Is Your Vet Still Overvaccinating Your Dog?

I came across this enlightening article and am reprinting it with permission from the author, Dr. Dan Beatty. Please read this article, research vaccinations and have an informed discussion with your Vet.

Is your dog being overvaccinated and is your vet following the new guidelines? How many of you are still getting annual “shots” for your dog? Has your vet told you that there is a “new” protocol for vaccinating your dog? I say “new” loosely because the guidelines have been around for over 5 years now! That is beside the point, lets just go with the new guidelines given out by the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) last year in 2006.

First, a bit of information about the vaccination of your dog. The most common other vaccination given to your dog besides rabies is a 5 or a 6 in one shot. Meaning there are 5 or 6 different types of diseases your dog is being vaccinated for in one shot. The common acronym for this vaccine is DHLPP and sometimes added in there is a C. The letters each stand for a different disease – D=Distemper, H=Hepatitis (also known as Adenovirus), L=Leptospirosis, P=Parvo, P=Parainfluenza, and C=Corona.

For the new guidelines lets take the three core vaccines, the three that your dog should be vaccinated for Distemper, Parvo and Hepatitis (Adenovirus). After your dog has been initially vaccinated for these three core diseases usually as a puppy and then a year later with a booster, your dog has prolonged immunity against those diseases. What do I mean by prolonged immunity, well the research shows, your dog is immune for 6 to 9 years! That’s correct! The research done by reputable immunologists, such as Dr. Ronald Schultz, shows that after the initial puppy vaccination and a one year booster many dogs are protected for the majority of their life. WIth this new research AAHA developed some new guidelines. Their suggestion or guidelines, after puppy vaccination and the yearly booster is that the three core vaccines, only need to be boostered every three years. So according to the AAHA guidelines, instead of annual revaccination, your dog really only needs to be revaccinated every three years.

In fact, did you know, annual vaccination of your dog can cause severe diseases. Overvaccination has been linked to cancer, allergies, and other auto-immune diseases such as Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia. More research needs to be done but many of the recent studies show these links exist. In fact, in cats, overvaccination has been proven to cause sarcomas, a very severe cancer.

So now the question becomes, if the vaccines have been shown to produce immunity that lasts quite a bit longer than what was originally thought and annual vaccination might be the cause of certain allergies and other immune system diseases including cancer, then why has my vet not told me about this? Unfortunately, the answer is money, if not money then it is pure ignorance on your vet’s part. Yes ignorance, as in not current in their education or just an unwillingness to change because the old way is the way things have always been done. Money is the other answer and no it is not because veterinarians are greedy, but rather in many veterinary offices, 33% of the annual income comes from vaccinations. This is a large percentage of income that with the new guidelines will be cut. Veterinarians are not prepared for that kind of an income cut. Many could go out of business. Many clinics do not have the management skills or their other services are not priced correctly to compensate for that kind of an income loss. So changing to the new vaccination guidelines although would benefit your animals health can be a tough business decision for the owner of the veterinary clinic. Just remember though you have a responsibility as a pet owner for the health and well being of your pet and less vaccinations IS better for your pet, regardless of the business problems that some clinics may have going to the new guidelines.

So if your veterinarian is still requesting annual vaccinations, ask why. Be informed, make the right decisions, choose to protect the health of your dog by learning what your veterinarian is giving to your dog and why – specifically why, not just because he is the vet and it is to better the health of your dog. Ask questions, be dangerous!

About the Author
Be dangerous to your veterinarian, be informed, make intelligent decisions based on knowledge from credible sources. You can find more information about the topic of dog health care at Dr. Dan's website - e-Vet Clinic and his blog Dog Health Care.

Eagles Hire ConVick

I'm raging mad that the Philadelphia Eagles hired Michael Vick right out of prison.

Honestly, the NFL shouldn't have even considered hiring Vick until he had completed his parol requirements and been an animal advocate against dog fighting and animal abuse for a considerable amount of time, beyond what was required by his plea agreement. Then perhaps a second chance would have been easier to swallow. Right now the wounds are just too fresh and the remorse seems too contrived.

What is very disturbing is the message it sends to the kids that idolize him. They need to see that dogfighters never succeed, they are criminals, and there’s no good outcome if you get involved. However, in my eyes, Vick's outcome is good so at best it's a clouded message that he is advocating against dog fighting while at the same time given the opportunity to jump back into his profession, reap the ridiculously large financial rewards of the NFL and regain his superstar status.

The NFL really needs a new policy that prevents violent convicted felons from playing within the NFL where they are viewed as role models, not only for children but the entire population.

I believe in second chances and you can't fault Michael Vick for trying to get back to work, for me it's just too soon.

Thank goodness he's not a Bear!

8/15/09 Update: Found a great article by Doyle Albee related to my post.

Largest Dog Fighting Ring in U.S .Busted

July 10, 2009. A year-long investigation by federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies has resulted in the arrests of approximately 30 people across five states in what officials are calling the largest dog fighting operation ever seen in the U.S.

In addition to the arrests, about 350 dogs—mostly pit bull terriers—were seized during early-morning raids in Missouri, Texas, Illinois, Iowa, and Oklahoma and will be cared for by local humane societies. Those arrested for their involvement face felony charges that carry maximum sentences of five years in prison and fines of up to $250,000.

I guess I missed the breaking headline stories in the news on this or perhaps something was just more important to report.

All the gory details here.

FYI...Since 2007, dog fighting is banned throughout the country and is a felony in all 50 states.