silly question

[orinskye]

ok, nowadays i see parents choosing not to vaccinate their children, and it seems that more and more people are opting not to vaccinate their pets too! I dont hear about dogs dieing from these diseases that they vaccinate agianst that often, but clearly the unvaccinated ones are surviving as well or we would hear a lot more about dogs dieing from these things.
I personally would never take a chance on not vaccinating (especiialy since you can do it yourself now), but what are youre thoughts?
Is vaccination necessary?

[bettyeanne]

Is vaccination necessary? ... ABSOLUTELY!! I am a firm believer in an ounce of prevention! Our babies shots are such a small thing ... can't imagine why anyone wouldn't get their shots although I know there are those who don't. I would never forgive myself if something happened to Toto through my neglect or ignorance.

[Yorkiemom]

Since I work in a doctor's office, this question comes up a lot regarding children and my doc's always say the same thing, "in a world where there are so many diseases we cannot control, vaccines give us a chance to stay on top of a few" so deffinately immunizations are worth it. I feel the same about my yorkies, an ounce of prevention...........I also have a min-pin that is 14 years old, my vet said at this point it may not be worth the money to get routine shots however since I board all of my pets, I do it anyway.

[yorkipower]

I have a number of friends who do not vaccinate their dogs (or seldom vaccinate- tittering first, I’ll explain in a moment). They are NOT neglectful pet owners. In fact, they are quite the opposite! Incidentally, all of them also feed raw-food diets. I am convinced the two go hand in hand in a composite, holistic (?homeopathic?) philosophy concerning pet health. In fact, there have been a number of articles on the subject of to vaccinate or not in pet health magazines (Like the WholeDog Journal)!

Also, incidentally, I DO vaccinate my dogs (including vaccinating for things most other people do not, such as Kennel Cough and Lepto because I show my pups and feel that they are more exposed) and DON’T feed a raw diet (other than freeze-dried patties I like to take to shows for the convenyance). It’s an emotional and intellectual decision. It’s also a decision as to how far you’ll stretch your purse stings, if you choose to titter first, rather than automatically go ahead with annual booster shots. For me, I kinda flipped a coin and said:

“I have really small dogs. They tend to be long-lived and less likely to suffer significantly from issues such as arthritis (I can CARRY them around if need be, whereas if I had a German Shepherd with arthritis, I might have to put my pup down). Conversely, something like Parvo or Distemper is probably even more deadly to a 4 pound dog than to a 40. I can’t afford to titter all my dogs every year, esp. considering all the diseases I have to guard against based on our lifestyle, ergo, vaccinate!”

BUT, in defense of those who choose not to vaccinate . . .the argument goes something like this (please bear in mind that I am not a homoeopath nor a vet):

There’s a link between autoimmune deficiencies and various medical conditions (I’ve even heard it expressed that Cancer, Cushing’s, Diabetes and Arthritis, and more generally, pet allergies are included here) are caused by the over-stimulation of a pet’s immune system. I’ve also heard is said that there’s little or no statistical link between annual booster shots and pet health (please don’t shoot the massager on that statement!). Examples taken from the internet here:

"You take healthy animals and often very quickly after you vaccinate, you can see simple things like itching of the skin or excessive licking of the paws, sometimes even with no eruptions. We see a lot of epilepsy, often after a rabies vaccination. Or dogs or cats can become aggressive for several days. Frequently, you'll see urinary tract infections in cats, often within three months after their [annual] vaccination. If you step back, open your mind and heart, you'll start to see patterns of illness post-vaccination." Dee Blanco, D.V.M., a holistic practitioner in Santa Fe, New Mexico

Reports of vaccine-related problems in animals come as no surprise to Dr. Richard Pitcairn, D.V.M., founder of the Academy of Veterinary Homeopathy in Eugene, Oregon, and one of the first to point to a possible correlation between vaccine and other illnesses. "We do see a number of health problems we associate with vaccines, [often] having to do with immune problems or allergies," confirmed Dr. Pitcairn. "It also seems that animals become more susceptible to other infections, so a cat that gets the feline leukemia vaccine might come down a month later with FIP (feline infectious peritonitis). There is some evidence reported in the veterinary literature that after a vaccine, the immune system weakens or the animal is more susceptible to diseases of other sorts."

Here’s an interesting article on the topic: http://www.critterchat.net/vaccs.htm

What many vets are now recommending is tittering. Essentially, before a booster is administered, a blood test is taken to see if your pup already has antibodies/immunity for that particular disease. This way you are not giving vaccinations unnecessarily. I might add here that dogs can get immunities through previous exposures even if they were not vaccinated or came down with visible signs of a disease. The biggest drawback to tittering is the cost. You need your vet to do it for you so that it can be tested in a lab. In my area, tittering for Lepto, for instance, ranges from about $80 to $110 a dog! If it were not so expensive, that would be the route I’d take rather than give my dogs vaccinations needlessly. But the alternative route, not vaccinating at all, I am not willing to do. Just a bout of Kennel Cough last spring had me praying that my little girl not develop pneumonia (if I had just remembered to giver her the kennel cough vaccine which was sitting in my basement refrigerator at the time, her chances of coming down the strain of Kennel Cough that was going down, might have been reduced! It’s sort of like why people get flue shots, right?). From my perspective, its more important to protect a three year old, otherwise perfectly healthy, little dog from dying of pneumonia than worry about her developing Cancer or Diabetes when she is 10 or 15. Again, it’s a value judgment. I want her to live an active and happy life and I want to stay active with her. I’d rather foreshorten her longevity in the long run and vaccinate now, then expand her longevity but worry about her picking up a fatal disease and dying young.

[orinskye]

wow yorkiepower....... do you want to do my final research paper for me?....lol
Incidently my mother was one of those who did not vaccinate except for the necessary stuff and as a result i have a VERY STRONG immune system, i never get the flu (and i work at a preschool, where germs are rampant).
I kind if second guessed the vaccine issue in teh first place because my dog died of cancer, and she wasnt that old.... but i also wouldnt want to risk losing any other future dog over something that could have been prevented... To each his own i guess, people do things completely differently. And i also know location dictates the kind of vaccines as well......
lol....... so how about that term paper yorkiepower? i need it by an hour ago

[Raiza]

Hello orinskye: You're too funny about the term paper, but yorkiepower really impressed me with her research and so easy to understand writing. Yea, it is a point to consider. I vaccinated Cosita with all out there, but I do notice her skin became very delicate after vaccination.

[yorkipower]

Originally Posted by Raiza

Hello orinskye: You're too funny about the term paper, but yorkiepower really impressed me with her research and so easy to understand writing. Yea, it is a point to consider. I vaccinated Cosita with all out there, but I do notice her skin became very delicate after vaccination.

Thanks for the compliment! Orinskye - make you a deal - you write this research paper for me due on the desk of the partner by tomorrow morning and I'll write your term paper!

[fasteddie]

We vaccinate Yoda, but I'm not sure if we'd vaccinate a child except maybe for the major vaccinations. I'm really not a believer in flu shots, unless you are sick or elderly and thus need it... But I think for a pet that's exposed to the outside a lot like Yoda (and so playful with other dogs) that a vaccination is wise.

[orinskye]

lol........ sorry yorkiepower...... i saw youre message too late, i just finished the paper myself.......darn ........hehe