| "Vaccine Guide for Dogs & Cats, 'What Every Pet Lover Should Know' " by Catherine J. M. Diodati, MA About the Author Catherine J. M. Diodati, MA, is a vaccine expert, legal consultant, and biomedical ethicist. She began researching vaccines in 1985 following her daughter's near-fatal reaction to her third set of vaccinations. Extensive reference Notes and Bibliography. This book can be obtained by 'inter-library loan', as River Falls Public Library, WI, has a copy. A "must read". |
A book every dog & cat lover should read, re. vaccines
by talley 3 Replies latest jw friends
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talley
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talley
Bump just once.....for the folks with dogs and cats
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orbison11
anyone know the general take on the book. i have heard recently that there is no need for vacs, and how they might even be detrimental. having a new 3 month old puppy, this is of interest to me. thanks
wendy
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Odrade
I've done pretty extensive research on animal vaccines (from a totally lay perspective of course.) The amount of conflicting information is pretty horrifying, but many vets are coming to the conclusion that vaccinations should NOT start at 4-6 weeks unless a puppy is on show circuit. They should be delayed until week twelve at minimum, and precautions should be taken against things like dog parks, and raccoon/possum poop. When vaccines do take place, the main ones recommended are distemper and rabies, the others being both regional and optional. Bordatella, in particular, seems to do far more harm than good, and is more or less ineffective within 10 weeks or so anyways. (It's kind of like a flu shot for humans.)
Boosters should not be given every year, rather like every 3 years, and should stop in pet middle age. There are various homeopathic/naturopathic ideas about reducing vaccine use or impact, like using titers, nosodes and tinctures to check and/or induce immunity. None of these have been studied in depth with blinds and double blind... but then again, most pet vaccine efficacy tests are not particularly thorough either. I mean, if your pets all break out with vaccination site tumors in middle age, it's not exactly like the phen-fen debacle to the drug companies is it? (Can anyone say "oh cockers are PRONE to tumors..." *Z@@& )
Diodati, IMNSHO, is a scare-monger. I have read her works before, including excerpted articles in holistic health magazines and online. She rails against any and all vaccinations, while providing no answers for the deadlies like rabies and especially distemper. Anyone who has watched their pet fill up with fluid and die, because they caught a disease that could have been prevented by a vaccination really knows what fear is. Diodata is almost evangelical in her crusade against vaccines. She is an M.A., which stands for "Master of Arts," not exactly proper lab researcher credentials. She has an extreme bias (the vaccine reaction of her daughter, which--she is correct-- is way more common than people think,) and she's a biomedical ethicist, which means that she is entirely comfortable dealing in the nebulous theoretical realm that weighs abstract cause and effect, without answering the pragmatic "what do we do instead that is as effective?"
Much more reasonable guides I've found: Holistic Guide for a Healthy Dog, by Wendy Volhard and Kerry Brown, D.V.M.
and The New Natural Cat: A Complete Guide for Finicky Owners, by Anitra Frazier
The first leans towards a much reduced, but traditional vaccination schedule, and the second, while not eliminating vaccines, offers the idea of "nosodes," which are offered by some holistic veterinarians as a replacement for vaccinations.
For myself, after much research, I did vaccinate my dog minimally (parvo, distemper and rabies), my cats, not at all. They are indoors only, and the vaccine risks are greater than the likelihood of my tracking in distemper spores that they will ingest, or bats flying in the window. My own research started after my one cat had quite a severe anaphylactic reaction to a vaccination. Good thing for all night veterinarians.
Guess that's enough out of me... LOL!
O