Preventing Vaccinosis

Vaccinosis in dogs refers to the development of adverse health conditions believed to be caused by over-vaccinating pets and is currently a very controversial term in the animal community just as it is in the human.

I think it is reasonable to suspect over-vaccinating a dog can lead to health problems. Too much of anything can upset the delicate balance of a complex organism or ecosystem.

However, a one-time reaction to a vaccine can simply be an indicator that your dog can not handle all-in-one combo shots or needs a limited vaccine schedule and is not necessarily an indication that your pet will develop long term health issues as a result of being vaccinated. Please see our puppy vaccine reaction page for more information.

I think it is also reasonable to assume that vaccine manufacturers lean toward the recommendations that they do because of the economical boundaries of most pet owners (you'll understand more of what I'm talking about a couple paragraphs down when we get to titer tests ).

The recommended vaccines and the practice of conducting inoculations in a series format represent the best statistical gamble they can make without specific feedback from the immune system of your pet. It's a one size fits all approach to the prevention of disease - and it works most of the time. See my vaccination page for information about how and why we vaccinate our dogs.

A more balanced option in which we understand more about the needs of the individual dog is needed to put a stop to the extreme practices on both sides of the issue for dogs that are vaccine sensitive.

I certainly would not recommend that you leave your dog unprotected as people who are anti-vaccine would suggest - instead I would encourage you to pursue that feedback from your dogs immune system and learn more about what your dog really needs.

If you are totally against vaccinating your dog please do a titer test to be sure that your pet has immunity and if the test comes back with results that suggest your dog does not have the antibodies for any of the most common and deadly diseases then choose a vaccination schedule and get your dog vaccinated only for what he or she is missing. See my puppy vaccine reaction page for an example of a minimal use vaccine schedule that protects your dog while preventing vaccinosis.

On the other hand if your dog does have the antibodies do not vaccinate, instead titer your dog every year to be certain that it stays that way.

Many of the local vets I called for pricing regarding titer testing for Rabies, Parvo, Distemper and Heartworm quoted me upwards of $275.00. I found a non-profit who does this same testing at nearly 1/3 of the price. Click here to find out more about titer testing.


Return from Vaccinosis to Puppy Vaccine Reactions