What Today’s Pet Owners Need to Know About Vaccinations
Posted on June 22nd, 2016What is a vaccination?
A vaccination is an injection of a virus, bacteria or rickettsia in a solution. The microorganisms in the vaccine are either killed or modified live. In the live vaccine, and the organism has been changed in a way that it cannot cause a disease when injected. This modification process is called attenuation, and this process will allow the body to produce protective antibodies to that organism.
In the future, when the patient with the protective antibodies is exposed to one of these vaccine related diseases, the body will be protected.
The first reported vaccine was the small pox vaccine.
There are a great number of concerns that the pet owners have regarding vaccinations. At the top of the list is “should I vaccinate my pet or not”?
The American Animal Hospital Association has updated information on the most recent thoughts about the proper way to administer a vaccine. You can visit their website on line to read more and also obtain important contact information.
The modern thinking about vaccinations has experienced some major changes in the past few years.
In my first practice, I used to check levels of protective antibodies that vaccines produced.
I still vaccinate annually to somewhat guarantee that my patients all have enough protective immunity, however, our veterinary researchers have since found that protective antibodies levels may remain high for 3-7 years and in some up to 10-12 years.
So why vaccinate at all?
Young animals need to be introduced at an early age. It is probably best to begin the vaccines at 8 weeks of age. The reason for this is that the maternal antibodies that mom gave her offspring usually have disappeared at about this time.
Maternal antibodies are usually present up to 8 weeks and if vaccinated before this time, will kill the modified live virus vaccine and create very little protective antibodies, if any at all. The feeling is somewhat the same for killed vaccines. Apparently there is very little protection achieved. The interval between giving vaccines may vary from veterinarian to veterinarian, but in our hospital, I recommend a vaccination at 8, 12 and 16 weeks of age, for both puppies and kittens. In older dogs and cats that have a questionable vaccine history, two vaccines at a one month interval should suffice. Annual vaccines are usually recommended, but considering the information already presented, annual vaccines may be a thing of the past. The question is now, if this is true, and the owners are very concerned about vaccination, why do them?
Can vaccines be detrimental? Yes they can be. I have seen many reactions over the years.
These reactions did not occur in my patients because I often checked current protective antibody levels in my patients first, prior to additional vaccinations.
Because I have special interests in allergies, and endocrine immune imbalances which cause autoimmune diseases and cancer, I have always been very conservative with the use of vaccines or any substance injected into the body. Sometimes we forget that each patient is different, whether an animal or a human. What might work for one, might be detrimental for another.
There has been great controversy as far as the amount or volume of the vaccine to give. Often the same amount or volume of vaccine is given to a 3 lb dog as to a 200 lb dog. The manufacturers of the vaccine say a full dose is safe to give to any size dog, because it is not the volume of the vaccine, but rather the “minimum, immunizing dose”.
Can you imagine, the reaction that might occur with one vaccine, but what if more than one type of vaccine is given to this patient at the same time?
I have seen so many horrible reactions over the years that I always use reduced volumes of vaccines in my small patients and have successfully created proper immunity.
Proper immunity was easily determined by doing protective antibody level tests 2 weeks after the primary vaccine program was completed. Recent thinking says, however, that a reduced vaccine dose will not create enough protective antibody. Personally I would rather give the smaller vaccine volume, check the antibody levels 2 weeks later for those vaccines that were administered, and if necessary, give anther vaccine 2 weeks later to avoid a possible reaction.
A protective antibody level that has been created through a vaccination procedure is referred to as an antibody titer. Doing antibody titer testing may be an extra expense, but it is much safer. You need to decide if your “best friend” is worth it or not.
A word about Nosodes. This is a preparation that is used in place of present day vaccines.
Nosodes are used by Holistic veterinarians, and other veterinarians who were fearful of actual vaccinations being detrimental to their patients. In the hands of some veterinarians, the Nosodes seem to work well. If they are getting protection for their patients, great, but in my hands, I was never able to create protective antibodies in my patients. I did check protective antibody levels [titers], after using this method, and found a lack of protection. I have been told by other veterinarians that Nosodes work in a different manner, however I never pursued the issue because I saw several litters that had received Nosodes that perished from contact from the various diseases that vaccines were used to protect them from that disease.
In all fairness, if the litters had this mechanism defect [Endocrine Immune Disorder], I am not sure anything would have worked, including vaccinations.
Many years ago, people were afraid that the altered viruses and bacteria [attenuated] in the vaccines, might still give the puppy Distemper, and so a Measles vaccine was developed.
The thinking was, in using the Measles virus, it was close enough to the structure to the Distemper virus, that an immunity to the Measles virus would be created without worrying about the puppy getting Distemper from this vaccine. Unfortunately this did not happen.
Later an altered Distemper virus was added to the Measles vaccine. I am really not sure why they kept including the Measles virus.
This virus was close enough to the structure of the Distemper virus, but the general thinking was that the combination would be safer to use for annual vaccinations.
That vaccine has since disappeared and I think you can now begin to understand some of the controversy that has accompanied vaccinations for many years. I again, refer you to the AAHA website for the most recent updates involving vaccine procedures.
It is important to know, that the different vaccines must never be given in the same injection site. Also from my standpoint, it is helpful to inject each specific vaccine into a different site on the patient because this will allow you to determine if one vaccine may have caused a reaction.
Multiple vaccinations delivered into the same injection site in felines, may lead to the development of an incurable cancer called an injection site Sarcoma. Remember, each patient is different, and each patient may or may not react to one or many of the variety of vaccines. Obviously this is information that is important for both the owner and their veterinarian. I personally favor giving the vaccines in the lower, lumbar area. [This is the area just above the tail, on either side of the spine, mainly because if there is a reaction in this area as opposed to the rear leg, a motility impairment will not occur. Also, if the patient suddenly moves, there is no sciatic nerve to pierce. I have seen patients where this has happened, and permanent lameness remained for the life of the patient.
Finally, for patient comfort, when receiving any kind of injection, by patting the patient firmly on the head, and your veterinarian pinching the skin at the same time before introducing the needle into the patient, the patient’s sensory center will be occupied, and the injection should be less painful. This is why many dentists, when injecting their patient with a local anesthetic, will lightly pinch and shake your cheek to occupy your sensory center, so that needle entering the patient will be less painful.
My greatest concern is not so much with the use of vaccines, but rather with identifying the patients that cannot develop protective antibodies, through vaccination. In my new book, in the Pet Situations, I discuss a family that had vaccinated their pet properly and revaccinated many times, to insure their pet would remain healthy. What happened?
At 18 months of age, their dog contracted the Parvo virus and died.
The family then rescued a beautiful Harlequin Great Dane. The new owners wanted a guarantee, that this would not happen again to their new puppy, but obviously there are no guarantees in medicine.
I have researched and have been able to create a mechanism that will tell you, in an animal or person, whether they have the ability to produce protective antibodies through vaccination. When there is a cortisol imbalance [this is a natural hormone that is produced in the middle layer adrenal cortex in both people and animals]
When this occurs, I refer to the syndrome as ACEIS = Atypical Cortisol Estrogen Imbalance Syndrome.
The elevated adrenal estrogen binds the thyroid hormones receptor sites, which in turn somewhat helps to protects the excess adrenal estrogen, while more is being produced. This is part of the “Vicious Cycle”, which can be seen on Google with my name. Furthermore, the high estrogen deregulates the two main types of immune cells that when properly regulated, will protect the person or the animal. The one cell is called a B lymphocyte. Its function is to protect the body from bacterial infections and produce protective antibodies to foreign substances and vaccinations. With its deregulation, caused by the high adrenal estrogen, the B cell not only does not protect the body from bacterial infections, but does not produce antibodies to foreign materials and vaccinations.
The T-lymphocyte also loses its ability to protect the patient against viruses.
Hopefully you can now understand why the 18 month old dog died from the Parvo virus after being vaccinated several times.
Unfortunately, The Doberman did have this endocrine immune imbalance mechanism breakdown. Also, when the B lymphocyte production of the mucous membrane antibody called IgA is deficient, malabsorption occurs [the inability of nutrients and medications to pass into the patient’s blood stream]. This is another part of the “Vicious Cycle”. Oral foods, nutriceuticals, and homeopathic supplements will not be absorbed.
Hopefully you can now see why changing drugs and nutrients might be a waste of time particularly if the patient has an IgA deficiency.
A prime example of this is when a patient is in the hospital on intravenous fluid and intramuscular injections, which bypass the intestines and go directly into the bloodstream are effective, when the patient is sent home on the same medicine in an oral form, they do poorly because of the low IgA antibody which will result in a malabsorption level in the intestines and the inability to absorb.
When this syndrome is present, the patient can suffer from multiple colds, flu, plus develop all kinds of different molds and fungi. Ongoing Candida infections [this is a yeast like fungus that normally in the mouth, intestines and vagina in healthy people] are prevalent in those people with my syndrome. With the mechanism breakdown, the T cell will not protect the body and rampant growth may occur. This also applies to increased growth of demodectic mange mites which are normally present in the skin of dogs and the nasal tissue of some people, but only cause disease when my syndrome has developed. It is important to realize that the B and T cell function when reduced can only leads to disease problem to those patients that have this syndrome.
This loss of function may also lead to loss of recognition of self tissue, and can cause autoimmune diseases and cancer to develop.
It is important to realize that when this hormone imbalance occurs, both the B and T cells are deregulated and not only lose sight of self breakdown tissue but may react adversely to any foreign substance that invades the body. The fact that the B cell is not providing proper antibody, does not mean that its entire function is depressed. It definitely is not.
This is the mechanism that is the cause of allergies, auto-immunity and cancer.
Hopefully this will give you some insight as how to vaccinate this new Great Dane puppy.
First the puppy was vaccinated after at 8 and then 12 weeks. Two weeks later I did a blood test to measure the level of the protective antibody [titer]. Both levels of antibody protection for Parvo and Distemper were nearly non-existent. I immediately performed the endocrine immune mechanism blood test. The results of the test indicated the following:
. Decreased amounts o9f Cortisol
. Elevated amounts of adrenal estrogen.
. Normal T3 T4
. Depressed immunoglobulins (antibodies)
Fortunately her antibody in her gut was high enough to allow for absorption of oral replacement hormones, so she was put on a cortisol, thyroid replacement.
After doing another endocrine immune panel after she had been on 4 weeks of replacement therapy, her endocrine immune levels returned to normal, and her B cell now was ready to produce protective antibodies. During this replacement period, I cautioned the owners not to take the puppy out of their yard and house since the puppy had no protective immunity. I revaccinated the puppy at the same time interval as before, and 2 weeks past her last vaccination, I rechecked her protective antibody levels and found that the B cell had been reregulated by proper hormone replacement and now was allowed to function in a protective manner.
Now the puppy has very high levels of protective antibodies to not only Parvo virus and the Distemper virus, but any other invasive organisms that B and T cells can neutralize.
With all the commentary on do, or do not revaccinate, what should you do? After the initial vaccination program is completed, two week later, you should have your veterinarian test to see if your young animal has developed protective antibodies [titers]. If your animal has not developed proper immunity, it might be worthwhile to give one more vaccine to see if this does boost the immunity to a protective level. If the vaccine did not help, then it is time to do the endocrine immune mechanism blood test. If the results are positive for a hormone antibody deficiency, then fund the patient’s imbalance, and then revaccinate. At this point in time, there is only one veterinary laboratory doing my blood test.
That laboratory is National Veterinary Diagnostic Services and can be reached at info@national-vet.com.
The details of how to handle the sample and where to send the sample are listed on my website at www.drplechner.com.
Please know, I have no affiliation with this laboratory, but no other laboratory seems to be interested in doing this test.
This lab can do this mechanism blood test for dogs, cats, horses.
LabCorp can also do this test for humans who may have allergies, autoimmunity or cancer.
The following is merely some thinking “outside the box” that may be totally incorrect, but I think worth mentioning.
What do vaccinations have to do with children?
Does the autism come from the vaccination, or is this endocrine immune imbalance present that allows the vaccine to cause autism. You can imagine if the child is born with an endocrine immune imbalance, the imbalance will not allow the thyroid to breakdown the vaccine I a timely manner, so that the vaccine will become an overdose, and the B-cell that is supposed to respond, is not only deregulated, but will not produce protective antibodies. With the elevated adrenal estrogen binding the thyroid receptor sites, the foreign vaccine material stays in the system for a longer time than necessary, and then the deregulated immune system can allow the vaccine material to create some profound side effects, which may be part of why autism occurs.
Again, this is merely a thought.
Performing an endocrine immune mechanism blood test, might be something, to consider.
The latest statement from the medical profession says, “vaccination procedures have nothing to do with autism”, and this may be true. Then how can we tell if this is really true?
Hopefully this endocrine immune imbalanced mechanism is not present in these newborns, and if it is, it may cause catastrophic results.
NOTE: This imbalanced mechanism is usually genetic, but a mother going through adverse environmental challenges, can certainly cause this imbalance in her manifest itself in her offspring.
Before vaccines are administered in any species, the maternal antibodies need to be gone from the child’s system, otherwise that maternal antibody that still remains in the offspring may kill a live vaccine and not make protective antibodies. In any newly born offspring, it may be helpful to do this endocrine-immune panel. If there is the imbalance, this needs to be corrected, before any vaccines should be given, because if this imbalance is still present, any vaccine will be a major over dose and may cause a horrible allergic reaction and the possibility of add to the creation of autism.
If there may be a concern about this happening, why not include this test at the same time other tests are being done at the time of birth or soon, thereafter.
In any event it will indicate to you and your healthcare professional, if your baby can develop protective antibodies from vaccines.
This kind of procedure may help the health care practitioners decide if there is an imbalance, before the vaccine is given, or whether the autism may have existed first.
Please remember, I am only a “plain wrap veterinarian” trying to give our medical professionals a way to possibly “think outside the box”.
Your physicians need to determine if human Laboratories are doing total estrogen and not merely estradiol, estrone and estriole.
NOTE: As I mentioned earlier, LabCorp can do the endocrine immune mechanism test including total estrogen.
One huge concern that the general public has, is what kind of chemicals additives and other ingredients, go into the vaccines. Is it really the vaccine that is the problem, or is it the other ingredients that are added into the vaccine? The same danger is still there. Should then, the vaccines be “cleaned up”, or are we still exposing ourselves, our pets and our children, to a needless danger?
Years ago, I found that a certain number of miniature poodles had severe reactions to vaccines. I also found that many of these patients were allergic to egg whites. Guess what? The vaccines were created with egg whites as the media for growing the vaccinatable viruses.
Assuming it is OK to vaccinate your child or animal with present day vaccines is very questionable. How much of the attenuated virus, whether dead or modified live, is enough and not is too much.
How can we tell how the vaccine was prepared? The time has come when the vaccine manufacturers need to take heed, and research the problems that they may be causing. Also remember, that they may not be causing the problem, but rather the problem may not be caused by the vaccine, but is caused from an imbalance in the patient that allows the vaccine to cause negative effects, including no antibody protection.
Recent information has indicated that even if the antibody titer is low for vaccinatble diseases, the T- Lymphocyte can still provide a cellular immunity and protection if the patient’s endocrine immune imbalance is normal..
Once again, emphasizing for one last time, since the actual vaccine is a foreign substance entering the body of the young patient, why is the same amount of vaccine administered to a 3 lb, patient that is also administered to a 200 lb. patient?
This makes no sense to me, but possibly I just do not understand.
Hopefully this article may raise some very important questions for you to consider for yourself, your child, and your pet.
Sincerely,
Dr. Al Plechner
