Those yearly vaccinations may be harming some pets
Bad reactions have vets looking for answers

U.S. association issues new guidelines

BARBARA TURNBULL
LIFE WRITER

Eva Wheatley was walking her Doberman, Fancy, when to her horror three huge lumps appeared on the dog's sides. The lemon-sized lumps were quickly moving toward the animal's heart. Fancy, then aged 5, had received her annual vaccinations a week earlier. Each year Wheatley noticed adverse reactions to the vaccines, but — until that day — believed her veterinarian's assurances that there must be another cause.

She rushed her dog to the vet, who administered a steroid, and the lumps disappeared a day later. After consulting with the Ontario Veterinary College at the University of Guelph, Wheatley was told that her dog should never be vaccinated again.

Today Fancy is 11, healthy and has never received another shot.

"I didn't know that vaccines could cause harm," says Wheatley, who runs a business selling fresh food for dogs.

Although such extreme reactions are rare, a growing body of evidence is suggesting that annual vaccinations are not necessary and, in fact, might not be a good thing.

This is not to say that anyone believes vaccines for animals are not important; quite the contrary. But questions are increasingly being asked about how often those vaccines should be given.

One of the veterinarians to start the debate was Jean Dodds.

A Toronto native and graduate of the Guelph veterinary college, Dodds began specializing in blood issues and immunology as a student in the early 1960s. She spent 27 years in New York in the state health department as a veterinarian, also running the human blood program.

Years ago she relocated to California, operating a health resource centre for dogs and a non-profit animal blood bank that services North America (online at http://www.doglogic.com). Highly regarded throughout the animal world, Dodds fields calls day and night from pet owners and other vets (she lists her home office phone number on her Web site).

"In the last 40 years, as we started adding more vaccines to the mix, we saw more and more vaccine-associated adverse reactions involving the blood and the joints and the brain and a bunch of other things," she says. "The vaccine issue has become paramount, because if we're trying to keep animals healthy by vaccinating them and we're over-vaccinating and producing chronic immune disease, then we're working at cross-purposes."

Evidence shows that some vaccines last for up to seven years; others may last a lifetime, Dodds says. But many, if not most, last three years.

The only vaccination required by law is for rabies, because that can affect human health, but a three-year vaccine for rabies is available.

Although no one disputes the good that vaccines have done in eliminating some epidemics, the fact is the need for annual vaccines is not based on any scientific evidence, experts acknowledge. When vaccines were developed, it was believed frequent boosters did no harm, so that became the common protocol.

Over the years it's become a way for vets to ensure people bring their pets in for an annual exam, which all experts agree is important, whether shots are given or not. With the diagnostic tools available today, many health problems can be prevented with a yearly "wellness" exam.

Following veterinary colleges across the U.S., the American Animal Hospital Association recently released new vaccination guidelines supporting the concept that immunity lasts longer than generally believed. The association also reminds vets and pet owners that vaccines have both benefits and risks, and all adverse effects resulting from vaccinations should be reported.

Vaccine reactions in people have always been reported, but not so for animals, says Paul Woods, associate professor at Guelph's veterinary school. Veterinarians are more likely to report them now, because everyone is interested in discovering how often it happens, he says.

Reactive symptoms can be mild, such as lethargy, vomiting and diarrhea. They can also be quite severe, as in Fancy's case. In the case of cats, vets are seeing a number of cancerous tumours at injection sites, Woods notes.

Vaccines are now separated into "core" and "non-core." Core vaccines are deemed essential, with non-core given only if there's an epidemic in the area. For all vaccines, the age, health, lifestyle and location of the pet should be taken into account, with each considered on a case-by-case basis.

"One of the good things of the vaccines is that they've been so efficient and so effective, the good news is we don't have these diseases running around and we can start to question how much does one really need," Woods says.

Since the evidence is just starting to come in, everyone agrees more research is needed. In the meantime, a blood test exists — called a titre — which shows whether there is still a high enough level of antibodies.

At Vita-Tech, Canada's largest veterinary diagnostic lab, clinical pathologist and veterinarian Tanya Stirtzinger is among those looking for more answers.

"We are making educated guesses, but we are right to question it," she says.