Is Your Dog or Cat Over Vaccinated Vaccines and Vaccinations Risks Costs Alternatives

On a Walk With My Dog Pack...
from small to large - not over inoculated!

In this article - vaccines and vaccination...

1. Defining Core Vaccines v.s. Non-Core Vaccines
2. Core Vaccines - Updated Guidelines
3. Non-core Vaccines - Does your Dog or Cat Really Need One?
4. How Does a Vaccine Work?
5. What is in a Vaccine?
6. The Serious Health Risks of Over Inoculation;
7. Your Best Defense Is...

1.0 Defining Core Vaccines v.s. Non-Core
      Vaccines...

1.1 Core Vaccines

The  American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) define core vaccines as:

• Vaccines that all dogs should receive to be protected against serious or potentially fatal diseases;
• These diseases are;
• Present in all areas within North America;
• Are more easily transmitted than non-core diseases.
• Core vaccinations as defined by the AAHA are:
• Adenovirus;
• Distemper;
• Parvovirus;
• Rabies.

1.2 Non-Core Vaccines

The AAHA defines non-core vaccines as:

• Bordetella;
• Canine Adenovirus (intransal);
• Canine Coronavirus;
• Canine Influenza;
• Canine Parainfluenza;
• Leptospirosis;
• Lyme Disease.

2.0 Core Inoculations - Updated
      Guidelines

The AAHAs updated guidelines issued in 2011 (includes the US and Canada):

• Recommends that canine vaccination be done every three (3) years.
• In these guidelines, the AAHA also admits/acknowledges that immunity for vaccinations extends beyond the three year horizon...
• Core inoculations such as:
• Distemper and Parvo are good for 5 or more years;
• Ardenovirus is good for 7 years;
• Rabies is the only inoculation is that usually mandated by law;
• In many locals, rabies is a 2 or 3 year inoculation.

Although this new 3-year protocol is taught in Veterinary Science schools, the majority (the number currently sits at about 60%) of practicing allopathic veterinarians continue to recommend annual re-vaccinations. 

If your veterinarian is still pushing you to re-vaccinate your dog or cat on an annual basis you should:

Ask them to do a titer test to measure your dogs or cats current level of immunity;

Basically if your dog or cat was properly vaccinated when he /she was a puppy or kitten, he/she is likely protected for life from core diseases. The only exception to this rule (in a legal sense, not in an immunity sense) is rabies. The province or state in which you reside sets the protocol for rabies inoculations. For an example of a government mandated rabies protocol you can check this one for Ontario Canada, the province that I reside in. 

3.0 Non-core Vaccines - Does Your Dog or
      Cat Really Need One?

Decisions regarding inoculation with non-core vaccinations should be based on an individual dogs particular circumstances -for example:

3.1 Overall health...

Diet plays a key role in protecting your dog and cat from illness and disease...

• The problem is that most commercial dog and cat food diets do not support the overall health of you companion animal;
• For example, just because your dog is around standing water does not mean he/she will acquire Leptospirosis;
•  If his/her immune system is fully supported his/her body can normally and naturally fend-off such threats, but;
• If your dogs diet does not consist of species appropriate food, and instead contains fillers including corn and other grains, chemical preservatives, genetically modified food, etc. your dog will not have the natural defense system required to protect against Leptospirosis;

3.2 Exposure due to Lifestyle...

• For example, 
• In the case of Bordetella, your dog is going to a boarding or daycare facility that only accepts dogs that have this vaccine;
• You are traveling to a location with a high incidence of Lyme Disease.

3.3 Exposure due to Geographic Location...

• For example;
• You are living in an area with a high incidence of Lyme disease;
• Your dog walks in areas populated by deer-tick bearing wildlife;
• You dont check for ticks on a routine basis and remove the tick within 24 hours of attachment (disease is only transferable from tick to dog after 24 hours of attachment).
 

4.0 How Does A Vaccine Work?

A vaccine is supposed to protect your dog or cat from potentially fatal infections by disease causing (pathogenic) viruses (i.e. distemper). The vaccine contains a killed virus or modified (non-pathogenic) live virus. This is intended to stimulate your dogs or cats immune system to recognize and fight that particular virus. After the vaccination your dogs or cats immune system should then be able to produce his/her own antibodies to fight the virus. 

During the period just after vaccination your dogs and cats immune system is suppressed as it fights to acclimatize itself to the foreign antibodies. During this time the immune systems normal ability to reject common bacteria, fungus, parasites and viruses may be seriously hampered. This can result in increased susceptibility to acute or chronic infections, for example:

• Ear infections;
• Eye Infections;
• Urinary tract infections (UTIs);
• Feline leukemia in cats, and;
• Other chronic conditions including: 
• Arthritus; 
• Cancer;  
• Kidney Disease; 
• etc.

If your dog is suffering from a chronic condition or disease you really need to think twice before re-inoculating your dog or cat as his/her weakened condition may not support the further assault on the immune system caused by vaccinations.

5.0 What Is In a Vaccine Besides
      Antibodies?

Vaccines contain more than the active antibodies. Vaccines contain many substances that can wreak havoc on your companion animals health....

• Toxins such as the vaccine adjuvant aluminum hydroxide (associated with causing neurological disease);
• Chemical preservatives which can also be endocrine disrupting and carcinogenic);
• Foreign proteins;
• Immune irritants;
• Mutated bacteria, and;
• Viruses. 

Aluminum hydroxide is one example of a vaccine adjuvant that can cause serious problems for your dog or cat - specifically aluminum hydroxide can and does cause neurological disease. 

6.0 The Serious Health Risks of Over
       Inoculation

Over-inoculation comes with a considerable risk of major adverse health issues such as those encapsulated under the term Vaccinosis. 

6.1 Vaccinosis includes… 

• Mild adverse reactions to vaccination; 
• Severe adverse reactions; 
• And Illness.

6.2 The following are some of the mild adverse reactions
      caused by vaccines and vaccination:

• Conjunctivitis;
• Fever and, other;
• Flu-like symptoms;
• 

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