(This article was written to give you information for you to use to talk to your veterinarian and make the best informed decision possible for your dog or cat. We make no representations and are not veternarians. You should consult your vet before making any decisions about your pet's health.)

We talk to people all over the country and have been hearing stories of dogs having serious problems after being vaccinated. I have a dog who had a anaphylactic reaction to a vaccination and almost died. There were so many stories that we started to research the issue. This is what we have learned.

The question of the safety of vaccinations has been studied to a great degree in cats. The veterinary community appears to be consistent in their recommendation that cats only be vaccinated once every three years rather than every year for distemper. Additionally they are recommending that cats who have no chance to be exposed to feline leukemia not be vaccinated against it. The reason for this change is the numbers of cats that were developing sarcoma at the vaccination site.

The research into the health issues with dogs is not as advanced. There are several concerns that have necessitated the review of the vaccination protocols. Many dogs have developed tumors at the vaccination site. Dogs are also having serious anaphylaxic reactions to the vaccines. And there are reports of dogs becoming aggressive after receiving vaccines multiple times. These reactions seem to be caused by the immune system being compromised by too many viruses being introduced into the system. So the immune system goes out of kilter and attacks the site of the vaccination or causes an allergic reaction in response to the virus that was introduced. Additionally, dogs who have been vaccinated many times over their lives are developing disease of the immune system later in their lives. Rottweilers are very susceptible to parvo so the veterinary community typically vaccinated them numerous times as a puppy trying to protect them from the diseases. Now vets are seeing disproportionately large numbers of Rottweilers with bone cancer. There are no studies at this time that have established the link between the vaccinations and the cancer but many clinicians think that a connection is probable.

A leading immunologist in the United States, Dr. Ronald Schultz of the University of Wisconsin, has recommended that dogs be vaccinated according to the same schedule recommended for cats. Colorado State University Veterinary School has issued a new vaccination protocol that is consistent with Dr. Schultz's recommendation. The Veterinary School at Manhattan, Kansas has also agreed with reducing the numbers and types of vaccinations.

There is not a consistent recommendation about dogs at this time so it is difficult to know what to do. I can tell you what I am doing for my personal dogs. This applies to adult dogs only. I am going to vaccinate them for distemper/parvo every three years. The vaccine companies sell vaccines that contain many viruses. They advertise them as if the more viruses covered in one vaccine the better. But the variety of viruses in each vaccine appears to be partially responsible for the immune system reaction. I am looking for a vaccine that has only distemper and parvo and nothing else - no lepto, no corona. The lepto strain that is currently in vaccines is not even the strain that is being seen in most environments today so it essentially provides no protection.

I live in a state that requires rabies vaccines every two years so I will comply with that law, but if I lived in a state where it was only required every three years, I would do it every three years. We know of vets who recommend rabies vaccines every year even though they are using three year vaccines! We also know dogs who have had major health problems result from that practice.

I will not give my dogs the bordetella or kennel cough vaccine. This is for two reasons. I don't want to compromise their immune systems to any greater degree than what has been caused by the other vaccines that they need, but also because in our experience of operating the Shelter for twenty years the kennel cough vaccine does not work. We have 250 dogs at any given time, none of them are vaccinated for kennel cough and we rarely see it. The dogs we have seen who have kennel cough have all come from other shelters where they were vaccinated. The vaccine did not protect them from getting it there. If dogs are happy, healthy and get lots of fresh air and good nutrition they are not very susceptible to kennel cough. There are treatments for kennel cough if they do get it. We think the vaccine is more harmful than the disease. I will not give my dogs Lyme Disease vaccines either.

Additionally, I will insure that my dogs get their vaccination in their back leg, never in their back between their shoulder blades. I will also make certain that the area is massaged before and after the shot. If the shots are given in the shoulder blade, the vaccine stays in one place too long causing the body's defenses to come to that spot and potentially attack healthy cells causing a tumor. In the back leg it is more quickly distributed throughout the body. And I will watch my dogs closely for 24 hours after a vaccination. When my Dachshund, Zola, had an anaphylactic reaction to a distemper/parvo shot, I got her back to the vet immediately. If I had not seen what happened to her and gotten her treatment, she would have died. Since Zola had such a serious reaction instead of getting her vaccinated I had a titer done on her blood. The vet drew her blood and sent it to a clinic for an analysis of the immunity levels in her blood. Although Zola had not been vaccinated for three years, she still had a large amount of immunity in her blood and did not need vaccination. The titer was somewhat expensive (60 dollars) but a vaccination may have caused her death.

I was always very careful about getting my dogs vaccinated whenever they were due. It thought that it showed that I loved them. Now I know that the best way to love them is to gather as much information as I can and make an informed decision about their health. Please talk to your vet about vaccines. Your dog's life may depend on your taking a proactive stand to protect him.