A This information is provided by Versatility in Poodles (VIP) for informational purposes. It is assumed that you are caring for your puppy in concert with your veterinarian.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: Definitions:
Antigen–a substance (bacteria, virus, or protein) that stimulates the immune system to produce a protein molecule which attaches to the antigen and inactivates it.
Antibody–the protein molecule made by the immune system to react with an antigen to make it inactive.
Vaccinations: A Word of Caution for Our Animals – Part I
by Dr. Will Falconer
Efficacy (or: Does it Work?)
Every procedure we do to ourselves or those in our care should be a useful one or there is no reason to do it. This may seem obvious, but bears mentioning, especially in the world of modern medicine. While vaccinations may confer immunity in animals, how effective or useful is it to repeat this procedure every year, as is the standard recommendation in this country today?
Immunology has recognized for a great many years that viruses in vaccinations confer a long-lived immunity. This is why your physician is not sending you postcards every year to repeat your small pox or polio vaccinations annually. They understand your immune system was adequately stimulated in childhood, and a cellular memory exists in you that will "wake up" if any future challenges from these viruses occur. Is there some profound difference in animals that makes us think they need to repeat their vaccinations yearly? Let me quote from the experts. The following was printed in Current Veterinary Therapy, volume XI, published several years ago (this is a very well respected, peer-reviewed book that is updated every four years). The authors are veterinary immunologists Ronald Schultz (University of Wisconsin) and Tom Phillips (Scrips Research Institute).
"A practice that was started many years ago and that lacks scientific validity or verification is annual revaccination. Almost without exception there is no immunologic requirement for annual revaccination. Immunity to viruses persists for years or for the life of the animal...... Furthermore, revaccination with most viral vaccines fails to stimulate an anamnestic (secondary) response.... The practice of annual vaccination in our opinion should be considered of questionable efficacy..."
In plain English, that means you are wasting a lot of money (and, as we'll see later, risking your animals' health) without much likelihood that your animal is actually becoming "boosted" each year. In other words, the immunity that was established in early life persists, and it is that immunity that actually interferes with subsequent vaccinations. It's much like the case of vaccinating very young puppies. If you vaccinate a puppy (or kitten) at a too young age, the maternal antibodies from the mother's immune system are still present, and the vaccine will be thwarted in its attempt to provoke an immune response.
I had the pleasure to meet Dr. Schultz at a veterinary conference a few years ago. He has done research for many of the companies that market vaccines. It was very interesting to hear his perspective of 25 years in this field. He clearly had not come to this understanding lightly. One most interesting fact was the way that rabies vaccine comes to be labeled. We currently have a "One-year rabies" and a "Three-year rabies" vaccine. On the labels, the one-year must be repeated yearly and the three- year must be repeated every three years. The reason behind this is the length of time the experimental animals were studied. At the end of one year after their vaccination, the animals were challenged with live rabies virus, the survivors tallied, and the vaccine marketed. The same vaccine was studied for three years , the data gathered, and this vaccine lot was marketed as "Three-year rabies vaccine." Rabies vaccine is so effective in immunizing that there is likely life-long protection. Why then do we vaccinate annually? And why, in light of the understanding above, are we Texas veterinarians required to use the three-year vaccine annually? Unfortunately, we have a law in place that fails to recognize immunological facts. In Texas, all dogs and cats are required to be vaccinated annually against rabies.
What about the other vaccinations? They are also viral vaccines, so there should be "no immunological requirement" for repeating them yearly. Also know that none of the others are required by law to be repeated annually. Some are even useless to give at any age, others at any age over one year.
A lot of what conventional medicine recommends is based on is fear. If there's a "bad germ" out there that might "get us" (or our pets), we want to use something to protect against that germ. We've all heard horror stories about dogs dying of Parvovirus infection, so we are admonished to get yearly (or even twice yearly!) vaccinations against this deadly disease. Yet how many adult dogs die of Parvo each year? Ask your veterinarian this question. Parvo is almost always a disease of puppies under one year of age, and very occasionally old dogs who have weakened immune systems from unhealthy living (commercial diets and frequent vaccinations!). Why, then should we vaccinate against it yearly throughout life? Coronavirus also causes puppy diarrhea and vomiting, but differs from Parvo in that it is not fatal. Is it worthwhile injecting viruses into our animals for a disease from which they will surely survive? Dr. Schultz and others feel it is not. Yet this and other non-fatal viruses are in common use in every "annual (non-)booster" given.
You might ask why this annual vaccination habit exists. It's a very good question, and one that conventional medicine is examining more and more frequently as time goes on. A recent watershed occurred when a renowned University of California-Davis veterinary researcher and professor, Neils Pedersen, commented on the practice in a very well respected conventional magazine called AAHA Trends (AAHA is the American Animal Hospital Association).
"current vaccine practices are medically unsound. It is time to question the wisdom of annual booster, multivalent products (combination vaccines, the most common being DHLPP for dogs and FVRCP for cats), and unnecessary vaccines. Doing so will return companion animals' immunization to its status as a medical and not an economical procedure."
What will get us a lot closer to what we really want (healthy animals who are resistant to all disease) is to focus on raising our individual animals in the way that allows them to do what nature intended: to live freely, happily, and fully alive, with an immune system that responds directly to any challenge that confronts them. In our haste to protect our pets, let's not forget that it's the animal's immune system that protects, not some solution of viruses in a syringe.
In Part II I address another aspect of the vaccine question: safety. For now, suffice it to say that if your dog or cat is an adult who has had vaccinations, there is no immunologic need to continue vaccinating annually: the immunity is present from the early vaccines and will not get any better through yearly repetition.
click here to view Part II of article
About the Author
Dr. Will Falconer, DVM
8509 Zyle Rd
Austin, TX 78737
512-288-5400
Fax 512-288-5402
Small Animal, Equine, Farm Animal, Avian, Exotic
He graduated with his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from the University of Missouri in 1980 and has been in practice ever since. For the first seven years, he practiced very conventionally, using drugs and surgery to treat animals. Since then, he has gradually changed his practice style and philosophy to incorporate a more holistic approach to healthcare. He has taken certification training in veterinary acupuncture and veterinary homeopathy, and has received Certification as a Veterinary Homeopath from the Academy of Veterinary Homeopathy.
Dr. Falconer is a member of the American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association, the Academy of Veterinary Homeopathy, and the National Center for Homeopathy. He writes articles for national pet magazines and medical journals, gives public lectures to animal owners, and shares homeopathic case reports with conventional and holistic veterinarians. He enjoys a full-time classical homeopathic practice in Austin, Texas.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: Definitions:
Antigen–a substance (bacteria, virus, or protein) that stimulates the immune system to produce a protein molecule which attaches to the antigen and inactivates it.
Antibody–the protein molecule made by the immune system to react with an antigen to make it inactive.
- Puppies are born with a very immature immune system and don’t begin making their own antibodies until about 6 weeks of age.
- The first milk produced by the dam is very high in antibodies. This first milk is called colostrum.
- During the first 24 hours of life, the puppy GI tract is able to absorb antibodies into their system from the colostrum which they ingest from their mother.
- After the first 48 hours following birth have passed, the puppy’s GI tract is no longer able to absorb the whole proteins (antibodies) ingested. Instead, the proteins are broken down by enzymes, absorbed as small pieces, and metabolized to make new proteins for growth and development in the puppy.
- Excessive vaccinations can result in a disease complex called vaccinosis, a long-term immune problem shown by a multitude of symptoms. (We suggest a Google search on this topic.)
- The first vaccination usually neutralizes any residual maternal antibodies in the puppy. It may not adequately stimulate development of intrinsic antibodies because it is used up by attaching to the residual antibodies if it is given too early.
- If a puppy has early vaccination or gets no or minimal colostrum, it will be easily infected by bacteria and virus that it encounters until more than 2 weeks after the first effective vaccination because it has no immunity.
- Modified live type vaccination is more effective at producing immunity, but it also results in the rare possibility of producing disease as the live virus may multiply in the puppy. (We give NeoPar Modified Live Parvo vaccines)
- The currently available leptospirosis vaccine is not effective against most of the leptospirosis varieties found in nature. It also makes most puppies feel bad with a fever and lethargy for a day or more after immunization. Immunity produced by leptospirosis vaccination usually only lasts about 4 months. The new leptospirosis vaccine is effective for more varieties, but may still miss some of the ones in some regions. Discuss its value for your situation with your veterinarian.
- *Multivalent vaccine (COMBO VACCINES WITH MANY VIRUSES I.E. 5 WAY, 7 OR EVEN 8 WAY) depress the immune function of a puppy for about 2 weeks following administration. We Do NOT Recommend Multivalent Vaccines!
Multivalent vaccines are often used because they are inexpensive, convenient and time-saving.
Administering a high number of viral antigens at a time, however, is considered a dangerous shortcut that can lead to infection, Death and inefficient immunization according to some veterinarians.
Others believe that normal dogs with healthy immune systems can handle a large amount of stimulation from multivalent vaccines.
A major problem with combination vaccines is that many dogs don't need all the vaccines that are included, which can include over seven different antigens. Finding individual vaccines can be a problem too, so knowing the best vaccines for your dog at his age and lifestyle is essential.
- Begin puppy immunizations no earlier than 7 weeks.
- Allow at least 4 weeks between initial immunization and the second (booster) shot.
- A third immunization may be given at about 6 months of age, separated by a month from the rabies immunization.
- After the 6-month shot, determine further need for immunizations based upon antibody titers. Many find that it is not necessary to administer the 4th booster until age of 6 or 7 years or later. (Remember that each state has a different law regulating the requirements for rabies vaccines and when they must be administered.)
- Excessive immunization can contribute to multiple immune-mediated diseases in animals.
- Dr. Jean Dodd (a hematologist) has an elaborate vaccination schedule which she continuously modifies as new information becomes available. Her 2009 recommendations are at https://drjeandoddspethealthresource.tumblr.com/post/147595920886/dodds-vaccination-protocol-dogs-2016#.WpjEyugbNPY.
- The American Animal Hospital Association has a very detailed monograph on canine vaccine recommendations at https://www.aaha.org/guidelines/canine_vaccination_guidelines.aspx.
- Veterinary News has a less detailed list of recommendations which can be found at http://veterinarynews.dvm360.com/dvm/article/articleDetail.jsp?id=46546.
They recommend AGAINST using corona, giardia and adenovirus-1 vaccines. - An overview of the recommendations:
- At 8 weeks give DHPP.
- At 12 weeks give DHPP.
- At 16 weeks give DHLPP.
- At 20 weeks (or age required in your state) give rabies.
- At one year check antibody titers.
- At 3 years give rabies (or as required by law in your state) and repeat antibody titers.
- At 6 years give rabies (or as required by law in your state) and repeat antibody titers.
Vaccinations: A Word of Caution for Our Animals – Part I
by Dr. Will Falconer
Efficacy (or: Does it Work?)
Every procedure we do to ourselves or those in our care should be a useful one or there is no reason to do it. This may seem obvious, but bears mentioning, especially in the world of modern medicine. While vaccinations may confer immunity in animals, how effective or useful is it to repeat this procedure every year, as is the standard recommendation in this country today?
Immunology has recognized for a great many years that viruses in vaccinations confer a long-lived immunity. This is why your physician is not sending you postcards every year to repeat your small pox or polio vaccinations annually. They understand your immune system was adequately stimulated in childhood, and a cellular memory exists in you that will "wake up" if any future challenges from these viruses occur. Is there some profound difference in animals that makes us think they need to repeat their vaccinations yearly? Let me quote from the experts. The following was printed in Current Veterinary Therapy, volume XI, published several years ago (this is a very well respected, peer-reviewed book that is updated every four years). The authors are veterinary immunologists Ronald Schultz (University of Wisconsin) and Tom Phillips (Scrips Research Institute).
"A practice that was started many years ago and that lacks scientific validity or verification is annual revaccination. Almost without exception there is no immunologic requirement for annual revaccination. Immunity to viruses persists for years or for the life of the animal...... Furthermore, revaccination with most viral vaccines fails to stimulate an anamnestic (secondary) response.... The practice of annual vaccination in our opinion should be considered of questionable efficacy..."
In plain English, that means you are wasting a lot of money (and, as we'll see later, risking your animals' health) without much likelihood that your animal is actually becoming "boosted" each year. In other words, the immunity that was established in early life persists, and it is that immunity that actually interferes with subsequent vaccinations. It's much like the case of vaccinating very young puppies. If you vaccinate a puppy (or kitten) at a too young age, the maternal antibodies from the mother's immune system are still present, and the vaccine will be thwarted in its attempt to provoke an immune response.
I had the pleasure to meet Dr. Schultz at a veterinary conference a few years ago. He has done research for many of the companies that market vaccines. It was very interesting to hear his perspective of 25 years in this field. He clearly had not come to this understanding lightly. One most interesting fact was the way that rabies vaccine comes to be labeled. We currently have a "One-year rabies" and a "Three-year rabies" vaccine. On the labels, the one-year must be repeated yearly and the three- year must be repeated every three years. The reason behind this is the length of time the experimental animals were studied. At the end of one year after their vaccination, the animals were challenged with live rabies virus, the survivors tallied, and the vaccine marketed. The same vaccine was studied for three years , the data gathered, and this vaccine lot was marketed as "Three-year rabies vaccine." Rabies vaccine is so effective in immunizing that there is likely life-long protection. Why then do we vaccinate annually? And why, in light of the understanding above, are we Texas veterinarians required to use the three-year vaccine annually? Unfortunately, we have a law in place that fails to recognize immunological facts. In Texas, all dogs and cats are required to be vaccinated annually against rabies.
What about the other vaccinations? They are also viral vaccines, so there should be "no immunological requirement" for repeating them yearly. Also know that none of the others are required by law to be repeated annually. Some are even useless to give at any age, others at any age over one year.
A lot of what conventional medicine recommends is based on is fear. If there's a "bad germ" out there that might "get us" (or our pets), we want to use something to protect against that germ. We've all heard horror stories about dogs dying of Parvovirus infection, so we are admonished to get yearly (or even twice yearly!) vaccinations against this deadly disease. Yet how many adult dogs die of Parvo each year? Ask your veterinarian this question. Parvo is almost always a disease of puppies under one year of age, and very occasionally old dogs who have weakened immune systems from unhealthy living (commercial diets and frequent vaccinations!). Why, then should we vaccinate against it yearly throughout life? Coronavirus also causes puppy diarrhea and vomiting, but differs from Parvo in that it is not fatal. Is it worthwhile injecting viruses into our animals for a disease from which they will surely survive? Dr. Schultz and others feel it is not. Yet this and other non-fatal viruses are in common use in every "annual (non-)booster" given.
You might ask why this annual vaccination habit exists. It's a very good question, and one that conventional medicine is examining more and more frequently as time goes on. A recent watershed occurred when a renowned University of California-Davis veterinary researcher and professor, Neils Pedersen, commented on the practice in a very well respected conventional magazine called AAHA Trends (AAHA is the American Animal Hospital Association).
"current vaccine practices are medically unsound. It is time to question the wisdom of annual booster, multivalent products (combination vaccines, the most common being DHLPP for dogs and FVRCP for cats), and unnecessary vaccines. Doing so will return companion animals' immunization to its status as a medical and not an economical procedure."
What will get us a lot closer to what we really want (healthy animals who are resistant to all disease) is to focus on raising our individual animals in the way that allows them to do what nature intended: to live freely, happily, and fully alive, with an immune system that responds directly to any challenge that confronts them. In our haste to protect our pets, let's not forget that it's the animal's immune system that protects, not some solution of viruses in a syringe.
In Part II I address another aspect of the vaccine question: safety. For now, suffice it to say that if your dog or cat is an adult who has had vaccinations, there is no immunologic need to continue vaccinating annually: the immunity is present from the early vaccines and will not get any better through yearly repetition.
click here to view Part II of article
About the Author
Dr. Will Falconer, DVM
8509 Zyle Rd
Austin, TX 78737
512-288-5400
Fax 512-288-5402
Small Animal, Equine, Farm Animal, Avian, Exotic
He graduated with his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from the University of Missouri in 1980 and has been in practice ever since. For the first seven years, he practiced very conventionally, using drugs and surgery to treat animals. Since then, he has gradually changed his practice style and philosophy to incorporate a more holistic approach to healthcare. He has taken certification training in veterinary acupuncture and veterinary homeopathy, and has received Certification as a Veterinary Homeopath from the Academy of Veterinary Homeopathy.
Dr. Falconer is a member of the American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association, the Academy of Veterinary Homeopathy, and the National Center for Homeopathy. He writes articles for national pet magazines and medical journals, gives public lectures to animal owners, and shares homeopathic case reports with conventional and holistic veterinarians. He enjoys a full-time classical homeopathic practice in Austin, Texas.
