chardonnay9 wrote:

"Our ongoing studies of dogs show that following routine vaccination,
there is a significant rise in the level of antibodies dogs produce
*snip*

Dr Larry Glickman

Finally! You've actually quoted a reputable authority! This proves
the theorem about monkeys typing Shakespeare, I guess.

Funny thing, though, while the quote you posted has been widely spread
throughout the internet, I couldn't find its original source. Here are
some other things that Dr. Glickman has written about vaccines, both
from respected peer-reviewed medical journals. Please do pay careful
attention to the section I've emphasized in the second citation, 'K?

Dianne

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Scott-Moncrieff JC, Glickman NW, Glickman LT, HogenEsch H.
Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine. 2006 Jul-Aug;20(4):818-21.

LACK OF ASSOCIATION BETWEEN REPEATED VACCINATION AND THYROIDITIS
IN LABORATORY BEAGLES.

BACKGROUND: Intensive vaccination protocols have been suggested
as partially responsible for an increased prevalence of autoimmune
diseases in dogs in recent years. The aim of this study was to
determine whether repeated routine vaccination in dogs is associated
with an increased prevalence of thyroiditis.

METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We conducted a prospective experimental
study with 20 healthy purpose-bred Beagles. Five dogs were vaccinated
with a multivalent vaccine and a rabies vaccine. Five dogs received
only the multivalent vaccine, and 5 dogs received only the rabies
vaccine. Five dogs were unvaccinated controls. The multivalent vaccine
was administered at 8, 10, 12, 16, 20, 26, and 52 weeks of age and
every 6 months thereafter. The rabies vaccine was administered at 16
and 52 weeks of age and then once a year. Blood samples were collected
1 week before euthanasia for evaluation of thyroid profiles and
measurement of antibodies directed against canine thyroglobulin. Dogs
were euthanized at 5.5 years of age, and the thyroid glands were
evaluated histopathologically. Thyroiditis was present in 8 of 20
(40%) dogs at postmortem examination. No association was found
between a dog being vaccinated and the prevalence of thyroiditis at
postmortem examination. However, the power of the study to detect such
an association was low because of the unexpected high prevalence of
thyroiditis in the unvaccinated control dogs. Thyroid function tests
were abnormal in 2 of 8 dogs with thyroiditis but were normal in all
dogs without thyroiditis.

CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: There was no evidence to support an
association between routine vaccination and thyroiditis at postmortem
examination in beagle dogs after repeated vaccination.

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Glickman LT. Advances in Veterinary Medicine. 1999;41:701-13.

WEIGHING THE RISKS AND BENEFITS OF VACCINATION.

The following summarizes this author's current thoughts regarding
veterinary vaccines and their safety:

1. Every licensed animal vaccine is probably effective, but also
produces some adverse effects.

2. Prelicensing studies of vaccines are not specifically designed
to detect adverse vaccine reactions.

3. An improved system of national postmarketing surveillance is
required to identify most adverse vaccine reactions that occur at
low and moderate frequency.

4. Even a good postmarketing surveillance system is unlikely, however,
to detect delayed adverse vaccine reactions, and the longer the delay
the less likely they will be associated with vaccination.

5. Analytic epidemiologic (field) studies are the best way to link
vaccination with delayed adverse reactions, but these are often
hindered by incomplete vaccination histories in medical records in
veterinary practice and by a lack of veterinarians in industry trained
in epidemiologic methods.

6. Each licensed veterinary vaccine should be subjected to a
quantitative risk assessment, and these should be updated on a regular
basis as new information becomes available.

7. Risk assessment should be used to identify gaps in information
regarding the safety and efficacy of vaccines, and appropriate
epidemiologic studies conducted to fill these gaps that contribute
to the uncertainty in risk estimates.

8. Risk assessment is an analytical process that is firmly based on
scientific considerations, but it also requires judgments to be made
when the available information is incomplete. These judgments
inevitably draw on both scientific and policy considerations.

9. Representatives from industry, government, veterinary medicine,
and the animal-owning public should be involved in risk management,
that is, deciding between policy options.

THE CONTROVERSY REGARDING VACCINE RISKS IS INTENSIFYING TO THE POINT
THAT SOME ANIMAL OWNERS HAVE STOPPED VACCINATING THEIR ANIMALS. THEY
OFFER AS JUSTIFICATION THE BELIEF THAT CURRENT VACCINES ARE "JUST
TOO DANGEROUS." SOME OWNERS REPORTTHAT SINCE THEY COMPLETELY STOPPED
VACCINATING THEIR ANIMALS, THEY HAVE BEEN HEALTHY. WHAT THEY FAIL TO
REALIZE IS THAT A HIGH PERCENTAGE OF ANIMAL OWNERS ARE RESPONSIBLE
AND DO VACCINATE THEIR ANIMALS, THUS PROVIDING "HERD IMMUNITY"
PROTECTION TO THE UNVACCINATED ANIMALS WHOM THEY CONTACT. [emphasis
mine - DS.]

The solution to the vaccine controversy is not to abandon vaccination
as an effective means of disease prevention and control, but rather
to encourage vaccine research to answer important questions regarding
safety and to identify the biological basis for adverse reactions.
Key questions to be answered include these: What components of
vaccines are responsible for adverse reactions? What is the genetic
basis for susceptibility to adverse health effects in animals? How
can susceptible individuals be identified? Do multivalent vaccines
cause a higher rate of adverse reactions than monovalent vaccines?
Is administration of multiple doses of monovalent vaccines really
any safer than administering a single multivalent vaccine? These
and other vaccine-related questions deserve our attention as
veterinarians so we can fulfill our veterinary oath to relieve
animal suffering and "above all else, do no harm."