|
Few subjects have received more press than that of the
Vaccination of Animals...
It seems we may have, by conforming to the Veterinary Surgeon's
request that our animals be given annual vaccinations, we
could be doing more harm than good. And, rather than improving
their quality of life, we are inadvertently exposing them
to the ravages of the 21st century illnesses: the immune
deficiency diseases.
In the past, puppies were vaccinated at 7 to 8 weeks followed
by a second dose at twelve weeks. If a particularly virulent
epidemic was apparent in the neighbourhood, a booster injection
was recommended, This was the only time the domestic dog
received vaccinations. A further observation of thirty years
ago was that domestic cats in general, were never vaccinated.
Do we need annual vaccinations for our animals?
Many veterinarians today are becoming seriously concerned
at the increase in the cases of auto-immune disease and
the inextribly linked Canine/Feline vaccination program.
A number of Orthodox Veterinary Practitioners have expressed
concern over the incidence of certain types of illness suddenly
appearing after a vaccination has been administered. Among
these are severe skin disorders, gastrointestinal disturbances,
sickness and colitis symptoms, all of which have been observed
and recorded.
It would appear the subject is as controversial within animal
medicine as that requirement of vaccinating children.
What research is being done to define the validity
of vaccinations?
The Royal Veterinary College is currently conducting an
investigation into auto-immune disease, at considerable
cost to the research programme. There seems to be little
Alternative Medical viewpoint, other than Orthodox Veterinary
Surgeons who themselves use Homeopathy as an adjunct to
their practice. Many Orthodox Veterinarians refuse to acknowledge
the efficacy of using Homeopathy or other Complementary
therapies within their practice, dismissing them as being
unscientific and at worst, completely without basis. Very
often however, by using Homeopathy as the primary medication,
one can achieve reversal or complete remission of symptoms,
in particular when "Vaccinosis" is the diagnostic
assessment.
Owners are encouraged to have their animals vaccinated on
an annual basis. Reminders are sent out to clients that
their animal is due for their annual vaccinations. Vaccinations
are often given when the animal is in the office for an
unrelated visit and may have been injured or treated for
an illness. General rules pertaining to vaccination procedures
are often ignored for convenience sake. As an example, the
temperature should be taken to check for any evidence of
infection, and no animal should receive any routine vaccine
if stressed, injured, or showing signs of any immune deficiency
disorders.
Owners have been told that, without the vaccine program,
thousands of animals would die of illnesses such as distemper
and parvo-virus. However, one could begin to question if
we are entering a phase whereby we are purely exchanging
one cause of death for another. Concern is mounting for
the quality of the animal's life that is constantly exposed
to ill effects from the vaccine program.
What is 'Vaccinosis'?
Vaccinosis is the term used to describe the set of symptoms
recognized by Homeopaths and other Naturopathic Healthcare
Professionals, as being the morbid constitutional state
engendered by a vaccine virus. The effects of chronic Vaccinosis
are various but frequently include severe skin disorders,
e.g. hives, eczema, lupus vulgaris, warts, spongy tumors,
etc. Skin disorders are a particularly serious problem currently
affecting thousands of animals, ranging from minor skin
symptoms through to complete and total alopecia.
Once this state of vaccinosis has been reached, the cell
metabolism is impaired and the nervous system is severely
affected. This leaves the animal vulnerable, and exposed
to various allergic reactions and allergens that would normally
be tolerated, such as fleas and house dust mites. If the
immune system is strong and at optimum potential, it should
be able to safeguard the body from attack.
To date, the various pieces of research that have been conducted
by independent sources, indicate the problem arises from
two factors, namely the use of multiple live vaccine material,
as opposed to killed or treated viruses, and the frequency
of administration of vaccines.
How do vaccines affect animals?
The Multiple Live Vaccine offers a much stronger challenge
to an animal's defense mechanism. As an example: a puppy
of 7 weeks of age, and weighing only 2 lbs. will still be
vaccinated with Canine Distemper, Parvo-virus, Leptospirosis,
Parain Influenza and Hepatitis, all on the same day. The
amount of vaccine given is identical whether it's a Beagle
puppy or a Great Dane puppy. In countries such as the United
States of America and parts of Europe, this tremendous bombardment
will often be followed just one week later by the rabies
injection. How an animal can be expected to cope with such
an accumulation of components, and all at one time, is quite
extreme, in particular the young animal whose immune system
has not yet been fully developed.
The immunological tolerance of the young animal is often
extremely poor, and in certain instances an animal will
display ill health within a few hours of the vaccine being
administered. As the weeks go by, many animals will display
unfavorable response to the vaccine which may bring to the
forefront inherited predisposition to other illnesses.
Further evidence would suggest that vaccinating an animal
during pregnancy or during the estrus cycle can inhibit
hormonal function. This not only creates physical symptoms
to the female, but can be passed on through the gestation
period to the unborn puppies. In severe cases of Vaccinosis,
puppies may be delivered still born or already displaying
skin disorders.
It is a clinical fact that following parvo-virus vaccine,
the number of white cells in the circulation, decreases
for a period of time, thereby rendering the animal exposed
to illness as a result of the lowering of immune responses.
Animals suffer stress just as do we humans, either emotional
or environmental. There is a general acceptance in today's
society that exposure to stress in the human quarter affects
the functioning of the immune system. The same must be acknowledged
within the rest of the animal kingdom. For example, the
young puppy having recently left its mother and other offspring,
who finds itself in a new and often frightening environment,
is going to display stress related disorders. This will
undoubtedly affect its receptiveness to the vaccine programme.
There is a strange irony attached to the vaccine programme,
as the pharmaceutical industry states: "The administration
of a vaccine should only be given to healthy animals."However,
if an animal were completely healthy, it would not require
the vaccination in the first place".
Much emphasis is put on vaccinations when we should be looking
at ways and means to enhance the immune system and bring
it up to its optimum performance, principally by addressing
the nutrition of the animal and using things such as essential
biochemistry and homeopathic nosodes incorporated into its
health maintenance program.
Are annual Vaccinations necessary?
America Veterinary Immunologists claimed that vaccinations
should only be given once or twice during an animal's life
time. There is no need or evidence to prove that annual
vaccination programs are either essential or effective.
On the contrary, research suggests that no dog over the
age of 7 years of age derives benefit from the annual vaccine
program. Furthermore, those animals submitted to the annual
boosters, go on to display exacerbation of joint-related
ills in later life. Many professionals are influenced by
the 'biomedical' model as outlined by the pharmaceutical
industry. Injections have become the 'norm' as being the
ultimate panacea to attain optimum health for the domestic
animal. Yet we are seeing an increasing number of cases
involving immune dysfunction, tumours, cancerous growths,
severe skin disorders and behavioral disturbances.
What is the comparison of auto-immune diseases in the domestic
animal, compared to that of his counterpart in the wild?
Is this a valid comparison to make when conducting research
into auto-immune disease conditions? There are many who
believe it should be investigated.
What can be done about the Vaccinosis problem?
In a suspected case of Vaccinosis in a domestic animal,
many alternative veterinarians treat with Homeopathic remedies
for the specific condition, coupled with immune-enhancing
formulas. However, in most cases problems were documented
to arise when the owner returned to the Orthodox vaccination
routine due to the pressure to have the cat/dog re-vaccinated
as soon as possible. The results of this practice can vary
considerably. If the animal's immune system has recovered
sufficiently it may well withstand the vaccine without too
many problems. However, if the immune function is still
below par, exacerbation of original symptomology is generally
displayed within a few days of the vaccine taking place.
A further occurrence observed by some Veterinarians is that
of a tumour or growth appearing directly on or around the
site of the injection. This is particularly noticeable in
the feline world, and can take the form of fibrosarcoma.
Indeed, the list of symptoms that can be linked with the
over-vaccination programme appears endless: tumours of both
malignant and benign type, seizures, skin problems, bone
and joint disorders.
During the current investigations being carried out by the
Royal Veterinary College, it has been observed that many
auto-immune diseases commence as skin disorders. Aside from
the inherited factor as displayed in certain breeds, the
disease occurs as a result of the immune system attacking
the skin and auto-immune blood disease leading to haemolytic
anaemia has also been observed. Following the parco vaccination,
the white blood cells are severely diminished and their
function temporarily impaired.
A more alarming disease currently being observed is that
of systemic Lupus Erythematosus. T3his disease eventually
affects many body systems including red and white blood
cells, and the joints, skin and kidneys.
Why then the insistence on annual Vaccinations?
The vaccination program is a highly lucrative part of a
Veterinary practice and vaccines can vary in cost. Sources
report as much as 30% profit in a Veterinary practice is
obtained from the vaccination program alone and those numbers
are extremely conservative.
It is hard not to become cynical as to why the Veterinary
profession and the drug companies do not want the problem
of Vaccine related illness to be properly and accurately
investigated. Yet morally what are we doing to our domestic
animals? Where is their future, and moreover the quality
of their lives? We must address the situation now. Certainly
the weaker among their species will become even more vulnerable.
Are we not witnessing the 'genetic engineering' of their
long term destiny, maybe to extinction as we know them today?
Having shared most of my life with domestic animals, I can
only view the world as an empty shell should it succumb
to being devoid of cats, dogs and the like. Can we just
turn our heads and ignore their plight or do we acknowledge
their cry for help? Are we really vaccinating animals on
an annual basis with large doses of multiple live vaccine
substances because we are committed to the programme, and
because we feel it is right? Or are we exposing our beloved
friends to a lifetime of hell and deprivation because we
defer to pressures from vested interests?
Printed with permission from author:
Chrissie Mason
B.R.C.P., Ph.D.
Back
to Related Articles
|
