VACCINATIONS - HOLISTIC VET CONFERENCE--1996
We were privileged to have two distinguished speakers
on this subject: Dr. Jean Dodds
and Dr. Ronald D. Schultz. To show that the debate on
'Modified Live Vaccines' and
'Killed Vaccines' is still a long way from being
settled, both speakers gave us a better
insight into the risks/benefits of present vaccine
usage.
Dr. Jean Dodds
Dr. Dodds started the day off humming with her lecture
on vaccinations and adverse
reactions with the use of Modified Live vaccines.
In giving a little background she reported the
differences in vaccine related reactions.
There can be:
the acute hypersensitivity and anaphylactic
reaction that occurs immediately ;
a reaction occurring between 24 - 48 hours after;
a delayed immunoligical reaction at approx. 10 -
28 days;
or even later as seen in canine distemper
antibodies in joint disease in dogs and
feline injection site fibrosarcomas.
(Ed note: many veterinarians only seem to recognize a
reaction within a 24 hour
period. After that they think it is impossible!)
Dr. Dodds listed a great number of symptoms that are
related to adverse vaccine
reactions. These include fever, stiffness and sore
joints; neurological disorders and
encephalitis; susceptibility to infections; high liver
enzyme function with possible
associated liver and / or kidney failure associated
with bone marrow suppression and
more.
Further, in her clinical experience she has seen
modified live vaccine reactions
associated with the development of transient seizures
in puppies and adult dogs of
breeds ( and cross breeds) susceptible to immune
mediated diseases. She also has seen
a high increase of reaction in cats. In one study on a
family of Goldens she reported
that when pups were vaccinated with MLV almost entire
litters tested positive for
thyroid disorders before two years of age.
Subsequently when pups were given killed
and separated vaccines thyroid incidence dropped
dramatically and occurred much later
in life. Dr. Dodds is also researching the link
between vaccine reactions and
amelyoidosis.
She warned us against the use of combination vaccines
and said we should avoid the
'common practice' of multiple, simultaneous
vaccination. Her research indicates that
this practice is not only minimally efficacious but
produces side effects which are
unacceptable.
For all of you breeders out there, please make a
special note. Dr. Dodds states that it
is best to avoid vaccination 30 days prior to the
onset of estrus, during the estrus
cycle, during pregnancy and during lactation!! (Ed.
Note remember that if you are still
using a Modified Live vaccine-it can shed. So the
above advice applies to your entire
household, not just your bitch!!)
She also reminded us to avoid vaccination entirely in
geriatric animals, sick or
debilitated patients, and immuno-compromised animals.
She emphasized that there is no data to substantiate
the need for annual boosters.
Her studies indicate that certain breeds of dogs are
known to experience autoimmune
disease triggered by vaccination! In particular she
noted the Akita, Weimaraner,
Standard Poodle, and Harlequin Great Dane, as being
susceptible to this problem.
It was interesting to note the she recommends that the
dosage for killed vaccine, can
and should be adjusted for body mass. (Ed note: see
Dr. Schultz for a difference in
opinion.)
In her opinion, totally unnecessary vaccinations
include those for Lyme disease, corona
virus, canine hepatitis, leptospirosis, bordatella,
parainfluenza, FeLV, FIP, ringworm,
and rota virus Infection.
I was really happy when she suggested to the
conference attendees, two alternatives to
conventional vaccination.
1.Monitoring Serum Antibody Titers:
It is possible to determine the
virus-specific antibody titers for any viral
disease of dogs and cats. Titer testing
measures humoral immunity and
many labs now offer this service. It is very
important to ask for vaccine
related immunity and to start at low
dilutions when ordering the tests.
Otherwise the labs will actually test for
the active virus and the results
would be distorted. ( Ed. Note: generally I
would test for only the serious
viral diseases) If protective titers are
found, the animal should not need
revaccination until some future date.
2.Homeopathic Nosodes:
Dr. Dodds noted that Nosodes have been used
successfully in Europe since the 19th
century, and more recently have been introduced to
North America. They are
homeopathic remedies that offer a reasonable
alternative to conventional
vaccines-other than those that are required by law
(e.g. rabies).
She pointed out that recent publications have
documented the safety and efficacy of a
homeopathic approach to protection against infectious
disease of animals.
The work of: Dr. Christopher Day of England (studies
include use of nosodes in dogs and
cattle for protection against kennel cough and bovine
mastitis); Dr. John Saxton of
England (studies include the use of the canine
distemper nosode for disease control);
and the work of Dr. Singh of India (showing potent
antiviral effect of homeopathic
drugs when tested in vitro against two animal viruses
and a variable degree of viral
inhibition in vivo) were drawn to the attention of the
conference.
The extent of the vaccinosis problem is largely
unknown due to the failure of many vets
and clients to report the incident. She urged all of
us (that means you too, gang) to
report vaccination reactions not only to the vaccine
manufacturers but also the USDA
She did mention that the American Veterinary Medical
Association guidelines on the
'Use of Alternative Therapies' was last issued in
1988. She is hopeful that as more
veterinary teaching institutes include courses in
alternative therapies in their
curriculum, increased awareness and an open mind for
the practice of medicine will be
forthcoming.
Dr. Ronald D. Schultz, Ph.D., D.V.M.
For those of you not familiar with Dr. Schultz I
should mention that he is recognized as
a pioneer in clinical immunology and vaccinology. As
Professor and Chair of Department
of Pathobiological Sciences at the School of
Veterinary Medicine, University of
Wisconsin-Madison his work is well known in both the
allopathic and holistic veterinarian
communities.
Wow! If you're looking for someone with 'authority' to
refer to the nonsense of annual
boosters, get your 'doubting Thomas' to call on Dr.
Schultz. Not only does he confirm
that their is no science for this practice, he also
warned of the possibility for law suits,
if a Vet continues to recommend them. He pointed out
that immunity to viruses
persists for years or for the life of the animal.
He eloquently covered the many factors that can effect
the immune response to a
vaccine. The blocking effect of colostral antibody
from the mother, the nature of the
vaccine, the route of vaccination, the age of the
animal, its general nutritional
condition, concurrent infections, drug treatments-all
may have an influence on the
success of an immunization program.
Maternal antibody interference is the most common
cause of vaccine failure. The fetus
develops a functional immune system at 45 to 50 days
into gestation. The level of
maternal immunity at the time of birth will vary
considerably, even among litter
mates, but in general will stay high for 10 days to 2
weeks. A major cause for reduced
immune response during the first week, is 'hypothermia
'. It is important that a
temperature of 99° F be maintained during this
critical time frame!
Between 2 week and 4 weeks, while still nursing, the
immune system of the neonate
grows and begins to take on its own duties. At the
time of weaning, the immune
system suffers from a decrease in nutrients and can be
significantly lowered from a
lack of Vitamin E and selenium. This is particularly
true with 'canned' foods so it is
better to start with 'dry' food. At 8 to 10 weeks, the
neonate is closer to having an
adult immune system. (Ed. Note: raw fresh food is of
course best for weaning)
Because maternal antibodies can persist far longer
then previously thought possible, Dr.
Shultz strongly recommends that the last vaccination
take place at 22 weeks for a
puppy and 16 weeks for a kitten. There is new
information that indicates that as many
as 20% of dogs at 18 weeks have enough maternal
antibodies to prevent successful
parvo immunization. (Note: previously it was
recommended that the last immunization
in the series occur at 12 to 16 weeks of age).
Make sure your vet is aware of these new findings!!
Here's a real kicker. A major problem, especially for
parvo, is that the virus is able to
infect an animal with levels of maternal antibody even
though the antibodies prevent
active immunization!! There is generally a 2 to 5 week
"window of vulnerability" and in
heavy parvo environments, as much as a 10 week
"window", when an animal can be
infected with the virus but cannot be successfully
immunized!!
On the question of modified live versus 'killed'
vaccines, Dr. Schultz is of the opinion
that both have a place in the immunization schedule.
Currently, there are no absolute
answers.
He felt that because MLV vaccines replicate in the
host, they more closely resemble
virulent viral infections and generally produce a
stronger and more durable protective
immune response than killed vaccines. This "better"
immune response has a cost: a
decrease in vaccine safety. Certain modified live
vaccines can induce
immunosuppression, may shed into the environment, and
may revert to virulence or
cause vaccine-induced disease.
Killed vaccines on the other hand, are safer but
require a large antigenic dose, multiple
immunizations and often the use of adjuvants that can
cause an increase in systemic
vaccine reactions. Also, killed vaccines generally
produce weaker immune responses
with a shorter duration than the modified live
vaccines. Sometimes the immune
responses they produce lead to immunopathological
disease at time of infection rather
than providing protection. With respect to dosages, he
pointed out that at the cellular
level, the same number of receptor cell sites exist
regardless of the size of the body,
thus there is no justification for adjusting dosage
quantities for different breeds of
animals. (see Jean Dodds segment for a different
opinion).
He does favor MLV for Parvo in high risk areas. He
feels that 'killed' vaccine is too slow
in providing immunization due to the need for multiple
shots. He pointed out that the
Parvo vaccine is expensive to produce, so the
companies use as little as possible in each
dose.
As modified live vaccines replicate in the body a
"mini" dose is still effective. With killed
vaccine, how much is enough? His research into the
effectiveness of vaccines, has led
to the manufacturers revising several of their
formulas. He cautioned the audience not
to dilute or split the dosage when administering any
'killed' vaccine.
With respect to nutritional deficiencies, someone in
the audience asked about
"Blue-Green Algae". Dr. Schultz commented that in his
experience, their can be a
danger of nutrient toxicosis. He knows of ponds in his
area, with blue-green algae,
where dogs that have jumped into a pond have suffered
paralyses and in some cases
have died.
In general, he felt that modified live vaccines when
given to animals in good general
health have no clinical indication of
immunosuppression.
(Ed note: Dr. Dodds points out that the MLV trials by
Dr. Schultz have only been tested
on purposely bred Beagles and not breeds that are
genetic and familial susceptible to
suppression. She advocates "killed" vaccines.)
A special thanks for permission to reprint this article goes to:
Marina Zacharias,
P.O. Box 1436, Jacksonville, OR.,97530, U.S.A.,
Phone: (541)899-2080, Fax:(541)899-3414