by Dr.

Jo Thompson

WHY DID THIS HAPPEN?

On the evening of Tuesday 2

December 2014, my boy Lukuru
Amisi succumbed to an extreme,
acute attack of Pancreatitis due,
according to the attending team
of physicians, to complications of
the long-term medication
Azathioprine used to treat
Panuveitis. Panuveitis, an
immune-mediated illness
triggered by over-vaccination or
repeated vaccination, caused his
immune system to kick into
overdrive and attack itself.

he responsible use of modern vaccines provides protection

against some diseases and has improved the health and welfare
of many animals. Vaccines are the conventional and accepted
way to prevent illness and their use has significantly reduced
the incidence of serious canine infectious diseases. Many of us recognize
that vaccines can be an important part of dog ownership. In fact, in many
locations proof of vaccinations is required by local licensing, boarding,
training, and daycare systems.

As with all my dogs, I wanted to do the right thing for Amisi and
followed the standard vaccination protocols presented by my veterinarian.
I wanted to ensure that my boy was protected with sufficient immunity
against disease. Our local clinic performs annual booster vaccinations for
core diseases in adult dogs (here, considered to be at least six months of age1,
when the immune system is fully mature), following the recommendation
on the vaccine labels that reads - Annual re-vaccination with one dose is
recommended. Duration of immunity for XYZ has not been established. These
vaccination protocols were established in the late 1940s and 1950s.

The vaccines at issue here are identified as Core vaccines by the American
Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) Canine Vaccination Task Force because
the associated diseases present significant risks of morbidity and mortality,
are widely distributed throughout canine populations, have high exposure
risk, and in some instances may be transmitted to humans. These diseases
are Canine Distemper Virus (CDV), Canine Parvovirus (CPV), Canine
Adenovirus2 (CAV), and Rabies (RV).

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With the exception of the rabies vaccine, which

is required by state law, vaccinations are
elective; it is up to owners to decide which
immunizations, if any, they will use.

Vaccination is a medical procedure and
is not without risk. There can be side effects
- the repetition of vaccines may result in an
over reactive or inefficient immune system,
which is the root cause of many ailments.

Amisi received his first puppy vaccinations
before being imported from the Congo. He
had no discernible reaction. Once settled in
the USA, he received his second series of
puppy vaccinations. The first annual booster
inoculation was administered in the USA when
he was approaching his 2-year birthday. At
that time, a small welt developed at the
vaccination site. After the annual booster
vaccination the following year, Amisi was ill
for about 24 hours. Still, I did not understand
what might be happening, nor did I connect
the two relatively mild reactions. The third
year changed our lives forever. Within two
weeks after his booster, Amisi had his first
serious flare-up of Panuveitis. Panuveitis is
one of several conditions in which the dog
produces antibodies against its own tissues.
Panuveitis is inflammation (an autoimmune
attack on tissue) in the uveal tract - the
pigment-producing middle portion of the three
concentric layers that make up the eye.
Panuveitis affects both eyes, can result in retinal
detachment, glaucoma, and often blindness.
Azathioprine, also used as a chemotherapy
drug, is the customary treatment to mediate
these side effects. Azathioprine suppresses
inflammation by tamping down the immune
system. It is also approved for use in the
treatment of rheumatoid arthritis and for
preventing rejection of transplanted organs.

This was the point at which I first heard
the word vaccinosis.

Dr. James Compton Burnett, an Austrian
physician, was one of the first to speak about
vaccinations triggering illness when he warned
of the chronic autoimmune manifestations
following smallpox vaccinations in humans.
In his landmark book, Vaccinosis and its Cure
by Thuja; with Remarks on Homoeoprophylaxis
published in 1884, he coined the term
Vaccinosis by adding the suffix -osis (meaning
diseased state as a result of ) onto the word
vaccine, thus connoting the vaccine-induceddisease relationship. However, only in recent
years have the major veterinary associations
begun to acknowledge that vaccinations can

and do trigger all sorts of autoimmune-related

maladies, from allergies to cancer.

Currently, the term vaccinosis is used to
label idiopathic conditions that manifest in a
chronic illness and that are correlated with
adverse reactions after vaccinations have been
administered. With most animals the
symptoms are not easily recognized at first.
An insidious process, vaccinosis may take
weeks, months, and sometimes even years to
show and be properly identified as the root
cause of a chronic illness. Sadly, in some
instances, physicians, veterinarians, and their
patients never realize that a condition was
triggered by vaccines. Research has determined
that, although relatively rare, vaccinations can
have autoimmune side effects and may trigger
full-blown autoimmune disease.
With vaccines that are repeated year after
year, the frequency and severity of these
side-effects in our pets has increased
dramatically. Most of the problems involve
the immune system. After all, the immune
system is what vaccines are designed to
stimulate. But they do so in a very
unnatural way that can overwhelm and
confuse the immune system. - Dr. Donna
Starita Mehan, DVM

SO WHAT CAN BE DONE TO

PROTECT OUR DOGS?
If giving vaccinations:

Use individual vaccines, not

combinations.

Do not vaccinate while other

procedures are being performed,
including grooming and boarding,
which also stress the immune system.

NEVER vaccinate a sick animal, no

matter how mild or chronic the
symptoms (including arthritis and
allergies).

NEVER vaccinate a pregnant animal.

Always monitor your dog after

vaccination.

Do not over-vaccinate!

I want to ensure that my dog(s) is
protected against disease and also avoid overvaccinating by administering booster vaccines
that may be unnecessary following previous
(even years earlier) immunization. There is a
growing concern that the recommended high
frequency of vaccinations may lead to
increasing incidence of autoimmune and other
immune-mediated disorders. Some people,
myself included, now choose to test their dog(s)

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using titers (or titres) associated with a

particular canine disease. A titer is the
laboratory measure of the existence or
concentration of antibodies (to a specific
disease) found in the dogs blood. Any
measureable quantity of vaccine-induced
antibodies (anything above zero) indicates
some level of immunity. However, it is critical
to accurately determine a preventative level of
immunity without over-vaccinating.

WHAT IS A PREVENTATIVE LEVEL

OF ANTIBODIES?

Titer testing can determine if protective
immunity exists in a previously vaccinated dog.
Core vaccine antibody titers correlate extremely
well with protective immunity against CDV,
CPV, and CAV. However, currently available
serum antibody titers are of limited or no value
as a measure of protective immunity for
Noncore vaccines.

To assure the presence of immunity level
antibodies, titer parameters have been set and
are generally standardized across testing
laboratories. These are the current generic,
minimum protective titer levels for dogs:
CDV (distemper) > 32
CPV (parvovirus) > 80
CAV (adenovirus) > 16
Dogs that test greater or equal to these
parameters do not need to be revaccinated.

IMMUNE SYSTEMS ARE BREED

SPECIFIC.

Some breeders suggest that a vaccine
component affects their particular breed
differently than other breeds. It is well
documented that the type of breed can play a
key role in immune system response -- there
are breed-specific immunology idiosyncrasies.
For example, in basenjis we know that breedspecific autoimmune idiosyncrasies include
different thyroid levels when compared to the
normal reference range for the general
population of dogs. Rottweilers, Doberman
Pinschers, Labrador Retrievers, Alaskan Sled
Dogs, Pomeranians, and American Staffordshire
Terriers have difficulty mounting an appropriate
immune response to CPV.

Further, to name just a few examples of
breed-specific hypersensitivities, several
herding breeds (Collies, Old English
Sheepdogs, Shetland Sheepdogs, Australian
Shepherds, German Shepherds, Longhaired

DURATION OF IMMUNITY
TO CANINE VACCINES
WHAT WE KNOW AND
WHAT WE DONT KNOW
Dr. Ronald Schultz, a veterinary
immunologist at the forefront of vaccine research
and chair of the University of Wisconsins Department of
Pathobiological Sciences, outlines the DOI for the following vaccines:
Minimum Duration of Immunity for Canine Vaccines:
Distemper - 7 years by challenge/15 years by serology
Parvovirus - 7 years by challenge/ 7 years by serology
Adenovirus - 7 years by challenge/ 9 years by serology
Canine rabies - 3 years by challenge/ 7 years by serology

According to Dr. Schultz , Vaccines for diseases like distemper and canine
parvovirus, once administered to adult animals, provide lifetime immunity.

The recommendation for annual revaccination is a practice that was officially
started in 1978. says Dr. Schultz. This recommendation was made without any
scientific validation of the need to booster immunity so frequently. In fact the presence
of good humoral antibody levels blocks the anamnestic response to vaccine boosters
just as maternal antibody blocks the response in some young animals.

The patient receives no benefit and may be placed at serious risk when an
unnecessary vaccine is given. Few or no scientific studies have demonstrated a need
for cats or dogs to be revaccinated. Annual vaccination for diseases caused by CDV,
CPV2, FPLP and FeLV has not been shown to provide a level of immunity any different
from the immunity in an animal vaccinated and immunized at an early age and
challenged years later. We have found that annual revaccination with the vaccines
that provide long-term immunity provides no demonstrable benefit. Dr. Schultz
concludes.h
http://www.dogs4dogs.com/blog/2011/12/14/lifelong-immunity-%E2%80%93-why-vets-are-pushing-back/

Whippets, Silken Windhounds, and Border

Collies) are prone to loperamide (Imodium)
and Ivermectin toxicity; anesthetic sensitivity
has been identified in several sighthounds such
as greyhounds, basenjis, whippets, Pharaoh
Hounds, salukis, and others but also including
English Bulldogs.

Understanding titer results and their
interpretation is not necessarily straightforward.
At this time, Dr. Jean Dodds/HEMOPETis
the only facility offering diagnostic comments
on titer results that take into account the age,
sex, and breed of the dog tested.

The issue of a causal connection between
vaccination and autoimmune illness is still
controversial in both humans and animals.
The mechanism (or mechanisms) of

autoimmune reactions following immunization

has not yet been explained. Even though some
data regarding the relationship between
vaccination and autoimmune disease is
conflicting, it is clear that at least some
autoimmune phenomena are causally related
to immunization.
1 For a comprehensive review of puppy vaccinations, please see
Vaccinate when? in the BCOA Bulletin, Vol. 48 No. 4, Oct/Nov/Dec
2013, pages 46-49.
2 The original canine adenovirus, type 1 (CAV-1) vaccines are
no longer available in the USA or Canada because they caused
allergic uveitis and other allergic reactions in a high percentage of
dogs. CAV-1 vaccines were replaced in the US and Canada by
CAV-2 vaccines. CAV-2 vaccines are now used to provide immunity
to CAV-1 virus, the cause of canine infectious viral hepatitis. Also,
they provide protection against CAV-2, a virus that causes and
contributes to canine infectious respiratory disease complex (kennel
cough). Canine infectious hepatitis is still a serious concern along
and below the southern border of the USA and in other countries.

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