Vexing vaccinations: a tale of too much of a good thing. (petcare).

Is your veterinarian still recommending that you have your pet vaccinated on a yearly basis? If so, you might want to reconsider--especially given the latest information on the problems associated with over-vaccination. Research in recent years indicates that, basically, there's no scientific evidence to support the need for annual vaccinations. "Annual vaccinations, a practice started many years ago, lack scientific validity or verification," says veterinarian R. Schultz, PhD, a professor at the Veterinary College at the University of Wisconsin.

cure or cause?

When annual rabies shots became common in the 1950s, pet owners never questioned the vaccine's safety. It helped vanquish the disease, as well as distemper and parvovirus. Following on the heels of this success, veterinary medicine developed more and more vaccinations. However, after many years of administering annual shots, vets began to notice something ominous. A growing number of otherwise healthy cats and dogs were getting cancer and immune-related diseases.

Pet owners and veterinary researchers began to question whether these problems were vaccine-related. Cats, for example, were developing fibrosarcomas--a fatal form of cancerous tumor--at the site of the vaccine injection, usually between the shoulder blades. Dogs were also getting cancerous tumors at injection sites and succumbed to immune diseases. My dog, Sarge, previously had a caring owner who vaccinated for everything on a yearly basis without realizing the consequences. Sarge now has discoid lupus, an autoimmune disease with no cure.

So what's the link between vaccinations and these diseases?

Vaccines are designed to stimulate the immune system, but they do so in a very unnatural way that can overwhelm the body's natural defenses. Donna Starita Mehan, DVM, a holistic veterinarian in Boring, Oregon, explains that as a result of over-vaccination, the body may overreact to normally harmless substances such as common viruses, bacteria, fungi and parasites. This can result in allergies, skin problems and bladder or ear infections--or, in extreme cases, autoimmune diseases or cancer.

double dose?