VACCINATIONS
Through 'booster' vaccinations, the dog's immune system is being unnecessarily over-stimulated by repeated challenges. This can lead to a weakening of the immune system - and many individual dogs, as well as certain breeds, are susceptible to that outcome.
If a dog's immune system is compromised then that system cannot work as it should do.
Skin, and other allergies, are perhaps the fastest growing chronic health problem in our dogs today. Allergies are one sign of a compromised immune system."
I follow a modified Jean Dodds protocol for vacinations. I trust and believe that my holistic vet knows what she's talking about when it comes to this and I've adopted her time frame for vaccinating. This means (you will be very surprised to hear this) that I don't vaccinate my own puppies until they are 12 weeks old.
Puppies receive antibodies through their mothers milk (and in our puppies case...an additional boost through the Fresh Frozen Plasma). This natural protection can last 8 - 14 weeks. Puppies should NOT be vaccinated at LESS than 8 weeks. Maternal immunity will neutralize the vaccine and little protection (0-38%) will be produced. Vaccination at 6 weeks will, however, DELAY the timing of the first highly effective vaccine. Vaccinations given 2 weeks apart SUPPRESS rather than stimulate the immune system.
I didn't place my first litter until they were this age so I could let them go having had their shots. I've modified this because I felt that the puppies were ready to go to their 'own' people between the age of 10 and 11 weeks but I didn't want them going without their first shot. So now, I give the first vac. just before going home (give it a few days to makes sure there's no reaction). I kept Mica from the litter last year and he received his first vaccination at age 12 weeks. This means that instead of getting the normal set of 3 he got one. At age 8 months I did a titer and guess what? He was completely 'covered' for Parvo and Distemper. What does this mean? This means in his entire lifetime he may only have ever had ONE vaccination. So why is this important? Lets see some anecdotal information along with more scientific evidence about what over vaccinating is doing to our dogs... and how few shots you might actually need to keep your dog covered and healthy.
HEMOPET / HEMOLIFE
Fax: 714-891-2123
CANINE VACCINATION PROTOCOL – 2006
MINIMAL VACCINE USE
"How Do Vaccines Work?
Vaccines do not directly confer immunity to disease. Vaccines work by programming the body's immune system. When the body is challenged by a disease (a vaccine is a 'disease') then the immune system is stimulated to produce antibodies and memory cells. It is the antibodies and memory cells that fight the disease and then provide lasting immunity to it.Why Do Vaccines Cause Problems?
Immunity acquired from vaccination, or through successfully overcoming exposure to the disease, lasts because of cellular memory. It is not possible to 'boost' immunity in an already immune dog. The dog is either immune to a particular disease or it is not!Through 'booster' vaccinations, the dog's immune system is being unnecessarily over-stimulated by repeated challenges. This can lead to a weakening of the immune system - and many individual dogs, as well as certain breeds, are susceptible to that outcome.
If a dog's immune system is compromised then that system cannot work as it should do.
Skin, and other allergies, are perhaps the fastest growing chronic health problem in our dogs today. Allergies are one sign of a compromised immune system."
I follow a modified Jean Dodds protocol for vacinations. I trust and believe that my holistic vet knows what she's talking about when it comes to this and I've adopted her time frame for vaccinating. This means (you will be very surprised to hear this) that I don't vaccinate my own puppies until they are 12 weeks old.
Puppies receive antibodies through their mothers milk (and in our puppies case...an additional boost through the Fresh Frozen Plasma). This natural protection can last 8 - 14 weeks. Puppies should NOT be vaccinated at LESS than 8 weeks. Maternal immunity will neutralize the vaccine and little protection (0-38%) will be produced. Vaccination at 6 weeks will, however, DELAY the timing of the first highly effective vaccine. Vaccinations given 2 weeks apart SUPPRESS rather than stimulate the immune system.
I didn't place my first litter until they were this age so I could let them go having had their shots. I've modified this because I felt that the puppies were ready to go to their 'own' people between the age of 10 and 11 weeks but I didn't want them going without their first shot. So now, I give the first vac. just before going home (give it a few days to makes sure there's no reaction). I kept Mica from the litter last year and he received his first vaccination at age 12 weeks. This means that instead of getting the normal set of 3 he got one. At age 8 months I did a titer and guess what? He was completely 'covered' for Parvo and Distemper. What does this mean? This means in his entire lifetime he may only have ever had ONE vaccination. So why is this important? Lets see some anecdotal information along with more scientific evidence about what over vaccinating is doing to our dogs... and how few shots you might actually need to keep your dog covered and healthy.
HEMOPET / HEMOLIFE
11330 Markon Drive
Garden Grove, California 92841
Tel: 714-891-2022
Fax: 714-891-2123
CANINE VACCINATION PROTOCOL – 2006
MINIMAL VACCINE USE
Note: The following vaccine protocol is offered for those dogs where minimal vaccinations are advisable or desirable. The schedule is one I recommend and should not be interpreted to mean that other protocols recommended by a veterinarian would be less satisfactory. It’s a matter of professional judgment and choice.
Age of Pups | Vaccine Type |
9 – 10 weeks 14 weeks | *MLV Distemper/Parvovirus (e.g.Intervet Progard Puppy DPV) *MLV Distemper/Parvovirus (e.g.Intervet Progard Puppy DPV) |
16 – 18 weeks (optional) | *MLV Distemper/Parvovirus (e.g.Intervet Progard Puppy DPV) |
20 weeks or older | (20 weeks or older, if allowable by law) Killed Rabies Vaccine. |
1 year | *MLV Distemper/Parvovirus booster |
1 year | (Give 3-4 weeks apart from Dist/Parvo booster) Killed 3-year rabies vaccine. |
*MLV= Modified-live virus
Perform vaccine antibody titers for distemper and parvovirus annually thereafter. Vaccinate for rabies virus according to the law, except when circumstances of adverse reaction or chronic illness has occurred and indicate that a written waiver needs to be obtained from your primary care veterinarian. In that case, a rabies antibody titer should be performed to accompany the waiver request although; this exemption may not be accepted in your area.
I use only killed 3-year rabies vaccine for adults and give it separately from other vaccines by 3-4 weeks. In some states, they may be able to give titer test result in lieu of booster.
I do not use Bordetella, corona virus, leptospirosis or Lyme vaccines unless these diseases are endemic in the local area. Furthermore, the currently licensed leptospira bacterins may not contain the serovars causing the majority of clinical leptospirosis today.
I do not recommend vaccinating bitches during estrus, pregnancy or lactation, and do not vaccinate during times of stress such as: surgery, travel, illness or infection.
CHANGING VACCINE PROTOCOLS
W. Jean Dodds, DVM
938 Stanford Street
Santa Monica, CA 90403
(310) 828-4804; Fax: (310) 453-5240
The challenge to produce effective and safe vaccines for the prevalent infectious diseases of humans and animals has become increasingly difficult. In veterinary medicine, evidence implicating vaccines in triggering immune-mediated and other chronic disorders (vaccinosis) is compelling. While some of these problems have been traced to contaminated or poorly attenuated batches of vaccine that revert to virulence, others apparently reflect the host’s genetic predisposition to react adversely upon receiving the single (monovalent) or multiple antigen “combo” (polyvalent) products given routinely to animals. Animals of certain susceptible breeds or families appear to be at increased risk for severe and lingering adverse reactions to vaccines.
The onset of adverse reactions to conventional vaccinations (or other inciting drugs, chemicals, or infectious agents) can be an immediate hypersensitivity or anaphylactic reaction, or can occur acutely (24-48 hours afterwards), or later on (10-45 days) in a delayed type immune response often caused by immune-complex formation. Typical signs of adverse immune reactions include fever, stiffness, sore joints and abdominal tenderness, susceptibility to infections, central and peripheral nervous system disorders or inflammation, collapse with autoagglutinated red blood cells and jaundice, or generalized pinpoint hemorrhages or bruises. Liver enzymes may be markedly elevated, and liver or kidney failure may accompany bone marrow suppression. Furthermore, recent vaccination of genetically susceptible breeds has been associated with transient seizures in puppies and adult dogs, as well as a variety of autoimmune diseases including those affecting the blood, endocrine organs, joints, skin and mucosa, central nervous system, eyes, muscles, liver, kidneys, and bowel. It is postulated that an underlying genetic predisposition to these conditions places other littermates and close relatives at increased risk. Vaccination of pet and research dogs with polyvalent vaccines containing rabies virus or rabies vaccine alone was recently shown to induce production of antithyroglobulin autoantibodies, a provocative and important finding with implications for the subsequent development of hypothyroidism (Scott-Moncrieff et al, 2002).
Vaccination also can overwhelm the immunocompromised or even healthy host that is repeatedly challenged with other environmental stimuli and is genetically predisposed to react adversely upon viral exposure. The recently weaned young puppy or kitten entering a new environment is at greater risk here, as its relatively immature immune system can be temporarily or more permanently harmed. Consequences in later life may be the increased susceptibility to chronic debilitating diseases.
As combination vaccines contain antigens other than those of the clinically important infectious disease agents, some may be unnecessary; and their use may increase the risk of adverse reactions. With the exception of a recently introduced mutivalent Leptospira spp. vaccine, the other leptospirosis vaccines afford little protection against the clinically important fields strains of leptospirosis, and the antibodies they elicit typically last only a few months. Other vaccines, such as for Lyme disease, may not be needed, because the disease is limited to certain geographical areas. Annual revaccination for rabies is required by some states even though there are USDA licensed rabies vaccine with a 3-year duration. Thus, the overall risk-benefit ratio of using certain vaccines or multiple antigen vaccines given simultaneously and repeatedly should be reexamined. It must be recognized, however, that we have the luxury of asking such questions today only because the risk of disease has been effectively reduced by the widespread use of vaccination programs.
Given this troublesome situation, what are the experts saying about these issues? In 1995, a landmark review commentary focused the attention of the veterinary profession on the advisability of current vaccine practices. Are we overvaccinating companion animals, and if so, what is the appropriate periodicity of booster vaccines ? Discussion of this provocative topic has generally lead to other questions about the duration of immunity conferred by the currently licensed vaccine components.
In response to questions posed in the first part of this article, veterinary vaccinologists have recommended new protocols for dogs and cats. These include: 1) giving the puppy or kitten vaccine series followed by a booster at one year of age; 2) administering further boosters in a combination vaccine every three years or as split components alternating every other year until; 3) the pet reaches geriatric age, at which time booster vaccination is likely to be unnecessary and may be unadvisable for those with aging or immunologic disorders. In the intervening years between booster vaccinations, and in the case of geriatric pets, circulating humoral immunity can be evaluated by measuring serum vaccine antibody titers as an indication of the presence of immune memory. Titers do not distinguish between immunity generated by vaccination and/or exposure to the disease, although the magnitude of immunity produced just by vaccination is usually lower (see Tables).
Except where vaccination is required by law, all animals, but especially those dogs or close relatives that previously experienced an adverse reaction to vaccination can have serum antibody titers measured annually instead of revaccination. If adequate titers are found, the animal should not need revaccination until some future date. Rechecking antibody titers can be performed annually, thereafter, or can be offered as an alternative to pet owners who prefer not to follow the conventional practice of annual boosters. Reliable serologic vaccine titering is available from several university and commercial laboratories and the cost is reasonable (Twark and Dodds, 2000; Lappin et al, 2002; Paul et al, 2003; Moore and Glickman, 2004).
Relatively little has been published about the duration of immunity following vaccination, although new data are beginning to appear for both dogs and cats.
Our recent study (Twark and Dodds, 2000), evaluated 1441 dogs for CPV antibody titer and 1379 dogs for CDV antibody titer. Of these, 95.1 % were judged to have adequate CPV titers, and nearly all (97.6 %) had adequate CDV titers. Vaccine histories were available for 444 dogs (CPV) and 433 dogs (CDV). Only 43 dogs had been vaccinated within the previous year, with the majority of dogs (268 or 60%) having received a booster vaccination 1-2 years beforehand. On the basis of our data, we concluded that annual revaccination is unnecessary. Similar findings and conclusions have been published recently for dogs in New Zealand (Kyle et al, 2002), and cats (Scott and Geissinger, 1999; Lappin et al, 2002). Comprehensive studies of the duration of serologic response to five viral vaccine antigens in dogs and three viral vaccine antigens in cats were recently published by researchers at Pfizer Animal Health ( Mouzin et al, 2004).
When an adequate immune memory has already been established, there is little reason to introduce unnecessary antigen, adjuvant, and preservatives by administering booster vaccines. By titering annually, one can assess whether a given animal’s humoral immune response has fallen below levels of adequate immune memory. In that event, an appropriate vaccine booster can be administered.ReferencesDodds WJ. More bumps on the vaccine road. Adv Vet Med 41:715-732, 1999.Dodds WJ. Vaccination protocols for dogs predisposed to vaccine reactions. J Am An Hosp Assoc 38: 1-4, 2001.Hogenesch H, Azcona-Olivera J, Scott-Moncreiff C, et al. Vaccine-induced autoimmunity in the dog. Adv Vet Med 41: 733-744, 1999.Hustead DR, Carpenter T, Sawyer DC, et al. Vaccination issues of concern to practitioners. J Am Vet Med Assoc 214: 1000-1002, 1999.Kyle AHM, Squires RA, Davies PR. Serologic status and response to vaccination against canine distemper (CDV) and canine parvovirus (CPV) of dogs vaccinated at different intervals. J Sm An Pract, June 2002.Lappin MR, Andrews J, Simpson D, et al. Use of serologic tests to predict resistance to feline herpesvirus 1, feline calicivirus, and feline parvovirus infection in cats. J Am Vet Med Assoc 220: 38-42, 2002.McGaw DL, Thompson M, Tate, D, et al. Serum distemper virus and parvovirus antibody titers among dogs brought to a veterinary hospital for revaccination. J Am Vet Med Assoc 213: 72-75, 1998.Moore GE, Glickman LT. A perspective on vaccine guidelines and titer tests for dogs. J Am Vet Med Assoc 224: 200-203. 2004.Mouzin DE, Lorenzen M J, Haworth, et al. Duration of serologic response to five viral antigens in dogs. J Am Vet Med Assoc 224: 55-60, 2004.Mouzin DE, Lorenzen M J, Haworth, et al. Duration of serologic response to three viral antigens in cats. J Am Vet Med Assoc 224: 61-66, 2004.Paul MA. Credibility in the face of controversy. Am An Hosp Assoc Trends Magazine XIV(2):19-21, 1998.Paul MA (chair) et al. Report of the AAHA Canine Vaccine Task Force: 2003 canine vaccine guidelines, recommendations, and supporting literature. AAHA, April 2003, 28 pp.Schultz RD. Current and future canine and feline vaccination programs. Vet Med 93:233-254, 1998.Schultz RD, Ford RB, Olsen J, Scott F. Titer testing and vaccination: a new look at traditional practices. Vet Med, 97: 1-13, 2002 (insert).Scott FW, Geissinger CM. Long-term immunity in cats vaccinated with an inactivated trivalent vaccine. Am J Vet Res 60: 652-658, 1999.Scott-Moncrieff JC, Azcona-Olivera J, Glickman NW, et al. Evaluation of antithyroglobulin antibodies after routine vaccination in pet and research dogs. J Am Vet Med Assoc 221: 515-521, 2002.Smith CA. Are we vaccinating too much? J Am Vet Med Assoc 207:421-425, 1995.Tizard I, Ni Y. Use of serologic testing to assess immune status of companion animals. J Am Vet Med Assoc 213: 54-60, 1998.Twark L, Dodds WJ. Clinical application of serum parvovirus and distemper virus antibody titers for determining revaccination strategies in healthy dogs. J Am Vet Med Assoc 217:1021-1024, 2000.
W. Jean Dodds, DVM, is an internationally recognized authority on thyroid issues in dogs and blood diseases in animals. In the mid-1980's she founded Hemopet, the first nonprofit blood bank for animals. Dr. Dodds is a grantee of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, and author of over 150 research publications. Through Hemopet she provides canine blood components and blood-bank supplies throughout North America, consults in clinical pathology, and lectures worldwide.
