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“We found a stray dog and so we have no idea what her vaccination history is or even if she has been spayed. She is probably about a year old at the most…looks like a small yellow lab.

I want to just have her vaccinated for parvo and distemper only and of course we have to have her vaccinated for rabies. But my question for you is how long to wait between the spaying and the vaccinations? And how long between before she gets her rabies shot? And which order do you recommend having all of this done? I know I have seen this information somewhere on the Internet before but it was a long time ago and I just can’t seem to find it now.

I would really appreciate any advice. At this point I don’t even know which thing should be done first, the spaying or the vaccinations.

Note: I got this question from Kat after she watched one of our K9Author YouTube Videos on vaccinating dogs.

Response: Hi Kat.  I’m no fan of the rabies vaccine because of its many adverse reactions. Neither do I like the idea of vaccinating a stressed dog; the vaccine may not “take” and the chance of side effects increases.

However … because most people wouldn’t be comfortable handling a strange dog with no shot history, I’d either have a titer test done to test immunity for rabies (which would prove immunity and not harm the dog, but would cost $150 or so and not allow you to get a license) … or I’d vaccinate.  If you do vaccinate, wait 3 or more weeks before spaying (or neutering) or giving another shot. If you can have a holistic vet or homeopathic vet give the shot, that would be great.  A homeopathic remedy given with the rabies shot can help prevent a reaction.

I would never vaccinate against anything else at the same time as the rabies shot. Read more »

Our pets’ lives are too often filled with hidden stresses that challenge their health and longevity.  In addition to common stressors like highly processed commercial food, over-vaccination and over-medication, pets will be healthier and happier if you: 
 
•  Reduce their isolation.  Dogs are pack animals. Leave them alone hour after hour, day after day, and they will mourn their very existence.  This can result in  problems like separation anxiety, incessant barking and destructive behavior, and also in health problems. In fact, insufficient attention may be the biggest stress of all.  

•  Improve water.   Impure or insufficient water is dangerous.   Make sure you take water along with you on long or hot walks. Never let your dog drink sprinkler run-off or out of fountains (which likely contain toxic chemicals).  And if you’re drinking purified water, your pets should be, too. 

•  Get Your Dog Moving.  A fit dog is less prone to injury and has a healthier digestive system and heart.  Did you know that heart disease is a major killer of dogs? Like us, they need sensible exercise to live a long, healthy life. But take it easy. Dogs will do their best to keep up with joggers and cyclists even when they shouldn’t. Don’t ask them to exert themselves strenuously unless they’re in shape.

•  Stay slim.  Chubby dogs aren’t cute. They are health problems waiting to happen. Expect early onset of joint damage, diabetes and major organ disease. Read more »

Rabies-vaccine-induced Ischemic Dermatopathy forced the retirement of Peaches from competition. See the disease on her haunch and ears.

Peaches, Judy Schor’s champion agility dog, retired when she developed Ischemic Dermatopathy after a rabies shot. In March, Judy raised $30,000 with her benefit for the Rabies Challenge Fund, a nonprofit trying to prove that the vaccine gives immunity for at least seven years. Fund researcher Dr. Ron Schultz , and co-Founder Dr. Jean Dodds, spoke about the dangers of the rabies vaccine at the benefit. 

Here is how a shot changed Peaches’s life as told by Judy:
 
As a well intentioned and responsible pet owner, I take my pups in for their annual Well checks and Dental’s. And like clockwork, every 3 years, as required by law, my dogs would get their 3 year Rabies vaccine.
 
In early April of 2007, I took my beloved Rat-Terrier Peaches in for her 7 year Rabies booster. We returned home and nothing unusual noted, however in retrospect, maybe I was remiss in noticing any lethargy or changes as I really never thought that a legally required vaccine could/would cause any harm. Read more »

Kris Christine, Founder of the Rabies Challenge Fund with renowned vaccination expert Dr. Jean Dodds,  is the person most responsible for changing rabies laws from one or two years to three in every state (but not every locale yet).  Brava Kris!  Her passion for this began when her beautiful dog Meadow died from an injection site fibrosarcoma after a rabies shot.

Here is an excerpt from a letter Kris recently sent trying to prevent a change in the law in Muncie, Indiana, from three years to one!  This move is clearly to bring in more revenue with more frequent licensing, as the science in no way supports it.

This letter has valuable information we all should read — especially if you’re living in an area requiring shots more often than the national standard of every three years.

“… recommendations of the American Veterinary Medical Association [1] and the Center for Disease Control’s National Association of State Public Health Veterinarian’s 2008 Compendium of Animal Rabies Prevention and Control advise that: “Vaccines used in state and local rabies control programs should have at least a 3-year duration of immunity…….. No laboratory or epidemiologic data exist to support the annual or biennial administration of 3- or 4-year vaccines following the initial series.”

A regressive ordinance revision requiring annual rabies boosters for dogs and cats is medically unnecessary and scientifically unfounded.  According to the American Animal Hospital Association, “The minimum DOI [duration of immunity] for killed rabies vaccine based on challenge studies is 3 years; based on antibody titers, it is considered to be up to 7 years..” [2] 

More frequent vaccination than is required to fully immunize an animal will not achieve further disease protection.  Redundant annual rabies shots needlessly expose dogs and cats to the risk of adverse effects while obligating residents to pay unnecessary veterinary medical fees, which could violate … consumer protection laws and obligate veterinarians to engage in unprofessional conduct (Code 25-1) by administering medically unwarranted rabies vaccines in order for their clients to comply with the amended ordinance.  The American Veterinary Medical Association’s 2001 Principles of Vaccination state that “Unnecessary stimulation of the immune system does not result in enhanced disease resistance, and may increase the risk of adverse post-vaccination events.”   

It is recognized that most, if not all, currently licensed annual rabies vaccines given annually are actually the 3-year vaccine relabeled for annual use — Read more »

Thanks to Dr. Michael Dym, a homeopathic veterinarian, for sending me this article.

Michael Dym, VMD

For the past several decades, the conventional standard of practice has been to give puppies and kittens, as young as three to four weeks of age, multiple viral vaccinations every few weeks until they are about five months old, then repeat the practice very year through their golden years. Years ago, veterinary immunologists and renowned vaccine experts Ron Schultz, DVM and colleague Dr. Phillips wrote in the XI edition of Kirks Current Veterinary Therapy (used in all vet schools), that yearly vaccination for viral diseases is medically unnecessary and is a practice that “lacks scientific validity,” indicating that immunity to most core viral vaccination persists “for years to the life of the animal.”

In 1997, the first International Veterinary Vaccines and Diagnostics Conference concluded that the duration of immunity is likely more than five years for the clinically important companion animal vaccines. Yet, veterinarians continue to routinely over-vaccinate both puppies and adult/senior dogs and cats.

More recently, evidence has emerged that, along with the nutrient-poor processed commercial pet foods, over-vaccinating has been a major factor in the development of the epidemic increases in autoimmune diseases, seizures, hormonal disorders and cancer seen in younger pets. There’s even evidence that genetic changes have occurred due to over-vaccination over many generations. Vaccinating pets with chronic immune mediated illnesses or cancer, or even a history of cancer, is contraindicated, as all vaccine inserts that come with the vaccinations say for “use in healthy animals only.” Studies are now under way to document that even rabies vaccination has immunity that probably lasts from five to 10 years . (Please see the Rabies Challenge Fund and Truth4Dogs.org).

I recommend that animal guardians become better informed about which vaccines are appropriate for their pets and how often or if they should be given or repeated. The health of our canine and feline companions depends upon learning the truth, just as we are now learning the truth about fresh, more nutritional foods.

In practice for 18 years, Dr. Dym developed an interest in holistic and homeopathic veterinary medicine and has studied with Richard Pitcairn, DVM, and PhD, author of Dr. Pitcairn’s Guide to Natural Health for Dogs and Cats. He practices in New Jersey. For additional information, please visit Dr. Michael Dym’s website.

Note from Jan: Find more in-depth articles on vaccination at my Truth4Dogs.com blog.
Vaccinating Unhealthy Pets: Beware Reactions & Vaccine Failure
Vaccinating Dogs: 10 Steps to Eliminating Unnecessary Shots    
Titer Test: Don’t Vaccinate Your Dog Unnecessarily
On my website: Rabies Vaccine Information and Vaccinating Dogs: What Your Vet Won’t Tell You

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