The subject of vaccinations is very broad and problematic, so it will take more than one article to cover it in depth and explain why annual vaccinations are dangerous and unnecessary. Some veterinarians even claim we shouldn't vaccinate our pets at all. That even one so-called puppy shot may jeopardize the health of our pets and trigger an autoimmune disease. So, since it's a big topic, let's take it step by step.


As it appears, the situation for pets regarding vaccines is dire. In some ways, it's just not worth it. For example, in our case we get some fundamental childhood shots, vaccines we get only once in our lifetime, but in the case of our pets, they get annual vaccinations. So in this way, they are in an even worse position than we are. And in some countries it's illegal not to vaccinate your pets.

But first, I want to share a story from my favourite natural veterinarian, Dr. Karen Becker, from when she was in veterinary school. I study in Eastern Europe, so things are a bit different than in the U.S., but for Dr. Becker, one of the things that was mandatory for every student was to receive a rabies vaccination before beginning their studies. Luckily for us, it's not mandatory! But because Dr. Becker had already been an activist for the preservation of wild animals, she was told that she could do a titer, to measure the amount of rabies antibodies still in her system โ€” basically, to see if the vaccine was even necessary.

The minimum amount of antibodies was a minimum of 50 IU/mL, and Dr. Becker had something like a hundred times more than this, even though she had taken the vaccine years before she was even admitted to the school. So she was told that it was unnecessary for her to take the vaccine again.


After that, she wondered, why do we humans take major, core vaccinations only once in our childhood, but pets are forced to take them annually? Other conscientious veterinarians are wondering the same thing. Something is really wrong here, because human physiology is basically the same in this respect.

It turns out that, just like with the human vaccine industry, pet vaccines are a big business โ€” a big money-making business. When veterinarians send out those annual reminder cards to customers saying, "Hurry up, you have only 7 days left before your annual vaccination, it's very important that you come in and do it on time", they are using fear, ultimately to line their pockets. And most people aren't aware of how these things work, and even less aware of how their pet's immune system works and why these annual vaccines are really unnecessary. So what can you do - what should you do, regarding vaccinations for your pets? What can you ask your vet before your pet is submitted for another annual vaccination? That's what I'll be writing about in this article.

But first, what are the biggest dangers to pets caused by vaccines? Just like with humans, vaccines can jeopardize your pet's health, for example by affecting their immune system, triggering an autoimmune disease, skin disease, heart disease. Any predisposition your pet may have, vaccines can trigger such problems. With that in mind, it's important to remember that there are core vaccines and non-core vaccines. For dogs, core vaccines include distemper, parvovirus, adenovirus, hepatitis and rabies. For kittens, they include panleukopenia, calicivirus, herpes and also rabies.
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The accepted, less damaging protocol right now for your puppy or kitten is to get their 'puppy shots' before they change their teeth โ€” at 3-4 months. After these vaccines, you should just wait. Your veterinarian will usually ask to do another 'booster' shot, but instead, you should ask your them to do a titre test, to check if the first vaccine was able to immunize your pet โ€” that is, if they have acceptable levels of the specific antigen in their system.

There are some vaccines that don't trigger any immune response, in which case you basically got your pet 'shot' for nothing and you need to vaccinate again. But if you get the titre test done and there are already antibodies produced, there is really no need at all to vaccinate again. Then next time, if your vet says you need to come again for annual re-vaccinations, you can tell them that according to new regulations of American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) Canine Vaccine Task Force and the American Association of Feline Practitioners (AAFP) Feline Vaccine Task Force, you can wait up to 3 years to re-vaccinate.

But even in this case, ask for a titre, to see if there was any change in the number of antibodies. Because if there is no change, or even a slightly lesser number, you still don't really need to re-vaccinate. It just increases the risk of additional damage. For example, if you have an indoor kitten that never comes into contact with other cats, in this case you don't even have to vaccinate with all four core vaccines - only with panleukopenia. And the first vaccine should be around 14-16 weeks, because by this time the kitten will no longer have the protection passed on from its mother.

This is another big issue: until the 1970s or so, vets used to do a test for maternal antibodies, passed on to puppies and kittens from their mothers. Based on this test, they were able to determine the exact time for vaccination by the decreasing amount of maternal antibodies, as well as to see if and when it was necessary to vaccinate at all. They made a so-called nomograph to determine exactly when the puppy should be vaccinated. This is one of the things that vets don't do anymore. For one thing, it takes time. But it also prevents vets from getting money from all those annual re-vaccinations. So in order to make the business more 'effective', they removed this option.

I'm sure many veterinarians are not aware of this option โ€” that they can check both maternal antibodies and also antibodies after vaccination to see if the vaccine is even necessary. I'll describe what actually happens with a pet's immune system in another article, but the important thing to know about so-called annual booster shots is this. Whenever any antigen enters the body, not only are antibodies created, but also memory cells. Basically, the immune system remembers the danger, so that it can react when it encounters the same pathogen in the future. So there is no need for a 'boost' to 'remind' it of what it already knows. It has the memory of an elephant! It's a memory for life. It's frustrating, because this is one of the biggest lies there is.

One of my teachers here said to me that he has another veterinarian friend who specializes in dermatology. This friend told him, "Wow, dermatology is the BEST field there is in veterinary science, because the patients are ALWAYS coming back. They will never get over those diseases. You just lessen the problem a bit with steroids, but then the immune system is compromised and all the skin problems are triggered again." He said it's like a "gold mine". Just to give you an example of veterinarians who are not exactly ethical! Many veterinarians are benefitting from the vaccine industry racket. They are not really aware that a racket is what it is, or maybe they ARE aware of it. I don't know.
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But vaccines are the main trigger for all of those diseases: allergies, autoimmune disorders, skin diseases, etc. Especially among the more 'pure-bred' breeds. Mutts tend to handle problems with vaccinations more easily. The 'purer' the breed, the more problems they have. Why? Pure-breds tend to have multiple predispositions: heart disease, kidney disease, breathing problems, hip dysplasia. This is what's being activated by vaccines. So a puppy that could live happily without any disease being triggered, now his system is compromised by the vaccine, and so there is this cascade effect that basically jeopardizes everything. When I return to this topic in a future article, I'll make sure to explain more about the immune system, what exactly happens, and why there are some vets who accept the necessity for the first puppy shots and that's it.

But for now the important message to take home โ€” and to your veterinarian โ€” is this. If you have a puppy or kitten, yes, there are some legal regulations like mandatory rabies shots in many countries โ€” there's no way around it. If it's the law, you have no choice and have to vaccinate. But there's no good reason to vaccinate every year for rabies. If you can, avoid it. Regarding other vaccines, for example, those for dystemper and parvovirus, there is a real danger. I've seen dogs die from parvovirus, and it's a very serious disease. It's very contagious if your dog comes in contact with other dogs. With cats, panleukopenia is basically feline parvovirus. So even if the cat doesn't go outside, the panleukopenia vaccine is probably a 'must'.

As for the other vaccines, well, you don't have to give them to your pets. For example, here in East Europe, if your pet doesn't leave the house even the rabies vaccine is not mandatory. So check if you can avoid it in the country where you live. If you have a grown dog or cat and you know that they've already been vaccinated, and you get those reminders from your vet that you come and re-vaccinate, come for a general check-up, but ask if they can do a titre to check the level of antibodies for those specific core-vaccine viruses. And see what your vet says. Here, for example, vets don't do titre tests, unfortunately. But in other European or North American countries, I think they will be able to do it.

And as for other, non-core vaccinations, like the leukaemia vaccine for cats, don't touch them at all. Don't agree to it. These are even worse than the core vaccines. At least the core vaccines have been checked and tested repeatedly. In fact, according to one of the top immunologists in the USA and leading vaccines expert Dr Ronald Schultz, vaccines for pets don't contain mercury. In this case, humans are at a disadvantage. Apparently the vaccine field for pets is more advanced. Or at least, this is what he said. You can listen to the entire interview with Dr Ronald Schultz in the following video.


I hope this has been interesting and informative enough, but if you have any questions, you can always post them in the comments section and I can cover them in future articles and shows.