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| To Booster or not to Booster |
Most
of us are used to hearing the mantra that responsible dog owners
should vaccinate their dogs and boost annually. Recently however,
vaccine safety has been questioned. Is it more responsible to shun
vaccines? Could annual vaccination boosters soon be a thing of the
past? With many vets and dog owners questioning the necessity of
annual vaccinating, what is the best option to take?
Any dog owner and vet needs to weigh up the pros and cons of annual
vaccination boosters for that animal. The vet and owner must take
into account the perceived risks of the vaccine versus the likelihood
of contracting a potentially life-threatening disease. This is especially
important for a dog that has existing medical conditions which might
make the dog an unsuitable candidate for annual boosters but it
is now also being seen as important for any dog, even healthy ones.
Recent evidence seems to suggest that immunity for many of the vaccinated
diseases lasts more than a year, so are annual vaccinations really
necessary?
What are we actually vaccinating against? Dogs are usually vaccinated
against distemper, hepatitis, parvovirus, parainfluenza and leptospirosis.
These are the most common, highly contagious diseases that can cause
serious illness or death in dogs. Vaccines contain small amounts
of altered viruses and bacteria which stimulate a dog’s immune
system to produce antibodies to the disease. Dogs who use kennels
or show dogs who meet many other dogs in close proximity may also
be vaccinated against kennel cough.
| Vaccines
have been blamed for many things like allergic reactions,
cancers, autoimmune diseases and even behavioural problems.
Could over vaccination be the cause? Many now believe that
vaccinating destabilises the immune system, potentially leading
to all sorts of chronic illnesses. But does non-vaccination
leave your dog open to viral disease? Even vaccines cannot
guarantee immunity. Is the answer to keep your dog as healthy
as possible and research alternatives. Either way, you will
most likely find yourself in a lose-lose situation. If you
vaccinate then you can, in some cases, get problems related
to the vaccine. If you do not vaccinate then you can, in some
cases, get problems from infectious viral disease. What problems
would you rather face? What do you consider to be the pros
and cons for your own dog? |
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Vet Bruce Fogle warns that having a healthy well nourished dog does
not safeguard against infection. “Antibodies produced by the
immune system give protection. These are produced either by surviving
the disease or through preventative inoculation”. Fogle also
warns about the pitfalls of stating cause and effect when looking
at reactions in dogs and attributing them to the annual booster
vaccination. A clear link needs to be established.
Catherine O’Driscoll formed Canine Health Concern in 1994
after two of her dogs tragically died. Undertaking research free
from commercial bias, Catherine proposed that the annual shots we
give our pets in the belief we are protecting them from disease
are actually the cause of ill health in our pets today. Catharine
started a quest to make vets and owners aware of the dangers of
over-vaccination and to promote genuine canine health care, uninfluenced
by the marketing of commercial corporations.
Dr. Jean Dodds' Recommended Vaccination Schedule claims that distemper
is rare and boosters for this have been questioned as some research
suggests that once a dog is vaccinated they are protected for years
or even life. Similarly, there is a claim that Leptospirosis is
also rare and has seen some of the worse reactions to vaccination
so risk could well outweigh benefit. According to these recommendations,
parvovirus is rarely a problem for normal healthy dogs and the initial
vaccine has been shown to last approx 7 years or even a life time.
Consider though that these rare diseases are rare because of vaccinations.
Bruce Fogle points out that when he started work in practice infectious
disease was the greatest dog killer. Fogle says “Now I see
perhaps one death every five years. In poor countries where vaccination
is too costly, infectious disease remains the greatest cause of
preventable death”. “In western Europe we learned our
lesson from what happened in Finland in the early 1990s. When people
stopped vaccinating their dogs because it seemed distemper was no
longer a threat, and the protected population dropped below the
critical level, the disease re-emerged, causing an epidemic of more
than 1,200 cases”.
Catherine O’Driscoll counters this by saying that vaccines
do not guarantee protection. “When disease outbreaks occur,
both vaccinated and non-vaccinated dogs succumb”.
The National Office of Animal Health (NOAH) reported more regular
incidences of the highly infectious and often fatal disease parvovirus.
NOAH chief executive Phil Sketchley said “Just because a dog
has his jabs as a puppy does not mean he is protected now. Vaccination
needs to be kept up to date by regular boosters”.
Some manufacturers advise that distemper, hepatitis and parvovirus
vaccinations do not need to be given every year for immunity to
be maintained but state that leptospirosis is still prevalent and
should be vaccinated against annually.
More and more vaccine companies now suggest two or three year gaps
between booster vaccinations as there is mounting evidence that
most dogs can go for many years without needing boosters. Yet many
insurance companies and boarding kennels request that annual vaccinations
take place. What is the way round this? You can find an insurance
policy that will pay out except for cases of a disease for which
a vaccine could have been given. With regards boarding kennels,
you could ask if the kennels will accept a titre blood test to show
that your dog has sufficient antibodies or you could find a reputable
home sitter.
At the moment there are more questions than answers. If vaccines
are necessary evils can we do anything to get the best of both worlds?
One suggestion is to vaccinate as late as possible (14 weeks or
later). For socialisation purposes let the pup meet safe mature
dogs at home. Use a vaccine nosode (homoeopathic remedies used in
replacement to vaccines. Many professionals would not advocate nosodes
as a complete replacement to vaccinations) during vaccination time,
to act as a sort of ‘buffer’. Using nosode as a buffer
again, give the first annual booster at about 18 months. After that,
titre test bloods every 2-3 years. This tests antibody levels. Test
for parvo, hepatitis and distemper. If antibody level remains high
then discuss whether the annual boosters for those diseases can
be avoided that year. Titre testing cannot be used for parainfluenza
or leptospirosis. As the owner you will have to discuss this with
your vet or research the risks of these diseases in your area.
Even if vaccinations do not cause adverse reactions, for arguments
sake, it still makes sense to review the ‘annual vaccination’
mantra. Avoiding unnecessary vaccination is obviously sensible.
Further reading
Dr. Jean Dodds' Recommended Vaccination Schedule www.weim.net/emberweims/Vaccine.html
www.noah.co.uk/issues/briefingdoc/12-dogva.htm
www.canine-health-concern.org.uk |
| ©
D for Dog www.dfordog.co.uk |
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