How to Protect Your Dog From Vaccine Damage
Unfortunately, most veterinarians continue to remain uninformed about the potential for revaccination to trigger adverse reactions in pets. As a result, they continue to promote automatic revaccination rather than antibody titer tests to see if their patients even need that second, third, or tenth revaccination against the same disease.
Doubly disturbing is that many vets continue to recommend the same vaccine protocols after their patients have had reactions to previous vaccines or have been diagnosed with medical problems. They also downplay the potential for adverse vaccine events, even though mild reactions are quite common, and one step up from mild includes allergic reactions that can be life-threatening.
They also don’t consider the potential long-term effects of vaccines, even though vaccine-associated sarcomas in cats, as just one example, “have been seen to occur anywhere between 2 months to 10 years after vaccination.”
To illustrate my point, let’s take a look at a page on the American Veterinary Medical Association’s (AVMA) website titled What to Expect After Your Pet’s Vaccination.
Mild’ and More Serious Adverse Vaccine Reactions in dogs
The first set of vaccine adverse reactions the AVMA discusses are described as common and mild, appearing within hours after a vaccination:
Discomfort and local swelling at the vaccination site
Mild fever
Decreased appetite and activity
Sneezing, mild coughing, “snotty nose” or other respiratory signs may occur 2-5 days after your pet receives an intranasal vaccine
The AVMA cautions: “It is common for pets to experience some or all” of these reactions, and “If these side effects last for more than a day or two, or cause your pet significant discomfort, it is important for you to contact your veterinarian.”
The second group of reactions are described as less common and more serious, and may occur within minutes to hours after vaccination:
Persistent vomiting or diarrhea
Itchy skin that may seem bumpy (“hives”)
Swelling of the muzzle and around the face, neck, or eyes
Severe coughing or difficulty breathing
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The AVMA warns that, “These reactions can be life-threatening and are medical emergencies. Seek veterinary care immediately if any of these signs develop.”
The AVMA describes a feline injection-site sarcoma as “A small, firm swelling under the skin” that may develop at the site of a recent vaccination, and which “should start to disappear within a couple weeks.” Also, “If it persists more than three weeks, or seems to be getting larger, you should contact your veterinarian.”
However, if you go to Vaccines and sarcomas: A concern for cat owners, you can get much more information about “An uncommon but serious adverse reaction that can occur with injection sites, including those sites where vaccines are administered.”
reaction to a vaccine like those described above. Adverse events, or hypersensitivities, whether mild (such as lethargy, flu-like symptoms, etc.), or severe (such as anaphylactic shock), that are clearly linked to a recent vaccination are widely acknowledged by the conventional veterinary community. They’re viewed as occasional aberrations of a basically safe procedure.
Vaccinosis: It’s a Real Thing
The condition of vaccinosis isn’t recognized by most conventional veterinarians and isn’t something many pet parents are familiar with, either. But first, let’s talk about what vaccinosis isn’t.
It isn’t an acute, often immediate adverse reaction to a vaccine like those described above. Adverse events, or hypersensitivities, whether mild (such as lethargy, flu-like symptoms, etc.), or severe (such as anaphylactic shock), that are clearly linked to a recent vaccination are widely acknowledged by the conventional veterinary community. They’re viewed as occasional aberrations of a basically safe procedure.
Vaccinosis, on the other hand, is a problem only holistic and integrative veterinarians are willing to acknowledge, however, many conventional vets have become more open minded about the concept since prominent health organizations have acknowledged ongoing potential COVID vaccine side effects.
It’s a reaction of a pet’s body to vaccines that have been injected without the pet having experienced a notable adverse event or hypersensitivity. These are chronic reactions to not only the altered virus contained in the vaccine, but also to the chemicals, adjuvants, and other components of tissue culture cell lines — as well as possible genetic changes — that can be induced by vaccines.
Dr. Richard Pitcairn, who holds a Ph.D., in immunology and is also a world-renowned expert and educator in veterinary homeopathy, as well as author of the handbook of holistic health care for pets, Dr. Pitcairn’s Complete Guide to Natural Health for Dogs & Cats, defines it this way:
“Vaccinosis is to be understood as the disturbance of the vital force by vaccination that results in mental, emotional, and a physical change that can, in some cases, be a permanent condition.”
According to Pitcairn, vaccines intended to protect pets against acute natural diseases create chronic conditions with features of the disease the vaccine was supposed to prevent. This transformation happens in the laboratory, where natural viruses are modified to make vaccines.
Where the natural virus would trigger a strong immune system response, the modified lab-created virus in the vaccine doesn’t elicit much of a reaction by the animal’s immune system. Instead, it holds the potential to create chronic changes in the body that can lead to disease.
The delivery of a vaccine is also very different from how a natural disease develops in an animal’s body. Vaccines contain several potentially reactive substances, including heavy metals, mutated bacteria/cell cultures, immune irritants (adjuvants), foreign proteins, and chemical preservatives.
All these toxins are delivered by injection directly into the blood and lymph, bypassing the usual first lines of defense, including the skin, nose, mucous membranes, saliva, and so forth. So not only is the lab-modified virus in the vaccine unnatural, the way it enters an animal’s body is also very unnatural. When you look at the situation from this perspective, it’s easy to see how abnormal immune reactions can be triggered by vaccinations.
Symptoms of Vaccinosis in puppies
Common:
Lethargy
Hair loss
Hair color change at injection site
Fever
Soreness
Stiffness
Lack of appetite
Conjunctivitis
Sneezing
Oral ulcers
Serious:
Immunosuppression
Behavioral changes
Vitiligo
Weight loss
Reduced milk production (females)
Lameness
Granulomas and abscesses
Hives
Facial swelling
Allergic hypersensitivity
Respiratory disease
Allergic uveitis
Severe:
Injection-site sarcomas (cancer)
Anaphylaxis
Autoimmune arthritis
Polyarthritis
Hypertrophic osteodystrophy
Autoimmune hemolytic anemia
Immune-mediated thrombocytopenia
Thyroiditis
Glomerulonephritis
Myocarditis
Encephalitis or polyneuritis
Seizures
Abortion
Congenital abnormalities
Embryotic (fetal) death
Infertility
How to Protect Your Pet From Vaccine Damage
My vaccination protocol is to administer a first round of puppy shots (distemper, parvo, adenovirus) or kitten shots (panleukopenia, calici, herpes) before 12 weeks of age, usually around 9 to 10 weeks. I give the second round between 15 and 16 weeks. Two weeks after the second round, I do an antibody titer (via a simple blood draw) to ensure the animal has been immunized and not just vaccinated.
Subsequent titer tests can be run as often as a pet parent wishes (most vets suggest every 1-3 years) to ensure their dog or cat is still protected against disease, with the understanding that immunity against core diseases lasts much longer than current vaccination guidelines indicate — often for the animal’s lifetime. I don’t usually titer indoor housecats after their initial core vaccines because their exposure is effectively zero.
When it comes to rabies, I prefer to give the first vaccine at 6 months, and then as required by law, a booster 1 year later and every 3 years thereafter. Dr. John Robb’s Protect the Pets campaign is working to amend the mandatory rabies over-vaccination laws in each state, and to accept rabies titers instead.
“This is very simple stuff,” says Dr. Robb, who I’ve interviewed. “We vaccinate to produce immunity. We can measure that immunity with a simple blood test called the titer.”
I don’t typically recommend non-core vaccines. Each vaccine your pet receives should meet the following criteria:
First, your dog or cat should be healthy. If she has allergies, endocrine issues, organ dysfunction, cancer (or is a cancer survivor), epilepsy or another medical issue she’s not a candidate to receive vaccines.
The vaccine is for a life-threatening disease (this eliminates most non-cores immediately).
Your pet runs the risk of exposure to the disease.
The vaccine is considered both effective and safe (most aren’t, especially the bacterins Lyme and Lepto).
Your pet has never had an adverse reaction to a vaccine. Do not vaccinate a pet that has had a previous vaccine reaction of any kind.
If you do vaccinate your pet, ask your integrative veterinarian to provide a homeopathic vaccine detox such as Thuja (a common choice for all vaccines except rabies).
It’s also important to realize that several non-core vaccines are only available in combination with other vaccines, some of which are core. I recommend you check with your vet to ensure none of the non-core vaccines are being piggybacked on core vaccines your pet receives.
Unfortunately, most conventional veterinarians do not carry single vaccines, so it’s a good idea to ask to see the vaccine vial before assuming your pet is only receiving one agent at a time.
Analysis by Dr. Karen Shaw Becker
Florida Puppies 