Re: what have I done to my cat?

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Annual vaccinations may harm your pet

Inoculating your dog annually sometimes can do more harm than good.

Experts say it's best to customize a program for your pet.

Flaim

Animal House

April 3, 2006

In her popular agility classes, Marcy Pratt of Lido Beach teaches dog

owners to zoom their corgis through tunnels and sail their Australian

shepherds over jumps.

But as she chatted with the handlers on the sidelines, she realized

there was another area they needed help navigating.

" I found that most of them had their dogs vaccinated for everything,

every year, " Pratt says, even though the trend in veterinary medicine

has been to tailor vaccine programs to a dog's lifestyle and risk. " And

I had a couple of students whose dogs had had adverse reactions,

including one that almost died. "

The clarion call among veterinarians in recent years has been a

movement away from reflexive annual " shots " and toward a more

individualized approach: In its 2002 vaccine report for dogs and cats,

the American Veterinary Medical Association rejected the idea of

" one-size-fits-all " protocols, suggested that unnecessary

overstimulation of the immune system might incur health risks, and

divided vaccines into " core " and " non-core " categories.

A year later, the American Animal Hospital Association went a step

further: In its landmark Canine Vaccination Guidelines, it added a

third category - not recommended at all - and gave suggested intervals

of vaccination for each vaccine. Earlier this year, the association

published an update of the guidelines, adding some new information

about specific vaccines and the vaccination needs of shelter dogs.

The original 2003 guidelines were " largely driven by the veterinary

profession understanding that the way we have always done things may

not be the way they will continue to be done, " says veterinarian

P. s of Riverside, Calif., the association's president.

The fact that the 2003 protocols did not result in any obvious disease

outbreaks reinforces the guidelines' message that " less is better, " he

says.

But as far as Pratt could tell from her students' stories, practice

hasn't caught up with theory. So she organized a seminar by veterinary

immunologist Ron Schultz of the University of Wisconsin School of

Veterinary in Madison, arguably the expert's expert in the field of

canine epidemiology. Since the 1970s, Schultz has conducted trials for

manufacturers to determine duration of immunity, and he was on the task

force that updated the association's guidelines. Seventy-five people

attended the March 18 lecture in a church gym in Syosset; Pratt says a

couple of local vets bought tickets, but she didn't see any in the

audience.

Guidelines vs. habits

Schultz says that while some vets have kept up with changing times,

old habits die hard. " We have a lot of work yet to change the attitudes

of most vets in practice. We are trying to get them away from the

annual thing and get them to understand that immunity doesn't stop on

the precise day " that the vaccine expires.

The association's guidelines identify four vaccines as " core, " or

critical for every puppy to receive: distemper, parvovirus,

adenovirus-2 and rabies. For the first three, the guidelines recommend

a puppy series, a one-year booster and then revaccination no more

frequently than every three years, if not less often. (There is no such

flexibility with rabies, which, by New York State law, must be

administered every three years.)

The remaining vaccines in the marketplace are either not recommended,

or are considered " non-core, " meaning that a dog's individual situation

might require them. A pooch who lives in an area where leptospirosis is

endemic - including parts of Long Island - might be a candidate for

that short-lived vaccine; ditto for one owned by globe-hoppers who

spends time at a boarding facility where bordetella (kennel cough) is a

constant possibility.

Schultz says some vets resist this nuanced approach to vaccination

because of habit and economics. Urging a client to come in for annual

shots is more compelling than a postcard cheerily announcing that it's

" wellness exam " time.

" There's no evidence that a one-year requirement improves compliance

with vaccination, " Schultz adds. " At one point, it was thought if we

make people vaccinate every year, we're going to vaccinate more dogs.

What it turned out to be was that we were having the same dogs

revaccinated annually. "

Labels aren't guidelines

Another problem is byzantine labeling and clever marketing on the part

of vaccine manufacturers.

" The label means nothing, " Schultz says simply, noting that vaccines

licensed for one year and three years are often the same product. " The

label has an arbitrary and capricious annual revaccination requirement,

and it takes an act of Congress to take it off " - literally. Schultz

says the Department of Agriculture has applied to remove the language,

a legislative process that he estimates will take seven years.

While many veterinary colleges have moved toward vaccine protocols of

every three years for core vaccines that are " modified live viruses, "

or MLV, such a parvo, distemper and adenovirus, others suggest that

immunity lasts far longer - Schultz among them. " Duration of immunity

is whatever is determined by the studies, and those studies show that

duration of immunity is seven to nine years, which is a lifetime. "

Too much, too soon

Veterinary immunologist Dodds of Santa , Calif., another

popular lecturer on the vaccine topic, stresses that overvaccination

can overwhelm the immune systems of dogs, in particular certain

purebreds that are genetically predisposed to adverse reactions. (In a

recent study by veterinarian of Purdue University in West

Lafayette, Ind., dachshunds, pugs, Boston terriers, miniature pinschers

and Chihuahuas showed the highest rate of adverse effects to vaccines.)

" The recently weaned young puppy or kitten entering a new environment

is at greater risk here, as its relatively immature immune system can

be temporarily or more permanently harmed, " says Dodds. " Consequences

in later life may be the increased susceptibility to chronic

debilitating diseases. "

Dodds adds that because vaccine labels themselves state that vaccines

should only be given to healthy animals, owners should not vaccinate

chronically ill animals, adding that they can even apply to their state

for a waiver of the rabies vaccine requirement if their vet writes a

letter documenting the animal's frail health.

For owners who worry about their dogs' immunity lapsing, Dodds

recommends titers, or blood tests that can measure antibody levels.

But being progressive while the rest of the world inches to catch up

can be frustrating. Tragesser, 50, of Lynbrook, takes her

8-year-old golden retriever, Dillon, to Pratt's classes. She says her

vet has " never been one to push vaccination, " and Dillon gets a booster

only every three years. With a new puppy on the horizon, and Dillon

getting on in years, Tragesser is thinking of titering for " core "

diseases such as distemper, parvo and adenovirus.

" If you want to do activities with your dog, you need proof of current

vaccination, " including the above trio, Tragesser says. The group that

certifies Dillon as a therapy dog will not accept titers as proof that

he is adequately protected, and so she will have to choose between

doing what she feels is best for him health-wise - and letting him make

visits to hospitals and nursing homes.

As for Pratt, she's left with the acronym that Schultz used to open

his lecture. " He said every dog needs TLV - training, love and

vaccination, " she says.

The key is that only the middle one needs to be unlimited.

To read the American Animal Hospital Association's complete 2006

Canine Vaccination Guidelines, go to www.aah anet.org.

LESS IS MORE FOR CATS, TOO

When it comes to progressive attitudes about vaccination, cats were

way out ahead.

" We were the first out with vaccination guidelines in 1997-98, " says

veterinarian s of the Cornell Feline Health Center in

Ithaca, N.Y., and past president of the American Association of Feline

Practitioners.

One of the motivators was the incidence of injection-site sarcomas in

cats. " Even though it's a rare event " - s puts the " best

estimate " at one to three out of every 10,000 vaccinated cats

developing cancer at the vaccination site - " it's a very serious one. "

As with dogs, reflexively vaccinating felines was the order of the day

until 15 or so years ago. " Back when I started as a vet, we had

vaccines for three or four infectious cat diseases, and we didn't think

a whole lot about how often they needed to be given, " he says. " At this

moment, we have vaccines for 10, in various combinations. "

s urges cat owners to think about vaccines as a double-edged

sword: necessary medical procedures that also have their risks and

downsides. " Vaccination is an elective medical procedure that's going

to be individual for each critter instead of a knee-jerk sort of thing.

Becoming informed yourself is very important. "

To that end, he encourages cat owners to discuss vaccination with

their vet - and if their vet is unresponsive to their questions, to

find someone who does respond. A good starting point for discussion is

the current association guidelines, available at www.aafponline.org -

for now, at least. s is convening an international panel of

feline specialists to revisit the guidelines, a process he hopes to

complete by summer.

While he doesn't know precisely what the update will say, he can guess

the tune: " The key is using the right vaccines absolutely only as often

as we need, " he concludes. " Most assuredly, less is more. "

- Flaim

Copyright 2006 Newsday Inc.

On May 20, 2006, at 7:47 PM, Maurine Meleck wrote:

> He must be on a guilt trip.  I hope you put a large bug inhis ear

> today.

>

> Debi <fightingautism@...> wrote:Well, I took her back today. I

> asked the vet if it's normal for cats

>> to have vaccine reactions. She had not ate or drank since we got home

>> yesterday. The vet said, " It's not that she's allergic per se, it's

>> that vaccines are designed to create an immune response such that

>> antibodies develop; in your cat, that immune response is going

>> overboard... " I finally said, " Look, my middle daughter got autism at

>> 9 mos from a hepb shot. I finally got the nerve up to get this cat

>> vaccinated (we've had her for a year) and this happens. I really think

>> God is trying to tell me something, I need to add my cats to the list

>> of no vaccines. "

>>

>> They don't have a clue what we go through. This brought up all sorts

>> of stuff emotionally.

>>

>> He gave her an IV, two other shots (one is an antibiotic, other was a

>> steriod). Then gave me prescrip of antibiotics to " prevent secondary

>> infection. " Gotta hand it to the vet though, charged me $12.

>>

>> Debi

>>

>>

>>

>>

>>

>

> Messenger with Voice. PC-to-Phone calls for ridiculously low

> rates.

>

>

[Guest guest]

So, ask PETA to stand with us concerning thimerosal in infant vaccines. They may even join us in a few rallies and marches, provided Benito and Lenny pledge to wear proper attire instead of trying show up with cabbage leaves patching their naughty bits.

Re: Re: what have I done to my cat?

http://www.newsday.com/news/columnists/ny-adcova4687741apr03,0,3536936,print.column?coll=ny-rightrail-columnist

HomepageAnnual vaccinations may harm your petInoculating your dog annually sometimes can do more harm than good. Experts say it's best to customize a program for your pet. FlaimAnimal House

April 3, 2006In her popular agility classes, Marcy Pratt of Lido Beach teaches dog owners to zoom their corgis through tunnels and sail their Australian shepherds over jumps.But as she chatted with the handlers on the sidelines, she realized there was another area they needed help navigating."I found that most of them had their dogs vaccinated for everything, every year," Pratt says, even though the trend in veterinary medicine has been to tailor vaccine programs to a dog's lifestyle and risk. "And I had a couple of students whose dogs had had adverse reactions, including one that almost died."The clarion call among veterinarians in recent years has been a movement away from reflexive annual "shots" and toward a more individualized approach: In its 2002 vaccine report for dogs and cats, the American Veterinary Medical Association rejected the idea of "one-size-fits-all" protocols, suggested that unnecessary overstimulation of the immune system might incur health risks, and divided vaccines into "core" and "non-core" categories.A year later, the American Animal Hospital Association went a step further: In its landmark Canine Vaccination Guidelines, it added a third category - not recommended at all - and gave suggested intervals of vaccination for each vaccine. Earlier this year, the association published an update of the guidelines, adding some new information about specific vaccines and the vaccination needs of shelter dogs.The original 2003 guidelines were "largely driven by the veterinary profession understanding that the way we have always done things may not be the way they will continue to be done," says veterinarian P. s of Riverside, Calif., the association's president. The fact that the 2003 protocols did not result in any obvious disease outbreaks reinforces the guidelines' message that "less is better," he says.But as far as Pratt could tell from her students' stories, practice hasn't caught up with theory. So she organized a seminar by veterinary immunologist Ron Schultz of the University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary in Madison, arguably the expert's expert in the field of canine epidemiology. Since the 1970s, Schultz has conducted trials for manufacturers to determine duration of immunity, and he was on the task force that updated the association's guidelines. Seventy-five people attended the March 18 lecture in a church gym in Syosset; Pratt says a couple of local vets bought tickets, but she didn't see any in the audience.Guidelines vs. habitsSchultz says that while some vets have kept up with changing times, old habits die hard. "We have a lot of work yet to change the attitudes of most vets in practice. We are trying to get them away from the annual thing and get them to understand that immunity doesn't stop on the precise day" that the vaccine expires.The association's guidelines identify four vaccines as "core," or critical for every puppy to receive: distemper, parvovirus, adenovirus-2 and rabies. For the first three, the guidelines recommend a puppy series, a one-year booster and then revaccination no more frequently than every three years, if not less often. (There is no such flexibility with rabies, which, by New York State law, must be administered every three years.)The remaining vaccines in the marketplace are either not recommended, or are considered "non-core," meaning that a dog's individual situation might require them. A pooch who lives in an area where leptospirosis is endemic - including parts of Long Island - might be a candidate for that short-lived vaccine; ditto for one owned by globe-hoppers who spends time at a boarding facility where bordetella (kennel cough) is a constant possibility.Schultz says some vets resist this nuanced approach to vaccination because of habit and economics. Urging a client to come in for annual shots is more compelling than a postcard cheerily announcing that it's "wellness exam" time."There's no evidence that a one-year requirement improves compliance with vaccination," Schultz adds. "At one point, it was thought if we make people vaccinate every year, we're going to vaccinate more dogs. What it turned out to be was that we were having the same dogs revaccinated annually."Labels aren't guidelinesAnother problem is byzantine labeling and clever marketing on the part of vaccine manufacturers."The label means nothing," Schultz says simply, noting that vaccines licensed for one year and three years are often the same product. "The label has an arbitrary and capricious annual revaccination requirement, and it takes an act of Congress to take it off" - literally. Schultz says the Department of Agriculture has applied to remove the language, a legislative process that he estimates will take seven years.While many veterinary colleges have moved toward vaccine protocols of every three years for core vaccines that are "modified live viruses," or MLV, such a parvo, distemper and adenovirus, others suggest that immunity lasts far longer - Schultz among them. "Duration of immunity is whatever is determined by the studies, and those studies show that duration of immunity is seven to nine years, which is a lifetime."Too much, too soonVeterinary immunologist Dodds of Santa , Calif., another popular lecturer on the vaccine topic, stresses that overvaccination can overwhelm the immune systems of dogs, in particular certain purebreds that are genetically predisposed to adverse reactions. (In a recent study by veterinarian of Purdue University in West Lafayette, Ind., dachshunds, pugs, Boston terriers, miniature pinschers and Chihuahuas showed the highest rate of adverse effects to vaccines.)"The recently weaned young puppy or kitten entering a new environment is at greater risk here, as its relatively immature immune system can be temporarily or more permanently harmed," says Dodds. "Consequences in later life may be the increased susceptibility to chronic debilitating diseases."Dodds adds that because vaccine labels themselves state that vaccines should only be given to healthy animals, owners should not vaccinate chronically ill animals, adding that they can even apply to their state for a waiver of the rabies vaccine requirement if their vet writes a letter documenting the animal's frail health.For owners who worry about their dogs' immunity lapsing, Dodds recommends titers, or blood tests that can measure antibody levels.But being progressive while the rest of the world inches to catch up can be frustrating. Tragesser, 50, of Lynbrook, takes her 8-year-old golden retriever, Dillon, to Pratt's classes. She says her vet has "never been one to push vaccination," and Dillon gets a booster only every three years. With a new puppy on the horizon, and Dillon getting on in years, Tragesser is thinking of titering for "core" diseases such as distemper, parvo and adenovirus."If you want to do activities with your dog, you need proof of current vaccination," including the above trio, Tragesser says. The group that certifies Dillon as a therapy dog will not accept titers as proof that he is adequately protected, and so she will have to choose between doing what she feels is best for him health-wise - and letting him make visits to hospitals and nursing homes.As for Pratt, she's left with the acronym that Schultz used to open his lecture. "He said every dog needs TLV - training, love and vaccination," she says.The key is that only the middle one needs to be unlimited.To read the American Animal Hospital Association's complete 2006 Canine Vaccination Guidelines, go to www.aah anet.org.LESS IS MORE FOR CATS, TOOWhen it comes to progressive attitudes about vaccination, cats were way out ahead."We were the first out with vaccination guidelines in 1997-98," says veterinarian s of the Cornell Feline Health Center in Ithaca, N.Y., and past president of the American Association of Feline Practitioners.One of the motivators was the incidence of injection-site sarcomas in cats. "Even though it's a rare event" - s puts the "best estimate" at one to three out of every 10,000 vaccinated cats developing cancer at the vaccination site - "it's a very serious one. "As with dogs, reflexively vaccinating felines was the order of the day until 15 or so years ago. "Back when I started as a vet, we had vaccines for three or four infectious cat diseases, and we didn't think a whole lot about how often they needed to be given," he says. "At this moment, we have vaccines for 10, in various combinations. "s urges cat owners to think about vaccines as a double-edged sword: necessary medical procedures that also have their risks and downsides. "Vaccination is an elective medical procedure that's going to be individual for each critter instead of a knee-jerk sort of thing. Becoming informed yourself is very important. "To that end, he encourages cat owners to discuss vaccination with their vet - and if their vet is unresponsive to their questions, to find someone who does respond. A good starting point for discussion is the current association guidelines, available at www.aafponline.org - for now, at least. s is convening an international panel of feline specialists to revisit the guidelines, a process he hopes to complete by summer.While he doesn't know precisely what the update will say, he can guess the tune: "The key is using the right vaccines absolutely only as often as we need," he concludes. "Most assuredly, less is more."- FlaimCopyright 2006 Newsday Inc.On May 20, 2006, at 7:47 PM, Maurine Meleck wrote:

He must be on a guilt trip. I hope you put a large bug inhis ear today.Debi <fightingautism@...> wrote:Well, I took her back today. I asked the vet if it's normal for cats

to have vaccine reactions. She had not ate or drank since we got homeyesterday. The vet said, "It's not that she's allergic per se, it'sthat vaccines are designed to create an immune response such thatantibodies develop; in your cat, that immune response is goingoverboard..." I finally said, "Look, my middle daughter got autism at9 mos from a hepb shot. I finally got the nerve up to get this catvaccinated (we've had her for a year) and this happens. I really thinkGod is trying to tell me something, I need to add my cats to the listof no vaccines."They don't have a clue what we go through. This brought up all sortsof stuff emotionally.He gave her an IV, two other shots (one is an antibiotic, other was asteriod). Then gave me prescrip of antibiotics to "prevent secondaryinfection." Gotta hand it to the vet though, charged me $12.Debi Messenger with Voice. PC-to-Phone calls for ridiculously low rates.

[Guest guest]

OMG, Debi, a steroid shot?? Poor thing!

If you've ever considered using homeopathy, you might try giving her

a dose or two of homeopathic thuja. I have some I'll give you or

Earthfare has it.

It can't hurt her (unlike those damn shots), and it might help.

>

> Well, I took her back today. I asked the vet if it's normal for

cats

> to have vaccine reactions. She had not ate or drank since we got

home

> yesterday. The vet said, " It's not that she's allergic per se, it's

> that vaccines are designed to create an immune response such that

> antibodies develop; in your cat, that immune response is going

> overboard... " I finally said, " Look, my middle daughter got autism

at

> 9 mos from a hepb shot. I finally got the nerve up to get this cat

> vaccinated (we've had her for a year) and this happens. I really

think

> God is trying to tell me something, I need to add my cats to the

list

> of no vaccines. "

>

> They don't have a clue what we go through. This brought up all

sorts

> of stuff emotionally.

>

> He gave her an IV, two other shots (one is an antibiotic, other

was a

> steriod). Then gave me prescrip of antibiotics to " prevent

secondary

> infection. " Gotta hand it to the vet though, charged me $12.

>

> Debi

>