Here are some good links to vaccine info and an interview with Dr Schultz about vaccines.
https://healthypets.mercola.com/site...uidelines.aspx https://healthypets.mercola.com/site...s-is-more.aspx https://healthypets.mercola.com/site...too-often.aspx
I feel like I killed my own dog Tink because in hindsight I could have made better decisions in managing her health. I will share what I have learned.
1. All dogs are different.
Tink was a special needs dog with liver issues. Vaccines are processed/metabolized through the liver, so I was never sure if her body was producing antibodies from the vaccines. After discussing her situation in great detail with her vet, it was decided to only keep her current with her Rabies vaccine every three years. She had been given all her puppy shots, I may have given boosters when I adopted her as a 2 year old. I should have run titers on her at some point as that would have told me for sure if the vaccines worked, or not. I limited her exposure to other dogs in an effort to protect her.
2. Do blood work and get the results before getting vaccines.
Dogs can be ill without showing any signs. Vaccinating a sick dog doesn’t work because the sick dog’s antibodies will wipeout the vaccine before it has a chance to work, and it can make a dog more sick.
3. Vaccines, surgery, injuries, illness, and bug bites
All stimulate/challenge the immune system to produce antibodies. Too many concurrent challenges to the immune system can break it. It can go into overdrive and start attacking the dog’s own good cells, which will cause death. I always waited four weeks after a vaccine, surgery or illness/injury to schedule a surgery or another vaccine. A vaccine’s action on a dog peaks at 2 weeks, and should cease totally after 4 weeks.
Tink always appeared to handle her vaccines and surgeries well. But this last time was not good, as she needed her Rabies vac and surgery to remove a lump in her abdomen. This was too close together, her immune system went crazy and the end result is that she died. For the record, Tink was a 16 pound purebred Yorkie.
I hope and pray this doesn’t happen to anyone else’s dog. Please vaccinate wisely. My basic rule is to not vaccinate against diseases that can be successfully treated, and to use other methods when and where available and appropriate. Of course this depends on my lifestyle and what I choose to expose my dogs to.