By Melissa T Benson
Are yearly vaccinations good for you dog or cat? The short answer is NO. Martin Goldstein, DVM: "I think that vaccines...are leading killers of dogs and cats in America today."
Pet vaccinations started back in the 1950's. There wasn't any formal testing done on how long a pet is immunized with specific vaccines. And - at the time - no one believed there was any risk with vaccines. So it became customary to do yearly "boosters" or re-vaccinations.
That practice was publicly challenged in the 1990's. Although there was (and is) no requirement to report adverse reactions, there was mounting evidence that vaccinations were creating a lot of problems for pets ranging from minor to death.
In 1992, Dr. Ronald Schultz, a veterinary immunologist and professor at University of Wisconsin published an article with co-author Dr. Phillips in Current Veterinary Therapy.
They said, "A practice that was started many years ago and that lacks scientific validity or verification is annual vaccinations. Almost without exception there is no immunologic requirement for annual re-vaccination. Immunity to viruses persists for years or for the life of the animal."
Dr. Schultz has been one of the leading thinkers on vaccine protocols.
Vaccines do have a place, but they are not without risk. While a Vet will likely only observe an immediate response, adverse reactions can occur up to 45 days after the vaccine is received. Often people don't associate the adverse reactions with the vaccination.
Adverse Reactions To Vaccines
There are many adverse reactions ranging from minor and short term to long term limiting illnesses, chronic diseases and even death. Allergies, chronic skin problems, inflammatory bowel disease, colitis, pancreatitis, kidney failure, liver failure, arthritis, thyroid disease, epilepsy, seizures, paralysis, auto-immune disease, cancer.
Also, behavior problems such as aggression, suspiciousness, restlessness, aloofness, separation anxiety, excessive barking, destructive behavior, tail chewing.
In fact, vaccination site tumors have become so common in cats (between the shoulder blades), that it's now recommended to vaccinate them in the tail or hind leg so it can be amputated if it becomes cancerous.
Current Recommendations
Yearly vaccinations are NO LONGER the standard of care. All 27 Veterinary Schools in North America have updated their protocol as have:
- American Veterinary Medical Association
- American Animal Hospital Association
- World Small Animal Veterinary Association
- Australian Veterinary Association
The World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA) vaccination guidelines advise that duration of immunity is 7 years or longer, based on challenge and blood studies.
Dr Ronald Schultz, expert in immunology and member of the WSAVA Vaccination Guidelines Group and American Animal Hospital Association Canine Vaccine Task Force, says that if a puppy is immunized for parvovirus, distemper virus and adenovirus "there is every reason to believe the vaccinated animal will have up to life-long immunity".
Vaccines aren't risk free. Just because yearly vaccination was common for years doesn't mean it's a good thing. Current science says otherwise.
CURRENT STANDARD OF CARE
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Science of Vaccine Damage
by Catherine O'Driscoll
(posted with permission)
A team at Purdue University School of Veterinary Medicine conducted several studies (1,2) to
determine if vaccines can cause changes in the immune system of dogs that might lead to lifethreatening immune-mediated diseases. They obviously conducted this research because concern already existed. It was sponsored by the Haywood Foundation which itself was looking for
evidence that such changes in the human immune system might also be vaccine induced. It found
the evidence.
The vaccinated, but not the non-vaccinated, dogs in the Purdue studies developed autoantibodies to many of their own biochemicals, including fibronectin, laminin, DNA, albumin, cytochrome C,cardiolipin and collagen.
This means that the vaccinated dogs -- ”but not the non-vaccinated dogs ”-- were attacking their own fibronectin, which is involved in tissue repair, cell multiplication and growth, and differentiation between tissues and organs in a living organism.
The vaccinated Purdue dogs also developed autoantibodies to laminin, which is involved in many
cellular activities including the adhesion, spreading, differentiation, proliferation and movement of
cells. Vaccines thus appear to be capable of removing the natural intelligence of cells.
Autoantibodies to cardiolipin are frequently found in patients with the serious disease systemic
lupus erythematosus and also in individuals with other autoimmune diseases. The presence of
elevated anti-cardiolipin antibodies is significantly associated with clots within the heart or blood
vessels, in poor blood clotting, haemorrhage, bleeding into the skin, foetal loss and neurological
conditions.
The Purdue studies also found that vaccinated dogs were developing autoantibodies to their own
collagen. About one quarter of all the protein in the body is collagen. Collagen provides structure to
our bodies, protecting and supporting the softer tissues and connecting them with the skeleton. It is
no wonder that Canine Health Concern's 1997 study of 4,000 dogs showed a high number of dogs
developing mobility problems shortly after they were vaccinated (noted in my 1997 book, What
Vets Don't Tell You About Vaccines).
Perhaps most worryingly, the Purdue studies found that the vaccinated dogs had developed
autoantibodies to their own DNA. Did the alarm bells sound? Did the scientific community call a
halt to the vaccination program? No. Instead, they stuck their fingers in the air, saying more
research is needed to ascertain whether vaccines can cause genetic damage. Meanwhile, the
study dogs were found good homes, but no long-term follow-up has been conducted. At around
the same time, the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) Vaccine-Associated Feline
Sarcoma Task Force initiated several studies to find out why 160,000 cats each year in the USA
develop terminal cancer at their vaccine injection sites.
