Over Vaccination and the Vaccine Debate

Basically the debate is one of whether we should be vaccinating our dog for everything and doing it annually.  Before you formulate an opinion, there are some facts that you need to know about this issue.

• drug companies were not required to do longevity studies on animal vaccines to know how often they should be given
• drug companies dictate how often vaccines should be administered, not the veterinarians
• drug companies package vaccines into multi disease mixtures to maximize their profits and make it so that vets must purchase these multi-vaccine cocktails that likely contain vaccines that the vets might otherwise view as unnecessary
• all vaccine labels dictate that the vaccine should be only be administered to HEALTHY animals - vets do not always follow this advice
• veterinarians admit that requiring their clients to provide annual vaccines to their pets is the best way to ensure that they see the pet regularly for check ups
• a 5 lb puppy is given the same amount and concentration of vaccine as a 200 lb large breed adult dog (and more often)
• recent studies are proving that many vaccines last several years and vaccinating annually with these drugs does nothing to make your pet "more immune".  They are either immune or not.
• studies also show that puppies vaccinated after 12 weeks of age have a better chance of maintaining that vaccine protection because maternal antibodies from mother's milk have passed and will no longer break down the vaccine
• Immune Response - When exposed to foreign substance or disease, our body's immune system mounts a response to fight off the intruder.  In a healthy animal with a properly functioning immune system, the response results in the intruder (potential disease) being rendered harmless - with minimal stress to the body and immune system.  The immune system recovers and readies itself for the next attack to the body.
• Compromised Immune System - Poor diet, poor health, stress or an over worked immune system can result in a compromised immune system that either does not function at all or one that responds incorrectly to potential body intruders.  Basically the immune system is stretched beyond it capabilities and cannot perform tasks that are asked of it.  This can result in an improper response to a substance that can vary anywhere from a slight allergic reaction (ie; hives, runny eyes - food allergies) to complete failure of the system which actually results in the immune system turning and attacking the body itself (ie; Addison's disease, immune mediated poly arthritis, some cancers, etc).
• Vaccinosis - any kind of over reaction by the body's immune system in response to vaccination.  Again this can vary from slight swelling at injection site to more serious cases of kidney/liver failure, seizures . . . or even death.
• Antibody Blood Titres - this is a simple blood test that can be done by any vet, to determine the disease fighting antibody levels in the bloodstream of the animal.  When the immune system finds an intruder, it rushes to manufacture the antibodies required to fight off that particular disease.  High blood titre levels indicate that your dog has a large amount of antibodies for that disease in its system.  While a low level does not mean that your dog is not immune to the disease, a higher level does mean that the dog's immune system is ready to fight that disease.  It could also mean that your dog has been recently exposed to the disease and its immune system has done its job.
• Memory Cells - The immune system is a two part defense system.  The antibodies are the tools that the body uses to fight off disease.  Once the body has been exposed to a disease or the vaccine for the disease, not only will it produce the antibodies but it will also produce memory cells.  Memory cells remember which antibody fights which disease and gives the immune system the ability to produce more antibodies when necessary.  So just because your dog has a low antibody blood titre level does not mean that he/she is not immune to the disease.  If exposed to the disease, the memory cells kick into action and quickly produce antibodies.  Since there is no blood test to tell us whether a dog has memory cells (almost all that have been previously exposed to the disease or live modified virus vaccine will indeed have memory cells), we must rely on antibody levels to give us peace of mind.

I think many more breeders and owners have had to nurse puppies or adult dogs through an auto-immune related crash than we know - maybe more than will admit it or maybe they don't even know what they were dealing with. It is not pleasant, is very upsetting to the families that must go through it, and can be severe enough to result in the permanent damage or death of the dog.  The theory is that perhaps Tollers have a genetic problem with immune related diseases. This is possible. It is also possible that the breed has a weakness, sensitivity or predisposition to these kinds of problems, rather than a genetic link to individual dogs or bloodlines. With this theory, if we reduce the trigger factors that cause an immune reaction and work to build the immune system stronger, then we can reduce the incidence of immune related sickness. Maybe over time the breed will lose that immune sensitivity and we will see a breed with stronger, healthier immune systems. This is an issue that other breeds are dealing with also. We are seeing many different breeds of dogs, as well as mixed breeds that have growing rates of immune issues.

In many incidences this crash occurs within days or weeks of vaccination. It often hits puppies that are going through the normal vaccination protocol of 3-5 sets of multi-disease vaccinations. Co-incidence? Not likely. Over the last few years, I have been doing a lot of reading, searching the Internet and talking to many members of the veterinary community on this subject. I have been fortunate enough to have spoken to some learned professionals and some of the leading experts in this field, from across North America.  The consensus? The general veterinary community (at least in this part of the world) is beginning to agree that we are over vaccinating our pets and that we are seeing health issues rising because of this. I have been told that the main reason that animal vaccinations were made an annual event was to get owners to bring their pets in for annual check-ups. There are so many other health issues that vets can find with yearly exams and this is a very important part of health care. However, many people will not bother or they will forget to get Fido to the vet every year unless they have it ingrained that Fido *needs* something from the vet. A lot of vets agreed that if they could guarantee that pet owners would bring their pets in for a check-up every year, that they would be willing to vaccinate every 3-4 years, rather than annually. The Canadian Veterinary Association is now taking a serious look at their vaccination recommendations - last I heard, they were recommending vaccines every 3 years until further notice.

Studies are now saying that often one exposure to a vaccine after the age of 12 weeks, will provide protection for the life of the dog. All I know is that we definitely don't vaccinate ourselves or our children every single year - and we are finding that vaccine coverage in human is often longer than we first thought. I was personally involved in the original testing of the Hepatitis B vaccine and we were told that we should be revaccinated every 3-5 years. They have since discovered that the vaccine protects for 20 years or possibly a lifetime. Could the same not be true of our pets' vaccines?

At this point and time, I do agree with vaccinating our animals. However, I think there are many diseases that we don't need to vaccinate for because our animals will either never be exposed to the disease, the disease is not life threatening or the vaccine has proven to be almost as bad as the disease in many cases. I also believe that we are over taxing the immune systems of our pets by administering multi-disease vaccines, and we are often allowing veterinarians to vaccinate sick or unhealthy pets thus increasing the chances of vaccinosis. If we were to reduce the number of diseases that we vaccinate against, down to those that are necessary (in my mind this Parvo only - possibly Distemper), and then give single disease vaccines (spaced weeks apart to allow the immune system to recover) only when necessary, I think our 4 legged friends would be much healthier for it. I have left Rabies off my list of necessary vaccines because it is not an issue where I live, though I do understand that it is a problem in many parts of Canada and the US and would vaccinate my dogs if there were a high risk of exposure. I think we have to determine what diseases we expose our dogs to, how dangerous the disease is, how safe the vaccine is, and then determine what vaccinations are given - and how often.

The current recommended vaccine protocol at our kennel is:

• no vaccines until puppy is at least 13 weeks of age
• Parvo vaccine given at 13 weeks (one only)
• optional Distemper vaccine given at 17 weeks (to allow immune system to recover from Parvo shot)
• Rabies given at 1 year of age (only if regulated by law in your area)
• antibody blood titres done 4 weeks after last shot to determine vaccine effectiveness

Our animals trust us to look after them and it is our responsibility to educate and arm ourselves with the knowledge required to do the very best for them.

Cheryl

****Vaccine Debate Update****

Vaccination protocols are changing!!!!
The Canadian Veterinary Association (CVA) and the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) are no longer recommending annual vaccination.

It is my understanding that all of the veterinary schools across North Amercia have changed their vaccination recommendations, and are teaching a more conservative approach to vaccinating our pets.

The CVA is now telling its membership (veterinarians) that they should be recommending vaccination every 3 years, rather than annually - until the association has looked into the matter further - so this policy could change again within the next few years.  They are also suggesting that titre testing be done between vaccines.

The AAHA has gone a step further and has put together a 47 page report on vaccines, their recommendations and concerns.  This can be found at: www.dogsforsale.com.au/AAHA_Special_Report.htm

They recommend administering only "core" vaccines and taking into consideration where each animal lives and visits, before determining what vaccines are necessary.  They also agree with research that indicates that MLV Distemper, Parvovirus and Adenovirus vaccines (these are the core vaccines) last more than 7 years in 90% of dogs, while Rabies has a duration of at least 3 years.  They do NOT recommend administering Coronavirus, Giardia, or Lyme disease vaccines at all, and they note that the Bordatella (kennel cough) vaccine only an effective period of a couple of months.  They also indicate that the Leptospirosis vaccine is relatively ineffective and short lived.   Parainfluenza (another virus that causes kennel cough) protection lasts over 3 years in 80% of dogs vaccinated.  The AAHA suggests that vaccinating with core vaccines, no more often than every 3 years will provide ample protection.

Keep in mind that these veterinary associations will always err on the side of caution (like vaccinating every 3 years for a vaccine that last for more than 7 years) and as such these protocols are STILL too much and vaccines are being given too often.  For immune sensitive breeds like Tollers, it is important to minimize vaccines and still provide protection to "life-threatening" diseases.

So make sure that your vet is educating in the changing vaccine protocols and don't let him/her vaccinate your pets annually!!!  Keep up to date on changing vaccine recommendations.