Should You Really Be Giving Your Dog or Cat All Those Shots?

by Gene Franks
http://www.purewatergazette.net/animalvacs.htm


When Mary Phillips' dog Peanut died following a routine rabies
shot, Mary, who lives in Liverpool, NY, started looking into the ailment
listed by the veterinarian as the cause of death. Autoimmune hemolytic
anemia (AHA), she learned, causes the body to attack its own red blood
cells. A Cornell University researcher attributed the condition to
"chemical or toxic agents or immune-mediated destruction." Merck's
Veterinary Manual more specifically states that "exposure to live parvo
vaccine may be the initial cause in canines." The rabies vaccine box
itself, which apparently no one ever reads, warns: "Tissue-origin
vaccines contain extraneous protein in addition to rabies antigen that
can lead to autoimmune disease."
Mary's research led her to the realization that many veterinarians are
very much aware that the vaccinations they routinely give can cause
significant harm to animals. She found that there is even a name,
vaccinosis, which is used to describe the chronic illness that results
from vaccination. According to Dr. J. Compton Burnett, MD, "Vaccinosis
is to be understood as the disturbance of the vital force by
vaccination, that results in mental, emotional and physical changes that
can, in some cases, be a permanent condition."

Research into animal vaccines led Mary to an article in the May,
1995 issue of Wolf Clan magazine. Several veterinarians were asked by
the magazine to comment on problems associated with routine animal
vaccines. I think you'll be surprised at their candor. It is obvious
that vaccines, the bread and butter of the veterinary practice, are held
in low esteem by many in the profession. The following comments were
excerpted by Mary Phillips from the Wolf Clan article and published in
the Spring 1996 issue of The Civil Abolitionist. Here are some things
the veterinarians and medical doctors had to say:

The first thing that must change with routine vaccinations is
the myth that vaccines are not harmful.... Veterinarians and animal
guardians have to come to realize that they are not protecting animals
from disease by annual vaccinations, but in fact, are destroying the
health and immune systems of these same animals they love and care for.
Dr. Charles E Loops, DVM, Pittsboro, NC.

Injected vaccines bypass normal defenses. They implant mutated
microorganisms, preservatives, foreign animal proteins and other
compounds directly into the system. This is done in the name of
preventing a few syndromes. If an animal is in an optimal state of
health, he or she will produce the strongest immune response possible.
This response offers protection against all natural challenges. The
irony is that vaccine labels say they are to be given only to healthy
animals. If they were truly healthy, they would not need them. Those who
are not healthy are the most severely damaged. Dr. Russell Swift, DVM.
Ft Lauderdale FL.

Vaccinosis is the reaction from common inoculations (vaccines)
against the body's immune system and general well being. These reactions
might take months or years to show up and will cause undue harm to
future generations. Dr. Pedro Rivera, DVM, Sturtevant WI.

In a general and frightening context, I see the overall health
and longevity of animals deteriorating. The bodies of most animals have
a tremendous capacity to detoxify poisons, but they do have a limit. I
think we often exceed that limit and overwhelm the body's immune system
function with toxins from vaccines.

The most common problems I see that are directly related to
vaccines on a day to day basis are ear or skin conditions, such as
chronic discharges and itching. I also see behavior problems such as
fearfulness or aggression. Often guardians will report that these begin
shortly after vaccination, and are exacerbated with every vaccine. Dr.
Pat Bradley, DVM Conway AZ

If an animal already has problems, those problems are
contributed to by vaccines. So I don't want to give any more (shots).
Dr. Michael Lemmon, DVM, Renton WA.

Routine vaccinations are probably the worst thing that we do
for our animals. Repeating vaccinations on a yearly basis undermines the
whole energetic well-being of our animals. Animals do not seem to be
decimated by one or two vaccines when they are young, and veterinary
immunologists tell us that viral vaccines need only be given once or
twice in an animal's life. First, there is no need for annual
vaccinations, and second, they definitely cause chronic disease. Dr.
Christina Chambreau, DVM, Sparks MD

Unfortunately our society is in the grasp of a health panacea
and this panacea is fueled by the biomedical and pharmaceutical
industries. Vaccinations have become the modern day equivalent of
leeching. First of of all, introducing foreign material via subcutaneous
or intramuscular injection is extremely upsetting to the body's defense
system. In response to this violation, there have been increased
autoimmune disease (allergies being one component), epilepsy, neoplasia
(tumors), as well as behavioral problems in small animals. Even though
man and animals have been around for thousands of years, interestingly,
the increase in cancer, respiratory disorders (most air quality
standards are higher today than in decades past.), and autoimmune
problems have likewise escalated alarmingly during the previous decade.
Vaccines are not the only culprit for these increases; however, I feel
they are one of the primary offenders. Dr. Mike Kohn, DVM, Madison Wl

Vaccines are not always effective, safety is unproven, and long
term consequences are unknown. Despite this, the government requires
their use, resulting in a lack of incentives for drug companies to
produce better products. Additionally, mandatory vaccine laws make it
impossible to conduct properly controlled studies, so we'll never know
if vaccines are truly safe, as is claimed by the government and medical
profession. Similar to other procedures, the right of informed consent,
i.e. the right to say 'NO', should apply to vaccines. Dr. Kristine
Severyn, RPH, Ph.D., Director Ohio Parents for Vaccine Safety .

I believe that vaccinations, especially the rabies vaccines,
are contributing to a lot of the "allergic" skin problems seen today,
leading to a problem known as vaccinosis, which is characterized by
itchy, dark, thickened skin; especially over the abdomen and under the
legs. It is seen in both dogs and cats, but is more obvious in the dog.
Dr. Ana Maria Scholey, Holistic Veterinarian.

I think we eventually have to take a look at what is happening to
animals because of repeated vaccinations. If you have an animal that
within 10 days from the time he received vaccines falls back into a
condition that you'd been trying to clean up for some time, you know
what happened. We're seeing a condition that is being described by some
of my colleagues and myself as vaccinosis. We have to recognize it as
being there. Dr. Norman C. Ralston, DVM, Mesquite, TX.

The idea of annual vaccines is really questionable. There is no
scientific basis from what I've been able to read. There was a good
article in Current Veterinary Therapy a couple of years ago. They did a
literature search and the two authors were not 'alternative'
veterinarians, and they could find no scientific basis for annual
vaccines. So it's just being done; there is no real basis for the
practice. There are a lot of chronic conditions that develop some time
after vaccinating. Some of these conditions that I see are chronic ear
infections, digestive problems, seizures, skin problems, and behavioral
problems. Stephen R Blake, DVM, San Diego, CA.

Every time a dog is vaccinated for parvo, the number of white
blood cells in the circulation decreases for a while. This means their
immune system won't work as well during that time. Every veterinarian
who has been in practice long enough has seen reactions to vaccines,
ranging from lethargy, mild fever, sore neck, to vomiting and sleeping
for 24 hours, to total collapse and shock. In cats we now recognize that
this in time can cause fibrosarcoma, a nasty cancer. This is officially
recognized by the veterinary community, and if this isn't a form of
vaccinosis, I don't know what is. Dr. Nancy Scanlan, DVM, Chino Hills CA .

Mary Phillips can be contacted at Liverpool Animal Protection
Society, Inc./ PO Box 352/ Liverpool, NY 13088. The Civil Abolitionist's
address is PO Box 26/ Swain, NY 14884.