The fact that we overuse drugs in our society is widely recognized. In a similar vein, vaccinations and their frequency are becoming more and more controversial, partially due to the carriers used in formulation (mercury, for one) but also due to their inherent properties.
Many feel strongly that we “over-vaccinate” these days.
I cannot argue with this stance since I heard a state-employed veterinarian make that same assertion several years ago at a well-attended conference. She stated that, through annual testing of antibodies in the blood, it had been proven that:
A one-year rabies vaccine was still active and effective five years later!
And, she said further, the only reason it wasn’t known if it was effective 10 or 15 years out was because the testing had only been conducted for five.
This is a pretty stunning statistic.
I’ve been cautious about vaccines for all my animals for years, choosing to do the absolute minimum I thought necessary to protect them for life. So when I read (and later confirmed with a local small animal veterinarian) that my tiny, 3-1/2 lb. Chihuahua would be given the exact same-size rabies shot as a Great Dane pup, well . . . Miss Frida has never had, nor will she ever have, a rabies shot. She weighs five pounds now but is always under my close vigilance so is at very low risk.
I’m not saying we shouldn’t vaccinate. We must. But caution is warranted and possible side effects should be more widely publicized. Oddly enough too, the traditional veterinarian community usually doesn’t recognize these side effects or know how to treat them. And the side effects are potentially life-threatening. Here is a case history and why I’m so careful, particularly with the rabies vaccine, which as we all know is a deadly neurological disease. So injecting the live rabies virus into any organism is very risky business.
A client’s most affectionate cat, about 2 years of age, who never strayed far from her side , suddenly disappeared. On the third day, as Linda (we’ll call the client) was walking into her horse barn, she heard a loud “yeowing” of what sounded like a wild cat up in the rafters of the barn. The sound was so deep and growly it scared her, and she thought she probably had a feral and rabid cat on her hands. But it was Sprinkles, her beloved kitty. When he looked down at her nothing changed; not until she spoke. When he heard Linda’s voice he started mewing in his normal tone, a soft little voice. But he could not get down (this should have been easy because he could have just hopped down onto the hay a couple of feet below), and he definitely could not focus his eyes clearly – couldn’t recognize Linda visually. Linda had to climb up and get him. Once in the house Sprinkles couldn’t walk right and still wasn’t seeing properly. Fortunately, Linda’s veterinarian was certified in homeopathy and familiar with vaccine side effects. She immediately identified Sprinkles’ condition as rabies vaccinosis and began treatment with one of the homeopathic remedies for this syndrome. (By the way, of note is that Sprinkles’ last rabies vaccine had been many months before, but the vet said that didn’t matter – the condition could onset at any time.) Although it took Sprinkles a few weeks to get all the way back to normal, there was a change for the better within hours of his first dose of the correct remedy.
This case had a happy ending. But many do not. If your animal ever has a sudden neurological debilitation that your regular veterinarian can’t diagnose or is stumped by, don’t jump first for the steroids – think it through and seek out an alternative vet who might be able to approach the problem from a different angle and save you a lot of heartache.
And go easy on the vaccines, especially rabies, and especially if your animal is not highly exposed or at great risk. For a little more information and food for thought, check out THIS ARTICLE by a highly respected veterinarian in Florida.
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You might also enjoy this article: HOW DO VACCINES REALLY WORK?
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