Are Pets Being Over-Vaccinated? By Kelly Mullins
(Please note: The views expressed herein do not necessarily represent the views of RMCR.)
There is hardly anything more controversial in veterinary medicine than the subject of vaccinations. Many pet owners and holistic veterinarians have questioned the need, as well as the safety, of repeatedly revaccinating our pets over the course of their lifetimes.
In last month’s article on Cushing’s Disease it was mentioned that Suzette Compton’s dog, Mandy, is believed to have died from over-vaccination. Suzette writes: “She was my first Cocker Spaniel and she was my gentle best friend. Mandy was a black and white parti-color cocker from 5 generations of beautiful champions. She came to live with me at the age of 9 weeks. Her registered AKC name was Kanchant Lady Amanda. She earned a few titles in Obedience trials and loved to travel in our motorhome. Annual vet exams with the “usual” annual vaccines were part of our agenda.”
“When Mandy was about 5 years old she had all of her vaccines given on the same day just before Christmas during an annual exam. Rabies, the Distemper series, Coronavirus and Bordetella. It was the “usual” routine to give all of the shots at the same time during a vet visit. About 4 days later, on Christmas Eve, Mandy became very lethargic and listless. The vet was closed and a vet across town was recommended to me and would see us on Christmas Eve. The first thing he asked me when he saw Mandy was if she had just been given all of her shots. My heart dropped as I said, “yes.” His response was, “Never give all of the shots on the same day. It is too much for the immune system. Your dog is having a vaccine reaction and her immune system has shut down.” Mandy’s temperature was 105! She had developed encephalitis.
Unfortunately, this is not an uncommon scenario; many dogs experience adverse reactions after receiving their vaccinations. And while many dogs can suffer an acute reaction, some dogs can also develop chronic health issues that can plague them for many years.
Is the practice of revaccination always safe for our dogs? Is the practice of repeated revaccination of adult dogs necessary? Is it possible our dogs could become gravely ill, or worse, from repeated revaccination over the course of their lifetimes?
Suzette continues, “She was treated and we were cautiously sent home. Mandy did recover and never had any more vaccines. When she was 10 ½ years old, as part of an annual exam, we were faced with Cushing’s Disease. The vet said, “Mandy looks good but she has lost 5 pounds. We could just feed her more and watch her or we could do blood work”. I absolutely insisted on blood work.
Two days later the vet called to say that Mandy was in kidney failure and would only live a month or so! In shock and afraid, I scheduled an abdominal ultrasound which revealed tumors in the adrenal glands. She had no signs of disease, was eating well and her coat was good. I found out that even though she did not look like she had lost weight she had fluid retention which was bloating her. My life and Mandy’s were changed forever. Her kidneys and her liver were shutting down. This was during the Thanksgiving holiday 5 years after the Immune System shut-down at Christmas time.”
“The recommendation for annual revaccination is a practice that was officially started in 1978,” says Dr. Ronald Schultz, Professor and Chair of the Department of Pathobiological Sciences School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Wisconsin-Madison. “This recommendation was made without scientific validation of the need to booster immunity so frequently.” Dr. Schultz 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. We have found that annual revaccination with the vaccines that provide long-term immunity provide no demonstrable benefit.”
So why then does the practice of regular revaccination persist? Because many believe that without the regular schedule of revaccinations, many pet owners would skip their pet’s annual exam. I believe that there are longstanding protocols around revaccination of our pets that are widely, and perhaps blindly, accepted. The companies that manufacture and sell the vaccines are large and powerful. The “noise” on the sidelines coming from Doctors Schultz, Martin Goldstein, John Robb, and Jean Dodds, to name a few, is likely perceived as just that, noise. These doctors, while renowned and respected, have opinions that fall outside of the norm and I think it is very easy for traditional veterinarians to ignore or disregard their findings.
Dr. Schultz however, is not quite so trusting in his assessment. “… 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.”
Back to Suzette and Mandy’s story: “I decided then to seek out a Holistic Veterinarian who was kind and informative. He sat on the floor with Mandy and me, and explained what was ahead for us. He accepted my questions and my many tears. I told him of the time 5 years earlier when Mandy had all of the vaccines and the serious vaccine reaction, and asked him if he thought that ultimately lead to the Cushing’s Disease. His reply was “Most likely.”
Once I understood the severity of Mandy’s condition I had him proceed with some acupuncture treatments on Mandy. He had me give her sub-q fluids daily at home as well as Chinese Herbs. The goal now was to keep her comfortable and hydrated until she could no longer have quality of life. I fed her more homemade food than I would have thought to give a dog at that time. We took her on another road trip in the motorhome once her fluids stabilized. She seemed to blossom on that trip. But eventually Mandy began to lose her appetite, ate and drank less and less, lost more weight and physical stamina. The time came to allow her to pass over the Rainbow Bridge. This was an unbelievable experience filled with emotion, thoughts, memories, prayers, and so much love.”
“Cushing’s Disease was not curable and it was not pain-free for Mandy. She lived 2 ½ months after diagnosis. Do I give my cockers vaccines today? No. Nothing after the puppy series. There are now vaccine titers available that will tell from a blood draw if your dog is covered for the core vaccines. If your dog is not covered for a particular disease you can have just that one vaccine given rather than a combination vaccine. If your vet does not offer this service find one who does. Vaccine titers can make a big difference in the health and longevity of your dog,” reports Suzette.
Titer testing measures the amount of antibodies against a certain disease. Through a blood draw, your veterinarian can determine if there are sufficient antibodies to forgo a specific vaccination. Most experts believe a strong titer result is a good indication of immunity. In other words, you can feel confident that your pet is protected from contracting that specific disease. The caveat is, however, that not everyone is going to accept the titer test results in lieu of proof of vaccination. It is likely that groomers, boarding facilities and animal control entities will not accept the titer test and will insist on proof of vaccination. Additionally, titer testing is not an inexpensive proposition, is more costly than vaccination and, many vets don’t offer the service.
So what is a pet owner to do?
Educate yourself on the subject as much as possible. An excellent place to begin is with Dr. Martin Goldstein’s classic The Nature of Animal Healing. Suzette purchased this book and read it cover to cover over 15 years ago. She refers to it often and it has guided many of the decisions she has made for her dogs when it comes to health care, supplements, nutrition and other issues related to the health and wellbeing of my dogs.
Talk to your veterinarian. While they may not fully embrace the idea of the consequences of over vaccination, you should have a conversation about any of your concerns, the current health and age of your pet, the risks for specific diseases in your area, and the pros and cons of specific vaccines. At a minimum, question the need for every vaccine that is recommended before it goes into your pet. Ultimately, it is you the pet owner who is responsible for giving consent for any vaccine that is given to your pet. This even includes vaccines mandated by law.
If you feel that you and your vet are not on the same page, you have options. Seeking out a holistic veterinarian to complement the services you get from your traditional veterinarian can be a great way to go. Suzette did this recently with hospice care for her 17 and a half year old Cocker, Madison.
If you feel that your veterinarian is not open to working with you, perhaps it is time to find someone who is. Assess the overall health of your dog. Good nutrition through high quality food, adequate supplementation, daily exercise, and plenty of love and attention go a long way in bolstering your dog’s immunity, thus decreasing your dog’s susceptibility to disease.
It’s likely this article has raised many more questions than it has answered, especially for those pet owners who are just beginning to understand the implications and dangers of over-vaccination in our pets. Certainly, this article has only scratched the surface of the topic of vaccinations and their overuse in our pets. Only through educated pet owners who make their voices heard will the current standards and laws change as they relate to vaccinations.
In Loving Memory of “Mandy” Kanchant Lady Amanda, 5/23/86 – 2/12/97
References
Scott, D. (2014) Lifelong Immunity–Why Vets are Pushing Back. Dogs Naturally Magazine
Goldstein, M. (1999) The Nature of Animal Healing. Ballantine Books.
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