July/August 2010 Issue
Bordetella or Kennel Cough is commonly required by boarding kennels and veterinary hospitals. These vaccinations are delivered to a staggeringly large percentage of dogs and the reason is not to protect your dog: the reason is to protect these facilities against liability.
The proprietors who push for these vaccines may be assuming more liability than they can handle and the stakes are very high. The truth is, the vaccines are not only ineffective but they are far from safe. Yet they are routinely given to combat a self limiting disease that amounts to as much danger to your dog as the common cold does to you.
What is interesting is that when you bring your dog to the vet for his Bordetella vaccination, he will have already been exposed to the natural flora: all animals are exposed to both Bordetella and Parainfluenza prior to vaccination. It makes little sense to vaccinate an animal for something he has already been exposed to.
There are at least forty agents capable of initiating Bordetella so vaccination might appear to be prudent if it weren’t for the fact that only two of these agents are contained in the intranasal vaccine. This poor percentage truly makes the Bordetella vaccine a shot in the dark. The lack of efficacy is well summarized by noted immunologist Dr. Ronald Schultz: “Kennel Cough is not a vaccinatable disease”.
Despite the lack of any real effectiveness, the Bordetella vaccine is routinely given and touted as safe, especially in the intranasal form. Make no mistake however: the dangers and misinformation surrounding this seemingly innocuous spray are just as tangible and frightening as any other vaccination. A major problem with the Bordetella vaccine is that it is part of a combination vaccine. Unbeknownst to most pet owners, the Bordetella intranasal spray also contains Parainfluenza (the vaccine for which is not surprisingly, just as ineffective as Bordetella). The problems with the Parainfluenza portion
are threefold.
First, there is a real danger of dangerous immunological overload when vaccinations are offered in combination. Second, like Bordetella, most dogs have already been exposed to Parainfluenza, making the necessity of vaccination questionable. Third, the Parainfluenza vaccine is just as ineffective as the Bordetella vaccine because the vaccine does not provide antibody against Parainfluenza where it is most needed: on the mucosal surfaces.
Other dangers associated with the Bordetella vaccine are obviously not far removed from the dangers associated with any other vaccination. Although Bordetella is a bacterial vaccine, we now know that bacterial vaccines present the same threat as Modified Live Vaccines. Modified Live Viruses from human vaccines are now known to become incorporated in the genes of the host and can shuffle, reassert, and reactivate thirty or more years after vaccination.
Bacterial genes are capable of the same activity, lurking in the genetic makeup, waiting to replicate and awaken. The intranasal Bordetella vaccine has
been known to activate a previously asymptomatic collapsing trachea and disrupt phagocytic activity which can progress to pneumonia. The toxins from the vaccine will also kill the ciliated lining of the trachea, creating a denuded area susceptible to anything coming down the windpipe. Perhaps collapsing trachea, irritable tracheas and pneumonias are all complications of Bordetella and the Bordetella vaccine.
Vaccination of any sort also elevates histamine which can promote cancer, chronic inflammation and loss of tolerance. In general, all vaccination creates immune dysregulation and is responsible for a vast array of pathology. The Bordetella vaccine can wreak havoc outside the body as well. Bordetella will shed from a vaccinated host for seven weeks while Parainfluenza will shed for a week. This means that every vaccinated dog is a walking dispenser of potentially damaging bacteria.
While the risk to other dogs is obvious, it should be of little concern to healthy dogs because Bordetella is generally a self limiting disease. What you might find surprising is that the shed bacteria is a risk to other animals…and to people. The reason we now have a feline Bordetella (and not surprisingly, a feline Bordetella vaccine), is likely thanks to the widespread use and subsequent shedding of Bordetella from vaccinated dogs to cats sharing the household. If this seems hard to imagine, consider how dogs first fell victim to Canine Influenza.
Canine Influenza was initially documented in racing greyhounds. It is worth noting that many of these dogs shared tracks with race horses: race horses who are routinely vaccinated with Equine Influenza. It is not a stretch to predict Bordetella will infect gerbils, hamsters and rabbits in the near future and it is with certainty that the vaccine manufacturers will be well rewarded with the continued fruits of their canine Bordetella vaccine.
Not surprisingly, humans are not left out of the equation. Ruth Berkelman MD (Former Assistant Surgeon General, US Public Health Service) writes: “The potential for both exposure and for adverse consequences secondary to exposure to veterinary vaccines in humans is growing. Enhanced efforts are needed to recognize and to prevent human illness associated with the use of veterinary vaccines”. Dr. Berkelman noted that pertussis an whooping cough-like complaints in children followed exposure to Bordetella bronchiseptica from the Bordetella vaccine and it is no coincidence that Bordetella bronchiseptica and whooping cough pertussis are very closely related. Interestingly, the rate of whooping cough is highest in highly vaccinated populations.
Immunocompromised humans and animals are at an elevated risk of infection from these canine vaccines. There is a recently reported case of Bordetella bronchiseptica pneumonia in a kidney and pancreas transplant patient who had to board and subsequently vaccinate her dogs at a veterinary clinic while she was hospitalized. Vaccines contain contaminating agents including mycoplasmas which are also very communicable to humans and other mammals.
In the end, vaccination for Bordetella is at best fruitless and at worst, a pathetic fraudulence at the hands of veterinarians and vaccine manufacturers. It is up to you whether or not your dog receives this vaccination and that is not overstating the obvious. Sadly, most pet owners are aware of this but choose vaccination because they feel they are at the mercy of boarding kennels, training schools and veterinarians.
Patricia Monahan Jordan is a graduate of the North Carolina College of Veterinary Medicine. She practiced conventional veterinary medicine for twenty years and founded six different veterinary facilities in North Carolina. Dr. Jordan has traced the paths of immunopathology to vaccine administration and uncovered the cycle of disease and the endless cycle of disease management that results from vaccine administration. Dr. Jordan can be reached at www.dr-jordan.com.
© 2010 Dogs Naturally Magazine. This article may not be reproduced or reprinted in whole or in part without prior written consent of Intuition Publishing.
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{ 47 comments… read them below or add one }
Thank-you for a very informitive article … I never take my pets to a boarding place … as I have found friends who don’t mind coming in to watch over them when we are away. I always keep my dogs with each-other … not with the neighborhood walkers … and their dogs, as they are inviting un-wanted sicknesses … afterall, we don’t know when they took their dogs to a vet last, or for that matter if they are sick. Mine have their own yard and go to the vet on a yearly basis for their check-ups etc. This way they are healthy and very happy … Makes me happy too just think of PREVENTION it just seems logical.
So very true and I do the same! We love our animals and try hard to keep them away from other animals we are unsure about. This goes for our cats and horses too.
There are boarding kennels, and then there are boarding kennels. Some don’t have much illness and some do. It has to do with how much stress reduction policies they have in place, their cleaning routines, and depending on the state — what they require in terms of immunizations. The state of IL requires that dogs be up to date on Rabies, and have received the Distemper vaccine, generally as a combination shot. Anything else is the veterinarian or the kennel owner putting their own interpretation or rules over the state law.
Katherine you are wrong. The only vaccine by law required by the state of Illinois is rabies. I had this argument with a Dept. of Ag. rep who thought distemper was required – but she could not find this in the law when I asked her to show me – because it’s not there.
Dr. Jordan,
Interesting comments. We are at a point in our profession where evidence-based medicine is the gold-standard. Can you site any SPECIFIC RESEARCH STUDIES to back up your claims of “ineffectiveness” and the bordetella vaccine’s role in promoting “cancer, chronic inflammation and loss of tolerance. In general, all vaccination creates immune dysregulation and is responsible for a vast array of pathology.”?
It is very discouraging as a dog owner and advocate that a veterinary doctor is not aware of any of the research showing a high correlation between vaccination and pathology, most notably autoimmune disorders. Unless you are living under a rock, you should be aware of this as most pet owners are. It saddens me to think that you are injecting countless dogs with a potentially dangerous substance and have not educated yourself on both the risks and benefits. It is not the responsibility of blogs to educate you, Dr. O’Connor – I would expect somebody in your position to do so herself. It is no wonder that Dr. Ronald Schultz states that most veterinarians are not qualified to discuss immunization beyond a basic level. If you insist on having others do your job for you, then here are some places you might want to begin your research. This is not even close to a complete list – there are thousands of studies that link vaccines to pathology. You need only open your eyes to see them.
Delong G. A Positive Association found between Autism Prevalence and Childhood Vaccination uptake across the U.S. Population. J Toxicol Environ Health A. 2011 Jan;74(14):903-16. PMID: 21623535
Ida-Eto M, Oyabu A, Ohkawara T, Tashiro Y, Narita N, Narita M. Embryonic exposure to thimerosal, an organomercury compound, causes abnormal early development of serotonergic neurons. Neurosci Lett. 2011 Jun 6. PMID: 21669256
Wilcock, B.P. & Yager, J.A. (1986) Focal cutaneous vasculitis and alopecia at sites of rabies vaccination in dogs. J Am Vet Med Assoc, 188, 1174-7.
Vitale, C.B., Gross, T.L., & Magro C.M. (1999) Vaccine-induced ischemic dermatopathy in the dog. Vet Dermatol, 18, 131-42.
Genotoxic effects of aluminum, iron and manganese in human cells and experimental systems: A review of the literature. Lima P, Vaconcellos M, Montenegro R, Bahia M, Antunes L, Costa E, Burbano R. Hum Exp Toxicol. 2011 Jan 19.
Aluminum-induced micronuclei and apoptosis in human peripheral-blood lymphocytes treated during different phases of the cell cycle. Banasik A, Lankoff A, Piskulak A, Adamowska K, Lisowska H, Wojcik A. Environ Toxicol. 2005 Aug;20(4):402-6.
Genotoxicity of thimerosal in cultured human lymphocytes with and without metabolic activation sister chromatid exchange analysis proliferation index and mitotic index. Eke D, Celik A. Toxicol In Vitro. 2008 Jun;22(4):927-34.
Thimerosal induces micronuclei in the cytochalasin B block micronucleus test with human lymphocytes. Westphal GA, Asgari S, Schulz TG, Bünger J, Müller M, Hallier E. Arch Toxicol. 2003 Jan;77(1):50-5.
Thank you Karen. I am an owner of a boarding kennel and grooming business in Idaho. There are a number of things I disagree with in this article. And I am offended that the blame is being put the kennels themselves. We are not vets, and we can only go by the advise of the vets themselves.
And I agree, when they can produce SPECIFIC RESEARCH STUDIES to back up their claims of “ineffectiveness” , I will continue to go by the advise I am given by the professional.
FYI, Dogs Naturally, I DO NOT require the vaccine because of a stupid conspiracy theory, I do it for the sake of the animal. And if you have ever seen a dog with the disease you would as well. And it is HIGHLY contagious, it is only required in facilities because of the closed environment. By the way have you ever taken your dog to a dog park or taken them for a walk on the street?
Bam you’ve been exposed because of people like you telling people they don’t need to have their animals vaccinated.
thanks
Sandy Braun
Braun’s Bed’s and Biscuits
Lava Hot Springs Idaho
Thank your for your reply Sandy.
I am a breeder, so my dogs are exposed to all sorts of disease. Despite travelling to crowded showgrounds and hotels, I haven’t had kennel cough in my dogs in over ten years – and that episode was minor as one dog coughed a couple of times overnight. This is because my dogs do not have to endure needless and useless vaccines, chemicals and toxins.
It is important to remember that vaccines to not immunize, they sensitize. This means that they stimulate the immune system (in theory) with the virus in question so that the body will form immunity to the virus vaccinated for. The issue is that vaccines create a boat load of inflammatory and chronic disease, they create humeral bias in the immune system, and the chemical soup of preservatives and adjuvants that go along with the virus present a large immune challenge to vaccinated dogs. This is why my experience is such that my own dogs simply shrug bordetella off whereas dogs who are vaccinated, wormed and drugged on a constant basis have not only suppressed immune systems, but improperly functioning ones because of the humeral bias created by vaccines.
The crux of the problem is that vets are not educating themselves on vaccine issues (and most veterinary immunologists state this loud and clear, over and over again), and if you rely on vets to make vaccine decisions for you then it can be a foolish thing to do. Noted immunologist Dr. Ronald Schultz does not recommend the bordetella vaccine and that is good enough for me. I’m curious why it’s not good enough for vets or people like yourselves who are putting pets in peril because of lack of understanding of immunology and vaccinology. The research is out there and vets are lagging behind in the information. You are in a position to help animals, not contribute to their downward spiral into chronic disease.
Dear Sandy,
I have seen my dog go thru kennel cough, AFTER getting the vaccine. And when I took him back to the Vets, I was then told that it only covers 2 of the 40 or so strains. He now every once in a while still gets that cough and I wait to see if I have to take him back for more antibiotics, which are not good for his immune system either. So boarding kennels requiring the vaccine really does nothing, except cover their butts for liability if a dog gets sick.
Yes kennel cough is highly contagious, but the vaccine is ineffective, for at least 80% of the strains out there, so for a 20% chance that my dog may get it, I’d rather do without the vaccine and take my chances. Kennel cough IS easily curable. It should be up to the owner not the boarding kennel if their dog gets the vaccine.
So while you may resent the fact that Dog’s Naturally is putting the blame on you as a kennel owner, I resent the fact that you and other boarding kennels think that they know what is best for MY dog.
Please do some research and rethink your policies. Maybe you really don’t do it to cover your butt, but let pet owners make their own decisions when it comes to what is put into their pets. IF this vaccine does cause cancer and other problems would you really want that on your conscience?
First, my liability is covered by the release you sign when your dog checks in to my kennel. I am not making decisions about your pet’s health, I am making decisions about what’s best for my boarding business and for all of the pets entrusted to me. I am quite happy to let you make your own decisions when it comes to what’s put into your pets, as you let me make decisions about which pets I am willing to accept for boarding. I also don’t allow pets with fleas into the kennel – they are taken directly to the tub for a flea bath before being allowed into the boarding area. If you don’t want that done, you are free to take your dog to a place that has different rules about fleas. And contrary to what another person wrote, dish soap does not kill fleas. If it did, there would be no market for the many available flea-killing products available.
If you are telling a pet owner to vaccinate their pet, then yes, you are making decisions about that pet’s health. Unless you think vaccines don’t affect health at all, in which case I would question why you require any in the first place. Your implied assertion is that vaccines impact health in only positive ways. That’s still an effect.
But you are Cynthia, like Dana says if you require that vaccine and flea bath, you are telling people who want to use your kennels what to put in their pets body. And I do agree they can go some place else. I do also think that eventually as the trend toward less is better on the vaccinations that you may eventually end up with empty kennels. More and more people are looking at alternatives, and kennels that are not going to require certain vaccinations and flea treatments will begin to pop up. It might be a good idea for you to do some research and keep up with the changing trends so you can keep your business running.
There are homeopathic medications for fleas, I’ve been using them for years and never had a flea in my house. As for dish soap and fleas, it does work, I’ve used it, however its not a once a month thing, it needs to be done on a weekly basis and most people to be honest are lazy and don’t want to put in the effort, they would rather put on a once a month thing and be done with it. And then there is your Vet, who you look to to know what is best for your pet, is pushing you to use front line or one of the other chemical based flea products you tend to go with that. I used to until my dog got cancer and I wanted to know why.
After investigating these vaccines I put a notice up to the effect that they would NOT be required at our boarding kennels , with our kennel vets full support.He said a cough tends to be in overcrowded , dark , wet (where they hose down and leave it wet)wood or concrete kennels, not spray down “Designer Kennels” like we had.We had 2 dogs in that were coughing on arrival so put them over in Isolation and it never spread to the rest.
Dr. Jordan,
I am abhored by the your rudeness of response and your assumption of my ignorance of education, research, and experience. Most medical professions are well aware of the links between medications (vaccines included) and some types of pathology (consider feline sarcomas). However, that was not my question. My question was specific for the bordetella vaccine. I hope you are not as rash with your medical decisions and extrapolations as you were with quipping that aggrandized response to an innocent inquiry. Thanks for being so professional when a colleague poses a simple question for discussion.
Dr. O’Connor, this reply was not posted by Dr. Jordan. If you would like research specific to Bordetella, I suggest you contact Dr. Jordan by email or purchase her book Mark Of The Beast. Part of your question was ‘In general, all vaccination creates immune dysregulation and is responsible for a vast array of pathology.”? That doesn’t appear to be specific to Bordetella to me and your message that Dr. Jordan’s article is not research based is loud and clear in your post. Please contact her and you will get everything you are looking for. Dr. Jordan presented further details on this at the Academy of Veterinary Homeopathy conference this summer.
Dr. O’Connor,
I, too, am not Dr. Jordan but feel I must reply to your reply to the message you thought was from Dr. Jordan.
<<<<>>>
Assumption of ignorance? I think not. It’s clear that indeed you have not thoroughly done your research, and as a Dr. that is your first responsibility, to stay abreast of all information relating to the health of those trusted to your care. There is no excuse for not knowing this information. There are literally thousands or maybe even hundreds of thousands of pet owners that already know this, both from experience and from research. Unfortunately, quite often the research follows on the heels of experience, and those are tragic experiences most of the time, and wholly preventable.
I would follow the previous post’s advice and contact Dr. Jordan directly but I would also thoroughly study all of the resources listed by the post directly after your initial posting. That’s only a start, as was noted. There are mountains, literally, of facts, statistics, experiences, research, to back this up, not to mention the numerous veterinarians that have witnessed this in their own practices. Thank heavens that there have been some very brave souls who dared to challenge the status quo and actually provide the type of care they were licensed to provide.
I’m reading up on what vacs to give and not give my dog as well, I don’t understand the angry response given to the doc. I’m frustrated myself because everytime I look up different issues, like not giving heartworm med, etc, the prrof is lacking and everyone has an attitude about it if other people ask. I decided to skip all the heartworm stuff but funnialy enough I could barely find studies for either side. I went to my wholistic dog shoppe and he insisted a bag od enzymes he was trying to sell me would get rif of my dog’s tearstains, went I went to research the stuff on my phone he snatched the bag back and rolled his eyes at me. If it were me I would have been happy to point me in the right direction or even give me an explanation of why enzymes help, but instead he did the opposite, it’s so frustrating actually to find the truth.
We understand your frustration. We are also frustrated because the evidence of the harm that vaccines do is out there – in abundance. It is harder for pet owners to find it, but veterinary professionals should be aware of this information. We are frustrated because vets have known for over thirty years that once vaccinated with a core vaccine, most dogs are protected for life…yet vets continue to vaccinate every one to three years. Why? Either out of ignorance or to protect their pocketbooks. Neither is acceptable in our opinion. You might want to listen in on the Patricia Jordan webinar on Tuesday September 20th to appreciate what happens behind the scenes with vaccines.
my mom was going to board her dog Max so her vet suggested he should have a kennel cough shot. 5 days after the shot Max clasped and had to be rushed to a vet hospital and have 2 blood transfusions, he died 3 days later. The shot killed my mom’s dog. he was 9 years old and in perfect health. So sad. we need to get the word out – this shot can kill your dog. What this shot did to Max was it attacked his imunne system it started eating up his red blood cells. I talked to a lawyer and he said congress protects the drug manufactures from putting out warnings for animals….that is why no warnings about the possible side effects. If my mom would have been told it may kill your dog she would have never let them give him that shot. DO NOT TAKE THE RISK – DO NOT GIVE YOUR DOG THIS SHOT.
Our 9 year old Westie has had for the past year a raspy cough which on occasion results in her spitting out a clear phlegm. We have had the discharge cultured and she was treated with antibiotics. Still has the cough. When excited she sneezes and passes the same clear substance. Recently underwent cat scan of head, endoscopy, biopsy of right side nostril and ultrasound of stomach area. All negative. Treated again with antibiotics. Still has cough. She is alert and feisty and has a excellent appetite. She also was given bordetella spray in nostrils in the past. This has been going on for over a year. Is there a test to see if this bordetella shot has caused her condtion.
Hopefully we will get a reply. Thank you for your time.
Arleen Denchy
This is a good example of how antibiotics only suppress symptoms. I would work with a good classical homeopath with this. A remedy such as Kali bichromicum might help. Kali bich. is generally prescribed to cure problems related to the mucus membranes, particularly those in the throat, nose, stomach, vagina and urethra. It is used to treat health conditions associated with extreme mucus, colds that develop into sinus blockages accompanied by pressure as well as nasal fullness and ear glue (accumulation of fluid in the middle ear). Finding the right remedy will help the body to heal itself, as opposed to using antibiotics which suppress the symptoms and drive them deeper.
I am not an expert in this field, but do have an opinion. I have read many expert articles, which state that Rabies and distemper shots last longer than stated. Not needed for approximately 5-7 years as appose to yearly. Bordetella, is not necessary if your not bringing your dog to boarding. But for many years, vets were giving the bordetella upon the pets intake at boarding, which to me is completely a waste, at that time. Like it was stated ubove, it the dog was already infected, the bordetella will not help. I personally do not board my pets, I hire someone to come in and watch them, I will not ever get bordetella. I also foster other dogs(1 at a time), and if they are infected with anything, I am on hand with antibiotics, which are given immediately. I will not put unnecessary chemicals into my animals. Also with reference to cats, If your cat is indoors, why are you getting the vaccinated? I have had cats all my life and years ago, vaccines were not necessary, but each county, here in Fla., anyway have made it law that cats and dog must be vaccinated and licensed with the county, or you get a hefty fine. To me that is a money maker. Some people choose not to rebies, distember vac. their dogs, I personally get my dogs vac. when they are due, but do not get the bordetella, and my dogs are indoor dogs. If they are indoor dogs, they surely would not need the vaccines at all, but there is always that chance, with even the most careful person, that the dog gets loose, and chases another animal(wild), gets bit and then it’s all over, my friend. So your damned if you do and damned if you don’t. Just my little opinion.
I’m not rah-rah-vaccines-no-matter-what, but there is always the risk that one of my cats will dart outside and encounter a wild animal. We have had one raccoon in the backyard that we know of (that we’ve seen) and we live in a city but there’s still a fair amount of wildlife. It only takes one bite. We also go to visit a cat shelter periodically to pet the kitties (poor things, they’re touch-starved) and there is always the risk we’ll carry virus home or something. Even with all that, if my vet got excited about a new vaccine and tried to push it on me, I’d be the annoying person looking it up on my phone and making them roll their eyes at me. You know?
Arleen, Have you gotten a Heartworm test on your pup? Doesn’t hurt to rule this out.
While I advocate a healthy debate, I’m puzzled by the rudeness and immaturity in this thread. The topic of wellness has been overshadowed by a few parties’ need to sarcastically and passive-aggressively prove themselves intelligent and “right”. Take it down a notch, people. You can disagree with this article without dubbing it a personal attack. Further, Dogs Naturally, if you’re going to publicly post a controversial article, you should expect opposition. To create a better argument and reception for your point, you may want to practice a bit of restraint in the face of your frustration. Clearly, you’re passionate about the subject, which is wonderful! But phrases like “unless you live under a rock” are just flat out sarcastic and sophomoric. You have an impressive grasp of the English language; I have no doubt you can muster a more “journalistic” and graceful rapport with your readers. That said, and with regard to the topic at hand….my dogs have been vaccinated for years. Yet, I brought 1 foster into my home with Kennel Cough and the whole pack fell sick. I now have to wonder about the effectiveness of these vaccinations and whether they’re worth it, from a “what I put my dogs through” view. I enjoyed your article very much and will surely be further reading the studies posted. Thank you for the information and happy holidays!
Beverly, thanks for you comments. I do agree and my frustration level is out there for all to see as sometimes we react on emotions instead of with a level head.
Having said that, Dr. Ronald Schultz can be quoted as saying ‘Bordetella is not a vaccinatable disease’. I should be able to pull that reference if need be.
BUT, we must all make our decisions carefully because we have to live with the consequences either way. All we ask is that people (and vets in particular) make educated and well researched decisions.
would you please post that reference on your facebook page ? I would love to cross post and have people print it and take it to their vets. Thanks!
Beverly, there are so many different strains of infections going around in the dog world, per our vet in rescue. Bordatella is just one of many. Although one of our rescues came with bordatella and if is not a pretty thing to go through. Many weeks later, the rescue pup is now well. It is a touchy subject as is yearly shots, monthly preventatives, etc. I do understand the vet(for boarding purposes) giving the vaccine, it maynot help a pup that already has the infection, but will help the other pups from catching it, since it is an airborn infection. I do believe antibiotics are quite necessary in some cases. If not for antibiotics, our rescue pup would have died.
Jackie, thank you for the information. I’m still researching the arguments for and against yearly vaccinations. Are you saying you’re in support of yearly’s? My only hesitation now is because all of my dogs (I have 7 in the house…4 of mine and 3 fosters) became sick from ONE dog having KC. Four of them have been getting yearly’s for about 3-5 years, so I didn’t think they would succomb so easily. But what I think you’re saying is that because there are several strains, you simply can’t vaccinate against ALL of them, but that at least Bordatella is covered? Forgive my ignorance. I’ve been rescuing for a couple of decades now, but the issue concerning vaccinating has only recently come into question. Antibiotics I rarely question. I don’t want to be the one trying to heal pnuemonia with sage leaves and garlic only to create a worse situation, especially with a foster. =/ Thanks again for this discussion. It’s proven to be very informative!
I’m a groomer with a small shop. I do NOT require proof of Bordatella from my clients & have not had a case of it coming up to my knowledge in over 10 years. I just do not take dogs in for grooming who are visibly ill or showing signs of kennel cough or similar communicable diseases. Common sense.
My 2 dogs are fed a holistic diet, are exercised regularly including dog park trips & come with me to work daily, & we only do rabies vac every 3 years as required by law & titer’s on everything else yearly after their initial puppy shots. Neither of them have ever received a Bordatella vaccine of any kind & have never had kennel cough. I also foster regularly & recently had a female husky staying with me for almost 2 weeks. She most definitely had kennel cough & neither 1 of my dogs came down with it despite being with her 24/7 for that 2 week period. That’s enough evidence for me to feel I’m doing right by my dogs, although I really didn’t need anymore evidence than what I was already aware of. It baffles me how many of my clients are still vaccinating their dogs yearly per their vet’s advice. I have that conversation regularly & usually approach it from a finanacial stand point to get them to take heed.
I volunteer with dog rescue and I can’t even begin to tell you the number of dogs (some died) that went into toxic shock within an hour of getting this vaccine. It makes no sense to over vaccinate. Humans do not vaccinate themselves every year for life. Why do it to animals? Mine get the 3 year rabies as required by law and that is it. They are very very healthy and happy. Of all the animals that come into rescue on a daily basis the ones with records of annual vaccinations are the ones we almost always have health issues with that need to be addressed prior to adoption. That cannot be a coincidence. There are many holistic, amazing vet offices that also subscribe to the philosophy of not over-vaccinating a pet. And with working in rescue I’ve seen it all.
With the absence of supporting citations, this article strikes me as another “vaccine conspiracy theory” opinion piece, such as the now utterly discredited scare on the effects of multiple vaccination on autism in children. Yes, infectious canine tracheobronchitis (kennel cough) is a naturally self limiting disease in most animals, but is highly contagious, and can have serious consequences for some animals. Not to mention it can result in significant vet bills for pet owners. Is the vaccine 100% effective – well no, of course not; probably none are, especially when there are multiple causative agents (a bit like the flu vaccine really, which has limited effectiveness since it’s targeted against specific strain(s)). Does the benefit of using the nasal vaccine it outweigh the risk – yes, almost certainly. So – Please cite the peer reviewed clinical evidence to support the position that the modern nasal vaccine for kennel cough is ineffective and/or harmful, so people can make properly informed decisions. And I mean proper peer reviewed citations, not “opinion” based on limited unblinded studies and hearsay.
Please contact the author directly for citations. She will happily supply them.
The effects of vaccination on autism in children has not been discredited. There is a plethora of research showing this, much of it having nothing to do with Dr. Wakefield.
As for peer-reviewed clinical evidence – the world’s leading immunologist, Dr. Ronald Schultz, states that bordetella is not a vaccinatable disease. As for peer-reviewed publications, we hope you realize that the research presented in journals is heavily biased by the companies yielding the most power. Bias, self-interest and vested interests have corrupted science and medicine.
Hi,
I’ve never responded to this forum before, but am reading this thread with great interest, as I’ve long been an advocate of not over vaccinating our dogs.
Here is a bit of history and why I agree that the Bordatella vaccine (as well as others) are not only un-necessary, they can actually cause a problem instead of prevent one.
I am not a vet, but I am a long time breeder and rescuer of Schipperkes, and I have a lot of rescues in and out of here, many from shelters, and many of them come to me with bad cases of so called “kennel cough”. I’ve also worked at large commercial boarding kennels and vets.
Back in the beginning (like 30 years ago) I used to buy into the myth that I must protect my own dogs from the dreaded “KC” that they were exposed to because of dog shows and the exposure from the dogs I rescued. What I discovered was that when I was giving the vaccines to my own dogs, they would often get kennel cough, sometimes in conjunction with me taking in rescues, but other times, it seemed to be “airborne”. The KC would often last for weeks and weeks, sometimes even months, despite the fact I vaccinated for it.
So, I stopped giving the vaccine. After giving it a lot of thought, I realized that for one thing, there are SO many causes of so called “kennel cough” (aka tracheal bronchitis) that a vaccine couldn’t possibly control all those causes. Secondly and maybe more importantly, specifically, viral kennel cough (which is what we were supposedly vaccinating for) also had many different viruses that caused it to occur, new viruses, mutating viruses, etc., that we were absolutely wasting our time and money vaccinating for it (sort of like trying to swat bees while they swarm around you). And in fact, as has been stated, in many cases, dogs become ill from the vaccine itself.
When I give puppies shots, I start them with only partial doses of the vaccines. I also do not believe in vaccinating my adult, healthy dogs for anything, once they’ve had their series of “puppy shots”. I test titers for Parvo and Distemper (the two most deadly viruses) and so far, all the adults have come back with good titers, proving (to me at least) that “regular vaccines” are not only a waste, I think they are extremely damaging to the immune systems of healthy animals (this has been proven to me by experience over the years, but that’s another long story).
Anyway, this is a very interesting forum, keep up the good work, one word of advise to the authors though, you do catch more flies with honey than salt, sometimes it’s best not to go for the jugular so to speak, or to say things in your responses to people questioning your information, that can be perceived as just “personal attacks” on people who are debating the issues with you.
Keep up the good work, I’m sharing your link with my Schipperke internet lists!
I forgot to say, that since I’ve stopped vaccinating for Bordatella, even when I’ve had rescues in here with bad cases of KC, none of my dogs have “caught” it from infected dogs. I had much more of a problem with it when I was giving the vaccines, so that proved to me that the vaccines were not only not needed, they were causing my dogs to get sick!
Lynn
I own and run a private dog park and training club. I do not push vaccines, but by law we are required to have proof of rabies and bordatella on all dogs on the property or risk losing our license. I encourage our clients to go the titer route as we can accept that in place of proof of vaccines. (Except for rabies, we have NO choice but to have proof of current vaccinations). Of course the issue for many is that doing a titer is more expensive than just getting the shots done, so most of our clients just do the shots to save the money and effort, sigh.
Dr O,Connor, I too was appalled by the rude comments you received. You simply asked for the research to back up their claims. Instead of research data they called you names that appear to me as not only unprofessional but proof that no double blinded study was done. That is the “gold standard” we live by.
I don’t think we need to apologize for our remarks. Please look at it from a dog owner’s point of view. Over thirty years ago, Dr. Ronald Schultz found that vaccines last for at least seven years and likely for the life of the animal. The veterinary associations came up with an arbitrary number of three years for annual revaccination and vets happily went on vaccinating dogs either annually or every three years – hopefully with the understanding that these vaccines are potentially harmful to dogs. Eight years after those initial guidelines, Dr. Schultz has done even more research to prove lifelong immunity, Dr. Jean Dodds has been instrumental in showing the link between modified live vaccines and autoimmune disease, and the vets continue to vaccinate either annually or every three years. Are we angry at vets? You bet! Are we suspicious of vets? Yes! Are we frustrated because they are not looking at data that is right in front of their faces? Yes!
The sad fact remains that pets today are over-serviced by veterinarians and we pet owners, and our dogs, pay the price. Not only do we pay for unnecessary vaccines, we pay for the autoimmune diseases they cause – we shell out for allergy meds, for soloxine, for arthritis meds, for expensive veterinary foods that are overly-processed bags of cardboard that scream conflict of interest.
So excuse me if, when a vet comes on this board and asks if double blind studies were done on bordetella vaccines when vaccines have not ever been tested in the field in the first place. The world’s leading immunologist not only says that vaccines last for the life of a dog, but that bordetella is not a vaccinatable disease. I understand that bacterial vaccines have a different duration of immunity but WHY IS NOBODY ASKING FOR DOUBLE BLIND STUDIES TO SHOW THAT VACCINATING FOR BORDETELLA IS A GOOD IDEA IN THE FIRST PLACE? Dr. Jordan has no financial interest in doing the research she does – in fact, it has cost her many jobs. On the other hand, the pharmaceutical companies have everything to gain from bordetella vaccines and your first impulse is to question Dr. Jordan?
We provided research data to Dr. O’Connor but I stand by my statement that if you are asking for it, then you have not done your homework on vaccinology and immunology. Vets are not listening to Drs Ronald Schultz and W Jean Dodds, and this vet was not listening to Dr. Jordan either. In my opinion, Dr. O’Connor’s question was not exactly innocent and her disdain was quite evident. If she was truly interested in the research, then why didn’t she consult her colleague privately instead of preaching about evidence-based medicine on a public board, which was obviously meant to belittle Dr. Jordan. Forgive me if this was not her intent, but vets have taught me to be very suspicious. I am angry about the damage that vets have done to my dogs through unnecessary vaccination and I regret that this sometimes shows in my posts. Neither you nor Dr. O’Connor has made me feel any better about veterinary professionals and that is a real shame because I truly want to. Your profession is broken and we wish more of you would see this and try to fix it. Dogs Naturally is not here to be kind to vets. Our job is to educate consumers so we can force change because it appears that until your pocketbooks are threatened, you are not going to listen. We’ve given you nearly 40 years – what will it take?
Wouldn’t a titer test be able to tell if the natural antibodies are there ot if the vaccines is needed??? Why are vets not sharing the info from Dr Dodds and Hemopet? I had many dog friends not know that the T5 was available now. this should be explained to pet owners. IMO
Also remember that you can always use Thuja prior to vaccinating to assist in no reaction.
I have an immune suppressed dog. I only feed raw and do not vaccinate. My regualr vet, knowing the my dog was immune suppressed, continued to give her yearly vaccinations. At the time, I hadn’t done the research. Since then, I have switched to a holistic vet and we DO NOT vaccinate my dog. She has had some serious effects from vaccinosis. Please take the time to do the research to make your own decision. Your pet’s life is worth it.
My kennel, my rules. It has nothing to do with state law, it has to do with protecting my kennel and YOUR dog against a disease. It is not a serious disease, but if there is an outbreak at my kennel everyone whose dog gets sick will be mad at me, and you’ll blame me for YOUR failure to prevent it. I am old enough to remember the time before there was a vaccine, and outbreaks were frequent. After the vaccine was developed and the vets and kennels where I worked started to require it, there were no more kennel-wide outbreaks, just a few isolated minor cases and most dogs didn’t get the disease at all.
It has nothing to do with my liability. You sign a release that says YOU assume any risk involved in boarding your dog. If you don’t care about his health enough to have him vaccinated, that’s his problem, not mine. No vaccine is 100% effective but they do work well to reduce the frequency and severity of the cough. Anyone who was working in the pet industry in the years before and after the vaccine was invented should remember noticing the difference. I’m not required by law to make you show proof of ANY vaccinations when you bring your pet to board. I do it to protect all the pets in my care, including my own.
Cynthia, with all due respect, the world’s leading veterinary immunologist disagrees with you. Not only does Dr. Ronald Schultz not recommend the bordetella vaccine, he states that it is not a “vaccinatable disease.” There is no research that I’m aware of to support your claims and as editor of the magazine, I am in constant contact with veterinarians and researchers and they work hard to keep us up to date. So far, I have found nothing. There isn’t even information supporting the effectiveness of most human vaccines. The reason is, nobody is doing it. The vaccine manufacturers produce them and we dutifully give them to our pets and our children without even asking for long term studies or proof of efficacy in the field. How many more girls have to die from Gardisil before people wake up? Vaccination is now the leading cause of Polio which has become an epidemic in third world countries. Most emerging diseases are retroviruses which are likely caused by vaccines and vaccine shedding.
It’s a complicated topic with frightening ramifications. People need to start asking for the research showing vaccine safety – long term and in the field – and the answer will be “there is none.” Am I the only one who is frightened by this?
I have to agree with Cynthia on this one, sorry Dr. Schultz or whoever is writing this post, but I am an educated person, I have read ALOT on vaccines. I have years of experience, and have researched what you should and shouldn’t do to your dogs, I am not a vet, but life experience has taught me so much, more than books or most studies have ever done. I have bred dogs for 20 years (only 6 litters FYI ), showed dogs all over the country for over 10 years and ran my own boarding kennel for 10 years. I don’t believe in over vaccinating for anything, my own dogs are not over vaccinated, Rabies by law until a certain age and then they “pass away”, puppy shots then a booster and then when I feel they need it, or if they are in a high risk situtation, aka shows/trials/etc. I do believe the intra-nasal kennel cough vaccine does “work” to an extent better than these “studies” show or by doing anything at all. Yes it is a self-limiting illness, but dogs that have been vaccinated do recover faster than ones that haven’t been vaccinated or treated for it. I require it for the safety of the dogs staying here because it is highly contagious, when I first started in dogs and didn’t vaccinate like I do now, I saw it go from one to another even with no or limited contact. I require the Intra-nasal vaccine at least 7 days prior to coming to my kennel, do I think it is perfect, NO. But since I have implemented that protocol I have had very limited to no problems. The argument that “you feed a great diet and take excellent care of your pet” doesn’t apply to everyone that has a pet or boards a dog. Most people I come into contact with feed the cheapest crap they can afford because their “vet” tells them “if they are doing OK don’t worry about the food it doesn’t matter”, even if they aren’t doing OK aka allergies, illnesses, they just don’t even ask what they are eating! REALLY?? It is this person’s opinion or that person’s study it doesn’t matter to everyone, it all comes down to what a person believes or knows from personal experience. I know what I know after 20+ years experience, are there studies that have been done for a 20 year span? I can’t answer that, I can just say what I know to be true to my situation.
fleas, I use tea tree oil diluted and sometimes even add neem oil. neem oil can be puchased at a lowes is it also for organic gardening. I use Dr Bronners soaps he has one with tea tree oil. Ive used neem to spray my carpet. I vacuum every day. in the yard since I have fowl I use food grade DE. ie Diatomaceous earth. for the 4 legged pets yard I also have used Dawn dishwashing liquid on the yard. not too much with water goes a long way. not when sun is high. I do again in a week. fleas in florida are a constant battle. but the vaccines have made the conditions of my animals worse. I no longer want them vaccinated. EVER! when I relized that the medical pharma companies chemical compaies are killing us I knew that they are part of culling our animals as well. learn how to heal naturally. it’s the food, need real living food, not cooked, even for humans!
Great article! Just confirms why I don’t over vaccinating my dogs!!
Jenny,
We just went through a flea battle in our house. I have a 9 year old GSD who we never knew was allergic to flea bites (or she just developed it). She had gotten her rabies shot and shortly after that ended up on antibiotics…(which looking back at her history on paper, it was so easy to see the trend of vaccine/antibiotic for several years…wish I’d recognized it years ago!). Anyway, this led to a weakened immune system. Then came along the fleas and allergic reaction, and she has now been battling skin infection for a few months (but that’s another story).
We battled the fleas and finally won with Cedar Oil. I treated the yard, the house, the furniture, the cars, the dogs…everything. And vacuum, vacuum, vacuum. Daily. Every day. It took us a few weeks, but we won! Once the fleas are gone, it then becomes about maintenance. We raw feed, we add organic apple cider vinegar (with the mother) to their diet, and we spray them with a variety of things, rotating to avoid resistance build up (eucalyptus oil, tea tree oil, sprinkle with DE, cedar oil, lavender, etc.). Am I doing it all perfectly? Probably not, but it’s working for us.
A good reference book is the Encyclopedia of Natural Pet Care. The book can be a little crazy to follow sometimes, and there’s no “magic bullet” or “specific formula” that works for every dog. But it’s great for reference.
Good luck.
~Michelle
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