Not sure if this is the right place to post, but I wanted to explain a situation and hear what people thoughts were on how I should respond to a Practice Manager at my dogs Vet clinic or if I even should.
I do not personally believe in the Bordetella vaccination, along with some of the world renowned vaccination specialists, and I personally believe it's just another unnecessary non-core vaccination that is not beneficial against kennel cough. Others may disagree but my thoughts are pretty much summed up in this article (along with many other articles)
Should Your Dog Get Bordetella, the Kennel Cough Vaccine? | Truth4Dogs
My dog, Nutmeg had a severe reaction to her first (and last ever) Bordetella vaccination back in 2010 when she was just a 3 mos old, so that also plays a factor as to why I don't believe in the vaccination. It was a very severe reaction and very scary. I did not return to the clinic where she received the vaccination and found a new Vet for Nutmeg after she had the reaction. Nutmeg's new Vet was made aware of the adverse reaction and was "ok" with my decision not to vaccinate Nutmeg with the Bordetella vaccine. Nutmeg has been going to this Vet clinic for he past 2 years and I lover her Vet, and she even gets groomed at the Vet clinic and I love the groomer that grooms her as well.
But, the other day Nutmeg had an appointment to get groomed, and for the first time in 2 years I was approached by a lady who I later found out is the Practice Manager at the Vet clinic (it's a small clinic) and was informed by her that Nutmeg could not be groomed unless she received her Bordetella vaccination. Now Nutmeg has been getting groomed here for 2 years, and I was informed this all of a sudden while there at the clinic to drop Nutmeg off for her appointment. I was a bit taken back and explained that Nutmeg's doctor was aware that she had an exemption from receiving the Bordetella vaccination and that this was never a problem before as to whether or not Nutmeg could or couldn't be groomed. The Practice Manager informed me that it should never have "slipped" and she said she would speak to a Dr. about it (Nutmeg's Vet is on maternity leave) but she stated she did not believe that the Dr would think much differently than her. She returned back after speaking with a Dr and told me that the Dr said it was okay for now and Nutmeg could be groomed. I have to say I was really taken back with a "Practice Manager" telling me what vaccinations need to be given to my dog" and with her being more concerned with any liability (highly unrealistic if she was a bit more educated) vs. my dogs health but at the same time I understand to that she probably thinks she is only doing what is the "norm" practice with grooming/boarding facilities. I did send the Practice Manager Nutmeg's records of when she received the Bordetella vaccination and stated in the email "As promised attached is the vaccination information regarding Nutmeg which shows her last Bordetalla vaccination for her medical file. Dr. Torres is aware of the reaction Nutmeg had from the vaccination that was given at CC Clinic, which should be noted, and we decided not to vaccinate her with this vaccine. I also believe AM has the medical records from when they treated Nutmeg from the reaction she received. I will try to obtain those records, so BBVet can put them on file as well as I only have the invoice record from AM."
So then today I received the following email from the Practice Manager: "
Hello, I wanted to follow up with our conversation about Nutmeg’s Bordatella vacacine. The information you sent (and the records we have) do not indicate any adverse reaction to Bordatella. I was concerned, though, that perhaps something was missed, so I called your previous veterinary clinic (
I'm assuming she is talking about CC and not AM- Angell) and spoke with them. They said they don’t have any record of a negative reaction to any vaccines (
they wouldn't because she was not treated for the adverse reaction at CC duh...I think I made that clear in my email that she was treated at AM). I also talked with Dr. Torres who said that her feeling was that we should divide vaccines, but that it is important to have Bordatella on board for Nutmeg’s protection and the protection of other pets while Nutmeg is in grooming (
first I heard of this).
I know you have talked about setting up an annual exam for Nutmeg, and this would be a good topic to discuss when you are here for that. Unless there is some change in the information we have, I do believe that with the info we have available that it’s necessary, for Nutmeg to have the Bordatella vaccine before any additional grooming appointments.
I hope you understand the reasoning behind this decision. Please don’t hesitate to give me a call if you want to discuss this further.
So...Any advice on how to respond....I'm more than willing to sign a Letter of Informed Consent and waive any liability" if that's even an option and I would really like to "educate' her on the ineffectiveness of the Bordetella vaccine...or at least let her know my feelings on the vaccination so she can speak to the Dr's about it perhaps...or is it just a waste of my time to try to educate these people and/or change their mind? Thoughts....