Author Topic: Article in Newsday about "core" vaccines  (Read 13590 times)

Offline Carolyn

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Article in Newsday about "core" vaccines
« on: August 10, 2005, 12:27:30 pm »
I finally got the article I mentioned a while back. Maine had a law for rabies shots to be given every 2 years, they just changed the law to 3 years. A yellow lab developed a mast cell tumor on the injection site from the booster. The owner did research about reactions which include allergies & cancer. She pushed for legislation requiring vets to disclose the benifits & risks of vaccines as well as intervals of immunity. A bill mandating written disclosure was introduced, but was tabled this year by Maines Agriculture, Consrvation & Forest Comittee, which opted instead to see if vets would educate clients on thier own... The American Animal Hospital Association recommended "core" vaccines such as parvo & distemper only every 3 years for adult dogs. Veterinary epidemiologist Ron Schultz of the university of Wisconsin-Madison goes further suggesting that a proper immunization in puppy-hood can last a lifetime for those same diseases.
The story ends with stateing the dog's tumor was removed & the owner sought out a homeopathic vet who prescribed an organic diet & other than Maines state mandated rabies every 3 years - no more vaccines.
So any comments about this would be greatly appreciated. Every spring my vet comes to my house does the 2 horses, 3 dogs & 2 cats, for what ever annual shots are needed  (I choke when I get my bill).
Carolyn
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Offline brigid67

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Re: Article in Newsday about "core" vaccines
« Reply #1 on: August 10, 2005, 12:45:30 pm »
I am struggling with the vaccine issue as well....My new vet is a holistic vet and I just saw her last week and one of our conversations was about vaccines...  I have read so many things about how vaccines are really terrible for your dogs immune system and we have been vaccinating way to much.  According to my vet she sort of follows the middle of the road approach to vaccinating.  She starts the pups at 14weeks with the core....but gives them every 3-4 weeks.  Never any 4-in-1 or 7-in-1  and rabies not untill they are a bit older.  then after that you can opt to titer test your dog to show that there is a continued immunity.  As for the rabies...it is the worst on the dogs...here in nevada it is every 3 years by law.  I don't really want to do it at all.....

Offline newflvr

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Re: Article in Newsday about "core" vaccines
« Reply #2 on: August 10, 2005, 01:06:45 pm »
We lost our lovely Newf girl to immunizations.  She developed ITP (a mouthful: immunine medatiated thromocytopini a) three weeks after her yearly immunizations.  It was AWFUL!!!  She started bleeding from everyplace:  her ears, under skin, surface of her tongue.  We treated her with powerful steroids, blood transfusions and lost the battle after 5 months!  Now we titre:  check immunity levels every year.  If they are still high enough...NO immunizations!!!  If we do immunize, the pups only get ONE every month so their immune systems aren't overwhelmed.  My vet felt as badly as I did about it all and completely supports our decision NOT to immunize.  We also don't go to dog parks anymore so we don't have to worry about as many diseases carried by other dogs.

Offline mastiffmommy

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Re: Article in Newsday about "core" vaccines
« Reply #3 on: August 10, 2005, 01:12:35 pm »
After lots of research and reading plenty of studies, and talking to my vet here and the ones I used to go to in Sweden. I have pretty much made my mind up, that As for Galahad who is a puppy. He received his puppy shots, he got his rabies when he was 22 weeks old, they think giving it younger can be one of the reasons to bad reactions. He will also have his boosters as a one year old, only a one year rabies though. then when we get to year two, we will titer him and see what he needs booster on and not. After a lot of thinking and discussions with my vets and breeders that to me seemed to be a good middle way to go, since we still really dont know for a fact what happens. But after the puppy shots and the first years boosters, then there can be a risk of over vaccinating, so rather than just rutinely do it, see if they actually need it by titer them. They need two titers to cover it, and my vet charges about $ 60 per titer I think she said.

Marit
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Offline mastiffmommy

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Re: Article in Newsday about "core" vaccines
« Reply #4 on: August 10, 2005, 01:14:14 pm »
Forgot..... they also say that the nutrition and supplements the dogs get have an impact on how well they deal with the stress the vaccinations produce. So a well thought through diet and supplements can probably help too.

Marit
what the lion is to a cat, the mastiff is to a dog

Offline brigid67

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Re: Article in Newsday about "core" vaccines
« Reply #5 on: August 10, 2005, 01:14:46 pm »
oh god - that is terrible....  i don't want to do it...
do you give rabies?

Offline mastiffmommy

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Re: Article in Newsday about "core" vaccines
« Reply #6 on: August 10, 2005, 01:20:27 pm »
newflover..... . I am sooooo sorry to hear about your babie. I have read quite a few cases like that, and the ones where the body gets all deformed. Titer is a great way to go. And really I have no idea why vets dont do it as a rutine by now. They all know that over vaccination can lead to horrible things.

I also dont follow the three weeks inbetween vaccinations, I strech the whole regiment out much longer and dont give the combination vaccines. It gets a bit more expensive but when you read about a dog that lost its life due to it, well it is well spent money id say.

Marit
what the lion is to a cat, the mastiff is to a dog

Offline brigid67

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Re: Article in Newsday about "core" vaccines
« Reply #7 on: August 10, 2005, 01:35:34 pm »
Marit - yeah I think the sounds about what my vet does... I absolutely won't vaccinate my poms anymore...  they have had enough.  But Willow --  I just hate to do it at all....My breeder has it in the contract that there will be no vaccines.  Willow is 3rd generation no vaccines.  But I am not sure I completely agree with that either...  Being a nurse I have seen kids come in with illnesses that should not have evr gotten if they had been vaccinated.... I may just go with the middle of the road way to go....

I read a good article somewhere on the web about one of the reasons the vets don't say about the affects of over vaccinating because it does create a regular decent cash flow for their offices.  The vaccines cost them in bulk less then 1.00 and they charge a whole lot more then that with the notion that you will be back for boosters....  That makes me very angry.  My vets (whom I have used for years and trust) never say a peep when I have brought my poms in - they just vacinate them and send me a card in the mail when it is time again.  I know they know because it is in all the literature.  I ave even read that they are reformatting what they teach in vet school also about vaccines.  Anyway, I now have a new vet who is holistic and i think she is great...
Timmie

Offline Carolyn

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Re: Article in Newsday about "core" vaccines
« Reply #8 on: August 10, 2005, 02:05:04 pm »
I brought the dogs to the vets office this year (split up my bill) & the new vet a young women, said that Chazzy didn't need the boosters because of her age (9) so that was what first got me thinking, why. Kiya is due in September for shots (that will be a whole year shes with me) so I'll discuss what were doing then.
Carolyn
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Offline shangrila

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Re: Article in Newsday about "core" vaccines
« Reply #9 on: August 10, 2005, 02:11:18 pm »
I have pretty much made my mind up, that As for Galahad who is a puppy. He received his puppy shots, he got his rabies when he was 22 weeks old, they think giving it younger can be one of the reasons to bad reactions. He will also have his boosters as a one year old, only a one year rabies though. then when we get to year two, we will titer him and see what he needs booster on and not.

Can someone tell me more about this 'titer test'? Zoey got all of her puppy shots in september of last year, so she is due in a month to be re-immunized. But I am sort of afraid to get them after some of the stuff I have read. Does anyone have links to articles they can point me to about this?
 
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Offline newflvr

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Re: Article in Newsday about "core" vaccines
« Reply #10 on: August 10, 2005, 02:32:14 pm »
At titer is a blood test where the antibodies are measured to see how much protection there is remaining after an immunization.  It's about the same price as immunizations.  My vet said that all vets have to be immunized against all the diseases that animals get and she's titred every year....and after 10 years is still at 100% for rabies.  I think most responsible vets are rethinking the whole immunization issue.  Cowboy was titred this year and he's at 60% protected....s o I have another year.  He's high risk for immunizations because he's epileptic so we'll skip every one we can.  Rabies is determined by law...so that's a tough one to skip.  His holistic vet said he'd try to go to bat to keep him from having even that but in California his license can be pulled if Cowboy bit someone.  Cowboy biting someone is laughable..... except during a full blown seizure!!!  Chester has had all his puppy shots and next year I will titre him as well and just take it year by year.

Thanks for your condolences on Lucille, my wonderful little Newfie girl.  Last year truly was ghastly....but now we have Chester.

Offline Jessdryden

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Re: Article in Newsday about "core" vaccines
« Reply #11 on: August 10, 2005, 02:47:27 pm »
OMG!  Thank you all so much for bringing this up!

I had no idea that routine immunizations had these problems.  We will definitely find out more (any suggestions?) and talk to our vets.  I would like to find out more about titreing too.

Thanks again!
Jessica and Sasha

Offline newflvr

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Re: Article in Newsday about "core" vaccines
« Reply #12 on: August 10, 2005, 03:03:11 pm »
 Here is just a brief summary of info. on auto immune diseases of which ITP is just one.
You can do a search on auto immune diseases in dogs and a huge amount of info. will come up.


[Dog Owner's Guide: Autoimmune diseases (www.canismajor .com/dog/autoimmn.html)] 
Home  Topics  Index  Newest  Bookstore  Reprints  Privacy  About 

Autoimmune Diseases
Immune system failures are a serious threat to your dog's health

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What is the immune system?
What implications do autoimmune diseases have for the breeder?
Autoimmune hemolytic anemia
Immune-mediated thrombocytopen ia
Autoimmune diseases of the skin
Systemic lupus erythematosis
Polyarthritis

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What is the immune system?
The term "Autoimmune disease" is currently making the rounds among dog breeders and exhibitors and in the veterinary community. Diseases caused by a defective immune system are of particular concern among many purebred fanciers. (Some people use the abbreviation AID for (A)uto (I)mmune (D)isease. Due to possible confusion with AIDS, (acquired immune deficiency syndrome), a completely different disease, I have not used this acronym.)

The immune system is a marvelous defense network of white blood cells, antibodies, and other substances used to fight off infections and reject foreign proteins. It is a police force patrolling the body, designed to recognize "self" cells from "non-self" cells by markers found on the surface of every cell in the body. It is this ability that causes the body to reject skin grafts, blood transfusions, and organ transplants. Like anything else, the immune system can fail, either by not doing its job or by doing it too well.

Remember the "boy in the bubble?" Certain children (and Arabian foals) can be born with a severe combined immunodeficien cy (SCID). In addition, viruses such as FIV of cats, SIV of monkeys, and HIV of people all cause an acquired immunodeficien cy syndrome (AIDS) specific to that species. In all these diseases, the defective immune system fails to protect the body, leaving it vulnerable and open to attack by an opportunistic infection.

Autoimmune disease, on the other hand, is a different kind of immune system failure. In this situation, the ability of the immune system to recognize the "self" marker is lost, and it begins to attack and reject the body's own tissue as foreign. One specific tissue type such as red blood cells may be affected, or a generalized illness such as systemic lupus may result.

What causes the immune system to short circuit and start rejecting normal body tissue? Many theories exist, but the ultimate answer is "We don't know." Jean Dodds, a veterinarian studying immunology, feels that multivalent modified-live vaccines overstimulate the immune system. Others blame environmental pollutants or food preservatives such as ethoxyquin, an antioxidant found in most dog foods. There is strong evidence for a genetic factor in the development of autoimmune disease in many species. And some cases occur spontaneously, causing damage to kidneys, lungs, or thyroid gland.


Offline brigid67

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Re: Article in Newsday about "core" vaccines
« Reply #13 on: August 10, 2005, 03:22:15 pm »
It is a very scarey thing - the issue whether to vaccinate or not....I always thought I have done the best for my dogs..feeding good kibble, taking them to the vet for vaccines, giving them plenty of love...but now the more I know about dog food companies and the whole vaccine issue - the guiltier I feel.  I have actually been putting my babies at risk because of shear ignorance....B ut not anylonger...I cut out the processed food and I am reducing the vaccines.....I wish we could get around the rabies thing.
Timmie

p.s. thank you newflvr for all the good info and again I am sorry about your newffie grl

Offline newflvr

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Re: Article in Newsday about "core" vaccines
« Reply #14 on: August 10, 2005, 03:35:43 pm »
Thanks!  I do appreciate all the good thoughts for Lucille.  She was very brave the whole time....and if you think YOU feel guilty!  My epileptic boy, Cowboy, gets only fresh cooked food just in case the grains in kibble could cause seizures.  Chester doesn't get to go to dog parks because I worry about diseases.  He only gets to play with dogs whose owners I know so I KNOW the dogs are healthy!  I think loving anything including (or especially) children! leads to guilt no matter what.  I could be the poster girl of GUILT!!!!

I think sites like this where we all exchange knowledge is the best thing we can do!