by Catherine O'Driscoll on February 24, 2012
Our dogs are in the midst of an epidemic.  It’s not an epidemic of viral disease, but of chronic ill health.  They’re besieged with itchy, pus-laden, scabby skin; vomit and diarrhoea are the norm.  One in every hundred dogs suffers from epilepsy, and an even higher number lives with painful arthritis.  Allergies are also reaching epidemic proportions: dogs are becoming allergic to life.

According to Dr Jean W Dodds, an eminent vet and researcher, both allergic and autoimmune diseases have been rising since the introduction of modified live virus vaccines.  Autoimmune diseases are where the body attacks self; they include cancer, leukaemia, thyroid disease, Addisons, Grave’s disease, autoimmune haemolytic anaemia, rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes, lupus, thrombocytopenia, organ failure, skin inflammations, and more.
We also seem to have a tremendous number of dogs with behavioural problems, largely due to over-vaccination and processed pet food.  Vaccines are known to cause inflammation of the brain, as well as lesions throughout the brain and central nervous system.  The medical term for this is ‘encephalitis’, and vaccine’s role is acknowledged in the Merck Manual.  Merck is a vaccine manufacturer.

Years ago, I was the typical ‘responsible’ dog owner.  My four Golden Retrievers were vaccinated every year, and they were fed a ‘complete and balanced’ pet food, recommended by my vet.  The red carpet was metaphorically rolled out once a fortnight, each time I visited with a dog suffering from chronic disease.  Eventually the problems became more serious: my dogs started to die years before their time.

Over the years, I’ve collected research documents to help me make decisions about my dogs’ husbandry, and to share what I’ve learnt with other dog lovers.  I also hoped that vets would take notice of the research, and stop over-vaccinating.  All medical interventions come with a risk – even the humble aspirin can be deadly.  So you have to do a risk/benefit analysis whenever you consider medications.  What, then, are the risks of vaccines?

Research by Frick and Brookes shows us that vaccines can trigger atopy (skin allergies).  (Am J Vet Res. 1983 Mar;44(3):440-5).  Dr Jean W Dodds tells us that retroviral and parvoviral diseases, and MLV vaccines, are associated with lymphoma, leukaemia, organ failure, thyroid disease, adrenal disease, pancreatic disease, and bone marrow failure.
 
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