Anti-vaxxers. For dogs. Nope, not The Onion.

[KamaAina]

http://www.wethepeoplereport.com/corruption/big-pharma-intentionally-harming-pets/

According to Dr Jean W Dodds, an eminent vet and researcher, both allergic and autoimmune diseases have been rising since the introduction of modified live virus vaccines. Autoimmune diseases are where the body attacks self; they include cancer, leukaemia, thyroid disease, Addisons, Grave’s disease, autoimmune haemolytic anaemia, rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes, lupus, thrombocytopenia, organ failure, skin inflammations, and more....

Over the years, many vets, particularly in America, have been saying that they think vaccines cause a diverse range of problems in animals. For example, Christine Chambreau DVM said, ‘Routine vaccinations are probably the worst thing we do for our animals. They cause all types of illnesses but not directly to where we would relate them definitely to be caused by the vaccine.’ She is not alone in this view. I appreciate that some will consider me irresponsible. But what actually are we running from when we vaccinate?

OKAY, so distemper is so rare that most vets haven’t seen it in at least ten years. Also, according to the top researchers, and stated by the American Veterinary Medical Association, once immune to viral disease, dogs are immune for years or life. So why are vets and vaccine manufacturers still trying to get us to vaccinate against viral disease every year, or even three-yearly – especially when you consider the risk?...

The next question, of course, is how do you get yourself a normal healthy adult dog? Aha – catch 22. In my view, you get a healthy adult dog by not vaccinating at all! Vaccines destabilise the immune system, leading to all sorts of chronic illness. From all I’ve seen and read, vaccines do not set your dog up for good health. They have the potential to make your dogs itchy, scratchy, vomiting, diarrhoea-filled, sickly, sub-normal shadows of their former selves – ready and waiting for the more serious killers like cancer to arrive. Vaccines represent the perfect recipe for the chronic illness epidemic I’ve been describing.

[Hekate]

1. You get a healthy puppy by finding a mutt, not some overbred critter from a puppy mill

Then you find a vet with some intelligence and experience, maybe one who's been in business for 20+ years, and you make sure your pup gets all its shots.

Kennel cough is a real thing, and so is distemper. Distemper is now rare enough that young vets apparently have not seen it nor the damage it can do. It's rare because of mass vaccinations. Stop vaccinating, and it will come back.

How about rabies? Should owners forgo rabies vaccinations? It's fatal to both dogs and humans. It's endemic among wild animals.

Anti-vaxxers make me tired.

[brer cat]

2. What you said, Hekate.

I started to laugh when I saw in the OP that distemper is rare...well duh! Thank vaccinations.

[Warpy]

3. Yeah, it couldn't possibly be the intensive inbreeding the AKC insists on

to produce high priced purebred designer dogs, could it, Dr. Moron?

Anybody who wants a canine companion would be much better off going to the pound and letting a mutt pick them. Mutts are generally healthier and more resistant to diseases. Besides, it's the best of all possible worlds for people who couldn't decide what kind of dog to get. With a mutt, you get all of them at once.

[Liberal_in_LA]

4. i have heard of this

[pnwmom]

5. There is a serious discussion among vets on how often the vaccines should be given,

and which vaccines are most important.

Most vets are not anti-vaxxers. They're just pro-science. And the science doesn't support annual boosters on all vaccines, for example. And it shows that with certain vaccines, the benefits aren't always outweighed by the risks. A decision has to be made on a case-by-case basis.

So the American Veterinary Medical Association's official recommendation is that a pet's vaccine program be "customized" to fit that pet's needs and health.

Why is it that some people have so much trouble dealing with issues that don't have simple yes-or-no all-or-nothing answers?

From the American Veterinary Medical Association:

https://www.avma.org/KB/Resources/FAQs/Pages/Vaccination-FAQs.aspx

Q: Which vaccines should pets receive?

A: When designing a vaccination program, veterinarians consider the pet's lifestyle, related disease risks, and the characteristics of available vaccines. "Core vaccines" (e.g., rabies, feline panleukopenia, feline viral rhinotracheitis, feline calicivirus infection, canine distemper, canine parvovirus infection, and canine hepatitis) are recommended for most pets. Additional "non-core vaccines" (e.g., feline leukemia, canine kennel cough and other vaccines) may be appropriate based on the pet's particular needs.

Q: How often should pets be revaccinated?

A: Veterinarians have traditionally vaccinated annually; however, they are now learning that some vaccines induce immunity that lasts less than one year, whereas others may induce immunity that lasts well beyond one year. The AVMA recommends that veterinarians customize vaccination programs to the needs of their patients. More than one vaccination program may be effective.

Q: How does my pet's lifestyle affect its vaccination program?

A: Some pets are homebodies and have modest opportunity for exposure to infectious disease, whereas others have a great deal of exposure to other pets and/or wildlife and infectious disease by virtue of their activities. Still other pets live in geographic areas that place them at greater risk for contracting some infectious diseases. Differences in lifestyle illustrate the importance of customizing a vaccination program to individual patients.

Q: Are there risks associated with vaccination?

A: Vaccines have protected millions of animals from illness and death caused by infectious diseases. All medical procedures, however, carry with them some risk. Fortunately, in the case of vaccination, serious adverse responses are very infrequent. Veterinarians minimize risk by carefully selecting vaccines on the basis of a pet's individual needs and by choosing appropriate injection sites. In an effort to find ways to prevent even these limited numbers of adverse responses from occurring, the AVMA is working with government and industry to redefine how information regarding adverse responses is gathered, analyzed, and disseminated.

[justiceischeap]

6. My cats got their initial shots when I adopted them

and haven't had any since. I've had them 13 years now (sisters from the same litter) and only needed one vet visit in all that time (urinary tract infection).

My cats never go outside, so there is no reason to vaccinate them for anything.

[LeftyMom]

7. Finding a good vet is surprisingly difficult.

Around here the choices are pretty much woo peddlers who do doggy chiropractic and flower essences or some crap and chain vets who barely look at my dog but try to upsell me on redundant tests and meds I can buy OTC.

I've had two good ones, one folded up and the other was assimilated by the VCA Borg.