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?

Anesthesia-Free, or Non-Anesthetic, teeth cleaning for dogs (and even cats) is becoming more and more commonplace. As people grow fearful of “putting their dog under” just to have teeth cleaned, and ever more fearful of vet bills sometimes topping $1000, these services offer an attractive alternative. Even veterinarians who have called these procedures “animal cruelty” and “unsafe” (which they sometimes are), are adding anesthesia-free dental care to services offered. Whether any service is humane, safe and effective depends exclusively on practitioner skill and kindness towards animals.

Any health service provided by practitioners without specific training or experience requirements, and with no certification, can be risky. Is the practitioner safe? Is he/she knowledgeable and experienced? Can he safely handle dogs? Is he insured for damage to himself and your dog? All these are questions you must ask. This video, and all the additional information at Dogs4Dogs.com/doggydental2, will answer your questions. Help your dog have a safer teeth cleaning procedure, whether at your veterinarian’s office or at your groomer’s or pet shop. Want even more info? Check out my 15-page chapter, “Death by Teeth,” in my book, Scared Poopless. To learn more about what you can do about anesthesia risks, see our chapter, “Anesthesia Anxiety.”

Remember, there is no completely safe or stress-free way, inside or out of a vet’s office, to have your dog’s teeth cleaned. But because periodic scaling, ultrasonic cleaning and polishing, along with a thorough check for broken teeth, infections, tumors and lesions, is essential to your dog’s health, I hope you’ll read up and ask questions.

Please do not trust your dog with anyone without checking them out first. And don’t presume that your groomer or shop owner has. Chances are, he/she doesn’t know any more about dental care, or safety, than you do — especially if she hasn’t studied the subject. Your dog’s health and safety are in your hands alone.

Wishing you and your dog all the best in life,

Jan Rasmusen
www.Dogs4Dogs.com

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

Cancer is epidemic in pets and all of us have, or know someone who has, a dog with diabetes, severe allergies, skin problems or liver, heart or kidney disease. It’s time to rethink veterinary care. Watch our video to learn how to spot a dangerous vet through his practices of over-vaccination, negligence, pushing “fast food,” price gouging and more. The information revealed in this video may well save your dog’s life.

Watch our other vet video, “Stand Up to Your Vet,” and find informative articles, referral lists for holistic vets and vets skilled in homeopathy at www.Dogs4Dogs.com/vet Also learn how to file a complaint against your vet. Subscribe to our blog at www.Truth4Dogs.com to be notified when our new videos and articles are available.

Learn your veterinarian’s responsibility to fully inform you about the risks of vaccination by reading this excellent article by an attorney/veterinarian: Veterinary Liability Related to Vaccination.

Is Your Dog’s Vet a Vaccination Expert?

Vaccinating: Unhealthy Pets: Beware Reactions & Vaccine Failure

Lower Your Vet Bills: 10 Tips for Keeping Costs Down

Please bookmark this article and tell your friends!

Rabies Vaccine Adverse Reactions

The rabies vaccine is arguably the most dangerous shot our dogs get. Because it’s required by law, it’s a difficult shot to avoid. Because the vaccine is made from a “killed” virus, rather than “modified live” virus as are the other important “core” vaccines, manufacturers add dangerous “adjuvants” to boost effectiveness. These adjuvants too often cause adverse reactions, some of which occur quickly, but many of which occur days, weeks or even months after vaccination. A “killed” vaccine (rather than one from a modified live virus), the rabies vaccine contains adjuvants (chemical boosters) to enhance the immunological response. In 1999, the World Health Organization “classified veterinary vaccine adjuvants as Class III/IV carcinogens with Class IV being the highest risk.”

My year-old Maltese Jiggy developed autoimmune liver disease after a rabies shot. Rabies Challenge Fund Founder Kris Christine lost her dog Meadow to a vaccination site fibrosarcoma (cancer). Countless other dogs have developed anaphylactic shock; autoimmune diseases affecting the thyroid, joints, blood, eyes, skin, kidney, liver, bowel and central nervous system; seizures and epilepsy; autoimmune hemolytic anemia (AIHA); aggression, separation anxiety and strange compulsive behaviors; lack of muscular coordination; skin disease; fibrosarcomas at injection sites and countless other disorders. Click here to learn more about adverse reactions to the rabies shot.

But the vaccine is required by law, so what can you do about it?

First, if you can trace your dog’s illness to the shot, you may have a better chance of treating it. A steroids and Benadryl shot may stop an allergic reaction, but will likely do nothing for on-going problems.

Second, if your dog has a documented history of problems with this or any other vaccination, you may be able to get a special exemption from your local Animal Control. Your vet needs to be told about any reactions immediately. Make sure they’re documented. Get a copy of the file.

Third, because of an amazing study by the Rabies Challenge Fund, we now have the opportunity to help extend the period between shots to up to seven years, maybe even longer. Even a $5 tax deductible donation to this fund can make a big difference.

Click this link for more information on the rabies vaccine and rabies vaccine reactions and learn how to document and report the reaction (so you can get an exemption from the shot next time), plus protective measures you can take to make the shot safer.  Find a holistic vet to help you undo the damage from the shot.  Don’t wait too long. Time is important when dealing with reactions.

Please post your questions, stories or comments here. And please read all the previous comments. There’s a lot of good information here including answers to many questions.  Click “comment” below.

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

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?

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