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PET VACCINE MYTHS
Myth No. 1
Vaccines protect our dogs against disease, helping to ensure they live long,
healthy, happy lives.
Wrong!
Vaccines only sometimes protect our dogs against disease (if at all). Scientific
studies into human vaccines have shown that just as many vaccinated people, and
sometimes more vaccinated people, contract diseases as do unvaccinated people.
A study conducted by Canine Health Concern during 1997, involving 2,700 dogs,
showed that 68.2% of dogs in the survey with parvovirus contracted it within
three months of being vaccinated. Similarly, 55.6% of dogs with distemper
contracted it within three months of vaccination; 63.6% contracted hepatitis
within three months of vaccination; 50% contracted parainfluenza within three
months of vaccination; and every single dog with leptospirosis contracted it
within that three month timeframe.
So vaccines represent - at best - only a 50/50 chance of protection. But if you
doubt the validity of the CHC survey, ask around. It won't take long to find
people whose dogs contracted these diseases shortly after being vaccinated. In a
parvo vaccine trial conducted by Dr Ronald D Schultz, head of pathobiology at
Wisconsin University, three out of six parvo vaccine brands totally failed to
give protection; two gave only partial protection; and only one was shown to be
effective.
Myth No. 2.
Vaccines have eradicated epidemics.
Wrong!
Vaccine manufacturers like to claim this. But research shows that vaccines are
generally introduced after the disease has died out: diseases die out after 67%
of a population has been exposed to it. The smallpox vaccine is often quoted as
having eradicated smallpox. In fact, scientists stopped using it when they
finally admitted that it was causing too many side-effects.
Only then did the disease die out.
There are strong arguments to suggest that vaccines keep diseases in the
eco-system. For example, the only cause of polio in the USA today is the vaccine
itself. (You can get polio if you change the nappy of a baby who has recently
been vaccinated against polio.) Vaccines also shed into the environment, so a
vaccinated or unvaccinated dog or cat can contract a disease from the urine and
faeces of a vaccinated dog or cat.
Myth No. 3.
Vaccines are extremely safe.
Wrong!
No-one can legitimately claim that vaccines are safe - because no-one has
conducted the necessary research to make that claim. There are no long-term
studies to show the long-term effects of vaccines on humans, let alone dogs.
Myth No. 4.
Only a tiny minority of genetically-susceptible dogs will suffer adverse
reactions to vaccines.
Wrong!
Whilst some dogs will have genetic weaknesses that make vaccines more dangerous
to them, there are many other factors which can put your dog at risk.
Vaccine manufacturers warn, in their data sheets, that the following factors can
render vaccines harmful (they use the phrase, "immunocompetence may be
compromised" ):
if the dog is genetically defective
if there is something wrong with the dog's diet
if the dog was unhealthy when vaccinated
if the dog is stressed at time of injection
if the dog's immune system is incompetent
if the dog is exposed to a virus shortly after vaccination
if the dog is taking immune suppressant drugs such as steroids
if the vet stores and handles the vaccine inappropriately
if the dog is incubating disease at the time of vaccination
And if no-one is recording the adverse effects of vaccines effectively, then how
can anyone say only a 'tiny minority' have adverse reactions? In the UK, vets
are asked (not compelled) to report adverse reactions if they suspect an adverse
vaccine reaction. If a dog falls down having an epileptic fit within half an
hour, ten days, or a month of vaccination, the vet very often fails to suspect a
link - even though vaccines are known to cause epilepsy, and the human Vaccine
Damage Compensation Unit has paid up to £30,000 to parents whose children were
made epileptic by vaccines. Even if the vet does suspect a link, there is no law
to make him report the suspected reaction. Many vets are too busy to complete
the necessary paperwork. The same applies to other diseases which many
scientists contend are vaccine-related - such as skin disease, arthritis,
cancer, encephalitis, etc.
Myth No. 5.
"I am a vet, and I have only seen one vaccine reaction in 20 years' of
practice."
Wrong!
you only think you have seen one vaccine reaction in twenty years of practice!
Vets have been trained to look for an immediate reaction - where the dog is
allergic to the vaccine (this allergy is the basis for the genetic link claim).
In the event of an allergic reaction - sometimes called anaphylaxis or a
hypersensitivity reaction - the vet is advised to inject adrenalin into the
animal to save his life.
Because vaccine components can remain in the system for long periods of time,
and because most of these disease take time to show themselves, causal link is
rarely established. Unless, that is, scientists take the time (despite fears
that their funding might be withdrawn by the pharmaceutical industry) to study
the facts.
Research papers published by eminent scientists show that the following diseases
can be caused by vaccines:
Autoimmune haemolytic anaemia
- a dreadful disease that usually kills a dog within days. Progress of the
disease closely resembles the last stages of AIDS. Cancer - Dr Denis W Macey was
reported in an American veterinary paper as saying that up to 22,000 cats
develop cancer at the site of vaccination every year in the USA.
The Salk Polio Vaccine
administered to thousands of people in the 1950s and '60s was contaminated with
a Simian (monkey) retrovirus (called SV40) that has been found at human cancer
sites. An Avian (bird) retrovirus has also been found at human cancer sites,
suspected to have come from the MMR vaccine. Monkey kidneys, chick embryos, dog
brains and kidney, and cat brains and kidneys are all commonly used as vaccine
culture media. If the animal used as a culture medium for vaccines carries a
retrovirus and this is undetected and left in the vaccine, the vaccine can
permanently alter the genes of the animal or human receiving the vaccine.
Genetic defects
- The significance of vaccines' gene altering potential is alarming. For
example, SV40 has been found at cancer sites belonging to the children of people
who received the SV40-contaminated Salk Polio vaccine. SV40 switches off the
part of the DNA that protects from cancer, and this defect can be inherited.
Although the British government was informed that the polio vaccine was
contaminated at the time, they took the decision to use it anyway. Records have
now been destroyed (to protect the guilty?). Once it was decided it was too
risky to continue using the contaminated vaccine on the UK population, it was
sold overseas to unsuspecting 'foreigners'.
So God help your dog. Thyroid disease is inheritable; and this can be caused by
vaccines. Once a dog has underlying thyroid disease, he or she only needs a
trigger - from a vaccine, an environmental pollutant, from stress, or from
dietary inadequacies - to develop full-blown autoimmune diseases. Thyroid
disease can often be undetected. For example, behavioural problems, hormonal
imbalances, nymphomania, and coat loss can by symptoms of thyroid disease, but
are often treated at face value without establishing the underlying cause.
Leukaemia
- Dr Jean Dodds, one of the world's foremost experts in canine vaccine
reactions, says: "Recent vaccinations with single or combination modified live
virus (MLV) vaccines are increasingly recognised contributors to immune-mediated
blood diseases, bone marrow failure, and organ dysfunction."
Dr Dodds lists leukaemia, thyroid disease, Addison's disease, diabetes, and
lymphoma as diseases that can be triggered by vaccines.
Parvovirus
- yes, parvovirus was created by vaccines. This disease didn't exist prior to
the 1970s. In fact, scientists tell us it was created by vaccine manufacturers
who cultured the distemper vaccine on cat kidneys that were infected with feline
enteritis. This cat-enteritis-diseased distemper vaccine was then injected into
dogs around the world, and parvovirus reared its ugly head around the world at
the same time. Similarly, human AIDS is thought by some scientists to be a
vaccine-induced plague. HIV (humans), FIV (cats), and SIV (monkeys) are closely
related viruses. Two separate scientific papers link the emergence of HIV in
humans with the use of SIV-infected polio vaccines (cultured on monkey kidneys)
on male homosexuals in New York, and innocent citizens of the Belgian Congo.
Arthritis
- If there is a history of arthritis, epilepsy or allergies in a human family,
doctors will often refrain from vaccinating a child. Arthritis is an
inflammatory (hypersensitivity/allergy) disease. Vaccines contain various
components, including serum (often bovine serum posing a BSE type threat),
formaldehyde, aluminium, and mercury. Is it any wonder that an animal might
become hypersensitive or inflamed after having these poisons injected into hm?
According to one vaccine manufacturer, vaccines that are cultured on animal
tissue can contain 'extraneous proteins' that can cause autoimmune diseases.
Arthritis is an autoimmune disease, and it was found in the CHC survey to
manifest in clusters nine months after vaccination. Animals with a genetic
pre-disposition to allergies (ie 'people' from families with a history of
irritable bowel syndrome/Crohns disease/enteritis, asthma, hay fever, eczema,
and so on), can become more allergic, or become highly sensitised, when you
inject foreign proteins (serums and organ tissue) into them. Veterinary manuals
talk openly about serum reactions.
Allergies
- There are many, many research papers showing a link between allergies and
vaccines.
In 1983, for example, Frick and Brooks published a paper to show that inhalant
allergies (such as atopic dermatitis) have developed in dogs when vaccinated
with distemper, hepatitis and leptospirosis vaccines just prior to, but not
after, exposure to pollen extracts. 'Atopic' means an inherited pre-disposition
to produce excess amounts of IgE antibodies in response to antigens (the things
the animal is allergic to such as pollen, flea bites, dust mites, etc.). As a
result the allergic individuals suffer chronically irritating skin
inflammations. Other organs may exhibit signs of hypersensitivity causing, for
example, conjunctivitis or rhinitis. Homoeopathic vets treat a large proportion
of skin problems as 'vaccinosis' (a morbid reaction to vaccines).
Epilepsy
- As stated earlier, it is scientifically recognised that vaccines can cause
epilepsy in humans. Dr Hans Selye published a famous paper in 'Nature' in 1936
which explained how an organism will react to a massive challenge (such as a
vaccine). Every system of the body springs into action, and a hormone called DOC
can be released. This hormone can cause brain lesions and destruction of large
parts of the brain. Epilepsy is a neurological (brain) condition. In addition,
this brain damage can lead to behavioural problems. Harris L Coulter has
published a very convincing argument to suggest that unprovoked aggression in
humans has its base in encephalitis (inflammation of the brain) caused by
vaccines.
Myth No. 6.
Vaccine manufacturers have to undergo stringent procedures and tests to ensure
safety.
Wrong!
OK, partly true . . . vaccine manufacturers have to go through safety procedures
and tests, but to claim that these tests are stringent is highly subjective.
How, then, did SV40 get through; how did the avian virus get into the MMR
vaccine; how did parvovirus slip through the net; and how did AIDS suddenly
arrive from nowhere? In actual fact, no-one is permitted (in the UK at least) to
test the viral component of a veterinary vaccine except a vaccine manufacturer.
They are the only ones with a license to do it. This means that if you suspect a
vaccine killed your puppy, you have to take the vaccine company's word for it if
they say it didn't.
There's no-one to go to if you want an independent check.
Myth No. 7.
It's better to risk a vaccine reaction than subject my dog to these deadly
killer diseases.
Wrong!
Firstly, very few of the classic canine diseases are deadly.
Parvovirus is only generally deadly to puppies and, as maternal antibody can be
present for as many as 22 weeks, and as maternal antibody cancels out the
vaccine, vaccinated puppies are unlikely to be protected from parvovirus. Adult
dogs rarely die from parvovirus.
Distemper kills only half of affected dogs. Indeed, dogs most susceptible to
disease are those who are fed poor quality processed foods (and don't imagine
that price equals quality). A dog fed a natural diet, containing 'real' food, is
most able to combat any viral challenges. Also, please be aware that there is an
alternative to a highly risky vaccine - this is discussed later. Clinical signs
of hepatitis and parainfluenza range from mild and invisible to death (the flu
rarely kills; hepatitis can be caused by a range of factors, including poor
diet, and the vaccine doesn't protect against all of the other dangers).
Secondly, no-one knows how common these diseases are. No-one records their
existence.
Leptospirosis, for example, is extremely rare (apart from which, leptospirosis
is a range of over a hundred bacterins; the chances of the strain in the needle
matching the strain in the field are remote; and the vaccine only confers
protection for between three and six months, leaving vaccinated dogs
'unprotected' for up to nine months anyway). Vaccines have also been known to
cause the diseases they were designed to prevent. This happens when a vaccine is
injected into an animal with a suppressed immune system (caused by genetic
factors, poor diet, stress, existing illness, etc.); or when the vaccine
manufacturer fails to render the viral component of the vaccine harmless in the
lab. In the latter instance, the vaccine is withdrawn after it has killed 'more
dogs than normally expected' (in the words of one vaccine manufacturer as it
withdrew its vaccine).
Canine Health Concern's vaccine survey indicated that at least one in every
hundred dogs is damaged by vaccines. As no-one has any statistics to suggest
otherwise, it should be up to vets and vaccine manufacturers to prove vaccines
are safe - and not the other way round. We whose dogs have died or suffered
chronic debilitating diseases shouldn't have to take their word for it when the
vaccine manufacturers deny responsibility. Our concerns should be taken
seriously, and not strenuously denied in the face of overwhelming evidence.
Myth No. 8.
The homoeopathic vaccine alternative is unproven.
Wrong!
Existing research and experience shows that the homoeopathic nosode is as
protective - but probably more protective - than vaccines. Whereas the medical
and veterinary 'professions' receive huge sums of money from international
multi-billion dollar pharmaceutical conglomerates, please note that homoeopaths
do not. Rather, vets who trust the less expensive homoeopathic alternative
suffer serious financial loss by refusing to sell highly lucrative annual
boosters. A growing number of dog lovers are beginning to choose the
homoeopathic alternative to vaccines. Some have been using the nosode for up to
twenty years, and claim that they have never had a problem.
Myth No. 9.
You should vaccinate your dog every year.
Wrong!
If you hear nothing else, if you can accept nothing else, please know that
annual vaccination is not necessary. Please do not subject your dogs to the
vaccine risk year after year until they drop.
Once immunity to a virus exists, it persists for the lifetime of the host. In
the case of leptospirosis (a bacterial disease), I have already explained that
the vaccine is virtually useless and therefore not worth the risk.
One American veterinary vaccine manufacturer has made a public announcement,
saying that it no longer recommends annual vaccination. Several American
veterinary colleges have announced the same, in reaction to consumer pressure
and fears over adverse reactions. One veterinary college said that annual
vaccination has no scientific basis, and we might as well have chosen 'every
full moon' to stick the needle in. And please be aware that a vaccine
administered to a puppy, when his immune system is immature, is probably the
most harmful jab of all, capable of wreaking havoc - havoc that you might not be
able to detect immediately.
Myth No. 10
My doctor/vet knows best.
Wrong!
Doctors and vets are trained in a very specific healing discipline. They know a
little about pharmaceuticals, and some of them know about surgery.
But they rely upon the pharmaceutical industry to tell them which drugs to use
in which circumstances. When a conventionally trained scientist tells you that
homoeopathy doesn't work, you may as well ask your butcher whether electricity
works - the fact is, conventional vets rarely have any knowledge of homoeopathy
to base their opinions on. Homoeopaths do not claim to be able to reverse all
vaccine damage, and conventional vets - not even recognising vaccine damage -
have little success.
Once you've administered the needle, you can never change your mind. Please
STUDY THE FACTS, don't live to regret it.
If dogs could talk it would take a lot of fun out of owning one.
- - - Andy Rooney
Prairie dogs are not dogs. A prairie dog is a kind of rodent.
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