15 
15
IDEAS COME. IDEAS GO. Now, in the going stage, is a hallowed concept of veterinary medicine—annual vaccinations. In recent years a steady stream of evidence from leading researchers has challenged the effectiveness and scientific validity of the practice. Experts say that almost without exception there is no requirement for annual boosters. Immunity to viruses persists for years or for the life of the animal, and successful vaccination to most bacterial pathogens produces long-term protection as well. While defending the critical role that vaccines play in preventing, controlling, and eliminating diseases in dogs and cats, prominent researchers say that the goal of the veterinary profession should be to vaccinate more animals but vaccinate them less often and only with the products that the animal needs.
Based on current findings, a new generation of vaccination guidelines has emerged. At the time of the writing of this book, the new thinking is this:
For the most clinically important vaccines, the duration of immunity is at least three years and probably more than five.
Vaccinations for young dogs should be spaced out over two to four weeks. Thus, vaccinations should be split up and fewer done at one time.
Give an annual booster at one year and then boosters every three years unless required more often by law. (In some states and municipalities, rabies vaccines are required. Check with your animal control authority for local regulations, as well as when traveling out of state.)
Monitor antibody levels annually between boosters.
Older animals usually do not require boosters.
Alternative practitioners have long criticized standard vaccination practices as the source of much woe among companion animals. Many adverse reactions, allergies, and illnesses are triggered by vaccines, they say. Even though the new guidelines represent a paradigm shift for the profession as a whole, the current recommendations still call for more vaccinations than most holistic veterinarians would like to see. They consider the shift as an overdue recognition of overvaccinating, a practice, in their opinion, that has helped sow the seeds of rampant disease throughout the pet population. Generations of overvaccinated animals, they say, have contributed to weakened offspring who today suffer the penalty of this medical abuse. Of course, vaccinations help eradicate or reduce the incidence of severe, acute diseases, but the by-product has been to plague animals with insidious, chronic diseases that are very difficult to treat.
“We have been destroying the immune systems of animals,” says Roger DeHaan, DVM. “What began as an answer to widespread life-threatening diseases, such as distemper, parvo, and panleukopenia, evolved into shotgun ‘cocktail’ multiple vaccine shots for every pet, whether there was significant danger of exposure or not. ‘Just in case,’ was the byword. House pets, pound, and show animals were all treated alike. All breeds were treated alike. The ‘what’s good for one is good for all’ syndrome took over.”
Adds DeHaan: “Over the years, it has become increasingly clear that some vaccines are ineffectual or unnecessary; that some of the diseases being vaccinated for are not life-threatening; that some vaccines are dangerous, even causing symptoms of the disease they are supposed to prevent; that some vaccines cause immunosuppression, or interactions among different components of the vaccine when mixed together; and that some vaccines, once useful, are no longer needed but still included in the ‘cocktail.’”
There is some research evidence that overvaccination causes immune suppression and opens the door to various acute and chronic diseases. DeHaan cites an English study involving 2,700 dogs that found that the incidence of illness in dogs treated with more than one vaccine at the same time was significantly higher than when only a single vaccination was administered. Moreover, the study said, dogs boosted annually were more likely to become ill than those that were not boosted annually.
ONE PERSPECTIVE ON VACCINATIONS—CHRISTINA CHAMBREAU, DVM
Yearly, or more often, a typical veterinarian has been recommending a combination injection of distemper, hepatitis, leptospirosis, parainfluenza, and parvovirus. The veterinarians and kennels require Bordetella (kennel cough) vaccination before boarding. They often suggest corona vaccine, and Lyme disease vaccine as well. Annually, this adds up to at least four to eight viruses, in addition to rabies.
Would you rebel if your doctor told you to have measles, mumps, rubella, diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus, hepatitis, and rabies shots every year of your life until you died, instead of only a few doses as a child?
A healthy animal or person is unlikely to become ill (or very sick) even if exposed to infectious agents. Ideally we would never vaccinate if we fed our animals only wonderful fresh food and treated the early symptoms of imbalance or infection with natural means, such as with homeopathy. Vaccinating an animal does not necessarily protect it from the very diseases for which it is vaccinated. Instead it may render the animal weaker overall and trigger symptoms and illnesses.
Many of the veterinarians interviewed for this book told me they routinely treat dogs, often brought to them as a last resort, who develop challenging health problems days, weeks, and even months after vaccination. These problems include the following:
Life-threatening autoimmune crises, where the body’s immune system attacks healthy tissue.
Chronic skin allergies or conditions that destroy a dog’s quality of life.
Weak animals going from bad to worse. These are dogs, unwell to begin with, now suffering from thyroid disease, adrenal malfunction, or even cancer, after vaccinations.
Michele Yasson, DVM, of Rosendale, New York, regularly sees animals who have never been vaccinated and in old age are healthy and robust. “They seem to have a much lower incidence of chronic, debilitative, degenerative diseases such as diabetes, hypothyroidism, and cancer,” she says. “Vaccines are like any dis-ease influence—a harsh stimulus to the body. Some animals are more susceptible than others. I have some patients who have never been well since they were vaccinated.”
Holistic veterinarians do not speak with one voice on the issue of vaccinations. Some say that the best way to achieve optimum health is to feed a diet rich in fresh foods and raw meat and avoid vaccinations. Others suggest just vaccinating puppies once for distemper and parvo. No boosters. Some say don’t vaccinate until an animal is three or even four months of age because vaccinations are much more stressful on an underdeveloped immune system. There are differing shades of opinion.
Nancy Scanlan, DVM, expresses concern about people who are against all vaccinations. “I am seeing more distemper and parvo in nonvaccinated dogs,” she says. “I fear that if people stop vaccinating, we may see these infectious diseases make a comeback.”
The definitive scientific verdict on the frequency and need of vaccinations lies in the future. In the meantime, talk to your veterinarian, who should be aware of the new ideas. If your vet isn’t up-to-date, and simply recommends annual booster shots, you need another veterinarian. Whatever your decision regarding vaccination, holistic veterinarians make the following recommendations:
Vaccinate only healthy animals. Weakened animals are more prone to develop reactions.
Unless absolutely necessary, you probably shouldn’t vaccinate an animal with a history of reactions to vaccines. If necessary, consult the guidelines in this section for preventing reactions.
Always ask for killed-cell vaccines, and never have modified-live vaccines. The former are generally less damaging to the immune system and tend to produce fewer side effects. The killed-cell versions are, in fact, less expensive.
Be watchful for growths at, or near, the site of the vaccine injection. Strange tumors may develop within a couple of months of vaccination, the result of a compromised immune system.
Tests known as “antibody titers” have become available to determine the strength of an animal’s immune system to a particular disease. These tests are seen by many veterinarians as a promising way to assess the need for additional vaccinations. “Practically speaking, dogs should have antibody titers against canine distemper and canine parvovirus evaluated annually until we know how long the vaccination-induced antibodies actually last in the blood,” says Susan Wynn, DVM, of Marietta, Georgia. “These annual tests will provide some peace of mind, while at the same time helping to establish just how long vaccinations actually protect the average animal. This is critical knowledge that will guide us how to more safely and judiciously vaccinate our pets and at the same time save many pets the ordeal of iatrogenic illnesses.”
Nevertheless, these tests are not universally agreed upon as accurate and foolproof assessments of immune status. Low levels, as well as adequate levels, guarantee nothing, Wynn cautions, “just as simply giving a vaccination guarantees nothing in terms of an animal’s immune response.”
Thuja is the leading homeopathic remedy to deal with vaccinosis—that is, adverse reactions to vaccination. Examination of the individual animal might result in selecting a different remedy, but generally Thuja is an excellent choice. Consider this remedy if a problem develops within a few weeks after vaccination.
Once I treated a dog who had developed irritable bowel within five days of being vaccinated. For six months the dog’s owners tried unsuccessfully to control chronic diarrhea with standard prescriptions from other veterinarians. When they came to me, I recommended Thuja. After one dose the diarrhea began to ease. Within a few days it was entirely gone and never returned.
Thuja 30C: Once a day for five days.
I recommend one dose of Thuja 30C within twenty-four hours of vaccination to prevent adverse reactions. It can make a big difference. I recall the case of a nine-year-old Poodle vaccinated repeatedly over the years by another veterinarian. There were always bad reactions. Within a few days of vaccination the dog would usually run a fever, not feel well, and go on to have several months of serious skin problems. The day after the last vaccination the owner called me and asked my advice. I suggested Thuja. The woman called back sometime later to say that no fever or illness had developed. Neither did the dog experience the usual skin problems.
For animals who develop more severe vaccine reactions, I recommend a combination homeopathic remedy called Vaccine Detox Tabs, by Natramed. It contains Thuja, Sulfur, Arsenicum album, Pulsatilla, Silicea, and Antimonium. The formula was developed by Asa Hershoff, ND, a Southern California homeopathic physician. The product can be ordered in the United States through Dr. Hershoff’s Santa Monica office (310-829-7122); in Canada, through Actiform in Markham, Ontario (800-668-0066).
1 or 2 tablets daily, starting a week before vaccination. Finish the entire bottle. To remedy ongoing chronic problems resulting from past vaccines, give 1 tablet up to three times daily for two weeks or more.
When pet owners ask about alternatives to vaccines, one possibility is a nosode, a homeopathic remedy prepared from an isolate of the particular disease agent. However, properly controlled studies have yet to be conducted on the effectiveness of this method, according to Complementary and Alternative Veterinary Medicine, the major reference book on holistic practices.
Among holistic veterinarians, opinion is divided. Some recommend nosodes and say they have had good results. Others do not recommend them. If you are considering nosodes, consult with a holistic veterinarian who is familiar with them.