Marti Miller

Animal Well-Being
by Marti Miller

Vaccinations and Your Pet

I have recently been receiving phone calls about dogs and cats that have illnesses that come from a weakened immune system. When I get these calls, I usually ask when was the last time that the animal was vaccinated. I am doing a little informal research about vaccinations and the onset of immune diseases. At this point, I really can’t say that vaccinating is harmful, but I also cannot say that it is helpful. I am not alone in this line of thinking. The holistic veterinary community also believes that we are over-vaccinating our companions. A growing number of veterinarians feel that giving our dogs and cats multiple vaccinations suppresses their immune systems. There are documented cases of vaccination-related side effects in dogs and cats ranging from mild reactions to paralysis, convulsive seizures, blindness, and death. A side effect that has recently come to my attention is fibrosarcoma, a fast growing cancerous tumor, which occurs at the vaccination sight in cats.

From a holistic point of view, annual vaccinations are not good for our companions. Dr. Lewis Miller, my father, a practicing veterinarian in Iowa, says that vaccinations sometimes cause the disease that they’re supposed to prevent. I have seen this with feline leukemia, and there have been documented cases of distemper and kennel cough after vaccination in dogs. However, if you ask an allopathic veterinarian, they will say that vaccinating is necessary to prevent disease. Holistic veterinarians are advising their patients to avoid vaccinations that they classify as dangerous, including Feline Infectious Peritonitis, feline leukemia, coronavirus, canine hepatitis and Lyme disease. The holistic veterinarian jury is still out on the necessity of leptospirosis and kennel cough vaccinations.

Holistic vets are also recommending that your companion not be given multiple vaccinations at one time. In Natural Health for Dogs and Cats, Dr. Richard Pitcairn recommends that vaccinations for dogs should not be given before 16 weeks of age, and then only the distemper shot. He recommends that the parvo be given a month later. For cats, Dr. Pitcairn recommends that a distemper shot be given at 16 weeks; this is sufficient for the life of the cat. In all the material that I have read, it is not recommended to give your cat or dog vaccinations if they are sick or have a compromised immune system.

I recently received an e-mail note on the subject of vaccinations. The writer quoted the standard veterinary text, Kirk’s Current Veterinary Therapy XI (Small Animal Practice), on the subject of animal vaccinations:

“A practice that was started many years ago and that lacks scientific validity or verification is annual re-vaccinations. Almost without exception there is no immunologic requirement for annual re-vaccination. Immunity to viruses persists for years or for the life of the animal. Successful vaccination to most bacterial pathogens produces an immunologic memory that remains for years, allowing an animal to develop a protective anamnestic (secondary) response when exposed to virulent organisms. Only the immune response to toxins requires boosters (e.g.: tetanus in humans), and to toxin vaccines are currently used for dogs or cats. Furthermore, revaccination with most viral vaccines fails to stimulate an anamnestic (secondary) response as a result of interference by existing antibody (similar to maternal antibody interference). The practice of annual vaccination in our opinion should be considered of questionable efficacy unless it is used as a mechanism to provide an annual physical examination or is required by law (i.e.: rabies vaccinations in some states).”

To summarize, this standard veterinary text says that once an animal is vaccinated, there is no need to vaccinate again (unless required by law). If we do not vaccinate, then how can we prevent our dogs or cats from contracting contagious diseases? In my opinion, this all goes back to diet and nutrition. Feeding your animals a healthy natural diet will provide your companion with a healthy, strong immune system. Another alternative is a homeopathic form of vaccination, known as nosodes. These were developed in the 1920’s by veterinarians to immunize our animals without vaccines. Nosodes are actually products of the disease that are prepared in a greatly diluted solution for oral administration. According to Dr. Pitcairn, this method of immunization shows better results than traditional vaccines.

Texas law requires that our dogs and cats be vaccinated for rabies every year. The rabies vaccine on the market and used by veterinarians is effective for three years. This is the vaccine that veterinarians are using on a yearly basis. In the City of Austin, the animal vaccination ordinance has a clause allowing animals to be registered (licensed) without vaccination, providing the guardian can supply the registration officer with the following two documents:

1) a letter signed by a licensed veterinarian stating that the animal cannot be vaccinated for health reasons, and
2) a notarized affidavit from the owner stating how he will prevent his unvaccinated animal from becoming a public health hazard.

This information was provided to me by the pet registration coordinator in Austin. Another alternative is to measure the immune response in our animals. This measurement is called a titer, which is a blood test that measures your companion’s disease immunity. In some states, a titer can be used instead of vaccination. In order for the State of Texas to recognize a positive titer instead of vaccination, we need to make a change. If you support this alternative, you can write to:

Jane Mahlow, DVM,
State Public Health Veterinarian, Director
Zoonosis Control Division, Texas Department of Health
1100 W. 49th Street, Austin, TX 78756.
Phone 512-458-7255, fax 512-458-7454
or e-mail jmahlow@zoo.tdh.state.tx.us.

In your letter, note that you support allowing a positive titer in lieu of vaccination for the purposes of animal licensing and registration, and requiring rabies vaccination only once every three years. If your companion has had an adverse reaction to vaccinations, or you have an opinion on this subject, please send me your stories!

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