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| A Holistic Approach to Veterinary Vaccination by Dr. Clare Middle BVMS, Dip Hom, Dip Ac. |
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| Veterinary Surgeons Board of Western Australia published Spring 2001. Huge changes should be afoot with the protocol vets are using regarding vaccination of pet animals in light of evidence to suggest that only vaccination for serious endemic disease should be carried out and then only either once in a lifetime or at most every three to five years (5)(8). The Holistic Health Story Up Until Now For decades, homoeopaths have been taught the concept of "vaccinosis" which is a term meaning disease caused by vaccination. I have been using homoeopathy to treat animals with long-term or difficult conditions for 12 years, and have repeatedly caused improvement in their conditions using remedies for vaccinoses. In other words, the chronic disease must, in part, have been caused by vaccination. Many natural therapists have been aware that repeated vaccination is likely to be part of the cause of chronic allergy and other diseases, and this is now backed up by research in humans and animals (1) (9) (10). I have for many years offered pet owners a choice of using conventional vaccination for only the diseases that significantly threaten life, and/or homoeopathic nosodes combined with a carefully balanced natural diet (no tinned or dried processed pet food) to improve natural immunity. I have been very unwilling to conventionally vaccinate again a dog suffering a suspected vaccinosis, but it is always the owner's choice. Worldwide Changes to Veterinary Vaccination Protocol In recent years, research has been carried out which has shown that circulating antibodies to vaccinated viruses are still present in most dogs and cats 3 to 5 years after their last vaccination. Many cats are immune to feline enteritis for their whole life after one vaccination. (5) Several authorities such as Colorado University Veterinary School, USA and Massey University Veterinary School, New Zealand, have changed their vaccination protocol from annual to triennial (every 3 years) for dogs and cats. These recommendations are based on serum antibody levels, which is one way of measuring immunity, but it is thought by some that natural immunity to disease in general can exist without measurable antibody titres. It is a basic immunological principle that high antibody titres occur when a mature healthy immune system is challenged; it is not sensible to base existing high titres prior to challenge as useful, which is what annual vaccination produces. It is also not sensible to vaccinate young animals before the waning of maternal antibody as the immature system cannot cope - that is why nature made maternal antibodies! Using homoeopathic nosodes to augment maternal antibody then using killed, ideally monovalent, vaccination if necessary at decline of maternal antibody has been proven to reduce severe vaccine-induced immunocompromisation in prone breeds (9). Using homoeopathic nosodes only as prophylaxis has been shown in several surveys to be signifigantly as effective in preventing infectious disease as conventional vaccination (7) (8), although research into more species and diseases is needed. It could be argued that our current conventional vaccination protocol is not based on sound immunological principles. This viewpoint is held by Dr. Richard Pitcairn, a veterinarian who was Associate Professor of Microbiology and specialized in immunology at the Washington State University Veterinary School. He became disenchanted with conventional immunology and vaccinations and turned to homoeopathy. He now runs the Animal Natural Health Centre in Oregon, USA and practices purely homoeopathically. He has trained many veterinarians in homoeopathy over the years. (6) Some pet owners may choose for their animal to have an antibody blood test when it is annual vaccination time. If levels are high, then the animal comes back next year to have a blood test. Vaccination is only carried out if levels are low. This method is employed by vets in other countries where there is concern about litigation by owners of animals who react adversely to a vaccination they cannot otherwise prove was necessary. An Integrated Approach to Veterinary Vaccination It has been shown that the more vaccinations for different diseases are administered at the same time, the less likely they are to work and the more likely to compromise the immune system (8). This is evident particularly in the USA where dogs are given rabies, leptospirosis and even tetanus vaccinations, as well as the distemper, hepatitis, parvo and two kennel coughs that are given in Australia. This means it is medically unsound to vaccinate for non-endemic disease such as distemper and hepatitis because the parvo component is less likely to be effective. Vaccinating for kennel cough in dogs is therefore even less sound medically because it is an extra vaccine (or two) which may weaken the more useful parvo fraction, and kennel cough is not a life-threatening disease. It appears that conventional kennel cough vaccination is not very effective because despite kennel owners insisting that dogs be vaccinated before boarding, kennel cough is still a problem (general knowledge!!). Much more effective would be to stimulate the immune system by the use of eg vitamin C (250mg for a kitten to 2000mg for a large dog, twice daily), immune stimulant herbs like echinacea, mushroom extracts and/or astragalus (one quarter to a whole human dose depending on size of animal) and homoeopathic kennel cough nosode (dose as below). Holistic Vaccination Program Any vaccination program should be tailored to the individual, but the following is a broad guide. I therefore recommend homoeopathic nosodes at 8 weeks of age and if required conventionally vaccinating puppies for parvovirus only at 12 weeks old (ie not for distemper/hepatitis/kennel cough), then again one year later then every 3 years thereafter, or using homoeopathic nosodes only for distemper, parvo and kennel cough. I think it is important to have an annual check-up as this will save the owner cost in the long run by preventing problems early. Preventative health care has proven to be cheaper than hospital care later on - ask any government! ( Pet insurance is highly recommended, as then the owner can budget their pet's annual costs ). Homoeopathic 30C (or other potency as prescribed by the practitioner) nosode can be administered orally by the owner twice daily for 3 days, once weekly for one month then monthly for 6 months and then every 6 months for the rest of the dogs life or prior to increased risk e.g. in contact with kennel cough, moving house, showing etc. It is not ethically possible nowadays to carry out strict classical research to show exactly how effective homoeopathic nosodes are in preventing disease, but several real-life situations have shown a significant reduction in occurrence and incidence of distemper at the RSPCA pound in Leeds in dogs (4). Many biodynamic farmers use homoeopathic streptococcus and staphylococcus 30C in the water troughs or feed of dairy cattle to reduce somatic cell counts in milk (7). From personal experience, I have had several dog breeders whose dogs repeatedly caught kennel cough despite annual C5 vaccinations, but when given the oral homoeopathic kennel cough nosodes, very few dogs suffered any symptoms of kennel cough for years on end. A balanced natural diet with no tinned or dried processed food helps a dog's natural immunity to disease. For cats, I recommend homoeopathic nosodes (usually 30C) of feline enteritis, cat flu (calici and herpes viruses), feline AIDS and feline leucaemia. A balanced raw meat diet plus natural herbal supplements and minimisation of drug and chemical usage makes a big difference to a cat's natural immunity to disease. For cats particularly prone to cat flu, conventional vaccination may help (given when they are well) and possibly feline leucaemia vaccination for cats who get in cat fights with cats of unknown health status. Keeping cats mostly inside helps to reduce spread of disease and the need to vaccinate for leucaemia and helps wildlife.(I would use kinesiology to decide the best option for the individual). Any vaccination should only be given when the animal is totally free of any sign of acute or chronic disease and not at the same time as an anaesthetic or other drugs. It is always beneficial to give the above doses of vitamin C, immune boosting herbs and also homoeopathic thuja 30C twice daily for a day before, the day of the vaccination and 2-3 days following. This is likely to lessen the drop in lymphocyte activity which occurs routinely in most normal animals 4 days after vaccination (CSL data). A lot of our clients bring their pets in annually for a kinesiology screen, whereby we use muscle response testing to check the animals energy field to see what vaccinations/treatments would be best for that animal at that time. This is the method I use for my own family and pets to determine the best therapy. Ethical Considerations of Choosing a Vaccination Program The decision should ultimately be made by the owner, not the vet, and the owner should then be supported in that decision. We all have our own individual truths. I have had many cases where the owner wants me to vaccinate their animal and I don't want to, even when I have explained my opinion well. It is totally their right to choose. It is important that practitioners do not use their patients as their own therapy to ease their guilty conscience for the fact that we have overvaccinated as a society. We must treat each animal and owner in their own right and as individuals. We must remember that it is very frightening for some people to move away from a safe and predictable conventional protocol and to take responsibility for their own and their pet's health. If we push them too quickly, they may retreat back even further into their old ways. I had one client whose Weimeraner puppy had died of a vaccination reaction 10 days after the vaccination (confirmed by postmortem at Murdoch University)- this breed can be born with a congenitally weak immune system- and the survivor required extensive treatment for the same problem. She insisted on having a replacement puppy fully vaccinated conventionally and soon after had us sterilise it. The dog had highly unusual, severe post surgical infection attributable to a lowered immune system despite appropriate surgery, antibiotics and immune support and the owner was still confident she had made the correct choice to vaccinate. It is not our job to judge or coerce. Many anti-vaccination campaigners say that vets vaccinate annually to make money. This may be true for a few greedy individuals (who exist in the minority in all walks of life) but most vets I have met, and I have met a fair few in 20 years, genuinely are here to help animals. There is a comfort in vaccinating which makes us feel we are protecting the animal. Now we have evidence to the contrary, we can change our ideas with a clear conscience. Most vets work long hours, are not on very high wages and lead very stressful lives because of after-hours work and just taking on a lot of responsibility. Suicide is such a problem that in Perth at least, the profession has been forced to carry out surveys to find solutions. Reduced income with bankruptcies may result amongst vets in theory if annual vaccinations are reduced in frequency, but I don't think that has to happen if vets can continue to offer a caring and more holistic information base for pet owners, and gradually and thinkingly change the emphasis to preventative or "wellness maintenance" medicine. As a holistic veterinarian, I am aware of a plethora of natural therapy modalities that can far better help the animals than purely conventional medicine. Already, there are vets and other practitioners who are becoming qualified in and practising chiropractic, acupuncture, craniosacral therapy, Bowen therapy, homoeopathy, herbology, flower essences etc. very successfully on animals. There are also many other preventative measures available that are not fully utilized such as biochemical screens for liver/kidney/panceas disease, advice on exercise and diet for the geriatric patient to prevent arthritis and other services. By maintaining the routine of an annual check-up, the owner will save money in the long run (preventative health care is proven to be cheaper than hospital care in human medicine) and in so doing we will all be keeping animals healthy in a way I am sure the animals would choose for themselves. References (1) Pedler, Dr. Ilse C/- Canine Health Concern newsletter no. 17 March 2001 (2) Duval, D & Giger, U (1996), Vaccine-associated immune-mediated haemolytic anaemia in the dog, Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine 10: 290-295. (3) Kass, PH, Barnes, WG, Spangler, WL, et al (1993), Epidemiologic evidence for a causal relation between vaccination and fibrosarcoma tumorigenesis in cats, Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association 203: 396-405 (4) Saxton, J Use of Distemper nosode in disease control. Int. J. Vet. Hom. 1991 (5) Scott, FW & Geissinger, CM (1999), Long-term immunity in cats vaccinated with an inactivated trivalent vaccine, American Journal of Veterinary Research 60: 652-658 (6) Pitcairn, R & Pitcairn, S, Dr Pitcairn's Complete Guide to Natural Health for Dogs and Cats (Emmaus, Penn.: Rodale Press, 1995) (7) Day, C, Clinical trials in bovine mastitis using nosodes for prevention Int J. Vet Hom 1,15. 1986 (8) Phillips TR, Jensen JL, Rubino MJ, Yang WC, Schultz RD, Effects of vaccines on the canine immune system. Can J Vet Res 1989; 53: 154-160. (9) Dodds WJ (Vaccine related disease in 162 Old English Sheepdogs & in 129 Akitas) in; More bumps on the vaccine road. Adv Vet Med 1999; 41:715-732. (10) Golden, Isaac, Vaccination. (numerous publications) |
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