How prevalent are reactions?

In 2007, approximately 6500 reactions were reported for the canine rabies vaccine alone. If as suggested only 1% of reactions were reported, approximately 650,000 reactions likely occurred.  And there are still more than a dozen other vaccines causing reactions.

In my article Vaccinating Small Dogs: Risks Vets Aren’t Revealing, I summarized a shocking 2005 study which reported: Young adult small-breed neutered dogs given multiple vaccines per office visit are at greatest risk of an adverse reaction within 72 hours after vaccination … and the risk increases with each subsequent vaccine given. Reactions studied ranged from hives to shock and even death. Although the less a dog weighs, the more likely the reaction — all dogs are at risk when multiple vaccines are given.

Please read Vaccinating Small Dogs now to determine if and when your dog is at risk, which reactions were reported and more. Really. Read it now!

What can you do to keep your dog from reacting badly to a vaccine?

The study’s researchers recommended only that your vet reveal the risks before vaccinating.  (They’re already supposed to do that and are not doing a very good job. Have you been warned?)

There are better ways to help keep your dog from experiencing a vaccine reaction. I’ve asked vet friends for suggestions for making vaccinating safer:

• Vaccine labels say to vaccinate “healthy animals only.”  Whenever possible, postpone vaccinating pets experiencing any health problem – including allergies, skin problems, intestinal problems or stress. Don’t vaccinate dogs with autoimmune immune problems, cancer, seizures or other serious conditions. Never vaccinate a dog undergoing anesthesia, or in the several weeks before and after surgery or moving to a new home.
• Don’t automatically re-vaccinate.  Get a simple blood test called a titer test.  Repeated doses of the same vaccine increase the risk of reaction. In another study, the risk of allergic reactions has been reported to increase after three or four injections of a vaccine.
• Stop giving unnecessary vaccines.  Parvovirus, distemper and adenovirus-2 are the only shots recommended for all dogs by virtually every veterinary organization and school. All others are for special circumstances only; many are ineffective and may cause reactions (including death).
• Whenever possible, vaccinate under the supervision of a holistic vet trained in homeopathy. At least, give the homeopathic remedy Thuja (Thuya) when vaccinating with most vaccines. Use Lyssin for the rabies vaccine. If your vet isn’t skilled in homeopathy, you can get instructions and remedies at naturalrearing.com.
• NEVER allow your vet to give 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 many as 7.  Add Bordetella and you’re up to 8.
• “Vaccines should not be given more often than every other week, even when different vaccines are being given,” says WSAVA. Three to four weeks in between is even better.
• Dr. Patricia Jordan, vaccination expert and author of Mark of the Beast says to ask for a thimerasol-free (mercury-free) vaccine.   Merial makes a thimerasol-free one- and three-year rabies vaccine. Look for “TF” in the brand name.  http://imrab.us.merial.com/imrab/offerings.shtml
• Insist your vet use monovalent, or at most, bivalent vaccines – even if you have to buy them yourself. Monovalent vaccines contain only one bacteria or virus. Bivalent vaccines contain 2. (See our article on combo shots for links to monovalent and bivalent shots.)
• When possible, vaccinate puppies and test for strong titers as long as possible prior to spaying or neutering. (Make sure growth plates are mature before the surgery.)
• Avoid vaccinating animals with histories of vaccine reactions. Report any reactions to your vet so you’ll have a record. Apply for a health exemption to rabies vaccination.
• Take great care when vaccinating animals from breeds or families (especially littermates) with known reactions.
• Don’t vaccinate puppies under 8 weeks of age, except when faced with an epidemic. (Early vaccination is dangerous and may not work because of maternal immunity.) Pet vaccination expert Dr. Jean Dodds’ protocol begins at 9 weeks. Dr. Ron Schultz recommends beginning at 15 weeks, giving one shot of DAP (distemper/adenovirus-2/parvovirus), then testing titers two weeks later.
• Avoid the leptospirosis vaccine (the “L” in DHLPP combos).  WSAVA says: “This product is associated with the greatest number of adverse reactions to any vaccine.” The 2006 American Animal Hospital Association Canine Vaccine Task Force reported: “Routine vaccination of toy breeds should only be considered in dogs known to have a high exposure risk.” Vets and breeders suggest the incidence of “severe anaphylaxis” in puppies under 12 weeks of age and small-breed dogs is high. I’ll add that they should make sure that the vaccine protects against local strains of disease. It often doesn’t.
• Most veterinary drugs are weight dependent, but vaccines aren’t. A toy breed puppy and an adult Mastiff get the same size shot. Many vets believe this causes reactions in small dogs, so they split the dose. Vets can legally split any vaccine except rabies.When interviewing pet vaccination expert Dr. Jean Dodds for my book, she told me that a split dose works well, and that the USDA told her that manufacturers make vaccines up to ten times more powerful than necessary (because vaccines are harmless?). There’s also supporting evidence for splitting doses from numerous human studies. To ease your own mind, two weeks after the final shot, have a titer test done to make sure the shot gave immunity.Why don’t drug manufacturers offer split doses for small dogs? Dr. Dodds told me: “You cannot change dosing label recommendations without another new licensing trial, so that will never happen. Except for rabies, where the whole vaccine must be administered by law, any veterinarian can elect to give less than a full dose to a small or very small dog, as long as there is written informed consent on file from the owner.”If you want a split dose, but your vet fears it isn’t safe or worries that you might file a complaint if it doesn’t work, offer to sign that “letter of informed consent.”I asked Dr. Dodds for clarification: “For dogs of breed types weighing less than 12 pounds as adults, in parvovirus 2-c [CPV 2-c] endemic areas, I’d give a half dose of parvo vaccine at 6 weeks. Then for all parvo endemic and non-endemic areas, …  3 weeks later [give] a half dose of distemper + parvo, then repeat it 3-4 weeks later. Then give rabies 3-4 weeks after that. You don’t need to measure titers after that, as this protocol should work well. For larger pups, the dose should be a full 1 ml each time.”WSAVA, however, warns: “The volume (e.g. 1.0 ml) as recommended by the manufacturer generally represents the minimum immunising dose, therefore the total amount must be given.”  Clearly, experts disagree.If I wanted to give a split dose, I’d prove the immunity by giving a titer test two weeks after the final shot. It may not be necessary but it would put my mind at ease.
• Drs. Stephen Blake and Dr. Jordan both recommend giving colostrum when vaccinating (or forever). My dogs get a medical grade super colostrum called IgG 2000 DF from Xymogen.com. I take it myself.  You can also find collostrum at Dr. Blake’s website or at your health food store. Dr. Jordan also suggests you give Pawier vitamins when vaccinating. She adds: “All of the dogs that Dr. Blake has seen with parvo and distemper and kennel cough were all VACCINATED dogs….the vaccine is not a guarantee, that is the point.” Dr. Blake told me that himself.

As an added precaution, vaccinate your dog early in the day (preferably when the clinic will be open for a few days afterwards). Stay near the clinic for several hours and watch for changes in health or behavior after the shot throughout the day. Check for reactions during the night.

Report all reactions to your vet immediately, and ask him/her to report the reaction to the manufacturer.  Check to see that the vet does (because much of the time they won’t.)  Call the manufacturer yourself. If your dog has trouble breathing or moving, or if he gets hives or his face swells, get to an emergency vet right away.  If you’re worried about your dog at all, call your vet or an emergency clinic and ask if you should come in. (Make sure you know how to get to your nearest emergency clinic — just in case.)

Report every health change within six weeks after the shot even if you think it’s not related. (Okay, a broken leg won’t be a reaction, but trouble walking or a change in behavior may be.) Ask the vet to report the reaction to the manufacturer and follow up! Get a copy of your dog’s file and keep it safe. This is important in case you ever want an exemption to vaccination for rabies. Learn more about reporting reactions at my Vaccinating Dogs web page.

Sign up for notification of  future articles and our free dog care e-newsletter (delivered quarterly). Follow K9Author at Twitter.  Please bookmark this article and send it to friends. And leave us a comment or ask a question.

Related articles:

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 & 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?
Treating Adverse Vaccine Reactions by Jean Dodds, DVM

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.

Sign up for notification of  future articles and our free dog care e-newsletter (delivered quarterly). Follow K9Author at Twitter.

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Others, not so much.

Would you know if your vet vaccinated appropriately, according to the latest suggested protocols? Would you know if your vet took every precaution to avoid unnecessary shots and adverse reactions?  Here’s how to find out.

Pictured: Sasha, whose death after over-vaccination prompted activism

Dangerous Vaccination Practices

Your dog’s health is at risk if your vet:

• Has ever failed, prior to vaccinating, to evaluate your dog’s current health … or failed to ask if your dog has ever reacted badly to shots … or failed to determine your dog’s age and current lifestyle … or failed to check his or her file … or failed to ask if your dog has been vaccinated elsewhere in the past three years.
• Even once vaccinated your dog without your express consent.
• Even once vaccinated without fully explaining the risks, benefits and alternatives to vaccinating. (Learn your vet’s Liability Related to Vaccination.)
• Vaccinates your adult dog yearly with combo shots or against parvovirus and distemper.
• Argues if you question the need for a shot or ask about titer testing instead of vaccination.
• Vaccinated your dog before, after or during surgery or while being wormed or being given a rabies shot.
• Vaccinated your dog when the dog was ill, had allergies, infections or skin problems or was stressed. (See Vaccinating Unhealthy Pets: Beware Reactions & Vaccine Failure.)
• Vaccinated your dog with a combination shot without warning that combo shots are linked to adverse reactions (especially for small dogs) and often contain unnecessary vaccines or vaccines “not recommended” by experts.
• Fails to consider the possibility that a new health or behavioral problem could be related to a recent shot.
• Vaccinates against Leptospirosis (the “L” in a combo shot) or Lyme or Bordetella without urgent, proven local need and effectiveness.
• Recommends giving an antihistamine with a shot to a dog who reacts badly to shots rather than delaying or forgoing vaccination.

Below are the stories of two people who lost their beloved dogs to over-vaccination.

From James Piercey: Tonight my little dog died from seizures…. This morning he had a seizure and it lasted maybe 30 seconds. While he was there [at the vet's office] for severe seizures the vet decided upon himself it was a good time to vaccinate him and give him all his shots. Why couldn’t that have waited? I have been going to this vet for years and always trusted him but now i feel he knew my little guy was close to death and sent him home maybe to make sure he got paid which he did.  (Read his complete story — comment #16 — and responses by vets and me.)

From Sasha’s “mom,” vaccination researcher and writer Elizabeth Hart: Here in Australia, annual revaccination for parvovirus, distemper virus and adenovirus is still “accepted practice” by the veterinary profession.

My eight year old Maltese x Silky terrier, Sasha, became very ill with “haemorrhagic gastroenteritis” eight days after her sixth unnecessary annual booster last year. Four days after that she was dead. The veterinarian concerned refused to consider her illness and subsequent death might have been influenced by the revaccination. No wonder the dog and cat vaccination guidelines of the World Small Animal Veterinary Association note that “there is gross under-reporting of vaccine-associated adverse events which impedes knowledge of the ongoing safety of these products”.

I now know, too late, that Sasha did not need to be revaccinated for parvovirus, distemper virus and adenovirus. She didn’t need to be vaccinated for parainfluenza or bordetella either, as she wasn’t boarded out. She didn’t need any revaccination at all, so why did the veterinarian’s annual vaccination reminder letter compel me to have her revaccinated to ensure she “stay healthy”? Is this ethical practice?

Why are vets allowed to over-vaccinate with impunity?

Why are we allowed to be exploited in this way? Where is consumer protection for consumers of veterinary services?

Why do vets have to be pleaded with and cajoled to adopt best scientific practice? Why is self-regulation in the veterinary profession so weak? Isn’t it way past time more effective regulation was put in place to protect consumers?

Why are many vets not informing their clients about long duration of immunity (probably lifelong) with core MLV vaccines, and the possibility of a range of short-term and long-term adverse reactions, which means vaccination should be minimized.

Why are pets’ lives being put at risk with useless and possibly harmful interventions?

Why is there no accountability, no justice?

Articles by Elizabeth Hart: Are Vets Making Our Pets Sick? and Over-Vaccination of Pets: An Unethical Practice. These are well-researched, excellent articles. The first is the short version of the second.

*****

Please bookmark this page and tell your friends about the dangers their dogs may be facing.

Access all of my best vaccination articles in a group or read the two most important ones:
Vaccinating Dogs: 10 Steps to Eliminating Unnecessary Shots
Titer Test: Don’t Vaccinate Your Dog Unnecessarily

Also see my website pages:
Vaccinating Dogs: What Your Vet Won’t Tell You (video, info and links)
Rabies Vaccination: What You Must Know (learn how to vaccinate more safely, get exemptions, and more)

Find a new vet using the referral lists at my Find a Vet web page.

Watch my video on Avoiding Dangerous Vets below or at my website.  Also see Standing Up to Your Vet

Please, save yourself a lot of heartache by becoming an educated pet guardian and by standing up to authority whenever necessary to advocate for your pet’s health or safety.

Jan Rasmusen is the author of the national award-winning book Scared Poopless: The Straight Scoop on Dog Care. Sign up for notification of  future articles and our free dog care e-newsletter (delivered quarterly). Follow K9Author at Twitter.

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