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If you're similar to most pet owners today, you're probably finding the whole pet vaccine issue more and more confusing. Your conventional veterinarian tells you in no uncertain terms that "as a responsible pet owner, you must do the right thing and follow my advice: vaccinate your pet every year" with annual booster shots. On top of that, you've also heard the horror stories about pets who have developed cancer at the site of vaccine injections, and a number of other stories about adverse vaccine reactions in both dogs and cats. Are we vaccinating our pets too often? Are we giving them too many vaccines? Are veterinarians doing what is best for our pets' health, or is this just about the 'bottom line'? There are several different points of view, and they are often contradictory. Most veterinarians are telling pet owners to vaccinate yearly, that vaccines do not and will not harm your pets. Many even tell pet owners to vaccinate casually, that "at worst, they won't cause any harm". The evidence from current studies, and the experience of many individual veterinarians and other pet health practitioners, clearly suggests otherwise. Why are we vaccinating our pets? First, a basic understanding of vaccines - and why we vaccinate in the first place - is important. The reason we vaccinate our pets is to protect against infectious disease. When a vaccine is given, it stimulates the immune system to produce "Opposite Invaders", called antibodies. The new antibody is produced just for that particular virus. Thereafter, if your dog or cat is exposed to the actual virus, he will be able to respond quickly, producing antibodies to overcome the infection before it takes hold. In theory, vaccines sound wonderful, if they are able to protect our pets from life threatening diseases such as rabies and parvovirus. And in that sense, they are, because vaccines have saved countless lives. So if that is the case, what are the drawbacks - what is the reason for caution? The drawbacks of vaccines We simply need to open our eyes to see the evidence. With current medical advancements we've made, our pets should be healthier than ever. But in reality, our pets are sicker than they have ever been. It's common to see cancer in cats and dogs at less than 5 years of age. Diseases including skin cancer, immune mediated skin disease, immune mediated hemolytic anemia, leukemia, allergies, arthritis, neurological conditions, and inflammatory bowel disease are just a few of the diseases that seem to have a link to over-vaccination. There are links to many common chronic pet health diseases because of over-vaccination. The belief behind this is that when we vaccinate, the immune system can become 'over-taxed' and may respond inappropriately, especially when multiple vaccines are given at once. Many pet owners see adverse reactions immediately after their pet has been vaccinated, including vomiting, diarrhea, and abscesses at the site of the vaccine injection. In others, it shows up later, in the form of a multitude of various diseases. One study has shown that the more vaccines given at once, the higher the risk of developing sarcoma (soft-tissue cancer) - up to approximately a 175% increase if administered in the same location. Over-vaccination may not be the only reason for our sick pets today, but it is a major factor. There are many other reasons, including environmental toxins, low quality food, and genetic deterioration because of poor quality breeding. In combination these factors are leaving each generation more susceptible to congenital disorders and chronic disease. But clearly, we are vaccinating our pets far too often, and for more diseases than they truthfully need. Why we over-vaccinate The reasons are many, and include the original belief that "at worst, vaccines will not cause your pet any harm", to the bottom line of the drug companies that produce vaccines and individual veterinarians. Veterinarians might be ignoring current research because they feel vaccine benefits outweigh vaccine risks, or simply because they continue to rely on 'annual boosters' as a major source of income. At this point you're probably wondering if you should vaccinate your pets at all, if the risks of vaccines are so high. In most cases, you should, but not as often and with not as many types of vaccines as you've currently been doing. There are alternatives, but unless you are willing to make changes in you're pet's care and what risks you are willing to bear for your pet, I still advise a limited vaccine schedule. Stayed tuned for Part 2 of this series, where I'll provide my current recommended vaccine schedule and discuss a few alternatives to vaccines.
Article Source: http://technologynetwork.info
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