By: John K.Harshman DVM Holistic Veterinarian
Vaccination can become a hotly contested issue so my position is not to take oneself too seriously. Although truth is absolute we are often limited by having only partial knowledge and are forced to fill in the gaps with hopefully sound, rational thinking. Let me share an old Montana proverb: We are often not as bright as we want to be and only as smart as we are, but always capable of knowing more. With that piece of cowboy logic fixed in mind, let me share a little about my view of vaccinations.
A good reference is "Vaccines: Are they Safe and Effective", by Neil Miller; written by a lay person who researched this issue on the human side thoroughly and without bias; the findings are revealing. To learn about homeopathy you need to build a good library; it is a difficult science and requires a lot of study and patience.
On Vaccines: I don't use them or recommend them for clients under my guidance, I think that poor nutrition and problems resulting from vaccines (vaccinosis) are two of the largest health concerns facing the pet owner today. Key things to keep in mind : 1) animals were not created with a dumb immune system, but rather one more dynamic, efficient and powerful than any medicine known to man; it was intelligently designed to act, recall and respond with marvellous precision and speed; we do well to work with it, not against it. 2) Holistic veterinarians have no axe to grind; our concerns are genuine and solidly based; vaccinosis is a real and nasty deterrent to health, and 3) conventional thinking is deeply entrenched in the fabric of our society and is powerful and dogmatic to boot. Unfortunately, it does not welcome change openly or graciously. The dilemma is what to do? A good goal is to work toward a vaccine- free approach to health care. Perhaps you can consider one of the following: 1) seek guidance from a holistic veterinarian; 2) use appropriate nosodes following a recommended schedule of administration, 3) time the vaccination at low stress periods (not in conjunction with surgery, dentistries, grooming, pregnancy, injury, etc) 4) use homeopathic remedies following the vaccination (Thuja or Lyssin) 5) use rescue remedy before and after the vaccination, 6) give only puppyhood vaccinations knowing that protection is likely life long 7) vaccinate less often with only one antigen at a time , i.e.; parvo, distemper and rabies in the dog and panleukopenia and rabies in the cat or 8) think in terms of vaccine dosage based on size and sensitivity of the animal. Let me expand on this last consideration. According to vaccine manufacturers all animals regardless of size, age or breed receive the same dosage. Why? You figure! I have yet to receive a logical or scientific explanation. Does a Chihuahua need the same antigen load as a Great Dane? Or does a Rottweiler of any age need repeated full dose singular or multivalent assaults against it's sensitive immune system to become protected? I feel that the immune response in the young, old and sensitive animal is highly influenced by the antigenic load of the vaccine (amount of virus or virus particles in the vaccine.)
A note on FeLV vaccine: It ranks as one of the best for creating vaccinosis in cats, i.e. swelling at injection site, general pain, anorexia, vomiting, fever, cystitis, phobias etc.
Serology Titres:
Titres do not reflect degree of protection but only show the presence of antibodies against a certain microbe. The titre is highest following vaccination or a natural disease state and it gradually diminishes over time until it becomes very low or even undetectable. The body knows that there is no need to continue producing antibodies against a problem that does not exist, but it does retain the ability to immediately recall and reproduce an immune response when called upon to do so. The antibody formation is only part of the immune response which also manifests a cell mediated defence that science has to date not been able to quantitate. In other words, we can not measure accurately and completely the level of immune protection.
Vaccinosis:
The adverse effects caused by vaccines. These can be a direct reaction at the sight of injection, an allergic reaction caused by an alteration or mishap at the level of the immune response due to an immune system overload or error(s) in the processing the antigens, and/or an alteration or assault to the vital force of the individual. Once the vital force has been aggravated it can produce any symptom at all in response. It is the body's way of saying it did not like what just happened.
Concluding: Once upon a time a cowboy was outside working and upon returning home for lunch found his wife dejected and complaining about how dark and gloomy it was that day. "To the contrary," he told her, "it's an absolutely beautiful day out there." After he opened up the shades, she said. "I didn't know those were closed." "And you didn't bother to check either did you, my dear," he said. Sometimes things are so obvious it's not even funny. Don't miss out, open up your shades and let the truth shine in!
From Dr. Glen Dupree DVM (holistic veterinarian)
I do not personally vaccinate my pets, nor have I for several years. From the Homeopathic perspective, vaccinosis is one of the leading causes (for lack of a better term) of the sycosis miasm. Some of the things you see with sycosis are allergies, bladder problems, (cystitis, crystals in the urine, chronic and recurrent problems), restlessness, discharging ears, food intolerances and inflammatory bowels, bronchitis and asthma, arthritis, greasy hair coats, itching and warts/growths. Do any of these sound familiar? Are they becoming more common as we vaccinate more and more?
