Or … your dog is suddenly having trouble walking after rabies vaccination. Or he suddenly becomes aggressive.  You ask your vet if the condition could be tied to the rabies shot.  No, it’s not possible, the vet says. He says has never heard of such a thing. But something tells you the condition and vaccine are related.

Of course, not all veterinarians are reluctant or unable to recognize and deal with vaccine reactions. In fact, the practices of vets trained in homeopathy, Chinese medicine, acupuncture, etc. often revolve around treating reactions caused by vaccination.  And, happily, many conventional vets are becoming increasingly worried about over-vaccination and vaccine reactions. But these vets are not the norm.

Many people have written me that they have had to fight with their vet to even get a vaccine reaction considered and noted in their dog’s or cat’s file.  The vet doesn’t even want to call the vaccine maker to report or inquire about the reaction.  After you do extensive Internet research, your suspicions grow. You see another vet, or maybe post on this blog looking for answers or you e-mail me. You wonder: why are vets so reluctant to admit that a vaccine (or vaccine combo) caused a reaction?  Here are some potential reasons why.

Primary vets don’t see every vaccine reactions because pets are often treated at emergency clinics or by specialists and not reported back.  An emergency clinic vet told me about a Basset Hound she had diagnosed with immune-mediated thrombocytopenia. She asked the client if the dog had been recently vaccinated.  Finding that he had, she called the Basset’s primary vet to inquire about the vaccine.  The primary vet, surprised by the call,  asked, “Do you see a lot of immune-mediated disease after vaccination?”  She told him she did, usually about 3-4 weeks later.  Astounded by the news, he admitted he was glad he hadn’t vaccinated his own dogs in 8 years.  He continues to vaccinate clients’ dogs annually.

Vets lack sufficient education.  Dr. Ronald Schultz, a member of the AAHA Canine Vaccination Task Force (in 2003, 2006 and 2011) and the WSAVA Vaccination Guidelines Group, has said: “Our new [vet school] grads don’t know a heck of a lot more about vaccines than our older grads. And I’ve figured out why this is. They know a lot more about basic immunology, but they don’t know about vaccinology and the two are not the same.…  So we haven’t gone very far from where we were ten years ago or twenty years ago with regard to training veterinarians about vaccines.” (Hear Dr. Schultz talking about this in our Safer Pet Vaccination Benefit Seminar DVD. )

Most continuing education is done by drug company representatives calling on veterinary practices — to sell vaccines.  Their message is that vaccines are safe and reactions are extremely rare.  Vets buy the products and the message. Despite studies showing that each additional vaccine given during one visit dramatically increases the chance of an adverse reaction, reps peddle products with as many as 7 vaccines to be given at once — with no warnings.  Hear safety claims enough and the claims become the truth, whether they are true or not.

Vets don’t want the blame for harming your pet.  No veterinarian wants to harm an animal.  It’s more comfortable to blame the problem on coincidence, genetic defects, other medications, etc. 

Vets don’t tie the reaction to the vaccine unless it happens almost immediately.  Here is what the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) tells dog or cat owners to watch for after vaccination. Note that most reactions listed are only those happening almost immediately:

Discomfort and swelling at the vaccination site
Mild fever
Decreased appetite and activity
Persistent vomiting or diarrhea
Hives
Swelling of the muzzle. face, neck or eyes
Severe coughing or difficulty breathing
Collapse
Respiratory distress occurring 2-5 days after your pet receives an intranasal Bordetella [kennel cough vaccine]
 
This list fails to include reactions like shock and death – 8.3% and 5.5% respectively of reactions reported to the USDA.  It also doesn’t include vaccine reactions happening within three or more days after vaccination – despite a major study published in the AVMA’s own Journal in 2005.  And what about reactions occurring weeks, months and even years after vaccination?

Here is the list first handed out in 2007 by Dr. Ron Schultz regarding adverse events known to be induced via vaccines:

Common Reactions:
Lethargy
Hair loss; hair color change at injection site
Fever
Soreness
Stiffness
Refusal to Eat
Conjunctivitis
Sneezing
Oral ulcers
Moderate Reactions:
Immunosupression
Behavioral Changes
Vitiligo
Weight Loss (Cachexia)
Reduced Milk Production
Lameness
Granulomas/Abscesses
Hives
Facial Edema
Atopy [allergic hypersensitivity]
Respiratory Disease
Allergic uveitis (Blue Eye)
Severe Reactions Triggered by Vaccines:
Vaccine injection site sarcomas
Anaphylaxis [life-threatening shock]
Arthritis, polyarthritis-HOD hypertrophy Osteodystrophy
Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia
Immune Mediated thrombocytopenia (IMTP)
Hemolytic Disease of the newborn (Neonatal Isoerythrolysis)
Thyroiditis
Glomerulonephritis
Disease or Enhanced Disease which with the vaccine was designed to prevent
Myocarditis [inflammation of the heart muscle caused by infections, viruses, or immune diseases]
Post vaccinal Encephalitis or polyneuritis
Seizures
Abortion, congenital anomalies, embryonic/fetal death, failure to conceive fertility

Vaccine manufacturers generally test vaccines for reactions for only one year, with the exception of the 3-year rabies vaccine. Testing is expensive so they do only what is required to get approval. After approval, vets seldom report reactions and the USDA rarely takes action unless an inordinate of animals become seriously ill or die. Even then, vaccines are rarely pulled off the market unless they affect human health. Thus, vaccines are considered safe and reactions don’t really happen!!!

Vets may worry that they did something wrong.  Did your vet fail to tell you about possible reactions? Did he/she vaccinate an unhealthy dog against vaccine label warnings?  Was the vaccine given less than two weeks after another vaccine, increasing the likelihood of a reaction?  Or given with multiple other vaccines or medications? Or given without examining the dog or cat first? Or was the wrong vaccine used? Or had the vaccine been improperly refrigerated? 

Vets aren’t taught how to treat many of the reactions.  Conventional vets generally treat vaccine reactions with corticosteroids, antibiotics (just in case they’re needed) and/or Benadryl no matter what the reaction is.  Conversely, holistic vets  treat reactions with diet, supplements, acupuncture, herbs, homeopathy and a whole bag of tricks.  You have to “believe” in reactions to want to learn how to treat them.

Vets worry they failed to get your “informed consent” before vaccination.  Informed consent means that the vet should have told you about possible reactions and also explained why the shot was necessary before vaccinating.  Unfortunately, the great majority of revaccination of adult dogs is unnecessary and never explained. (See Vaccinating Dogs: 10 Steps to Eliminating Unnecessary Shots.)  If your dog had a vaccine that wasn’t needed and then suffered a reaction, your vet might worry about a lawsuit or reprimand from state authorities — or unwanted attention from the media.

Vets don’t want to lose your business.  

Vets don’t want to bother reporting the reaction to the vaccine maker.  Despite repeated requests by veterinary organizations to report all suspected reactions, it is suspected that only 1% are reported.  Reporting is time consuming.  

Vets are told by superiors not to admit responsibility.  This can be a particular problem for junior members of a practice operating under the rules of the senior partners or practice owner.

Vets have to believe vaccines are safe.  Vaccines are a big part of veterinary business, both for the direct income derived from vaccines and the office visit, but also for income from medications and other sales and services stemming from the visit — and also for income derived from treating reactions.  If they see reaction after reaction, particularly from unnecessary vaccination, they may feel the need to change their policies or change jobs. Please read Lifelong Immunity – Why Vets Are Pushing Back for more details on why veterinarians continue to over-vaccinate.

No matter why your vet isn’t at least considering a vaccine reaction, when something adverse happens after vaccination, it is important to educate yourself.  Allow only those vaccines required given your dog’s age, locale and lifestyle.  Ask to read the package insert to learn about what reactions are possible. (Don’t presume the vet has read it.) Learn to recognize a vaccine reaction when you see one and push your vet to consider a reaction if you suspect one. And read What to Do When Your Dog Has a Vaccine Reaction for help in treating your dog, reporting the problem and contacting the manufacturer to try to recover your expenses. 

There’s an old medical adage: when you hear hoofbeats, think horses, not zebras.  That is, when something bad happens to your dog after vaccination, think vaccine reaction, not brain tumor! Trust your instincts!

Related links:
Vaccinating Unhealthy Pets: Beware Reactions & Vaccine Failure
Post your dog’s rabies reaction and read other readers’ stories here: The Rabies Vaccine and Your Dog: Side Effects
Protecting Dogs From Vaccine Reactions
Rabies Vaccination: 13 Ways to Vaccinate More Safely 

DVD: world-renowned scientists Ronald D. Schultz, PhD and W. Jean Dodds, DVM spoke at our Safer Pet Vaccination Benefit Seminar in March 2010. A 2-hour DVD of the event, along with articles by the speakers, is available here. Or learn more about it at http://www.dogs4dogs.com/saferpet. All proceeds less actual shipping costs benefit the study of the rabies vaccine.

Why do vets continue to vaccinate yearly or triennially when many vaccines have been shown to give immunity as long as the pet’s lifetime? Read this article from our friends at Dogs Naturally Magazine.

The duration of immunity for Rabies vaccine, Canine distemper vaccine, Canine Parvovirus vaccine, Feline Panleukopenia vaccine, Feline Rhinotracheitis, feline Calicivirus, have all been demonstrated to be a minimum of 7 years by serology [blood antibody testing] for rabies and challenge [exposure] studies for all others. [Note: bracketed explanations added by Jan Rasmusen.]

In the Duration of Immunity to Canine Vaccines: What We Know and What We Don’t Know, Proceedings – Canine Infectious Diseases: From Clinics to Molecular Pathogenesis, Ithaca, NY, 1999, Dr. Ronald Schultz, a veterinary immunologist at the forefront of vaccine research and chair of the University of Wisconsin’s Department of Pathobiological Sciences, outlines the DOI for the following vaccines:

Minimum Duration of Immunity for Canine Vaccines:

Distemper- 7 years by challenge/15 years by serology
Parvovirus – 7 years by challenge/ 7 years by serology
Adenovirus – 7 years by challenge/ 9 years by serology
Canine rabies – 3 years by challenge/ 7 years by serology

Dr. Schultz concludes: “Vaccines for diseases like distemper and canine parvovirus, once administered to adult animals, provide lifetime immunity.” “Are we vaccinating too much?” JAVMA, No. 4, August 15, 1995, pg. 421.

Yet vets continue to vaccinate annually. Dog owners feel that their vets are doing their dogs a great service by vaccinating every three years instead of annually – why do we allow it when these studies were done over thirty years ago and have been replicated time and again by other researchers?

Ian Tizard states: “With modified live virus vaccines like canine parvovirus, canine distemper and feline panleukopenia, calicivirus, and rhinotracheitis the virus in the vaccine must replicate to stimulate the immune system. In a patient that has been previously immunized, antibodies from the previous vaccine will block the replication of the new vaccinal virus. Antibody titers are not significantly boosted. Memory cell populations are not expanded. The immune status of the patient is not enhanced.

After the second rabies vaccination, re-administration of rabies vaccine does not enhance the immune status of the patient at one or two year intervals. We do not know the interval at which re-administration of vaccines will enhance the immunity of a significant percentage of the pet population, but it is certainly not at one or two year intervals.
Tizard Ian, Yawei N, Use of serologic testing to assess immune status of companion animals, JAVMA, vol 213, No 1, July 1, 1998.

“The recommendation for annual re-vaccination is a practice that was officially started in 1978.” says Dr. Schultz. “This recommendation was made without any scientific validation of the need to booster immunity so frequently. In fact the presence of good humoral antibody levels blocks the anamnestic response to vaccine boosters just as maternal antibody blocks the response in some young animals.”

He adds: “The patient receives no benefit and may be placed at serious risk when an unnecessary vaccine is given. Few or no scientific studies have demonstrated a need for cats or dogs to be revaccinated. Annual vaccination for diseases caused by CDV, CPV2, FPLP and FeLV has not been shown to provide a level of immunity any different from the immunity in an animal vaccinated and immunized at an early age and challenged years later. We have found that annual revaccination with the vaccines that provide long-term immunity provides no demonstrable benefit.”

Why then, have vets not embraced the concept of lifelong immunity in dogs?

“Profits are what vaccine critics believe is at the root of the profession’s resistance to update its protocols. Without the lure of vaccines, clients might be less inclined to make yearly veterinary visits. Vaccines add up to 14 percent of the average practice’s income, AAHA reports, and veterinarians stand to lose big. I suspect some are ignoring my work,” says Schultz, who claims some distemper vaccines last as long as 15 years. “Tying vaccinations into the annual visit became prominent in the 1980s and a way of practicing in the 1990s. Now veterinarians don’t want to give it up.”

The report of the American Animal Hospital Association Canine Vaccine Taskforce in JAAHA (39 March/April 2003)3 includes the following information for vets: ‘Misunderstanding, misinformation and the conservative nature of our profession have largely slowed adoption of protocols advocating decreased frequency of vaccination’; ‘Immunological memory provides durations of immunity for core infectious diseases that far exceed the traditional recommendations for annual vaccination.’

‘This is supported by a growing body of veterinary information as well-developed epidemiological vigilance in human medicine that indicates immunity induced by vaccination is extremely long lasting and, in most cases, lifelong.’

Both the AAHA and the AVMA must do more to “step up to the plate” says noted immunologist, Dr. Richard Ford. But the reality is the vets do not have to listen to the AAHA or the AVMA and it appears the state veterinary medical boards are not interested in enforcing vaccine schedules, opting to leave it up to the individual vet.

Dr. Bob Rogers hired a Chicago based law firm and initiated a class action suit for pet owners who were not given informed consent and full disclosure prior to vaccination administration. His article entitled “The Courage to Embrace the Truth”, states “While attending conferences like WSVMA and NAVMC I have asked over 400 DVMs from various parts of the country if they attended the seminars on New Vaccination Protocols. I was told by all but one, “I don’t care what the data says, I am not changing.” One DVM here on VIN even said “I am not changing until the AVMA makes me change.”

It seems that pet owners are against the wall when it comes to vaccination. The obvious conclusion is that pet owners who are concerned about the long term health of their companion animals must take it upon themselves to research vaccines, duration of immunity and vaccine dangers. At the very least, question every vaccine that goes into your animal – but none of the above information indicates you will get an honest or well-informed answer.

Be your dog’s advocate – protect him with knowledge and by taking a stand against unnecessary vaccination. His life may depend on it!
*****
Related links at Truth4Dogs.com:
Vaccinating Dogs: 10 Steps to Eliminating Unnecessary Shots
Titer Test: Don’t Vaccinate Your Dog Unnecessarily
What to Do When Your Dog Has a Vaccine Reaction
Rabies Vaccination: 13 Ways to Vaccinate More Safely
Protecting Dogs From Vaccine Reactions
Analyzing New Vaccination Recommendations for Dogs

Dogs Naturally Magazine publishes excellent articles on holistic dog care from recognized authorities on a wealth of canine health subjects. They’ve even published a number of articles by me, Jan Rasmusen!  Many thanks to veterinarian Patricia Monahan Jordan, author of Mark of the Beast: Hidden in Plain Sight, for contributing much of the source material for this article.

IS THIS AN EMERGENCY?

Your vet may not recognize your dog’s symptoms as a vaccine reaction and probably won’t want to believe or admit that the shot he/she administered brought on this problem.  If you believe it’s a vaccine reaction, be strong. You know your dog better than your vet does. Above all, keep your wits about you. Don’t be pressured into doing anything that doesn’t feel right. For example, if your dog has her first seizure ever soon after vaccination, she is probably having a vaccine reaction; she probably does NOT suddenly have a brain tumor requiring a $800 MRI!  As they say, when you hear hoof beats, think horses not zebras! 

Similarly, if your vet wants to give your dog antibiotics because she may have developed some unknown infection  the day after the shot (rather than a vaccine reaction), question that assumption. Antibiotics given needlessly can lead to antibiotic resistance and even autoimmune disease, and will destroy good intestinal flora which can potentially lead to gastrointestinal problems and allergies. Vets (and medical doctors) too often recommend antibiotics because they don’t know what else to do and feel they should do something.  Insist on a good evidence-based reason for giving any antibiotic. 

If you’re having an emergency, read about CPR or scroll down to Treatment.

Pet CPR:  If your dog isn’t breathing, you’ll need to take action fast.  Here’s an instructional video on pet CPR .  Also see these written instructions which you can print out. 

Non-immediate reactions:  If your dog has developed any unexplained health or behavioral problem within 45 to 60 days of vaccination, or even longer, it may be a reaction to the shot.  If you suspect the problem may be connected to a vaccine, you’ll likely have to convince your vet. It’s common to hear “it couldn’t be the shot” or “a reaction like that isn’t possible” — even when the reaction is a common one. 

Many primary vets believe vaccine reactions to be rare, in large part because severe cases go to emergency clinics, not back to the primary vet.  The World Small Animal Veterinary Association, WSAVA (p. 55), says: “It is generally only the adverse reactions that occur within the first few hours to a day after vaccination that are considered vaccine-associated by most veterinarians or owners. Even when the adverse reaction occurs shortly after vaccination there are many who fail to recognize that the vaccine caused the reaction. Certain adverse vaccine reactions are not observed until days, weeks or even months and years after vaccination or revaccination. The autoimmune disorders and the injection site sarcomas, which are among the rare vaccine adverse reactions, may not develop for years after being triggered by vaccines.” 

Even the drug’s manufacturer (to whom you should immediately report the reaction) may deny the connection. (Admitting it may cost them money.)  If your dog got a rabies vaccination plus another vaccine of any kind, make sure you know where on the body the different shots were given and the name and serial number of each shot. This is especially important if your dog got a rabies shot.

Insist on seeing every product’s package insert. Get it from your vet or call the manufacturer and ask if it’s viewable on-line. (It probably is, but they won’t admit it. Note: the Material Safety Data  Sheet, or MSDA, is not the same thing.) Also know that long-term reactions aren’t usually documented or even studied. So persevere! A suspected vaccine reaction, especially one supported by your vet, may entitle you to compensation for medical expenses from the drug manufacturer.  

Which dogs are most likely to have reactions?  Small and medium-sized dogs are the most likely, especially when given more than one vaccine at a time. (DALPPC, a common “combo shot,” contains SIX vaccines! If your vet gives rabies or Bordetella at the same time, that’s EIGHT!)  For more about this, read my article about a study published in the American Veterinary Medical Association Journal showing the connection between multiple vaccines and reactions. (Give your vet a copy.) Note: multiple vaccines also make it difficult to figure out which vaccine caused the reaction. Just one of countless good reasons not to allow them!  (Wait at least three weeks between shots and pesticides like heartworm meds.)

Dogs vaccinated when they are not healthy, dogs with previous adverse reactions to vaccines and dogs vaccinated within three weeks of a previous vaccination are also more likely to react adversely. Read this article on Protecting Dogs from Vaccine Reactions to find other ways you or your vet may have put your dog at risk.    

How prevalent are reactions?   The USDA/CVB 2008 Report states that “Rabies vaccines are the most common group of biological products identified in adverse event reports received by the CVB.”  In 2007, 6500 reactions were reported for the canine rabies vaccine alone.  Unfortunately, former FDA commissioner David Kessler estimated that only 1% of all drug reactions are ever reported (even for human reactions). Thus, approximately 650,000 rabies vaccine reactions likely occurred.  Add to that more than a dozen other vaccines also causing reactions. Worse yet, long-term reactions are seldom even recognized let alone reported. 

What reactions are commonly seen?  Common rabies vaccine reactions, followed by the percentage of reactions reported to the USDA (many of which are also reactions to other vaccines): Vomiting-28.1%; facial swelling-26.3%; injection site swelling or lump-19.4%; lethargy-12%; urticaria(hives)-10.1%; circulatory shock-8.3%; injection site pain-7.4%; pruritus-7.4%; injection site alopecia or hair loss-6.9%; death-5.5%; lack of consciousness-5.5; diarrhea-4.6%; hypersensitivity (not specified)-4.6%; fever-4.1%;, anaphylaxis-2.8%; ataxia-2.8%; lameness-2.8%; general signs of pain-2.3%; hyperactivity-2.3%; injection site scab or crust-2.3%;, muscle tremor-2.3%; tachycardia-2.3%; and thrombocytopenia-2.3%.  (Oddly, they don’t list seizures which may occur after rabies vaccination. Click here for more on seizures.) 

Other reactions considered “possibly related to vaccination” included acute hypersensitivity (59%); local reactions (27%); systemic reactions, which refers to short-term lethargy, fever, general pain, anorexia, or behavioral changes, with or without gastrointestinal disturbances starting within 3 days after vaccination (9%); autoimmune disorders (3%); and other (2%).   

Also see the chart on page 54 of the WSAVA Vaccination Guidelines (which lists seizures.) 

What to Do If You Suspect Your Dog is Having a Vaccine Reaction

1.  Get treatment! 

In emergencies: Most dogs will get emergency treatment from a conventional vet — often from an emergency facility veterinarian you don’t know.  The vet will likely administer steroids and an antihistamine.  These are the conventional treatments of choice.  Most important at this point is to save your dog’s life.  Note: Unless there is a good evidence-based reason for your dog to get antibiotics, consider whether or not this is a wise course of action. 

If you have a relationship with a holistic vet and can get immediate treatment, you will probably be offered homeopathy and/or acupuncture — which unlike steroids and antihistamines have no harmful side effects.

Non emergencies and long-term treatment: If possible, find a vet trained in homeopathy to treat your dog — to “clear” the bad effects of the vaccine rather than just suppress symptoms. See these vet referral lists  If you can’t find a good vet, or can’t afford one, contact me for other experts you can contact.  The rabies vaccine alone can cause blood disease, autoimmune disease and more. Find a list of rabies vaccine reactions here. 

Watch your dog carefully for new or worsened symptoms. Report all changes to your vet.  If the symptoms are visual, take photograph or videotape what is happened. 

2. Document everything!  Make sure all vets treating your dog record any reaction in detail (even a mild one) in your dog’s file. Ask the vet to sign the notation about the reaction. Vets retire, move and lose files. Keep a copy of the file in a safe place along with any photos or video.

If the reaction was to the rabies vaccine, you’ll want to ask your vet to apply for a medical exemption when the shot is due again.  Ask the vet to write a letter now to use later. If the reaction is to any other vaccine, you may want to get an exemption from groomers and boarders who require  other vaccines — most if not all of which are unnecessary.  (Please read our page on vaccinating before you give another shot of any kind.  And check your state’s rabies law and also your local Animal Control to see if local exemption options differ.) 

3. Call the vaccine manufacturer.  Get the vaccine brand, serial number and lot number from the vet who administered the vaccine to report to the manufacturer (who in turn is legally required to report the reaction to the USDA).  Ask your vet to report the reaction but don’t expect that he or she will. The 2006 American Hospital Association Canine Vaccine Task Force Report pleads with vets, page after page, to report reactions — because they seldom do. Vets either don’t link the health or behavior problem to the vaccine … or they can’t be bothered.  Thus, reactions go unrecognized and reported, and dangerous vaccines stay on the market.  

If the vaccine can be proven to be at fault, you may be able to recover your expenses from the manufacturer. Reporting is in your best interests.

If, tragically, your dog dies or has to be put down, ask the manufacturer if they’ll pay for a necropsy (autopsy). If they won’t pay, but it’s pretty clear that the vaccine caused the dog’s death, you might want to pay for it yourself (if you can) and then go after the manufacturer for reimbursement. This is especially important with injection-site tumors.

4. Report the Reaction to the USDA  Go to the USDA animal vaccine reaction reporting page  to view information on reporting adverse events. The reporting form can be accessed from that page and submitted electronically, or it can be mailed or faxed to the Center for Veterinary Biologics. Or call the CVB at (800) 752-6255. 

Why should you bother?  The only way for the USDA to track drug reactions is by receiving reports from vets, pet owners and manufacturers. Theoretically, if enough reactions are reported, the drug can be recalled. 

5. Report your vet.

If your vet didn’t advise you before vaccination about possible reactions, or let you know if the vaccine was even necessary, file a report with your state veterinary medical association.  Find the medical board by doing a web search of terms like [your state's name] and “Veterinary Medical Board” or “Veterinary Medical Examiners.” In some states, they’ll tell you if your vet has a history of negligence. In others, they won’t tell you anything. Filing a report can result in no action being taken, so be prepared to be disappointed. But do it anyway. Multiple complaints can make a difference.

Wait until you’ve gotten everything you need from your vet before filing the complaint. Also, fire that vet and tell him or her why.  Click here to find a list of vets with holistic and/or homeopathic experience to treat your dog in the future.

6. Take More Action.  If your vet’s behavior was particularly negligent and harmful, especially if the vet is with a large corporate practice, consider contacting your state’s Attorney General and/or a local television consumer reporter and/or the Better Business Bureau. Laws are changing because consumers have taken action.

7.  Stop vaccinating unnecessarily. Your vet should have told you before vaccinating that parvovirus (one “P” in DALPPC) lasts 9 years to a lifetime; the same with distemper (D). The L, leptospirosis, shouldn’t be given to a small dog unless there’s an epidemic. C, Coronavirus, is for a very mild, rare disease of very young puppies. It’s often called a vaccine looking for a disease.  A is for adenovirus 2, a disease virtually unknown in North America. Read more about your vet’s duties to get your informed consent. 

Additional articles of interest: Vaccinating Dogs: 10 Steps to Eliminating Unnecessary Shots and see how long vaccines give immunity here under Point #6. 
Rabies Vaccination: 13 Ways to Vaccinate More Safely
Vaccinating Small Dogs: Risks Vets Aren’t Revealing
Protecting Dogs From Vaccine Reactions

***

Get Our Vaccination DVD: W. Jean Dodds, DVM and Ronald D. Schultz, PhD spoke at our Safer Pet Vaccination Benefit Seminar in March. A DVD of the event is available. Buy it at http://www.dogs4dogs.com/New%20Shopping%20Cart/Check%20out%20page.htm Or learn more about it at http://www.dogs4dogs.com/saferpet. Learn more about rabies vaccination at www.truth4dogs.org and about vaccination in general at http://www.dogs4dogs.com/shots and at http://www.truth4dogs.com.  

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Looking for a list of organizations that help people in need with

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Whether it’s the damage caused by recalled food, an accident or something else, vet bills can be quite a burden. Below are listed some of the programs that can help with financial needs. For a more complete list, including listings by breed, state/province, medical condition, or other particular qualification, please visit United Animal Nations.

(Note: not listed elsewhere is a new program just for New Yorkers: AnimalAllianceNYC.org)

If you can contribute, there are many suffering pets and their parents who can use your help; any of the non-profits or fundraising sites below would be happy to have your contribution.

Please contact the following organizations about their financial assistance process:

American Animal Hospital Association – (1-866-4HELPETS) Through the AAHA Helping Pets Fund, veterinary care is possible for sick or injured pets even if they have been abandoned or if their owner is experiencing financial hardship.”

Angels 4 Animals – “A non-profit organization and a program of Inner Voice Community Services, has a mission to serve as the guardian angel of animals whose caretakers find themselves in difficult financial situations. At Angels4Animals we believe that animal owners should not have to say goodbye to the animals that they love. Our work is accomplished in conjunction with veterinary clinics across the country, eager to assist as many animals, and their owners, as possible. Our services range from financial aid to complete treatment to those pets and pet owners in need.”

American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA). See “Financial help with my vet bills” under “Pet care.”

Care Credit – (1-800-859-9975) A credit card company for health care, including veterinary care. “Care Credit, the leader in patient/client financing, has helped more than 3 million patients / clients get the treatment or procedures they needed and wanted. With a comprehensive range of plan options, for treatment or procedure fees from $1 to over $25,000, we offer a plan and a low monthly payment to fit comfortably into almost every budget.”

Cats in Crisis – “Cats in Crisis Inc. is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to helping individuals and humane organizations care for cats with chronic or emergency medical conditions through financial and fundraising assistance.”

ChipIn – a fundraiser/donation site that allows individuals to ask for money for a specific purpose, using social networks and other websites. Requires a PayPal account for deposits.

Feline Outreach – “Feline Outreach is a charitable organization formed to promote the routine and medical care of companion animals, particularly cats. Among other goals, the organization maye enable shelters and the public to adopt, keep, and/or care for companion animals, particularly those with special needs – this support may be financial, educational, or in other forms.”

Feline Veterinary Emergency Assistance (FVEAP) – “The NEED & The HELP: Seniors, People with disabilities, People who have lost their job, Good Samaritans who rescue a cat or kitten – any of these folks may need financial assistance to save a beloved companion.” The Feline Veterinary Emergency Assistance Program is a nonprofit 501 (c)(3) organization that provides financial assistance to cat and kitten guardians who are unable to afford veterinary services to save their companions when life-threatening illness or injury strikes.

Fundable – a fundraising/donation site that allows individuals to request money for a specific project or event. If goal is not met, no money is exchanged. Funds paid by check or PayPal.

God’s Creatures Ministry – “We get many requests for financial help. We sadly do not send more than $50.00 when we have money! However, we encourage people to fundraise in their area, for ‘pets’ or animal(s) by using two of our simple forms. Some veterinarians will keep an account knowing that you are fundraising through a non-profit organization. One form is ‘Walk a Mile’ which can be done anytime, and anywhere! The other is a general form for donations.”

Handicapped Pets – “The Handicapped Pets Foundation is a 501(c)3 non-profit corporation dedicated to the health and well-being of elderly, disabled, and injured pets. We donate mobility equipment to pets in need.”

Handipets – a bulletin board for pets in need of donations, veterinary care, medication, surgery, or other items.

Help-A-Pet – (630-986-9504) “Our efforts focus on serving the elderly, the disabled, and the working poor. For lonely seniors, physically/mentally challenged individuals and children of working parents, pets represent much more than a diversion.”

Humane Society of the United States (HSUS). See “Having trouble affording your pet” and “What you can do if you are having trouble affording veterinary care.”

IMOM – “Mission Statement: Helping people help pets. To better the lives of sick, injured and abused companion animals. We are dedicated to insure that no companion animal has to be euthanized simply because their caretaker is financially challenged.” (Note: IMOM has a special fund for diabetic cats)

Onyx and Breezy Foundation – supports medical treatment for animals where hardship is present as well as other endeavors that benefit the welfare of animals

Pet Fund – “The Pet Fund is a registered 501(c) 3 nonprofit association that provides financial assistance to owners of domestic animals who need urgent veterinary care. Often animals are put down or suffer needlessly because their owners cannot afford expensive surgery or emergency vet visits. Companion animal owners must often make the difficult decision to put an animal down or neglect urgent medical needs because of the costs involved. The purpose of the Pet Fund is to work towards a future where decisions about companion animal medical care need never be made on the basis of cost.”

Pets of the Homeless – “We will do our part to help reduce hunger in pets that belong to the homeless and the less fortunate and provide medical care for those pets in communities across the country. We believe in the healing power of companion pets and of the human/animal bond which is very important to life.”

Pigger’s Pals – “A nonprofit organization that was designed to assist families in need seek specialty level care for their pets. The foundation will accept applications from individuals or families that require financial assistance to provide advanced medical and/or surgical veterinary care that will extend both quantity and quality of life for their pets that would otherwise not be available to them.”

Shakespeare Animal Fund – “We help elderly, disabled and those whose total income does not exceed $23,000 to obtain emergency pet care. We pay the veterinarian directly, reducing out of pocket costs for low income pet owners who need to save their pet’s life.”

Tails of Hope – “Our assistance programs are aimed at providing help to individuals whose companion animals are suffering from life-threatening diseases and to the veterinary hospitals treating such animals.”

United Animal Nations – UAN maintains a list of organizations with assistance programs and other fundraising methods. They also maintain LifeLine, its own program of small grants (up to $300). “The mission of LifeLine is to help homeless or recently rescued animals suffering from life-threatening conditions that require specific and immediate emergency veterinary care. We strive to serve Good Samaritans and rescue groups who take in sick or injured animals. In certain cases, LifeLine can also assist senior citizens and low-income families pay for immediate emergency veterinary care.”

Wish Upon a Hero – an online community of people helping people.

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.

dog, dogs, vaccines, vaccination, shots, shot, veterinarian, vets, vet, veterinarians

Despite the huge tumor on his mouth, this sweet dog was given 7 shots 4 weeks before this photo was taken. The tumor grew 10-15% after the shots."

Most knowledgeable vets agree that certain animals should NOT be vaccinated (absent proven, urgent need such as inevitable exposure to a life-threatening disease). These  include, but aren’t limited to, pets with autoimmune disease … pets undergoing chemo, radiation or surgery (even dental cleaning or neutering) … pets with autoimmune disease, cancer, severe allergies and skin diseases … pets fighting an illness or parasites … pets stressed from shipment or a move to a new home … malnourished pets … and dying housebound pets.  Assaulting the immune systems  of these animals with vaccination has been likened to throwing gas on a raging fire.

Vaccination is big business and an old habit.  Dogs and cats need an advocate with common sense (and a strong backbone) to stand up for their pets. That means you!

So why shouldn’t you vaccinate a sick, stressed or geriatric pet? For one thing, the pet may develop adverse reactions ranging from fever to seizures to autoimmune disease to anaphylactic shock  and even death. (Click this link  to see other possible adverse reactions.) Furthermore, shots administered to an unhealthy animal may fail to provide immunity while giving you the false security that your dog is protected.  On top of that, the animal’s immune system, which should be fighting illness, may be diverted to handle the shot.

Vaccine manufacturer Pfizer states, regarding precautions when using their rabies vaccine:  “A protective immune response may not be elicited if animals are incubating an infectious disease, are malnourished or parasitized, are stressed due to shipment or environmental conditions, are otherwise immunocompromised….”

According to the University of Nebraska’s  “Understanding Vaccines”: “While it is common to vaccinate stressed animals, these animals are more susceptible to adverse vaccine reactions and frequently do not develop an adequate immune response. Immune stressed animals develop limited protection from vaccination.”

Drugs.com states, re the Rabies Vaccine Precautions:  ”… level of performance may be affected by conditions of use such as stress, weather, nutrition, disease, parasitism, other treatments, individual idiosyncrasies or impaired immunological competency.  These factors should be considered by the user when evaluating product performance or freedom from reactions.”

Even humans are at risk if a rabies shot fails and the animal becomes infected with rabies. So great is the danger of vaccinating sick and chronically-ill pets that many, if not most, state and local health authorities allow a temporary or permanent exemption from rabies vaccination for these pets. Click to learn how to apply for a rabies vaccination exemption.

I asked some veterinarian friends to share their opinions on this issue. (Note: bold blue type was done by me to emphasize important points.) Special thanks to over-vaccination activist Dr. Patricia Jordan for her help in rounding up responses and references.

From Tamara Hebbler, DVM, holistic consulting vet (San Diego):

The most disturbing, relatively routine, veterinary practice is vaccinating ill or compromised animals.  I am appalled that this is still happening yet I hear from my clients that it is more the norm than the exception.

Vaccinating a stressed or ill dog violates our Hippocratic Oath: Above All Do No Harm.  When an animal is going in for surgery or chemo, or has an autoimmune disease or neoplastic condition [a tumor], or even a chronic immune challenge such as allergies or endocrine/metabolic diseases, they are at a high increased risk to an adverse reaction to any vaccine. I liken such vaccination to playing Russian Roulette with an animal’s immune system — with 5 of the 6 barrels loaded, not just 1.

If negative reactions are severe enough, and immediate, most people will connect the reaction to the shot.  However, if the reaction develops over a few weeks or months, you may not tie it to the shot – and your vet probably won’t either. In standard veterinary practice, we have brief appointments and are very busy, I regret to say, treating many of the dis-ease states that we as a profession, with the help of the pet food industry, have created.  It is only through laborious record review that I made the connection.

Be bold and stand up for your pet especially when he or she is not feeling well. Just say NO to vaccinations and start researching and titer testing.

From Jean Hofve, DVM www.littlebigcat.com and www.spiritessence.com
Former Editor-in-Chief of the American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association Journal :

Vaccination puts a tremendous burden on the immune system to mount a protective response. If the response is to be adequate and provide protection against disease, there shouldn’t be any other immune-compromising stresses present. Clearly, an animal already fighting an infection, injury, or other illness is not going to have adequate resources to devote to the vaccine–and it could take away from its ability to fight what’s already there. Chemotherapy and steroids suppress the immune system and deplete its ability to produce a good vaccine response. Even something as seemingly benign as a bath or an elective surgery or dental procedure will reduce body temperature, a stress which can also inhibit the immune system. These are some of the reasons why the directions on every vial of vaccine say “for use in healthy animals only.”

From Michael Dym, VMD:

[Re should you vaccinate sick pets?]: That would depend upon definition of what “sick” is……..Dogs with chronic autoimmune diseases (most of chronic diseases seen in today’s pets) would go under that definition of ill health to me………Most vets ROUTINELY give shots to epileptic pets, dogs with prior histories of mast cell tumors,  cats with autoimmune based diabetes, IBD patients, asthmatic animals, severe skin allergic pets, etc……….They are not healthy in my opinion and should not be vaccinated……….The vaccine companies have themselves legally protected by placing inserts with all vaccines saying “for use in healthy animals only” leaving that legal definition up to often ignorant vets on this topic……. .Follow the dollar signs!!!!…….THAT is the tragedy………

From Stephen R. Blake, DVM  (San Diego)  Author of The Pet Whisperer:

All vaccines come with a label warning from the manufacturer, advising the practitioner to not vaccinate animals who are not healthy. The sad part about this story is the veterinary community has set the bar so low for our animals, that as long as the animal is breathing, you can vaccinate them. I see records with pets who had ear infections, low grade fevers, eye and ear discharges, ear infections, allergic dermatitis, inflammatory bowel disease, abscessed teeth, diarrhea, conjunctivitis, auto immune disease, chronic arthritis, lameness, abscesses, Etc ., when they came to the veterinarian to evaluate their health issues and they were vaccinated in spite of having one or more of these issues. Not only are they vaccinated but for up to 10 different diseases simultaneously.

The clients are not being informed about the potential danger to their pets and are also being told their pets need these vaccinations, when there is no science to support such recommendations. This is not good medical practice and endangers the health of our animal patients…. Supply and demand are the driving forces in any economy for the success or failure of any product. As the public becomes more educated as to the truth about vaccinations, this practice will go the way of the dinosaur.

An Australian study found most of the animals undergoing vaccination were not healthy and should not have been receiving vaccines; it is criminal in my book. … So many of our animals are now sick and diseased with autoimmune disease or cancer and yet again get the big jab under the guise that “he is due for rabies.”  …. so many stressed animals, malnourished animals, animals with any health issues should not be just jabbed…….especially with rabies, due to what this vaccination while stressed or immune-compromised means to endangering both the animal and especially the public’s health and exposure risk.

1. STOP VACCINATING UNNECESSARILY! No more vaccinating against diseases your dog is unlikely to catch and against diseases to which your dog is already immune. Not only is unnecessary vaccination a huge waste of time and money, the resulting adverse health consequences can ruin doggy health and cost you a fortune in vet bills down the line. Watch our video Vaccinating Dogs for suggestions, and read or reread “Rethinking Vaccination” in our book, Scared Poopless. Also, read our blog article on titer testing. (Click here.) This simple blood test is especially important to prevent over-vaccinating puppies.

2. FEED QUALITY FOOD. Although spending more for high quality food may seem a strange way to save money, it is your absolute best shot at long-term doggy health and lower vet bills. Start feeding wisely and you may see allergies, intestinal problems, joint ouchiness and other ailments disappear. At the very least, stop feeding grocery store brands and switch from kibble to canned. Better yet, feed frozen raw or fresh cooked or raw. My book has two chapters on food, one of them you can read free by clicking here.

3. FEED LESS. According to Purina’s much promoted 14-year study of 48 Labrador Retrievers, “lean-fed” dogs (receiving 25% less food than their littermates) eventually developed the same health problems as littermates as they aged, but needed treatment for ailments 2.1 years later. That is, treatment began at a mean age of 12 versus age 9.9. Here’s the secret to longevity: It’s not about feeding a particular brand; it’s about feeding to a healthy, lean (not too skinny) condition. Cut out all fattening corn-laden foods. Don’t leave food out all day and don’t overfeed. Remember: fat dogs aren’t cute; they’re expensive.

4. BRUSH TEETH MORE OFTEN. Few things are more expensive, or risky, than dental procedures. Avoid them by feeding low-carb foods (not kibble) and by brushing your dog’s teeth at least three times a week. Use a good paste meant for dogs (not Humans!) and use gauze around your finger or a super-soft toothbrush.

5. STOP GIVING UNNECESSARY OR DANGEROUS DRUGS. Check out your dogs meds (especially steroids and arthritis medications) on-line by name, and at the websites listed under Preventing the Preventable on my website link page. Also, if it’s not mosquito season where you live, why are you giving heartworm meds? No skeeters … no heartworm. Fleas aren’t much of a problem during the winter in most places either. Check out my book’s chapter, “Stop Pest-ering Me!” or do research on-line to learn more about heartworm and flea life cycles and natural methods of pest control. Just make sure your research is from reliable, unbiased sources. Websites that look “scientific” may be fronts for manufacturers of pet meds. Also check out my blog post on Heartworms for more information about protection.

6. GET FLUFFY A BLOOD TEST if she hasn’t had one in the last year (or six months for senior dogs). Remember, dogs age faster than we do and a thorough blood test (with a chem panel) is the easiest (and sometimes the only) way to detect disease while it’s still curable and cheaper to treat. Also test yearly for heartworms, whether or not you use meds.

7. STOP GIVING DANGEROUS TREATS that can perforate or lodge in tracheas and intestines: cooked bones, rawhide chews, pig’s feet and other too-hard chews. Surgery for obstructions and perforations is very expensive and may come too late to save your dog’s life.

8. WASH YOUR DOG’S FEET after a walk on chemically-laden surfaces like city streets and salted roads. Beware park areas which may have been recently fertilized, or treated with herbicides, without your knowing. And don’t use toxic chemicals in your home or yard. If it’s on your dog’s feet, before long it will be in your dog’s mouth. If it’s in your dog’s mouth, he’s on the slippery slope toward cancer.

9. SECURE TRASH, RECYCLING BINS AND TOXIC CHEMICALS FROM PETS. You’d be shocked at how much money is spent on inadvertent poisoning from snail, ant and rat bait, and also the general ailment called “Garbage Can Syndrome.” (Thanks to Pet Evironmentalist Elizabeth Allen of C4PAW.com for her work in this area.)

10. RESEARCH ON-LINE HELP. Check out the additional cost saving ideas at the Human Society (click here) and in the Smart Money article (click here). Californians, e-mail Governor Schwarzenegger and tell him we can’t afford his new 9% tax on our vet bills! Click here.

In short, think before you spend. Ask questions. Don’t automatically reorder drugs. Consider alternatives. Become an educated consumer and trust your own instincts.

Looking for smart holiday gifts and more health and safety tips for your dog? Click here to read our Holiday Newsletter.

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

Cross post this article with attribution. Click here for details.

My journey began with, “Let’s vaccinate puppies and dogs against every disease possible — to keep them safe.” After one year of research (now grown to five) and interviews with top pet immunology experts, I evolved to, “Let’s vaccinate only against life-threatening diseases that a dog, as a unique individual, is likely to contract given the dog’s lifestyle, age and locale, and to which he or she does not already have immunity. This sounds like common sense, doesn’t it? It is the same journey taken by every vet school in North America, and by the major vet organizations: the American Animal Hospital Association, the American Veterinary Medical Association and the American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association.

It is not, unfortunately, the journey taken by way too many veterinary practices, particularly the larger chain operations. Shots are big business, not just for the markup on the shots and administering them, but also for the profit from the “visit” and extra sales that result from coming in to “keep your dog’s shots up-to-date.” I wish vets would realize we’ll bring our dogs in for the all-important checkup without scaring us into it!

Then there’s also inertia: it’s easier for vets to continue doing what they’ve been taught to do and have always done, and which their businesses are set up to handle. There’s also the sad fact that, in general, experts have knowledge long (even decades) before medical practitioners and bureaucrats hear about, and assimilate, it. I remember that medical doctors were (and are) still recommending margarine (a trans fat) many years after scientists and nutritionists were saying that trans fats were unsafe.

In addition to all I learned about vaccination researching my book, Scared Poopless: The Straight Scoop on Dog Care, I got additional help with my new video, “Vaccinating Dogs.” Answering my many questions were veterinarians Margo Roman, Patricia Jordan and Sue Pollen. Dr. Jean Dodds was particularly helpful guiding me through the bureaucracies theoretically monitoring vaccine licensing and safety. I am indebted to them all. And my dogs are, too. Ultimately, though, the tone and point of view is my own.

Follow this link to learn more about dogs shots.  I’m adding new information all the time, so you might want to bookmark the page.  Click here to learn more about the dangers of the rabies vaccine. (Watch all our dog care videos here.)  I welcome all well-intentioned comments and hope you will pass the information along to your pet-loving friends.

Related Articles:

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?

46% of all dogs who die of disease now die of cancer. That’s an astonishing figure, isn’t it? Forty-six percent!

Imagine half of your own friends dying of cancer. You’d surely be doing everything possible to stay healthy and disease free, wouldn’t you? Well, cancer will kill half your dog’s friends. The time has come to shift your focus from general health maintenance to cancer prevention. And it’s time to learn about alternatives to conventional cancer treatment.

My good friend, holistic vet Dr. Paula Terafaj (practicing in Brea, CA) wrote me: “Even for us doctors, there are more questions than answers: Did so-and-so cause my dog’s cancer? Are there any natural treatments for cancer? How long do you think my dog will live if we don’t do chemo?”

When Dr. Paula’s beloved dog Woody was diagnosed with cancer of spleen and liver, she set out to help Woody battle his own cancer. No toxic chemo. No risky surgery. She wanted him to live out his days pain-free as a cancer warrior with a game plan! Here’s the first installment of her game plan. She has kindly permitted me to reprint it. Parts 2 to 5 will appear in the upcoming days. (Have you subscribed to my blog yet? Sign up at right.)

Learn more about Dr. Terifaj at http://30minvetconsult.com/blog/ Here’s her first cancer article:

Part I: The Ultimate Cure for Cancer Is…

Simply prevention.

Everywhere you look these days, we hear news about this or that vitamin, mineral, vegetable, herb, plant from the rainforest, or exotic fruit reported to “cure” or protect us from cancer—but the fact of the matter is really just this: Our immune system (when working properly) has the natural ability to find and destroy cancer cells as well as the viruses and bacteria that make us sick. In fact, the most successful natural remedies simply amp up or help the immune system to fight its own deadly battles!

So, our health really depends on how well our immune system is functioning at all times—no silver bullets, no black magic. Our very own body intelligence is our best weapon to defeat the growth of cancer cells and keep us free of disease. It is only when the immune system fails to detect and destroy malignant cancer cells or mount a targeted attack against bacterial and viral invasions that we get sick. Sometimes we become the unwilling host to a flu virus or strep throat; other times falling victim to life threatening diseases, like cancer.

Scientific studies have shown that we can and do influence the functioning of our immune system. Diets that lack essential nutrients, stress, and exposure to a growing onslaught of chemical pollutants have all been shown to weaken the function of the immune response and subsequently our health.

The same goes for your dog. Assuming your dog is not burdened by the stresses of financial worries, job dissatisfaction, a demanding work schedule, caretaker responsibilities, difficult personal relationships, etc—spending his days napping, playing and feeling loved—the single most important factor that will determine your dog’s state of health and longevity is what foods he finds in his food dish!

It’s the choices we make, not fate, that determine our health and the health of our animal dependents. Each day we make choices that will either weaken our army of immune soldiers—or optimize its fighting abilities to win and protect our health. I have long advocated the common sense approach of maintaining good health—a proactive state of living called disease prevention. A mindset yet to be embraced by a flawed health care system which looks more like this: Get sick then change your diet, get more exercise and reduce stress. And if that’s too much trouble, no doubt you will join the millions of sickos in America and help to pump up drug company profits!

I have learned from my own personal health experiences and those of my furry patients that we can improve our own state of health and strongly influence the health of our pets by the choices we make. Stack the health odds in your favor!

Start a proactive health campaign with a few simple principles:

• Get smart: plan your diet each day and don’t leave it up to chance. This will help you to avoid tempting junk foods and make better choices. You also need to rethink the misguided idea that feeding your dog the same commercial diet every day is healthy. Like us, they need and crave a variety of whole foods. Simple whole foods like baked chicken, ground turkey and scrambled eggs are easy to prepare. Add more of these wholesome foods to your shopping cart and skip the dog food aisle!
• Go green: eat vegetables with meals and snack on fruits—both are high in protective antioxidants. Most dogs like to eat cooked vegetables. Favorites are: carrots, peas, green beans and broccoli. Also try canned pumpkin, yams and butternut squash. You can ensure an optimum intake of these hard working antioxidants by including a good quality vitamin/mineral supplement.
• Adopt a “more rest and less stress” lifestyle that includes daily exercise. Start by leashing up your dog for walks around the neighborhood, visit local dog parks, or engage in play activity at home. Just get started and your dog will keep you motivated to continue this very good behavior!

There really is sage advice hidden in that phrase: “the good old days”. Like feasting on simple whole foods that were common place on kitchen tables when our grandmothers (younger readers may need to go back as far as great grandmother) were the gourmet chefs of our time! Remember, whole foods contain the best sources of essential nutrients (vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and fatty acids) and that has not changed! Don’t short-cut your health with fast food products that list ingredients known only to food chemists—just look at the pet food industry. Open a bag of kibble and ask yourself, where is the beef?

What you eat and what you feed your dog will surely determine the number of doctor visits in the days ahead. Although I am a big fan of dietary supplements (vitamins, minerals, herbs, amino acids, fatty acids) and Nutraceuticals (foods that aid in the prevention or treatment of disease) they are not substitutes for a health-based diet. However, I must pause here to praise the efforts of science to provide us with substantial scientific studies and documentation on how certain key supplements and Nutraceuticals have proven to offer numerous health benefits, safe effective treatments, and sometimes even cures for almost any health challenge we may face—our pets included! (More on this in Part 2: How to fight cancer without drugs.)

You can boost your health IQ by reading Super Foods Rx—Fourteen Foods That Will Change Your Life, by Steven Pratt, MD. (I got mine from Amazon.com.) This smart Doc shows how you can actually change your body’s biochemistry and stop the progression of diseases like type II diabetes, hypertension, certain cancers, obesity and Alzheimer’s simply by eating more nutrient-dense foods.

Don’t worry, you can find these simple foods at your local supermarket. Some of the foods that made it to the top fourteen, like blueberries, broccoli, spinach, salmon, and walnuts did not surprise me. However, some did, like oranges, pumpkin, beans, and turkey. And if you don’t like some of the super fourteen, the author offers what he calls sidekicks: similar foods that can be substituted.

This wonderfully written book will surely help improve your eating habits simply by knowing why these foods are so good for your health. On a recent food shopping spree at Trader Joe’s, I found myself reaching for a variety of canned beans (marinated 3 bean salad, refried black beans with jalapeno peppers, organic black bean soup), dried wild blueberries and walnuts. Foods that can be easily added to salads and other dishes. Your dog is sure to enjoy eating some of the super fourteen too! Now, pass the blueberries please…

— A last note from Jan. Have you seen our videos? Click “Videos” under “Categories” at right. And hug your dog for me. And stay tuned for more from Dr. Paula.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=UwGE2PArk5E

Too often, veterinary practice lags years (even decades) behind veterinary science and even American Veterinary Medical Association recommendations. If you’re reading a lot about dog care, you, not your vet, may have more current knowledge about vaccination, nutrition and other aspects of care. But how do you get your vet to listen to your ideas? Standing up to authority can be scary.

Maybe you want to stop vaccinating your adult dog with unnecessary puppy shots, but realize your vet isn’t really “up to date on his shots.” Or maybe your vet won’t listen to your views on natural foods or safer flea and heartworm remedies. He or she may even have a financial stake in being right and your being wrong. I’ll try to help you bridge the communications gap with my new video “Standing Up to Your Veterinarian.” Please take a look and tell me what you think.

To learn more about finding and dealing with a veterinarian, and to watch our other video “Avoiding Dangerous Veterinarians,” go to Dogs4Dogs.com/vet. I hope you’ll subscribe to this blog first to get instant notification of our upcoming videos and posts. Please, tell your friends to join us, too! We have lots of videos in the works on subjects like dog food and vaccination!

Encouraging everyone to advocate their dog,

Jan Rasmusen