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Never give human medicine to your dog unless prescribed for it by your Vet.
Many will do more harm than good.
Having fun on their walk at Cannon Hill Woods, Colehill, nr Wimborne.
These 2 are having a great time running about in the woods. Such a happy dog! Love to see this!
Also, we always meet lots of other dogs, which is great for socialising.
The Latest on Vaccination
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byW. JEAN DODDS, DVM
FEATURED IN ANIMAL WELLNESS MAGAZINE ~ VOL. 16 ISSUE 3
vaccination
We’ve known about the risks of over-vaccination for awhile now, though many veterinarians, trainers, boarding kennel operators and others still promote yearly boosters. Learn which vaccines are really necessary, and when, and how to protect your companion from their side effects.
By now, many savvy animal lovers are aware of the dangers of over-vaccination, and are opting against annual boosters for their dogs and cats. While there’s no doubt that vaccines effectively protect companion animals against serious infectious disease, there’s also no doubt that over-vaccination can cause serious disease of a different kind.
For more than a decade now, scientifically based information has lead to revised guidelines and policies about companion animal vaccines. So why are so many veterinarians, as well as training, boarding and grooming facilities, still reluctant to embrace and apply this knowledge?
Why the resistance to change?
Veterinary practitioners may simply believe what they were taught about vaccines, so don’t take the time or have the inclination to change or “fix” what is perceived to be unbroken. As well, vaccination programs have been promoted as “practice management tools” rather than medical procedures. A “more is better” philosophy still prevails with regard to dog and cat vaccines.
Annual vaccination has long been the single most important reason why most people take their animals to the vet for an annual “wellness visit”. Another reason for the reluctance to change current vaccination programs is that many practitioners really don’t understand the principles of vaccinal immunity (that portion of immunity conveyed by vaccines). The accumulated evidence indicates that vaccination protocols should no longer be considered as a “one size fits all” program.
This article outlines approaches that balance the need to protect animals against serious infectious diseases with the risk of adverse events from vaccines. As my colleague, Dr. Ron Schultz of the University of Wisconsin, states: “Be wise and immunize, but immunize wisely!”
Adverse reactions to vaccination
Vaccine reactions usually occur in puppies, kittens or older animals that are genetically predisposed to react adversely when vaccinated.
• The associated clinical signs typically include fever, stiffness, sore joints and abdominal tenderness, susceptibility to infections, neurological disorders and encephalitis, autoimmune thyroid disease, severe anemia and jaundice from destruction of red blood cells, and pinpoint or larger haemorrhages from platelet destruction.
• Liver enzymes may be markedly elevated, and liver or kidney failure may occur by itself or accompany bone marrow suppression.
• Both modified-live virus (MLV) and killed inactivated vaccines, such as those for canine distemper and rabies, respectively, have been associated with post-vaccinal encephalitis (PVE). This can result in various clinical and behavioral signs.
• An augmented immune response to vaccines is seen in dogs with pre-existing inhalant allergies (atopy) to pollens, grasses, weeds and trees.
• In cats and dogs, aggressive tumors (fibrosarcomas) can occasionally arise at the site of vaccination. Other cancers such as leukemia have also been associated with vaccines.
• Additionally, vaccinating dogs with rabies vaccine, either alone or with other vaccines, can induce production of antithyroglobulin autoantibodies, which can contribute to the subsequent development of hypothyroidism.
Other issues that arise from over-vaccination include the increased cost. Having your animal receive annual boosters when they’re not necessary means you’re paying for a service that is likely of little benefit to his existing level of protection against these infectious diseases. Repeated exposure to the foreign substances in vaccines also increases the risk of adverse reactions.
Focus on core vaccines
The concept of “core” vaccines was developed some years ago to distinguish vaccines that every dog and cat should have, from those that are “non-core” (optional or depend on the region/area where the animal lives).
For dogs, there are four core vaccines:
• Canine distemper virus
• Canine parvovirus
• Canine adenovirus (hepatitis)
• Rabies virus
Note that cross-protection against canine adenovirus-1 (CAV-1, infectious canine hepatitis virus) is provided by canine adenovirus-2 (CAV-2, kennel cough) vaccines; the original CAV-1 vaccines produced an immune precipitate in the eye called “blue eye”. But except for one incident at the Canadian/US east coast border area several years ago, there have been no documented cases of CAV-1 disease in North America for at least 15 years. That’s the reason why veterinarians like myself prefer not to give this vaccine, especially to puppies, as it can cause immune suppression for about ten days when given together in an MLV CDV combo vaccine (you cannot obtain CAV-1 vaccine by itself).
There are also four core vaccines for cats:
• Feline panleukopenia, a parvovirus
• Feline calicivirus
• Feline herpesvirus-1
• Rabies virus
The first vaccination should not be given before six weeks of age and is best given later (e.g. eight to ten weeks), since most puppies and kittens of vaccinated mothers are protected by their residual maternal immunity. Either two or three boosters are given, with the last one at 14 to 16 weeks of age. Rabies vaccine should be given separately whenever possible, and as late as allowed by local, state or provincial law.
These core vaccines are important for protecting dogs and cats against the most serious and prevalent infectious diseases, and all puppies and kittens should receive them. However, even the core vaccines (including rabies – see next page) are being shown to have a much longer duration of immunity than previously thought, making annual boosters unnecessary.
7 things you can do
There are several steps you can take to help protect your animal companion from the adverse effects of overvaccination.
Ask to have litter tests done on your dog or cat in lieu of annual or three year boosters.
Concentrate on core vaccines, and avoid additional unnecessary vaccines.
Be cautious about vaccinating sick or febrile individuals.
Work with your vet to tailor a specific minimal vaccination protocol, especially for animals of breeds or families known to be at increased risk for adverse reactions.
With a puppy or kitten, start the vaccination series later, such as nine or ten weeks of age when the immune system is more able to handle antigenic challenge.
Pay particular attention to the puppy or kitten’s behavior and overall health after vaccination.
Avoid re-vaccination of individuals that have already experienced a significant adverse event.
The problems associated with over-vaccination have been getting a lot of attention over the past ten years or so, and even though many veterinarians and other animal professional appear unwilling to accept what recent research has been telling us, the tide is turning.
Vaccine reactions– some stats for dogs and cats
Check out these findings from a study published in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association in 2005.
Canine vaccine adverse events:
• Retrospective cohort study; 1.25 million dogs vaccinated at 360 veterinary hospitals
• 38 adverse events per 10,000 dogs vaccinated
• Inversely related to dog weight
• Vaccines prescribed on a one-dose-fits-all basis, rather than by body weight
• Increased for dogs up to two years of age, then declined
• Greater for neutered versus sexually intact dogs
• Increased as number of vaccines given together increased
• Increased after the third or fourth vaccination
• Genetic predisposition to adverse events documented
Factors that increase risk of adverse events three days after vaccination:
• Young adult age
• Small breed size
• Neutering
• Multiple vaccines given per visit
Feline vaccine adverse events:
• Retrospective cohort study; 0.5 million cats vaccinated at 329 veterinary hospitals
• 51.6 adverse events per 10,000 cats vaccinated
• Inversely related to cat weight
• Increased for cats about one year of age
• Greater for neutered versus sexually intact cats
• Increased as number of vaccines given together increased
• Lethargy with or without fever was most common sign
Factors that increase risk of adverse events 30 days after vaccination:
• Young adult age
• Neutering
• Multiple vaccines given per visit
Do not offer food or drink to a dog that has been injured incase anaesthetic is needed.
Here is Archie having a wonderful time in the woods!
Dogs love to sniff and discover new smells!
(Ella my Border Terrier at 12 weeks). Ella is 6 now and still acts like a puppy, love her!
Walking a puppy can often give owners a dilemma. To work out how long to walk your puppy for, start with our general rule then consider your own dog’s circumstances.
A general rule when walking a puppy is five minutes per month of age.
This suggestion is particularly good for dogs who are going to grow rapidly and whose skeleton can be damaged with over-exercise. However, there are other factors to consider which could alter your routine:
Consider how strenuous the walk is. A lot depends on what type of surface you are walking on and whether the puppy is on lead or free running. Bigger breeds, in particular, should not overdo it as it can damage their fast-growing bones.
With a smaller dog you can probably safely do a little more than this recommendation and an occasional longer walk is unlikely to do harm. However, regularly walking your puppy to the point of exhaustion isn’t sensible and can cause skeletal damage to growing youngsters.
Play games at home and devise other activities that employ his brain. At home he can break off for a nap if he is tired, but on a walk he may have to keep going.
Mental exercise is equally as important and is just as tiring for your puppy. If you start to introduce training, you will find that 10 minutes’ training is just as good as 30 minutes’ free running in terms of settling the puppy down.
If a dog is drowning, never risk your own safety by going in after it.
Look for a long branch or fishing rod that you could hook under the dog’s collar or harness.
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A DOG owner from Weymouth has hit out at an animal rescue centre for the state of the dog he received from them.
Angry Idris Martin said he was shocked to find out the litany of problems the dog had after getting it from Dorset Dog Rescue which has been accused of mistreating dogs and illegal dog smuggling.
As reported in the Echo, Dorset Police are investigating the centre after it was accused of illegally smuggling dogs into the United Kingdom on the Inside Out South programme on BBC1.
The Poole-based centre was accused of receiving between 40 and 80 dogs a month, which were alleged to have been transported from Ireland in poor conditions and without proper health checks.
Some of the pets were also alleged to have come from “puppy farms”.
Now, Mr Martin, from Weymouth, has criticised the centre and said a dog he bought from the centre, a Labrador-cross called Sheba, needed veterinary treatment for numerous conditions.
Mr Martin said he paid £200 for the dog and said when he first met the dog it was obvious she was not in “tip-top condition”.
She had no chest hair, a mark that looked like a scar on the pooch’s nose, an ear infection, Kennel Cough and she was two kilograms underweight.
He said he was forced to pay more than £100 in veterinary bills to get Sheba treatment after he bought her.
And he says he is still buying medication for the recurring ear infection.
Mr Martin said: “She’s a lovely dog and she was fully grown when we got her, but you could see she wasn’t in tip-top condition.
“We never saw the dog or the condition it was kept in before. We didn’t see the kennel.
“We saw the dog on their website and then they delivered it to us. We phoned up the centre to complain and all they said was we should have taken her to a vet in Bournemouth.
“When we first had her, if you picked up a stick she would cower away in the corner, she thought she was going to be hit.”
Mr Martin said he was upset after watching the programme on BBC1, but said the allegations had not surprised him.
Mr Martin said: “We thought it was a charity, but we watched the programme and the owner was sat in a 4×4 and it upset us.
“I think we expected it really, but the alleged extent of the operation and the organisation of it shocked us a little bit.
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“Sheba is ok now after being treated by our vet, and she is great with kids, but we still had to pay a lot of money just after we bought her.”
Dorset Dog Rescue refused to comment when approached by the Echo with these allegations, but Julie Liddle, owner of the rescue centre, has denied the accusations following the BBC programme and said they are taking legal action against the corporation.
