Vaccines
Okie Pride Puppies can not condone vaccinations of any kind. We have put together a lot of resources to help persuade you to join us in not vaccinating your family pet. We have the utmost respect for any decision you make regarding your pet's health. But this page is dedicated to the facts of vaccination and over-vaccination of our fur-babies. And as always please contact me with any questions you may have!
On this page:
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why vaccinating your pet before 16 weeks of age is potentially useless.
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quotes from books written by veterinarians
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direct quotes from veterinarians about their observations and conclusions about vaccinations
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a breakdown of 5 of the most common vaccines your vet is likely to pressure you to give to your puppy.
Mama Dog's Milk and Immunity
Written by a vet tech:
Puppies receive antibodies from their mother through the placenta and after they are born, through the colostrum (the first milk). The age at which puppies can effectively be immunized is proportional to the amount of antibody protection the young animals received from their mother. Antibodies are small disease-fighting proteins produced by certain types of cells called 'B cells.' The proteins are made in response to 'foreign' particles such as bacteria or viruses. These antibodies bind with certain proteins (antigens) on foreign particles like bacteria, to help inactivate them.
High levels of maternal antibodies present in a puppy's bloodstream will BLOCK the effectiveness of a vaccine. When the maternal antibodies drop to a low enough level in the puppy, immunization by a commercial vaccine will work.
The antibodies from the mother generally circulate in the newborn's bloodstream for a number of weeks. The complicating factor is that there is a period of time from several days to a couple of weeks in which the the maternal antibodies are too low to provide protection against disease, but too high to allow the vaccine to work and produce immunity. This period is called the window of susceptibility. This is the the time when despite being vaccinated, a puppy can STILL contract the disease. This window of susceptibility can vary widely. The length and timing of the window of susceptibility is different in every litter and between animals in the same litter. Let us take the canine parvovirus as an example:
A study of a cross section of different puppies showed that the age at which they were able to respond to a vaccine and develop protection (become immunized) covered a wide period of time. At six weeks of age, only 25% of the puppies could be immunized. At 9 weeks, 40% of the puppies were able to respond to the vaccine and were protected. The number increased to 60% by 16 weeks, and by 18 weeks, 95% of the puppies could be immunized.
Since the length and timing of the window of susceptibility varies so widely, it is impossible for us to determine when is the best time to vaccinate each individual puppy. There are just too many variables. For this reason, young animals are given a series of vaccinations IN HOPES that we can vaccinate the animal as soon as it leaves the window of susceptibility.
While we are overloading our puppy's immune system with vaccines IN HOPES of the vaccine working we are also opening them up to many vaccines afflictions!
What the Experts Say
Quoted text from Veterinarians.
Individual Vaccine Information
Parvovirus
The Disease Parvovirus is a common disease that appeared throughout the developed world in the 1970’s as a direct result of vaccination. Being a canine form of Feline Viral Enteritis, it is thought that the virus ‘jumped’ through dogs coming in contact with vaccinated cat’s infectious stool, or mutated during the production of the distemper vaccine which was cultivated on infected cats kidneys, (very similar reports have been made regarding the polio vaccine in humans). The disease is only of real concern in puppies, as 90% of dogs over the age of 8 weeks will survive infection without complication, with death in mature healthy dogs being almost unheard of. While mature dogs usually only experience a type of diarrhea and enteritis, young puppies are at serious risk of heart failure and chronic cardiac problems.
Treatment
Vaccinated puppies don’t respond as well to treatment as unvaccinated puppies. Due to the seriousness of symptoms produced by this disease in young pups, an experienced veterinary homeopath should be consulted quickly to determine the most appropriate remedy. While awaiting a consultation, Aconite 30C can be given orally every two hours. It is critical to avoid dehydration, and if this is feared, China 6C or 30C may be given every hour in a little filtered water.
Reasons to Vaccinate
The parvo vaccine is effective if given after 16 weeks. If given before this age, the maternal antibodies are likely to block the vaccine.
Reasons NOT to Vaccinate
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Vaccinating for parvo keep the disease in the environment. There is no vaccine for the original strain of parvovirus, CAV-1 yet dogs no longer get sick from it. The newer strains, which do cause illness in dogs, are the result of mutation due to vaccination. The same issue is happening worldwide with the polio vaccine.
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Like other modified live vaccines, the parvo vaccine has been known to create the disease it was intended to prevent.
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Puppies are likely to be exposed to parvo when brought to the vet’s office for their parvo vaccination. It takes two weeks for the vaccine to protect the puppy, so not only can the vaccine cause parvo in puppies, the trip to the vet’s office can.
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Parvo is more treatable in unvaccinated puppies, especially over the age of 8 weeks. Vaccinating before that age is just as likely to not protect the puppy as it is to protect him.
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The risk of Vaccine Induced Autoimmune Disease is greater than the risk of parvo.
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The parvo vaccine has been linked to heart disease.
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Vaccination suppresses the immune system for several days, increasing the puppy’s risk of developing disease.
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Parvovirus vaccination can create a chronic form of the disease, the symptoms of which include chronic gastritis, hepatitis and pancreatitis, chronic diarrhea and food sensitivities.
Bordetella (Kennel Cough)
The Disease as the name suggests ,this disease is thought to be a result of the overcrowding and stress produced by boarding many dogs together in close proximity. In addition to stress, the bordetella bacteria is commonly associated with infection, but as with the human influenza, a broad range of microorganisms and mutations appear to be involved. An irritated, dry and persistent cough are the typical symptoms of this condition. Kennel cough is almost always self limiting.
Treatment
Normally no intervention is necessary, due to the mild symptoms of kennel cough.
Reasons to Vaccinate
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Anecdotal evidence the vaccine is effective.
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Dog owners choose the vaccination so they can use boarding kennels & doggie daycare.
Reasons NOT to Vaccinate
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Because of the various environmental and microbial causes of this disease, the kennel cough is not a vaccine preventable disease. (Ronald Schultz)
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The disease is mild and self limiting.
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There are alternatives to boarding kennels and training centers that require kennel cough. Pet sitters are often inexpensive and in-home training is always available. There are also many progressive facilities that will accept pets without kennel cough vaccination.
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Like other modified live vaccines, the kennel cough vaccine has been known to create the disease it was intended to prevent.
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The risk of Vaccine Induced Autoimmune Disease and the severity of its symptoms are greater than the risk and severity of kennel cough.
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The kennel cough vaccine can cause pneumonia.
Leptospirosis
Although given a single name, this disease is comprised of over 230 serovars, eight of which can infect cats and dogs. Leptospira are passed in urine and penetrate mucous membranes or abraded skin and multiply rapidly upon entering the blood. The bacterium continues to spread within the body and replicates further in many tissues including the kidney, liver, spleen, central nervous system (CNS), eyes, and genital tract. Thereafter, increases in serum antibodies clear the spirochetes from most organs, but bacteria may persist in the kidneys and be shed in urine for weeks to months. The extent of damage to internal organs is variable depending on the virulence of the organism and host susceptibility.
Treatment
This disease is normally quite progressed when symptoms are noticed so it is important that a homeopathic vet is quickly consulted. While awaiting treatment, the following remedies can be selected based on the symptoms or given alternately every 30 minutes for 4 hrs and then every hour while acute symptoms persist: Aconitum N. 12x and Arsenicum A. 30C. (In the event of an emergency any potency can be attempted, although higher potencies should be used with caution.
Reasons to Vaccinate
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Lepto can be a serious disease.
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Some (but not all) of the serovars are covered by vaccines.
Reasons NOT to Vaccinate
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The vaccine may or may not protect against the serovar the dog is exposed to. Most of the clinical cases of leptospirosis reported in dogs in the US are caused by serovars L. grippotyphosa, L. pomona and L. bratislava. Vaccines do not protect against all of these serovars.
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Lepto is not prevalent in many regions.
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The severity of the disease increases with each vaccine given.
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Vaccine protection against lepto is short lived (6 months).
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Every lepto vaccine contains an aluminum adjuvant which causes cancer.
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The risk of Vaccine Induced Autoimmune Disease is greater than the risk of lepto and the lepto vaccine carries a higher risk than most other vaccines.
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The lepto vaccine can cause lepto. In the Canine Health Concern vaccine survey, 100% of dogs with lepto contracted it just after being vaccinated.
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The lepto vaccine is very immunosuppressive. Reactions are common.
Distemper
Distemper is a rare but serious viral disease that dogs are still considered at risk from in many developed countries. It affects all aspects of a dog’s health eventually attacking the central nervous system causing spasm, seizures and paralysis. The wide variety of symptoms found under this disease classification is said to be due to the distemper virus’ lowering of the overall immune system which in turn allows for secondary opportunistic infections that produce the diverse clinical symptoms. The virus is thought to be transmitted through the air via infected animal’s breath, although E. H Ruddock DVM states that “all dogs appear to carry the seeds of distemper in their system."
Treatment
Canine distemper is a serious disease and, when treated conventionally, 50% of dogs with distemper will die. Homeopathic vets see much better results however, thanks to Distemperinum. Due to the vast array of clinical symptoms produced by this disease, an experienced veterinary homeopath should be consulted immediately to determine the most appropriate remedy. “If the disease is noticed in the early stages, use of the potentised virus by itself may achieve spectacular results”(Macleod). Treatment of dogs who have survived distemper but exhibit ongoing symptoms of paralysis and seizure has been found effective and may include the use of such common remedies as Belladonna, Gelsemium, Conium and Causticum.
Reasons to Vaccinate
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Distemper can have a high mortality rate, without access to a homeopathic vet.
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The distemper vaccine is relatively effective. One dose given to a puppy over 16 weeks of age will protect
him within hours and last a lifetime. -
Although no vaccine is safe, distemper is one of the less controversial vaccines.
Reasons NOT to Vaccinate
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Distemper is a relatively rare disease.
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Like many modified live vaccines, the distemper vaccine has been known to create the disease it was intended to prevent.
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The distemper vaccine has been strongly linked to joint disease and arthritis – two increasingly common chronic diseases in dogs.
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The risk of Vaccine Induced Autoimmune Disease is greater than the risk of distemper.
The distemper vaccine likely caused the parvovirus outbreaks in the 1970s.
The distemper vaccine may cause parvo in young puppies. -
Maternal antibodies are likely to block the vaccine until 12-16 weeks of age.
Post Vaccinal Encephalitis is a recognized complication of the vaccine. -
Vaccination suppresses the immune system for several days, increasing the puppy’s risk of developing disease.
The vaccine can cause persistent skin problems and allergies. -
Distemper vaccination can create a chronic form of the disease, the symptoms of which include watery eyes and nose, chronic gastritis, hepatitis and pancreatitis, chronic diarrhea, food sensitivities, epilepsy and rear leg paralysis, spondylitis, lip fold dermatitis, allergic eruptions on the face, eruptions between the toes and a habit of licking the feet, interdigital dermatitis, kennel cough and bronchitis, lack of appetite and failure to thrive.