Dr. Pitcairn's Complete Guide to Natural Health for Dogs and Cats (78 page)

Long-term effects are the more serious possibility. Over the years, doctors practicing homeopathic medicine have accumulated information on the more subtle but stubborn problems of vaccination. To quote a contemporary writer on the subject, George Vithoulkas, “The experience of astute homeopathic observers has shown conclusively that in a high percentage of cases, vaccination has a profoundly disturbing effect on the health of an individual, particularly in relation to chronic disease.”

This disorder “engrafted” onto an individual by injection of a foreign disease is called vaccinosis and can be associated with a wide range of conditions. In many cases homeopaths have found it necessary to address the effects of vaccinations before full health can be restored. For example, Vithoulkas describes the case of a woman with terrible anxieties that were the result of a rabies vaccination she received as a child. She had experienced this condition for almost 40 years until cured by a method of homeopathic treatment chosen to antidote the ill effects of this vaccine.

Do these chronic effects occur in vaccinated animals? Very definitely. They are among the most common problems that I face in my practice. I believe this because I have learned that it’s usually necessary to use
a homeopathic remedy that removes the effects of prior vaccinations before I am able to make significant progress in the difficult, chronic cases often brought to me. I have had a number of cases in which the individual dog or cat invariably took a turn for the worse whenever it was vaccinated.

Based on the experience of over 25 years of homeopathic practice, it is my opinion that most animal skin allergies (and similar skin diseases) are the result of repeated annual vaccinations. I also suspect that the widespread increase in diseases caused by immune system disorders (such as hyperthyroidism, inflammatory bowel disease, lupus, and pemphigus) is a result of increased use of vaccinations, especially of combination formulas. These vaccinations are highly unnatural to the body. Under natural conditions an animal is exposed to pathogens, but its body has ways to defend itself at the normal points of entry (the nose, mouth, or other mucous membranes). When a combination vaccine is given, a massive invasion of several potent pathogens charges quickly into the bloodstream, bypassing the frontline defenses. Is it any wonder that the immune system gets confused, “panics,” and begins attacking the body itself?

Fortunately, many other veterinarians are now recognizing this problem. Reports have appeared in journals over the last few years describing diseases that follow routine vaccinations—bleeding disorders, bone and joint inflammation, even tumors and cancers in some cats. At this point the attitude of most veterinarians is that these happenings are an anomaly. I think it will take many more years for the realization to dawn that some degree of adverse health effects occur in the majority of those vaccinated.

What to Do?

What you can do depends on your access to a qualified holistic veterinarian. As an example, we have not used vaccinations (other than legally required rabies) in our practice for 25 years. In their place we give homeopathic remedies called nosodes, which are made from natural disease products. Distemperinum, for example, is made from the secretions of a dog ill from canine distemper. It is sterilized, diluted, and carefully prepared in accredited pharmacies. When properly used, this medicine can protect a dog from distemper even better than the vaccine can. In fact, this method of disease protection, first developed by a veterinarian in the 1920s, showed impressive results even before vaccines were developed.

Nosodes are also available for kennel cough, parvovirus, feline leukemia, feline infectious peritonitis, and other common dog and cat diseases. We have been using this method of protection for a long time with very satisfactory results and without the side effects and illness associated with vaccine use.

Are homeopathic nosodes simply a replacement for vaccines? No. They are not the same. They are used only temporarily and during times of likely exposure. For example,
I was able to stop an epidemic of parvovirus in a dog breeding colony by using the nosode for parvovirus for the week (only) when the disease was likely to occur in the puppies. Once through that “window,” they were alright and remained healthy. You will need guidance from a homeopathic veterinarian to use them properly.

What if you cannot find this service or you are afraid to not vaccinate? Let me suggest a modified plan that will at least minimize the chance of vaccine problems.

• Use single or simple vaccines instead of complex vaccines. Ideally, this means vaccinating for one disease at a time. Most practitioners will balk at such a request, however, because they will have to buy each single-disease vaccine in quantity (an entire box) to serve only one client, suffering financial loss and wasting the unused vaccine. So you are generally offered the choice of getting a “simpler” combined vaccine, that is, fewer individual vaccines contained in a single shot. For dogs this will be a “DH” (distemper-hepatitis) and for cats a “3-in-1" (Panleukopenia, Rhinotracheitis, and Calici virus).
  

Though not perfect, these are far better than getting mega-mixes that might include Distemper, Hepatitis, Leptospirosis, Parvovirus, Parainfluenza, Bordetella, Rabies, Lyme Disease, Brucellosis, and more (which may be given all at the same time to dogs), or Panleukopenia, Rhinotracheitis, Calici, Feline Leukemia, Rabies, Chlamydia, Feline Infectious Peritonitis, et cetera (often given simultaneously to cats).

It is becoming more difficult to find single or simpler vaccines as time goes by. Sometimes only one manufacturer offers them. It may be that you will have to track it down yourself. It shouldn’t be this way, but unfortunately it is.

• Where possible, use only “killed” or “inactivated” vaccines (as opposed to “modified live”). These “killed” vaccines cannot grow in the body and are generally safer to use (though more likely to cause hypersensitivity reactions——however, using vaccines less frequently often minimizes this problem).
  
• Use a reduced vaccination schedule for young animals. You do not have to give a lot of vaccinations to have as much protection as is possible. In most instances, immunization of puppies or kittens is enough for several years or a lifetime of protection.
  
• Don’t vaccinate an animal too early. Avoid the temptation to vaccinate before 16 weeks of age. Remember that the earlier your animal begins vaccinations, the more harm may be done to the immune system, and also the more vaccines received, the greater the chance for vaccine-induced illness.
  
• Avoid annual boosters. There has never been scientific justification for the yearly booster shots recommended by veterinarians, even though they have become a popular practice. I advise against any further vaccinations after the initial series, as they are not necessary. Also, the latest official veterinary opinion states that annual revaccinations are neither required nor effective. Your veterinarian may not know of this or even agree with it. Rest assured, however, that experts in the field of veterinary immunology have taken this position and support your decision not to have your animal vaccinated every year. This is not new information, just ignored information.
  

D
OGS

If you really want to play it safe, keep your new puppy isolated from contact with other dogs and just vaccinate once—at age 22 weeks or older. In my opinion, the only essential vaccines are distemper and parvo. Get the distemper vaccine at 22 weeks of age and the parvo a month later. (As I noted above, however, you might have to get distemper and hepatitis together.)

This should be very safe if your puppy is not exposed to other sick animals, but if it seems too risky to you, I suggest getting two vaccinations (for each disease), starting at 16 weeks, using this schedule.

• First distemper (hepatitis): 16 weeks
  
• First parvo: 20 weeks
  
• Second distemper (hepatitis): 24 weeks
  
• Second parvo: 28 weeks
  

C
ATS

The distemper (feline panleukopenia) vaccine can be given once at age 16 weeks and is sufficient for the life of the cat. I do not recommend the rhinotracheitis and calici virus vaccines. Further, it has been my experience that the feline leukemia vaccines are the most harmful of all the cat vaccines available.

It is with cats that the danger is greatest of activating a latent virus infection by repeated administration of vaccines. Be careful of this.

The Rabies Problem

What about rabies vaccination? This is a difficult problem for many people to face. From my own experience I am convinced that some animals are made ill by this vaccine. Yet rabies is the only vaccine required by law for dogs (and for cats in some states). This requirement is really for the protection of human beings, regardless of its benefit or harm to pets, so few exemptions are allowed.

D
OGS

The most common disturbances following rabies vaccination are aggressiveness, suspicion, unfriendly behavior, hysteria, destructiveness (of blankets, towels), fear of being alone, and howling or barking at imaginary objects. These can be treated with homeopathic medicine, but sometimes with difficulty. One of the saddest things in our practice is to restore a dog’s health (sometimes after prolonged and careful work), only to have
the animal suffer a relapse and go into a decline after we acquiesce to a required rabies vaccine. It would be far better if we didn’t have to vaccinate these animals again, but our present legal situation requires it. We find that the best we can do is to have clients administer an appropriate homeopathic medicine to the dog within two hours of getting the vaccine. This seems to help in preventing subsequent problems.

Sometimes a letter from your veterinarian that an animal is not healthy enough to receive a rabies vaccine will be accepted, especially if the animal is older and previously vaccinated.

Another possibility is that blood can be taken from your animal and tested for protection (antibodies) against rabies. This is called determining the “rabies titer.” Some counties, here and there, are accepting this in place of a booster vaccine (not for the first one). Check out this option with your veterinarian. It may be necessary for you to find out yourself by contacting your local Department of Health and persisting with questions about this option.

At this point you have no other legal alternatives to getting rabies vaccinations for your dog. Many states require that you vaccinate your puppy at age 4 months (check your specific state requirements). How can we fit this into our recommended schedule? The best scenario is to have the rabies vaccine last, at least a month after completing all the others. However, this means waiting until your dog is 6 to 7½ months old (depending on the schedule you use). If this is not possible (legal), then get the rabies vaccination first at age 4 months (16 weeks), wait until age 22 weeks and then carry on with the schedule I gave you above.

C
ATS

If the law requires that your cat be vaccinated for rabies, the best timing is one month after the distemper vaccine is received (age five months).

VOMITING

Vomiting is one of those symptoms of underlying illness that rarely occurs by itself. Most often it is associated with an upset stomach, but it also can occur in response to poisoning, failed kidneys, side effects of drugs, pain or inflammation in some other area (like the peritoneum, pancreas, or brain), surgery, severe constipation, and many other conditions. Therefore, it’s always necessary to look beyond the vomiting to understand what the underlying situation is and to treat that. So any time there is prolonged vomiting, seek the help of your veterinarian to determine the underlying cause.

There are times, however, when nothing else seems to be wrong or when vomiting is by far the major problem. If not controlled, prolonged vomiting can lead to severe dehydration and the loss of certain vital salts, particularly sodium chloride and potassium chloride.

T
REATMENT

The problem in treatment is that nothing given by mouth will remain in the stomach long enough to act, so the best way to administer medicine is to use crushed homeopathic pellets, which will act almost immediately through absorption in the mouth, even if vomiting occurs right after.

The best choice is:

Homeopathic
—
Ipecac
(ipecac root) 6C: Useful for persistent nausea and constant vomiting where much saliva is generated because of the nausea. Use Schedule 1 (
view
).

In addition, withhold all food and water during the vomiting period, allowing the animal to lick ice cubes occasionally. To replace fluids and salts (if there is dehydration), give a small enema every couple of hours as described in chapter 15. To each pint of enema water, add ¼ teaspoon of sea salt (or table salt as a second choice) and ¼ teaspoon potassium chloride (sold as a salt substitute in many markets). Given as an enema, this fluid will be retained and absorbed in a dehydrated animal.

WARTS

Dogs and older animals are the pets most likely to develop troublesome warts, which sometimes itch and bleed. Most often, these warts (and similar growths) are an expression of vaccinosis (see “Vaccinations”). Such animals may also tend to develop more serious types of growths in the future if not corrected at this point.

There is no simple formula for treating warts, as it is most necessary to address the underlying tendency with individualized treatment (called constitutional prescribing in homeopathy). There are, however, some general things to be done that may be quite helpful.

Homeopathic
—
Thuya
(or
Thuja
) (arborvitae) 30C: This is appropriate for the tendency towards wart formation. Give Thuya first, using Schedule 4 (
view
). Let the stimulus of this medicine act for a month (though you may also be doing the local treatment described below). If the warts are not gone (or diminishing), then use one of the next two remedies.