Vaccinations

VACCINATIONS

What many pet owners do not realize is that it is not only UNNECESSARY

but can be potentially HARMFUL to annually vaccinate companion animals.

Many veterinarians do not disclose this information to their clients and continue to annually

vaccinate their clients’ companion animals to the possible detriment of the pet.

“ . . . In 1978, “an ideal vaccination program” was recommended where dogs and cats would be vaccinated as puppies and kittens and then revaccinated at 1 year of age and every third year thereafter. In 1998, the American Association of Feline Practitioners (AAFP) debated and subsequently endorsed this same recommendation for feline core vaccines; the AAFP recommendations were updated in 2000. Also in 1998, recommendations from a group of canine vaccine experts were published. They recommended revaccination with canine core vaccines no more than once every 3 years following initial booster revaccination at 1 year of age. This proposed vaccination program, and various iterations thereof, has been adopted to varying degrees by a growing part of the profession, but misunderstandings, misinformation, and the conservative nature of the profession have slowed adoption of these protocols advocating decreased frequency of revaccination. . .”

Report of the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) Canine Task Force:

2003 Canine Vaccine Guidelines, Recommendations and Supporting Literature

“ Once a year, Ronald Schultz checks the antibody levels in his dogs' blood. Why? He says for proof that most annual vaccines are unnecessary.

Schultz, professor and chair of pathobiological sciences at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Veterinary Medicine, has been studying the effectiveness of canine vaccines since the 1970s; he's learned that immunity can last as long as a dog's lifetime, which suggests that our "best friends" are being over-vaccinated.

Based on his findings, a community of canine vaccine experts has developed new veterinary recommendations that could eliminate a dog's need for annual shots. The guidelines appear in the March/April issue of Trends, the journal of the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA).

Every year, when we take our dogs to the veterinarian's office, they could receive up to 16 different vaccines, many of which are combined into a single shot. Four of these products protect against life-threatening diseases, including rabies, canine parvovirus type 2 (CPV-2), canine distemper virus (CDV) and canine adenovirus type 2 (CAV-2); the rest protect against milder diseases to which only some dogs are exposed, including Lyme disease.

Annual Dog Vaccinations May Not Be Necessary

University of Wisconsin-Madison

News Release

March 14, 2003

In 2003, the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) Canine Vaccination Task Force reviewed canine vaccines. The task force grouped canine vaccines into Core (Recommended), Noncore (Optional), and Not Generally Recommended. Although DOI studies showed protection against challenge up to 7 yrs post-vaccination with MLV vaccines for CDV, CDP and CAV-2, the task force recommended revaccination with canine core vaccines no more than once every 3 years following initial booster revaccination at 1 year of age. This vaccination protocol was endorsed by the 27 North American veterinary schools.

With respect to the Rabies vaccine, the report stated, “One-yr rabies products should not be considered to cause fewer adverse reactions when given annually than 3-yr rabies products. . . . Every effort should be made to change laws that require vaccination with this rabies product more often than every 3 yrs since annual vaccinations cannot be shown to increase efficacy and it is known to increase adverse events.”

“ . . . Recommended or “core” vaccines are those that the committee believes should be administered to all puppies (dogs <6 months of age) or dogs with an unknown vaccination history. The diseases involved have significant morbidity and mortality and are widely distributed. The committee believes this group of vaccines comprises canine distemper virus (CDV), CPV, canine adenovirus-2 (CAV-2), and rabies virus

Optional or “noncore” vaccines are those that the committee believes should be considered only in special circumstances because their use is more dependent on the exposure risk of the individual animal. Issues of geographic distribution and lifestyle should be considered before administering these vaccines. In addition, the diseases involved are generally self-limiting or respond readily to treatment. The committee believes this group of vaccines comprises distemper-measles virus (D-MV), canine parainfluenza virus (CPIV), Leptospira spp., Bordetella bronchi-septica, and Borrelia burgdorferi.

Vaccines identified as “not generally recommended” are those that the committee believes have little or no indication. The diseases involved are either of little clinical significance or respond readily to treatment. In addition, the vaccines available against these diseases have not demonstrated clinical efficacy in the prevention of disease and may produce adverse events with limited benefit. The vaccines that the committee believes fall into this category are Giardia spp., canine coronavirus (CCV), and canine adenovirus- 1 (CAV-1). . . .“

Report of the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) Canine Task Force:

2003 Canine Vaccine Guidelines, Recommendations and Supporting Literature

According to Jean Dodds, DVM, a world renowned vaccine research scientist, in Santa Monica, CA, many boosters are unnecessary.

“. . . Vaccines like parvovirus and canine distemper are responsible for many diseases of the immune system in dogs, she contends. Anemia, arthritis, epilepsy, thyroid disease, liver failure, diabetes, allergies and other conditions, she believes, are linked to vaccines.

Dogs’ and cats’ immune systems mature fully at 6 months old, she explained. If canine distemper, feline distemper and parvovirus vaccines are given after 6 months, a pet has immunity for the rest of its life. . . . However, if another vaccine is given a year later, antibodies from the first vaccine neutralize the second vaccine, producing little or no effect.

Not only are annual boosters for parvovirus and distemper unnecessary, they subject a pet to potential risks of allergic reactions and immune-mediated hemolytic anemia, a life threatening disease that generally has unknown causes, said Dodds.

There is no scientific documentation to back up label claims for annual administration of these vaccines, she said.”

Are Our Pets Being Over-Vaccinated?

Melinda Burden

Special to the Press

June 16, 2006

“ . . . It is also widely acknowledged that vaccines can cause a fast-acting, usually fatal, disease called autoimmune haemolytic anaemia (AIHA). Without treatment, and frequently with treatment, individuals can die in agony within a matter of days. Merck, itself a multinational vaccine manufacturer, states in The Merck Manual of Diagnosis and Therapy that autoimmune haemolytic anaemia may be caused by modified live-virus vaccines, as do Tizard's Veterinary Immunology (4th edition) and the Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine. The British Government's Working Group, despite being staffed by vaccine-industry consultants who say they are independent, also acknowledged this fact. However, no one warns the pet owners before their animals are subjected to an unnecessary booster, and very few owners are told why after their pets die of AIHA. “

Science of Vaccine Damage

The Rabies Challenge Fund was established to determine the duration of immunity conveyed by rabies vaccines. Its goal is to extend the required interval for rabies boosters to 5 and then to 7 years. The researchers behind the Rabies Challenge Fund are Jean Dodds, DVM and Ronald Schultz, PhD.

The Rabies Challenge Fund will finance concurrent 5 and 7 year studies according to FDA vaccine licensing standards. The results will provide the scientific data base which state laws should reflect in order to avoid unnecessary over vaccination while maintaining immunity to rabies in the canine community.

The research has begun under the direction of Dr. Ronald Schultz and The University of Wisconsin Foundation. This vaccine research project to address the duration of immunity actually conveyed by rabies vaccine will be performed by Dr. Ronald Schultz, Chairman of Pathobiology at the University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine. The second phase of the project will finance a study of the adjuvants used in veterinary vaccines, and establish a federal adverse reaction reporting system for rabies and other vaccines.

“Rabies vaccination is required by law in nearly all areas. Even though protection from rabies is documented to last at least three years, current law in some states or areas still requires that boosters be given annually or biannually rather than the standard policy of every three years. However, vaccination against rabies virus is occasionally associated with debilitating adverse effects. According to the CDC domestic animals account for less than 10% of the reported rabies cases, with cats, cattle, and dogs most often reported rabid.

Scientific data indicate that vaccinating dogs against rabies every three years, as most states require, is unnecessary. Studies have shown the duration of protective immunity as measured by serum antibody titers against rabies virus to persist for seven years post-vaccination. By validating the 'true' life of rabies virus immunity and moving to five and hopefully seven years, we will decrease the risk of adverse reactions in our animals and minimize their repeated exposure to foreign substances.

Killed vaccines like those for rabies virus can trigger immediate and delayed adverse vaccine reactions (termed "vaccinosis") While there may be immediate hypersensitivity reactions, other acute events tend to occur 24-72 hours afterwards, or up to 45 days later in the case of delayed reactions. Reactions that have been documented include: