ANNUAL DOG VACCINES MAY NOT BE NECESSARY, SAYS UW VETERINARY IMMUNOLOGIST
Ronald D. Schultz, (608) 263-9888, manningj@svm.vetmed.wisc.edu

- Once a year, Ronald Schultz checks the antibody levels in his dogs' blood.
Why? He says for proof that most annual vaccines are unnecessary.  Schultz,
professor and chair of Pathobiological Sciences at the University of
Wisconsin-Madison School of Veterinary Medicine, has been studying the
effectiveness of canine vaccines since the 1970s; he's learned that immunity
can last as long as a dog's lifetime, which suggests that our "best friends"
are being over-vaccinated.  Based on his findings, a community of canine
vaccine experts has developed new veterinary recommendations that could
eliminate a dog's need for annual shots. The guidelines appear in the
March/April issue of Trends, the journal of the American Animal Hospital
Association (AAHA).  Every year, when we take our dogs to the veterinarian's
office, they could receive up to 16 different vaccines, many of which are
combined into a single shot. Four of these products protect against
life-threatening diseases, including rabies, canine parvovirus type 2
(CPV-2), canine distemper virus (CDV) and canine adenovirus type 2 (CAV-2);
the rest protect against milder diseases to which only some dogs are
exposed, including Lyme disease.  But, as many veterinarians are realizing,
over-vaccination can actually jeopardize a dog's health and even life. Side
effects can cause skin problems, allergic reactions and autoimmune disease.
Though the case in cats, not dogs, tumors have been reported at the site of
vaccine injections.  "These adverse reactions have caused many veterinarians
to rethink the issue of vaccination," says Schultz. "The idea that
unnecessary vaccines can cause serious side effects is in direct conflict
with sound medical practices."  For 30 years, Schultz has been examining the
need to vaccinate animals so often and for so many diseases. "In the 1970s,
I started thinking about our immune response to pathogens and how similar it
is in other animals," says Schultz. "That's when I started to question
veterinary vaccination practices."  Just like ours, a canine's immune system
fires up when a pathogen, like a virus, enters the body. The pathogen
releases a protein called an antigen, which calls into action the immune
system's special disease-fighting cells. Called B and T lymphocytes, these
cells not only destroy the virus, but they remember what it looked like so
they can fend it off in the future.  It's this immunological memory that
enables vaccines, which purposely contain live, weakened or dead pathogens,
to protect against future disease.  But, as Schultz points out, vaccines can
keep people immune for a lifetime: we're usually inoculated for measles,
mumps and rubella as children but never as adults. So, can dogs be
vaccinated as pups and then never again?  While evidence from Schultz's
studies on both his own dogs and many other dogs from controlled studies
suggests the answer is yes, Schultz recommends a more conservative plan
based on duration of immunity and individual risk.  Schultz says that core
vaccines, or the ones that protect against life-threatening disease, are
essential for all dogs, yet he does not recommend dogs receive these shots
yearly. "With the exception of rabies, the vaccines for CDV, CPV-2 and CAV
trigger an immunological memory of at least seven years," he explains.
(Studies testing the duration of immunity for rabies shots show it lasts
about three years.)  For these reasons, Schultz suggests that dogs receive
rabies shots every three years (as is required by law in most states) and
the other core vaccines no more frequently than every three years.  Some
non-core vaccines, on the other hand, have a much shorter duration of
immunity, lasting around one year. But, as Schultz points out, not every dog
should get these types of vaccines, because not every dog is at risk for
exposure.  Today, many vaccinated dogs receive a shot for Lyme disease.
However, Schultz says that the ticks carrying the Lyme disease pathogen can
be found in only a few regions of the United States. More importantly,
Schultz adds, "The vaccine can cause adverse effects such as mild arthritis,
allergy or other immune diseases. Like all vaccines, it should only be used
when the animal is at significant risk." He notes that the Veterinary
Medical Teaching Hospital at the UW-Madison School of Veterinary Medicine
rarely administers the Lyme disease vaccine.  Another common vaccine that
Schultz says is unnecessary protects against "kennel cough," an often mild
and transient disease contracted during boarding or dog shows. "Most pet
dogs that do not live in breeding kennels, are not boarded, do not go to dog
shows and have only occasional contact with dogs outside their immediate
family," Schultz recommends, "rarely need to be vaccinated or re-vaccinated
for kennel cough."  Schultz says that it's important for veterinarians to
recognize an individual dog's risk for developing a particular disease when
considering the benefits of a vaccine. "Vaccines have many exceptional
benefits, but, like any drug, they also have the potential to cause
significant harm." Giving a vaccine that's not needed, he explains, creates
an unnecessary risk to the animal.  Recommending that dogs receive fewer
vaccines, Schultz admits, may spark controversy, especially when
veterinarians rely on annual vaccines to bring in clients, along with
income.  But, as he mentions, annual visits are important for many reasons
other than shots.  "Checking for heartworm, tumors, dermatological problems
and tooth decay should be done on a yearly basis," he says. "Plus, some
dogs, depending on their risk, may need certain vaccines annually." Rather
than vaccinating on each visit, veterinarians can use a recently developed
test which checks dogs' immunity against certain diseases.  Schultz adds
that veterinarians who have switched to the three-year, instead of annual,
vaccination program have found no increase in the number of dogs with
vaccine-preventable diseases.  "Everyday, more and more people in the
profession are embracing the change," notes Schultz. And, that the new
vaccination guidelines supported by the AAHA, along with the task force
members representing the American Colleges of Veterinary Internal Medicine,
Veterinary Microbiology and the American Association of Veterinary
Immunologists, is evidence of just that.

**AAHA - You have to be a member of AAHA to actually read their current
vaccine protocol recommendation on their website, but it has filtered
through to those looking for the information since their 2004 annual
meeting.   Most of the finest small animal veterinary hospitals in America
comply with the rigorous outlines set by their peers to keep the AAHA
certified hospital status the hallmark of well-run, individual veterinary
hospitals in America.  It is not like a good house keeping seal of approval
that can just be bought.  Guidelines must be met and followed for the
hospital, doctors and as well as the full staff.  AAHA's 2006 yearly
conference will take place March 18-22 in Long Beach, California.