2003 American Holistic Veterinary Conference healing animals & ourselves

Townsend Letter for Doctors and Patients, Jan, 2004 by Jule Klotter

Conference attendees flocked to AHVMA's sessions on vaccines and autoimmune disorders. As in human medicine, vaccination is the center of controversy. Immunologist Ron Schultz, MS, PhD from the veterinary school at the University of Wisconsin (Madison, Wisconsin) has studied vaccines for 30 years and been a consultant for every vaccine manufacturer. From his studies on duration of immunity, which involve titers and challenge tests, he has learned that live attenuated vaccines (MLV) give life-long immunity in dogs and cats if given when maternal antibodies are no longer active (usually by 12 weeks or older) and the animal is healthy. In his studies dogs vaccinated once with distemper and parvo at 12 weeks or older can withstand a severe challenge of concomitant exposure to adenovirus, parvo, and distemper without becoming sick. Such a challenge would kill an unvaccinated puppy within a week. Killed vaccines, except for rabies, usually require two doses or more for immunity. Killed vaccines are most likely to cause hypersensitivity reactions, due to the adjuvant. Dr. Schultz does not recommend rabies vaccines for cats, unless state law requires it. Both the rabies vaccine and the feline leukemia virus vaccine are known to cause sarcoma in cats. Dr. Schultz said it is difficult for a healthy cat over a year old to get leukemia. Vaccines also trigger autoimmune reactions in genetically-susceptible animals.

Although one inoculation is usually enough, the latest recommendations say "not any more than every three years." Many veterinarians rely on yearly vaccination boosters for income and they resist change. As one veterinarian told Dr. Schultz, "if you can get my patients to come in every year, I'll be glad to vaccinate less." Dr. Schultz and others recognize that educating veterinarians and consumers to the unnecessary risks caused by over-vaccination requires time and patience to avoid a backlash from conventional organizations.

Like Dr. Schultz, Jean Dodds, DVM, has been crusading against over-vaccination for years. During her session "Immunology, Diet, and Endocrinology," Dr. Dodds said that genetics, stress, hormones, nutrition, and viruses/vaccines contribute to the rising incidence of autoimmune disorders. Addison's, autoimmune hemolytic anemia, lupus, diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, hypoparathyroiditis, and thyroiditis have become common among pets. Because viral antigens can trigger autoimmune disease in genetically-susceptible animals, Dr. Dodds warns vets to avoid vaccinating during hormonal changes (30 days before estrus, during estrus, pregnancy, lactation) or two weeks before a stressful event (i.e., dog show, airplane flight).

Questions from conference participants reflected their struggle to "do no harm." Many seek vaccine protocols and dosages that provide protection for young, vulnerable animals without triggering autoimmune disease, seizures and aggressive behavior that can accompany autoimmune thyroiditis. Holistic veterinarians also face pressures from uninformed government regulators and pet owners who insist that an animal be vaccinated even though its health history puts the animal at risk for adverse reactions.