Pet Health Store

by Kim Bloomer, VND

We’ve been taught by our veterinarians that in order to protect our pet’s health, we must vaccinate them yearly against known diseases prevalent for their specific species. For example, dogs get vaccinated for parvo, distemper, kennel cough, rabies, etc. Cats get vaccinated for feline leukemia, rabies, respiratory illnesses, and so on. Our horses get vaccinated for a multitude of equine illnesses and most recently West Nile virus. However, is this all really necessary to keeping our pets healthy?

Surprisingly, the answer is becoming increasingly apparent that rather than protect our pets, these YEARLY vaccinations can do more harm than good. injection_small.jpg

If vaccines are given yearly, especially in the multi-dose which is most common, our pets can have increasingly severe and frequent side-effects in particular with their immune system. So let’s backtrack a bit and see if we can break this down to make some sense and to give you, at least if nothing else, a barometer to decide if vaccinating is the right thing for your pets.

Baby animals get their first immunities established by their mothers. If their moms have a strong immune system, the mom will pass those strong immunities down to her baby. If not, well the baby (puppy, kitten, foal, etc.,) will not have as good of an initial immune system. The key to a good immune system is proper, natural food (species specific) and supplementation. The immune system in a species was originally created to ward off attacks. However, as we give unnatural food to our pets, pesticide type prevention medicines, and yearly vaccinations our pets are actually more vulnerable rather than less to disease and illness.

A vaccination was designed to stimulate the immune system in a way that is unnatural - by injecting a foreign substance (or part of the actual disease) into your pet’s body. The natural way is to come in contact with the actual disease and build an immunity then. Vaccines were developed to avoid this “uncontrolled” direct contact by introducing the disease in small bits through vaccine. Howver, by doing this yearly, a couple of things are happening:

1. The immune system is being over-stimulated which then leads to things like allergies, skin problems, and so on.
2. It keeps your pet in a constant state of a “little sick” year in and year out if you’re vaccinating yearly. That means that your pet’s immune system is constantly taxed, eventually becoming worn out.

This can all then lead to more serious diseases such as cancer, diabetes, arthritis, and so on. So instead of healthier pets, we are creating a situation for a higher state of diseased pets.

Another thing to understand is what is in the vaccines to begin with. Your pet will either be injected with a live or a killed virus, of which most people are aware. Some other things you may not be aware of are the “other” ingredients that quite frankly, can do no good and only harm. Changes are forthcoming in all of this but in the meantime, it pays to be informed. Some of the ingredients in vaccines are Thimerosol which is made up of ethyl mercury which is a VERY toxic metal that will affect the entire neurological system in ALL animals and humans.

Some other ingredients are uranium, aluminum, formaldehyde, and other very harmful, detrimental ingredients, including known pesticides. I just can’t see how these ingredients could be anything but harmful to a pet and compromise rather than protect the immune system.

As I stated earlier, while this sounds really frightening (and it should), there are alternatives to keeping your pet healthy in place of vaccines or with a few changes.

Many states are changing the required rabies vaccine to every three years rather than yearly. Make sure you check the guidelines for your state. More is not better when it comes to vaccinations.

If you travel with your pets, many places require your pets be vaccinated, as do many horse and pet boarding kennels. However, since so many people are becoming informed of natural alternatives to traditional methods in medicine, new kennels, and boarding facilities and pet-friendly hotels are also allowing some of the natural and homeopathic remedies in place of these vaccines.

Not only are more natural methods becoming popular and accepted but they are also in most cases, less expensive and easier to administer. Still, we’ve a long ways to go before more states, countries, and kennels, etc., get on board with this natural approach. You, as the pet owner, do have choices though and so it will be up to you to decide whether or not to vaccinate your pets yearly or only as needed or even only as babes -with the exception of any mandatory-by-law vaccines.

An interesting sidenote is a statement by Ron Schultz, chairman of pathobiological sciences at the University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine at Madison, “If a dog was effectively vaccinated as a puppy, and very certainly if it was ever vaccinated at a year old, it is immune for life.”

Something you can choose to do rather than vaccinate yearly is to have your pet tested for immunity with a blood titer test. Rather than having your pet vaccinated each year, take them in for a complete physical exam yearly, and have a blood titer test done to see if vaccinations are necessary.

Some new updated news I recently came across stated that if your pet shows ANY antibiodies against a disease in the blood titers, then typically he/she is protected against that disease. While that is still being studied, just keep in mind that a “low” titer doesn’t necessarily mean that your pet needs a vaccine but it doesn’t mean it doesn’t either.

One last thing: should you decide to vaccinate, ask your veterinarian about doing single dose, rather than multi-dose vaccines. Spread them out over several weeks rather than assaulting your pet’s immune system with multiple viruses all in one day which is normally the way vaccines are administered.

Each pet is as individual as we are and each will be affected differently.

You as the pet owner will need to decide what to do for your pets, do your homework, and I hope talk to a holistic veterinarian for guidance in this area. One great one I will recommend is Dr. Jill Elliot of Manhattan, NY Happy Tails Vet. She is a really kind and caring veterinarian who understands that you know your own pet best.

Originally published for the Holistic Pet Care Topic on Suite101.com

About the author:

Copyright © 2005. All rights reserved. No part of this article may be reproduced in any form without the written consent of the Author. This article is for educational purposes only. The decision to use, or not to use, any information is the sole responsibility of the reader

Dr. Kim Bloomer is a veterinary naturopath (Kingdom College of Natural Health), Dr. Kim is the host and creator of Animal Talk Naturally Radio show which she hosts together with her like-minded colleague and friend, Dr. Jeannie Thomason, and a proficient blogger and writer on natural pet health. Kim is also co-author of the book

Whole Health for Happy Dogs. Dr. Kim’s articles have been featured in various publications such as Animal Wellness Magazine and Natural Horse Magazine. Dr. Kim sits on the Advisory Board for Holistic Option.

Dr. Kim is currently enrolled in the Clayton College of Natural Health studying for her human Doctor of Naturopathy degree. She lives with her husband of many years and they are owned by a rescued Neopolitan Mastiff named Shadrach.

Blogs: Bark ‘N’ Blog & A Dog’s View
Website: Aspenbloom Pet Care

DISCLAIMER: All information contained here on Aspenbloom Pet Care is intended for educational purposes only. It is not provided in order to diagnose, prevent or treat any disease, illness or injured condition of the body or pets and the author, publisher, and contributors accept no responsibility for such use. Anyone or their pets suffering from any disease, illness or injury should consult with their physician or veterinarian. The ONLY essential oils we use and refer to in ALL our posts, articles, and podcasts are Young Living Essential Oils. We DO NOT use any others and would not. The statements herein have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and the AVMA (American Veterinary Medical Association