To Vaccinate or Not

You're probably thinking I'm referring to whether or not to vaccinate children, as there is a great deal of controvery on that subject. No, I'm talking about whether or not to vaccinate your DOG. This is a very controversial subject today which I was unaware of until my mom called me. She took her dog Captain in for her yearly shots yesterday, and this morning she is shaking, not eating, and very lethargic. She wanted to know if that had ever happened to any of my dogs. I couldn't remember any of them having such a reaction, but it prompted me to do a little research.

I went online and read extensively about vaccinations, and the consensus is that we are over vaccinating our dogs. Some of the shots give lifetime immunity and yet veterinarians are are also business owners. and vaccines is a big part of their business. As such they tell you to vaccinate every year when in fact your dog may not need it and it may cause more health problems than it prevents. Rabies ,in particular, may be given more than needed. In Europe, the rabies vaccine is only given every seven years, in America it is given every 2-3 years. Meds for heartworms are often given routinely by vets, even in areas of the country where it is impossible for them to get.

It used to be standard procedure to take you dog to the vet every year for a checkup and his/her shots. That was in the day when we did whatever the doctor ordered. Today we are all taking responsibility for our health care, and the care of our pets, and are not giving our pets meds that we think are unnecessary. Do your own research before allowing your vet to give meds that you don't think are needed or perform procedures that they don't need.

Just one little example. My dog Barney has been on an arthritis med called Rimadyl since he was three years old. The drug can potentially cause liver damage, so when Barney was young, the vet would do a blood test every year to check his liver function. When Barney was 15 years old and I changed vets, the new vet wanted to do the blood work. I told the vet that the dog had already lived much longer than expected, and even if he had liver damage I wanted to continue the drug to make him comfortable. The doctor refused to prescribe the drug if I did not have the blood test. I immediately changed doctors, and I now have a vet that understands that the most important thing for a dog this age is keeping him comfortable. He's not just interested in getting another $100 for bloodwork. By the way, Barney is almost 19 years old (in January he'll be 19), on his last legs, literally, but he's not in pain from arthritis. Bottom line of all this is to do your own research. Don't just accept what the vet says, just as you probably don't just accept what your doctor says. We have have to make these descisions for them. We all want our dogs to live a long, healthy life and doing a bit of research before making their decisions, can go a long way in making that happen.