Dog Health: The Potential Dangers Of Your Dog's Vaccinations

Many dogs have allergic reactions that are the direct result of vaccinations. Because of the severity of some of these reactions, vaccines have become a very controversial subject. There are an increasing number of dangers and the veterinary community is becoming more aware of these issues when it comes to routinely giving annual vaccinations.

Any dog has the potential to have an allergic reaction to a vaccine. No two dogs are alike and what one dog may tolerate, another could have a violent reaction from. For many dogs, getting yearly vaccines can produce a myriad of small subtle reactions that build up over time. These reactions get worse with each year the dog is vaccinated. A danger that many dog owners miss is when they choose to have their dog receive many vaccinations all at once, instead of having the veterinarian spacing the shots out over time. This practice creates severe symptoms that may appear anywhere from 10 to 21 days after the shots were given. The symptoms vary, but most often will be signs of joint swelling, lethargy, gastrointestinal upset, lameness, thyroid and adrenal gland diseases, lack of energy, and seizures.

There are Immunologists that are finding a direct correlation between the increase of autoimmune and chronic disease states and the overuse of vaccines. In fact, professional breeders have had their entire litters wiped out after using Parvo vaccines. During the late 1980's, some breeds (notably Rottweilers) who were subjected to weekly doses of the Parvo Vaccine were completely riddled with bone cancers. They died at an average age of four years. The Lyme disease vaccine is thought to have been responsible for the collapse of the immune system in some dogs, and a recent study at Cornell University suggests that treating the disease is less risky than getting the vaccine.

Why are so many puppies treated so heavily with vaccines?

Most all puppies are recommended to go through a large series of vaccinations during their first few months alive. The reasons is because the protection from disease they receive through their mother's milk wears off anytime from six weeks on up to 20 weeks. Once that happens, the puppy is then vulnerable to many diseases. Vaccinating puppies is supposed to protect their health. However, the problem is that maternal antibodies interfere with the efficacy of the vaccines. Because there is no easy way to find out when these maternal bodies stopped working, the vet gives a puppy multiple vaccines in order to protect them when maternal antibodies no longer provide the protection.