Vaccinations and Our Pets

It has been ONE year….and those of you who were around me last year knew how scared I was after I almost lost my sweet Princess Sophie. I wanted to share my experience with as many people as possible because I know it could save a pet’s life…



VACCINATIONS…

We all get them for our pets and don’t usually think twice. However, I hope through my story, I will encourage pet owners to step back and educate themselves before taking their furkids in for annual vaccinations. Last August 6th, 2008, my Sophie was paralyzed by a rabies vaccination that she had received just the day before. I was already hesitant about vaccinating her after my mom’s healthy 6 year old cat Max died suddenly after receiving his vaccinations, but after receiving my second reminder in the mail, I went against my gut and got her the Rabies vaccination (just Rabies, no kennel cough or other combo shots).

Within about 20 hours, Sophie went from being a healthy & spunky senior girl to not being able to walk…right in front of my eyes. I rushed her to her regular vet who had seen her just the day before, who in turn sent us straight to Georgia Veterinary Specialists. She spent the next seven days at GVS being tested for everything under the sun…never receiving an official cause of her paralysis. She has MRIs, spinal fluids taken, and tests on top of tests. All we knew what that her spinal cord “just became swollen” with no cause.

I spent all of my hours driving back and forth to visit her during the clinic’s visitation hours. I called every morning as soon as I woke up to speak with her doctor, visited her in the afternoon between 3-5 PM, then again from 7-9 PM, then waited until the night shift workers came in around midnight to call and check on her once more. It was the worst week of my life, to say the least.

Through my own research while Sophie was hospitalized, I found COUNTLESS cases from other pet owners with similar stories. I read and read, searched and searched, for more information about Sophie’s diagnosis. I began to find more and more information on how we are over-vaccinating out pets. We, as humans, only get childhood vaccinations early in life. Other vaccinations such as tetanus are suggested every TEN years. So why are our pets getting vaccinated EVERY SINGLE YEAR? It just doesn’t make sense.



Interesting Facts about Vaccinations in Pets:

~The CDC has NO recorded cases of a dog contracting rabies after receiving a 3 year rabies vaccination. Could this prove that this vaccination provides a lifetime of immunity?

~Did you know there is NO difference in the 1 Year and 3 Year rabies vaccination? They are the same dosage. If you feel the need to vaccinate, at least opt for the 3 year rabies so your pet is not subjected to vaccinations again in just 1 year.

~Through a series of studies, it was found in several dogs that ONE YEAR AFTER receiving the rabies vaccination, these dogs still had 2700 TIMES the necessary amount of protection needed, yet our vets are still telling us it is time to vaccinate?

~Documented adverse reactions to the rabies vaccination are:
Vomiting-28.1%
Facial Swelling-26.3%
Injection Site Swelling or Lump-19.4%
Lethargy-12%
Urticaria-10.1%
Circulatory shock-8.3%
Injection site pain-7.4%
Pruritus-7.4%
Injection site alopecia or hair loss-6.9%
Death-5.5%
Lack of Consciousness-5.5
Diarrhea-4.6%
Hypersensitivity (not specified)-4.6%
Fever-4.1%
Anaphylaxis-2.8%
Ataxia-2.8%
Lameness-2.8%
General signs of pain-2.3%
Hyperactivity-2.3%
Injection site scab or crust-2.3%
Muscle tremor-2.3%
Tachycardia-2.3%
Thrombocytopenia-2.3%.
(Frana, T. et als, Postmarketing Surveillance of Rabies Vaccines for Dogs to Evaluate Safety and Efficacy, Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association April 1, 2008 issue, Vol. 232, No. 7, p. 1001)

~Please visit and consider donating to the Rabies Challenge Fund. It is an effort to change the protocol of the rabies vaccination to every 7 years. Rabies Challenge Fund



I am glad to say that Sophie is here today and going strong. I know there are many other pets out there that were not so lucky. Just because you may not be vaccinating your pet doesn’t mean you can skip out on those annual check-ups. A physical exam from your vet and annual blood work is a good way to keep track of your pet’s health. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions and I will be glad to share more of our story.

Please share this story with other pet parents.