Vaccinosis Article 2015

WHY DID THIS HAPPEN?

T 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).

byDr.JoThompson

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 i l lne s s triggered by over-vaccination or repeated vaccination, caused his immune system to kick into overdrive and attack itself.

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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-induced-disease 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 over-vaccinating 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 dog’s 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) > 32CPV (parvovirus) > 80CAV (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 breed-specific 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

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/HEMOPET is 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.

DURATION OF IMMUNITY TO CANINE VACCINES

WHAT WE KNOW AND WHAT WE DON’T KNOW

Dr. Ronald Schultz, a veterinary immunologist at the forefront of vaccine research and chair of the University of Wisconsin’s 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 serologyParvovirus - 7 years by challenge/ 7 years by serologyAdenovirus - 7 years by challenge/ 9 years by serologyCanine 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/

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