Rabies Vaccine Mandatory in Minnesota

minnesota.publicradio.org/.../2011/01/minnesota-plans-statewide-rabies-rule.shtml - 2011-01-12

Apparently there is a plan in the works to mandate rabies vaccinations for all dogs in Minnesota. While I agree that most dogs and cats should get a rabies vaccine, my concern is that this rule will be fueled by fear rather than by science. The purpose of vaccinating our pets against rabies has always been that of public protection. Our pets go outside, potentially tangle with disease-carrying wildlife, and then can bring the disease back home to us, the unsuspecting and unvaccinated owners.
There have been some reports of people surviving bites of rabid animals, and some cases of rabies in humans that have no known bite history, but it's a scary disease that we would rather not get, if we could avoid it. I worry that the emphasis will be on repeating the vaccination for pets who are already immunized. Several years of checking rabies titers, which measure the amount of antibodies an animal has to the rabies virus, has proven to me that the vast majority of animals maintain their immunity to rabies long after vaccination, making repeated vaccination hazardous and unnecessary.
One of the reasons the rabies vaccine works so well, providing immunity in nearly 100% of animals vaccinated, is because it is designed to "pack a punch". It is almost guaranteed to stimulate the immune system to produce antiviral antibodies. It also stimulates body-wide inflammation, and production of antibodies against many other organs and glands. The rabies vaccine commonly causes whole-body soreness, and can make your pet quite ill while the immune system is under siege. I have had cases where animals died aftter receiving the rabies vaccine.
Many pet owners may not be aware that vaccines come with warning inserts, like all drugs. These caution us not to vaccinate animals who are stressed, in poor nutritional health, or ill with any other disease. And yet how many of us veterinarians have vaccinated animals who were stressed (perhaps at a humane society, or on their way to a new, unfamiliar home), in poor nutritional health (as any animal is who is eating a strict processed food diet), and ill (like when you bring your dog in for an ear infection or to refill its thyroid medication and by the way it's due for its shots).
Is the risk of disease in our pets due to the vaccine (which many health practitioners simply do not believe is possible) worth potentially exposing the human population to a disease like rabies? Perhaps. But we can be smarter than we have been about this issue. It has been pretty well proven that repetition of vaccines is, for the most part, unnecessary. We, as the pet owners, must bear the cost of treating the conditions and illnesses that may result from the vaccinations (which we also have to pay for). What is the benefit of repeating the insult to our pets' immune systems?
I think that vaccine-related illness is a real problem that we in the veterinary community will have to admit exists at some point, and that as veterinarians we need to bear some of the responsibility for creating disease and making our clients pay the price, both financially and emotionally. It is not sufficient to say "the vaccine is required by law", because by law we veterinarians are supposed to be using our medical judgement, not cheating our clients, and not injuring our patients. I reserve the right to think before I act.

See http://www.rabieschallengefund.org/

Vaccination Confusion

There's a lot of confusion about vaccines recently. Some say they're good, some say they're bad. A link between childhood vaccines and autism is discovered and then denied. We fear the effects of vaccination and also fear the diseases we vaccinate against.
All I can say about the autism connection is that discovering something new and important that flies in the face of conventional belief is a great way to lose your license to practice medicine. Remember Ignaz Semmelweis, who discovered the link between the lack of hand-washing and disease. He lost his license for daring to suggest that doctors' hands might carry diseases as they went from the autopsy room to the maternity ward. He was so despised by his colleagues that he died in an insane asylum after all the "experts" denied the truth of his findings. Suggesting that there is a cure for cancer that does not involve chemotherapy and/or radiation will get you the same response. How's that war on cancer going?
And what about vaccines? Which should we worry about more? The diseases we might get without them, or the diseases we might get because of them? It's not an easy question to answer. Most publications tell you to discuss the risks and benefits with your veterinarian, who will steer you in the right direction. Really? Can you trust the word of a brainwashing survivor? How prepared is your veterinarian to entertain new concepts, or think new thoughts?
Then there's the fear factor on the part of the veterinarian. What if I tell my client not to vaccinate their pet against XYZ disease, and then their pet goes and gets that disease? This is a real legal risk, as we Americans are no longer required to take responsibility for any of our own actions.This is why we can sue the cigarette companies for holding guns to our heads and forcing us to smoke their toxic products......oh, wait, that's not how that happened......
It seems that there is some progress being made. Fewer people got the flu vaccine this year. There are more and more complaints about those people who are not vaccinating their kids putting all the vaccinated kids at risk of getting the diseases they're vaccinated against (does that make any sense to anybody?).
I hope that in the long run, wisdom - the real product of thought and contemplation and experience and assimilation and incorporation of ideas - will prevail, and we will overcome our collective, reflexive, ineffective fear of disease. This fear leads us to induce disease in order to avoid disease. Fear-driven thought is not logical thought, even though it can be rationalized to look like it. In order to become better, more effective people, we need to be smarter than our fears, and not let our actions be governed by them.
I think we Americans are smarter than we are given credit for. Let's prove it.

Supplements for Puppies and Kittens

It’s hard to convince new owners of puppies and kittens that their pets need supplements. This is because their new friends have the power of youth, and they may seem to do well in spite of poor diets, the chemical onslaught of dewormers and flea treatments,  and vaccines. Sometimes they have the added burden of being spayed or neutered at a very young age.

The diet of modern American children is full of greasy, fatty, unhealthy foods and drinks, yet they are the epitome of beauty in our culture. They have smooth skin, shiny hair, bright eyes, and loads of energy. However, if they continue this way of eating into adulthood, their lousy dietary habits will eventually take their toll. How many of us can eat the way we did in high school and still maintain our figures?

Let’s think of our new pets the same way. Instead of waiting for degenerative diseases to catch up with them, for which we will have to pay the price, why not do what we can to support their health now? The beautiful children of today grow up to be the obese, tired adults of tomorrow. Our curious, intelligent, hyperactive puppies and kittens will likely suffer from arthritis, cognitive degeneration, and a whole host of degenerative conditions long before they are old.

A natural diet, nutritional supplementation, and minimizing vaccinations are the best ways to prevent problems later in life.  A raw food or homemade diet is appropriate for all animals, regardless of age. If there are no known health problems, basic supplements should suffice. These include essential fatty acids, probiotics, enzymes, and a species-appropriate whole food supplement.

Essential fatty acids, such as fish oil, salmon oil, and cod liver oil, are of supreme importance for brain function and cellular repair. They must be included in the diet in order for our pets to be able to learn, grow, and recover completely from the assault of vaccines and other toxins that they may be exposed to, such as household chemicals, x-rays, and insecticides.

Probiotics provide the good bacteria that are necessary for intestinal health. They assist in metabolism, and prevent disease-causing bacteria from growing. Adding probiotics to the diets of young animals has been shown to reduce or eliminate the development of allergies later in life.

Digestive enzymes are vital for the detoxification functions of the liver. If none are provided in the diet, the burden on the animal’s pancreas can be overwhelming.

Whole food supplements provide the vitamins and minerals necessary for growth and development of the immune system directly from foods. They are more digestible and absorbable than the synthetic versions, such as those found in multivitamin tablets or added to processed pet foods. These supplements compensate for any dietary deficiencies, and ensure that our young pets have all the materials that they require to grow into healthy adult companions, and to stay healthy for years to come.