Vaccines have become a huge controversy in both people and animals. Does it really help our immune system by injecting our body with a live virus? One theory believes that just because you are building an immunity to one thing, you are taking immunity away from another part.
With dogs, all are given the same vaccine in the same dose. So a one pound puppy is getting the same vaccine as a 40lb puppy. This just doesn't seem fair to the tiny puppy. Also, there is a lot of controversy as to the actual need of the vaccine. How many reported cases are there of parvo or distemper? There are also reports of particular vaccines giving the animal the virus it was injected with.
Ellie cannot have vaccines. At this point in her disease and treatment, vaccines will kill her. I started researching vaccinations in dogs and learned more to turn me against vaccinations than anything else. Holistic vets tend to avoid the use of vaccines while the majority of conventional vets turn their nose up to the idea. Is it because it means less money during the annual visit? Or do they truly believe that a 15 year old dog with only two months left to live really need to be up to date of their vaccines. If you are questioning vaccines, I highly recommend you investigate your options.
Katie (our oldest sheltie) is going in for her annual visit on the 19th. I told my conventional vet that I only wanted Katie to have the Rabies shot (required by law). She was very supportive of my decision. I also knew that a titer test (through my research) would be able to review the antibodies in Katie's system to determine if she really needed it or not. A titer test is a great way to know exactly what shots the dog needs (or doesn't need).
In my personal situation, I do not see a need in vaccinating either of my dogs. Since Ellie cannot be socialize with other dogs (due to her compromised immune system), obviously Katie won't be either. The risks of my dogs catching something from another dog will be slim.
I am going to have to try doing the titer test with Cowboy and Snowball next year. I didn't realize they got the same amount every year! Yuck! Poor Snowball was barely a pound for her first shots!
ReplyDeleteSo sorry to hear about Ellie having an autoimmune disease.
ReplyDeleteVaccines are very scary, and I always titer my dogs, even though it ends up costing me more money. My older dog had regular vaccines, up until age 6 or so. Since then, she has had enough antibodies to never need another shot (she's 12!).
Looking forward to seeing how the holistic vet will approach the autoimmune disease.