I commonly use one of three veterinarians for problems that my dogs present with.  Therefore, I am frequently in different vet offices. I sit, waiting for my turn, and listening to the steady banter of the office staff persuading clients to “update shots”.  Most pet owners are convinced that their pups/dogs need yearly vaccination boosters. They follow along with the program recommended by the vet because they love their dog (sometimes more than family members!) and want to do what is best for their pet.  Pet owners rarely question the vet’s recommendation nor do they conduct research regarding the health and well being of their pets. They should do both. Rather, they follow along, usually because everyone they know is on the same program.

The following information is intended to enlighten you about vaccination and the current problem with over-immunization. My goal is to make you secure in the knowledge that a core series of three shots followed by a single booster may be all that your dog needs for life.  Once you are confident about this protocol, you will be able to handle the pressure from most vet offices to immunize, or rather to OVER immunize your pet.  I have heard countless stories from my buyers, as well as other pet owners, about the intimidation tactics of veterinarians. At least five of my pups have had serious reactions after the vet insisted on administering, at the same time, both the final puppy shot AND the rabies shot.  Two pups had to stay in the hospital.  The vet’s comment in most such instances will be “This has not happened before.”, or, my favorite, “It must be a neurological problem with your pup - contact the breeder.”! One of my clients had the misfortune of losing his pup, and having it picked up by the local animal pound. He had just finished all his core shots and rabies, BUT the Humane Society immediately re-vaccinated the pup.  The next day the pup was blind!  The vet did concede that perhaps “It may have been the shots.”!  Luckily for the owner, this crisis passed after about two days, and the pup was fine.  How better to illustrate the gravity of administering too many shots over too short a period?

There are two vets in the U.S. who have spent most of their professional life studying the problems associated with OVER immunizing dogs and cats. They are world-renown vaccine research scientist and practicing veterinarian, Dr. Jean Dodds, founder of HEMOPET, a non-profit animal blood bank, and a friend to animal lovers the world over. HEMOPET is a blood testing facility that determines vaccine antibodies to confirm levels of immunization.

Dr. Dodds has written several excellent articles on this topic that everyone, especially our veterinarians, should read. Dr. Ronald Schultz is a leading researcher and like Dr. Dodds, is an authority on veterinary vaccination. He has published more than two hundred articles on veterinary immunology and the microbiology of animal diseases. His studies formed the scientific rationale for the American Animal Hospital Association’s (AAHA) 2003 “Canine Vaccine Guidelines, Recommendations, and Supporting Literature”, in which he wrote “We now know that booster injections are of no value in dogs already immune, and immunity from distemper infection and vaccination lasts for a minimum of 7 years based on challenge studies and up to 15 years (a lifetime) based on antibody titer.”

Twenty seven schools of veterinary medicine now use the immunization protocol outlined by Dr. Dodds. YET, as soon as the veterinarian’s office door is open and the cash register turned on, this safe and proven minimal immunization protocol is set aside in favor of multiple shots - year in and year out.

In addition to Drs. Dodds and Schultz, we are lucky to have another advocate for limiting vaccination, Kris Christine.  In the American Veterinarian Medical Association’s “Principles of Vaccination”, Ms. Christine wrote, “Unnecessary stimulation of the immune system does not result in enhanced disease resistance, and may increase the risk of adverse post-vaccination events, including autoimmune disorders, transient infections, and/or long-term infected carrier states.”.

Ms. Christine is principally responsible for vaccine legislation currently pending in the State of Maine. If passed, the legislation, entitled “An Act to Require Veterinarians to Provide Vaccine Disclosure Forms”, will be FIRST IN THE NATION to require veterinarians to provide vaccine disclosure forms to pet owners BEFORE they vaccinate their animals (cats and dogs). Dr. Schultz favors the legislation, stating in a telephone interview from his Wisconsin office "I favor anything that would better inform the potential buyer of what they need and what they're getting. A majority of veterinarians are already providing that information, but some are not.”.

MINIMIZING VACCINATION
The core vaccination series is necessary to protect your pet from infectious disease, but additional shots are not needed on an annual basis. "That's what we're trying to change." said Dr. Schultz. "What we recommend is that both puppies and kittens get the core vaccines at least once, at or over the age of 12 weeks." The twelve week time frame is significant, because prior to that, many animals will still have passive maternal antibodies that block immunization. This means that they may not respond to the vaccine, and will, therefore, be unprotected. Guidelines of the AAHA recommend vaccinating again at one year, and after that once every three years, even though that may not be absolutely necessary. "I have studies that show duration of immunity at seven to nine years for all the core vaccines except rabies, and even on an antibody basis I can show that rabies gives much longer protection than three years." says Dr. Schultz.

Under the AAHA guidelines, dogs and cats should receive core shots for rabies and distemper beginning at 12 weeks, a booster at one year, and then boosters no more frequently than every three years. Although AAHA recommends vaccinating against distemper every three years after the initial puppy shots, challenge studies have shown that the minimum duration of immunity can last five to seven years and perhaps even longer. In fact, titers have indicated that dogs can be protected for nine to 15 years. "To be honest, although canine distemper is a core vaccine, I think a dog only needs to receive it once in his life." says Dr. Schultz. "The same goes for canine parvo and adenovirus-2. That's the vaccination program I’ve been practicing on my own dogs without any difficulty whatsoever. We've never had a vaccine-preventable disease occur." All other vaccines are "optional." according to Schultz and the AAHA, and are based on the animal's lifestyle and risk. Annual Lyme disease and heartworm vaccines, for instance, may be important for pets living in areas where those diseases are prevalent, but clearly are unnecessary in areas where the diseases do not occur.
Veterinary vaccines are potent drugs – most having proven durations of immunity much longer than the annual, biennial or triennial booster frequencies recommended by vaccine manufacturers and veterinarians.  They carry the very real risk of serious adverse side affects and should not be administered more often than necessary to maintain immunity. It is equally important, however, that in our efforts to prevent over-vaccination, we do not fail to vaccinate sufficiently or fail to vaccinate with the core vaccine series, or use inappropriate products that don't provide protection in our pets.

Vaccination programs are changing and they will continue to change. The vaccination program must be tailored to the individual animal. My general philosophy is to vaccinate more animals in the population, but vaccinate with only those vaccines that the animal needs and only as often as required to maintain protective immunity. For some products vaccination may occur once or twice in a life time, whereas for other conditions it may be every 6 to 9 months.