “I won’t give them. Ever! You couldn’t pay me enough to use them. It’s like playing Russian Roulette with your dog’s health. The risks are just too great.”
I couldn’t have said it better myself.
Other posts you might like:
If you have a small or medium-sized dog: Vaccinating Small Dogs: Risks Vets Aren’t Revealing
Is Your Dog’s Vet a Vaccination Expert?
Vaccinating Unhealthy Pets: Beware Reactions & Vaccine Failure
Vaccinating Dogs: 10 Steps to Eliminating Unnecessary Shots
Titer Test: Don’t Vaccinate Your Dog Unnecessarily
Dog Flu Vaccine: Do You Really Need a Shot for the H3N8 Canine Virus?
Find links to vaccination recommendations by the American Animal Hospital Association and WSAVA, plus more information on vaccinating, Vaccinating Dogs: What Your Vet Hasn’t Told You
And please, bookmark this article and forward it to friends. Just one combo shot can destroy a dog’s health forever.
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Tags: vaccine vaccination dog dogs veterinarian
Posted under Preventing Vaccine Reactions, Uncategorized, Vaccination | 18 Comments » Email This Post
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September 10th, 2009 at 2:37 pm
OK, Jan, so what is the absolute minimum vac.to give our little dogs? Wally has not received anything since his neurological event following the rabies shot/Pets Mart flea bath poisoning from which he has mostly recovered after homeopathy and acupuncture. (When he does get out of line I always say it is because he is a special needs dog now due to the poisoning.) He turned 1 yr. in June and the October deadline is looming. I don’t even like to give him heartworm – sometimes I do, sometimes I can’t bring myself to give it to him. He is healthy, healthy, healthy on our home everything regimen. He does visit with the other dogs on the street on occasion and goes to a home babysitting situation with a woman who has a Maltese and a Standard Poodle a few times a year. I want to keep him around until he is 17! What do you give your dogs
September 10th, 2009 at 3:04 pm
Hi Kat. Given that your dog has already had a problem with the rabies vaccine, I’d try for an exemption. I just wrote a long reply about it at http://www.dogs4dogs.com/blog/2008/06/18/20/ See answer #94.
Re other shots, I’d do a titer test for parvovirus and distemper. If titers are strong, I’d do what Dr. Ron Schultz recommends: presume lifetime immunity. Read more here: http://www.dogs4dogs.com/blog/category/titertesting/
I’m not a vet, but I wouldn’t vaccinate for Bordetella or canine flu or anything else absent a local epidemic and proven vaccine effectiveness (good luck with that!). And never give a combination shot. There are two articles at truth4dogs.com that I’d suggest: Dog Flu Vaccine: Do You Really Need a Shot for the H3N8 Canine Virus? and Combination Shots for Dogs: Weapons of Over-Vaccination. There’s a good passage about Bordetella (kennel cough) at http://www.dogs4dogs.com/shots
As Fall is upon us, if the weather is cool in your area, you might be able to stop the heartworm meds. You can read about how cool temperatures keep heartworm microfilariae (babies) from maturing at http://www.dogs4dogs.com/blog/2009/05/13/heartworm-medication-safety/
Okay, that’s it. Just make sure you’re feeding your dog good, wholesome food. You can read more about that at http://www.dogs4dogs.com/food. Thanks for posting your comment.
September 10th, 2009 at 3:32 pm
Oh, he is eating a wholesome diet. My mother has been critically ill and is finally home and living with us. When I asked her what she wanted to eat, she said, “puppy food.” That means she wanted to eat the same organic meat and vegetable mix that Wally eats twice a day.
September 11th, 2009 at 7:55 am
Jan,
My family will be moving to Ecuador soon and I’m working on a plan for getting our dog and cats’ vaccinated with as little damage to them as possible. I spoke with Jean Dodds and we went with the rabies vaccines she recommended as least toxic, but now I have to tackle the problem of the remaining vaccines, and I would love to know what you would advise in regards to how best to do this. Our pets have been raised on the BARF diet and we only use holistic treatments for them, so these will be their first experiences with vaccines. I’m an herbalist and we never use vets or doctors, so I don’t have a savvy vet in my back pocket to figure this out for me.
The vaccines Ecuador requires are: (for dogs) Lepto, parainfluenza, parvo, corona, hepatitis, and distemper, and (for cats) calicivirus, rhinotracheitis, panleukopenia. I’m not willing to risk the combo shots for either species. So, I’ll do the Galaxy for the parvo and distemper, but what about the rest…got any brilliant ideas?
Thank a million. Great articles, BTW.
September 13th, 2009 at 11:06 pm
Jan, thank you for this EXCELLENT article. How I wish I would have known about you and your blog seven years ago. If I had, I wouldn’t have lost my dogs, Tasha and Niki, to an unnecessary shot (one of them in combination with vaccines — and this particular dog would have been 11 years old, with an expected life span of 20 years!)
Jan is SO right: a shot can destroy a dog’s (and cat’s) life forever, if it doesn’t kill him!
September 16th, 2009 at 1:06 pm
I sure wish I would have found this site & others like it years ago. After a 6-month-long bout with treating the IMHA (auto-immune) disease in our 10-year-old labrador, we finally had to say goodbye to him. No cause was ever determined, although I always wondered if all those darn vaccines may have triggered it. Being the ‘good’ pet owner that I was, my animals got every ‘recommended’ vaccine imaginable – except for brand new ones, which scared me too much to try them.
The labrador came down first with lyme disease, inspite of his regular lyme vaccines. Now they say our german shepard has lyme disease too. Curious why or how these dogs could get a disease they’ve been vaccinated for, I started doing my own vaccination research online. Almost wish I never did!
My surviving dog just recently received her ‘annual’ DHLPP vacc, along with bordetella AND a coronavirus vacc too. YIKES! After reading up on what I just (unknowingly) exposed my beloved dog to, I can’t help but wonder if I’m not setting her up for the same nightmare I just went through with the labrador. I so wish I could go back and un-do these vaccines!
I now feel like I directly contributed to the demise of my labrador…. that is sad enough in & of itself, but to make matters worse, I may have just subjected my other dog to the same needless & potentially harmful vaccines.
September 16th, 2009 at 1:34 pm
Bethany, I’m so sorry for your loss. I have a several of suggestions. First, find a new vet. It’s not your fault you over-vaccinated your dog. It’s your vet’s fault. Make sure your vet knows that you’re leaving and why. An annual shot for DHLPP means your vet was greedy or hopelessly behind the times. There is not a veterinary organization or school that would recommends annual shots anymore — and they haven’t for years.
Second, you might want to read my blog post “Is Your Vet a Vaccination Expert?” http://www.dogs4dogs.com/blog/2009/07/23/does-your-dogs-vet-vaccinate-safely/
Third, if I were you, I’d find a vet trained in homeopathy. You dog needs to detox from all those shots. At the very least, you need the homeopathic remedy Lyssin to detox from rabies, and thuja for the other shots. You can get them at naturalrearing.com. They’ll help you with dosing, but I really urge you to see a homeopathic vet. It’s not like taking an aspirin for a headache. You need to undo the damage your vet did as soon as possible.
Fourth, at dogs4dogs.com/vet you can find a homeopathic vet referral list and can also learn how to report your vet to your state veterinary board. No vet should ever vaccinate without explaining possible adverse reactions. (Here’s a letter by an attorney/vet about Informed Consent. http://www.dogs4dogs.com/vaccination-informed-consent )
Regarding the connection to IMHA, this is from Dr. Dodd’s article on Adverse Reactions to Vaccination: The clinical signs associated with vaccine reactions typically include fever, stiffness, sore joints and abdominal tenderness, susceptibility to infections, neurological disorders and encephalitis, collapse with autoagglutinated red blood cells and icterus (autoimmune hemolytic anemia, AIHA, also called immune-mediated hemolytic anemia, IMHA), or generalized petechiae and ecchymotic hemorrhages (immune-mediated thrombocytopenia , ITP). http://www.dogs4dogs.com/blog/2009/08/06/treating-adverse-vaccine-reactions-by-jean-dodds-dvm/
I hope you’ll tell your friends what you’ve learned and urge them to learn more about vaccinating before it’s too late. An article I can recommend is Vaccinating Dogs: 10 Steps to Eliminating Unnecessary Shots at http://www.dogs4dogs.com/blog/2009/04/22/no-unnecessary-dog-shots/
I hope this helps.
September 23rd, 2009 at 9:47 am
Please let me know your thoughts on the right age and necessary shots for an 8 week old puppy. I almost lost a cat over giving her shots too early and I don’t want to make that mistake again.
Thank you.
September 23rd, 2009 at 10:07 am
Hi Barbara, most vets say that under normal circumstances you shouldn’t vaccinate sooner than 8 weeks because of maternal immunity. Some vets vaccinate at 10 weeks and again at 16. It all depends on our dog’s lifestyle and your willingness to keep the dog away from possible sources of disease.
The most important thing is what you vaccinate with. Please see my article Combination Shots for Dogs: Weapons of Over-Vaccination at http://www.dogs4dogs.com/blog/2009/09/09/combination-shot-for-dogs/ It will tell you what shots to give … and not give. Also, I’m writing an article about the special dangers of giving multiple shots to small dogs which should be posted here tomorrow.
September 23rd, 2009 at 10:48 am
Barbara, I see I forgot to tell you which shots I recommend: parvovirus and distemper only, hopefully in single dose vials containing only one vaccine. You’ll find details at Combination Shots for Dogs: Weapons of Over-Vaccination. I’m not a vet and can only tell you what I’d do for my own dogs. Two weeks after a shot at 15 or 16 weeks, I’d do a titer test to see if you need to vaccinate more. Learn more about titer testing at http://www.dogs4dogs.com/blog/category/titertesting/ And don’t forget to read my upcoming article on small dogs and puppies. If you sign up at http://www.truth4dogs.com, you’ll get the article automatically.
September 29th, 2009 at 4:56 pm
Hi Jan,
I have a bear coat shar pei, just about 9 months old, the vet has wanted to give my dog a flouride and sealant treatment and now a dental vaccine. I have never heard of this and was hoping you have and could give me so insight as to whether the vaccine will do more harm than good?
Alanna
September 29th, 2009 at 5:12 pm
Alanna, it is my opinion that you should run, not walk, away from that vet. Puppies don’t have dental disease. Although most dogs have some degree of dental disease by age 3, at 9 months it would be rare and would indicate a major health problem. I don’t know one vet who recommends the “dental vaccine.” Have YOU ever had a dental vaccine? Of course, not. You need a vet who vaccinates as little as possible, not as much as possible.
Read the recommendations of the Animal Animal Hospital Association or the World Small Animal Veterinary Association (see my page http://www.dogs4dogs.com/shots) for links. Try to find a recommendation for the dental vaccine. (You won’t.) In my opinion — and I’m not a vet — I would NEVER give my dog this vaccine nor would I treat my dogs, or myself, with flouride. Do an Internet search on flouride and you’ll see why.
Good for you for being a good dog mom and doing your research!
Stay tuned for my post tomorrow on the dangers of giving multiple vaccines in one clinic visit. Scary!
October 2nd, 2009 at 9:45 am
Thank you for replying to my (first) post dated 9/16. We currently have our first appointment set up with a holistic practice I found about 15 miles or so from us. I have checked them out, and they are quite reputable in various holistic treatments. I will be taking my german shepard and cat in to get evaluations, and hopefully I will come away being comfortable & confident with their suggestions. I didn’t mention before that this cat once had hypothyroidism – which I have since learned is another potential result of over-vaccinating for so many years. We’ve also had an orange tabby cat who eventually died from his diabeties. I am not at all certain that these issues were caused by combo shots and/or over-vaccinating, but if there is even a 5 % chance that they were, then that is 5% too high for me!
As for the lack of vaccine-disclosure or informed consent, is that really required nationally, or is that done on a state-by-state basis? I can’t find anything showing that it is required here in Maryland. I’ve been with our ‘regular’ vet for many, many years and fully believed in her advise and knowledge. Yet now I’d be so very uncomfortable going back to her, especially since she knew of our 6-month bout with IMHA (costing over $20,000), our hypothyroid kitty, and our diabetic kitty, and still never even thought to warn me about all those darn annual shots she continues to jam into my pets.
October 3rd, 2009 at 11:33 am
Hi Bethany. I’m so happy you’ve found what seems to be a good new vet. Still, remember that the ultimate responsibility for deciding on medical care is yours.
Re the requirement of a veterinarian to fully inform you of the risks and benefits of any medical procedure, it is a national requirement for vets and MDs. In fact, it’s an international requirement. Here’s a great article by a vet who is also an attorney. It’s called Liability Related to Vaccination. http://www.dogs4dogs.com/vaccination-informed-consent
Vaccinating annually when every vet school or veterinary medical association in North America recommends AGAINST it, also violates the veterinary oath: “Being admitted to the profession of veterinary medicine, I solemnly swear to use my scientific knowledge and skills for the benefit of society through the protection of animal health, the relief of animal suffering, the conservation of animal resources, the promotion of public health, and the advancement of medical knowledge. I will practice my profession conscientiously, with dignity, and in keeping with the principles of veterinary medical ethics. I accept as a lifelong obligation the continual improvement of my professional knowledge and competence.” http://www.avma.org/onlnews/javma/jun04/040601t.asp
If you go to my web page Vaccinating Dogs: What Your Vet Hasn’t Told You at http://www.dogs4dogs.com/shots, you’ll find links near the page bottom to the AAHA and WSAVA vaccination studies. I also hope you read my blog article, quoting numerous vets, on vaccinating sick animals.
You wrote: “Yet now I’d be so very uncomfortable going back to her.” Vaccinating sick animals also violates the recommendations of all vaccine manufacturers. I hope you report that vet to your local veterinary association so she’ll stop these dangerous practices. I’d also consider taking her to court. To vaccinate sick animals annually and then charge for the additional health problems that develop is unconscionable.
Re hypothyroidism, Dr. Jean Dodds at hemopet.com is the authority. You might want to have her do your next thyroid test. Her prices are excellent.
Re diabetes, cats often become diabetic (and have kidney problems) if they eat dry food, especially if it contains corn. I did three interviews (available on CDs at http://www.dogs4dogs.com) with a top nutrition expert who’s also a big cat lover. She’s adamant about not giving kibble to cats. It’s not so great for dogs, either. She has great cat articles at http://www.littlebigcat.com.
Hope all of this is helpful.
Jan
October 3rd, 2009 at 11:35 am
One more thing. I hope you’ll read my newest article about a 2005 study showing the additional problems of giving multiple shots at one sitting and also the dangers of giving the same vaccine repeatedly. It’s worse for small dogs, but still bad for all dogs and cats. http://www.dogs4dogs.com/blog/2009/09/30/vaccinating-small-dogs-risks-vets-arent-revealing/
October 8th, 2009 at 12:16 am
[...] multiple vaccines during one visit – especially to your small or medium-sized dogs. Important: a combination shot (like DHLPP) goes in with just one needle prick but contains multiple vaccines – sometimes as [...]
December 2nd, 2009 at 9:26 pm
Just a follow-up to my post dated October 2nd. First, thank you for all your information & recommendations, Jan – MUCH appreciated! The holistic vet we visited was interested in seeing blood-test results done on our cat a few months earlier by our ‘regular’ vet, so I had them faxed to her. A day or two later, the ‘new’ vet called to tell me my cat has ‘chronic liver disease’. HUH?? Needless to say, this left me feeling quite skeptical, since our other vet interpreted those results as indicative of a simple urinary infection which was treated by a month-long antibiotic. I called our ‘regular’ vet to verify that she never diagnosed or suspected chronic liver disease, and she reassured me that the levels were most likely very high due solely to the infection, and would/should return to ‘normal’ about 6 months after the antibiotic treatment.
So – with two vets ( one holistic & one ‘regular’) , giving two very different interpretations of the cat’s blood work, I was totally baffled as to who, or what, to believe! I wound up talking via phone to the (wonderful) vet from the emergency/referral clinic that we saw quite often during my labrador’s 6-month bout with IMHA . He heard my dilemna and kindly offered to look at the blood-work results (for free!) if I wanted him to, and since I place TOTAL confidence in him, I eagerly took him up on his offer, and had the results faxed to him.
He soon called back to confirm precisely what the holistic vet was diagnosing. Looking at the enzyme numbers , he too was convinced that my cat indeed has chronic liver disease – AND – if we wait as long as our ‘regular’ vet suggested before retesting, the cat’s liver could be totally destroyed by then. Wow.
The cat went on holistic feline renal support tablets (notably inexpensive!) and will be going back to the holistic clinic next month for a recheck. I don’t know for sure what the future will bring – but I do know that I am now TOTALLY content with my decision to get (and keep) both my surviving pets on the holistic treatment road, while saying ‘adios’ to the ‘regular’ veternary practices we’ve trusted for far too many years.
Better late than never, right?!
December 18th, 2009 at 9:53 am
[...] Protecting Dogs From Vaccine Reactions Vaccinating Small Dogs: Risks Vets Aren’t Revealing Combination Shots for Dogs: Weapons of Over-Vaccination Is Your Dog’s Vet a Vaccination Expert? Vaccinating Unhealthy Pets: Beware Reactions & [...]