[WARNING!]  10/27/2010: Nitehawk from Camp Verde, Arizona, America replies: "Dear Bob & Wife in Pennsylvania: My eyes fill with tears at the loss of Rusty. And, at the loss of our wonderful Tuffy, an Australian Shepard who was only 4 years old when he suffered the same fate as Rusty. The Vet was a classic idiot, and I blamed myself for quite awhile until it was proven that I wasn't responsible for Tuffy's death. It wasn't Lyme's disease, either. It was a side affect from his rabies shots that caused kidney failure.

Even tho it's been 6 years ago, I remember clear as a bell saying thank you and farewell to the most amazing friend I'd ever had. My husband had raised him on goat's milk from a 3 day old orphan. We still miss our Tuffy. We always will. One thing I can say we gained from his time with us: From then on we will seek a second opinion & optional treatment. Vets are merely guessing, with little more knowledge than we have. Shame on those vets who have no compassion for their charges, or their people. Thank you for sharing your heartfelt experience with Rusty."

01/22/2011: Mk3jade from Gaithersburg, Maryland replies: "My heart really goes out to you and your wife. I could not imagine the pain you had to go through. I have an 6.5 year old yorkshire terrier and I live in Maryland. When I moved to Maryland I found a vet and He recommended I get the lyme disease vaccine for my dog. Well ever since my dog got this vaccine he has had these "fits" where his body stiffens and he cannot move but he is totally conscious but has no control over his body.

When the first "fit" happened I was terrified and called the vet immediately and he said the fit was due to the dog licking flea shampoo while I gave him a bath which was absolute malarchy. My dog has repeatedly had these "fits" and the stupid vet still thinks its flea shampoo.

I feel really guilty that I did not do more research into this vaccine and allowed this doctor to convince me it would be okay. The only good news is I only got the first to injections of the lyme disease vaccine for my dog and I did not ever get it again.

I really think more research needs to be done for this vaccine. I think it does more damage then good. Im terribly sorry for your loses and I hope we can get the word out about the downside to this vaccine."

[SIDE EFFECTS]  01/26/2011: Ann R. from Kenosha, Wi replies: "My vet suggested my coonhound mix Trixie be vaccinated for Lyme disease even though I use tick prevention all year. Within 3 days she was having trouble moving her head and neck and "screamed" if anyone bumped her. She is normally somewhat crazy, jumping and barking at everything, but she stopped barking completely. My vet said it could not possibly be a reaction to the Lyme vaccine because she had no swelling at the injection site and also b/c the new vaccine has no live bacteria. She treated her for a "pulled muscle" with anti-inflammatories and pain meds and then gave her a Lyme booster a few weeks later.

Now, six months later, she is having her third episode of what seem to be intense pain. She stops playing, will not jump on the couch and does not even lift her head when the mailman comes. The area of the body affected seems to change day to day - first her neck, then her hips, etc. The areas are not tender to touch or swollen. Luckily it only seems to last about 5-7 days but it is heartbreaking to see her so sad. I feel so guilty for not researching the vaccine before getting it. My vet refused to consider it could be an adverse reaction and said a Lyme test was not needed. She said it is probably a degenerative disc or Trixie just needs to "calm down and stop injuring herself.""

01/27/2011: Vicki from Dallas, Tx replies: "For Ann R. : Perhaps you could try natural treatments for Lyme that would help your dog. There's a product called GoChi that's great that I'm using and my son who got Lyme as a teenager. The kinds of sugars it has in it really help people suffering with Lyme. I have a little Chi whose kidneys & liver were severely damaged by the melamine poisoned dog treats in 2008 & it brought him back from just existing. He survived the original poisoning because I rushed him to the vet & used milk thistle, raw dessicated kidney & liver caps and the usual kidney helping herbs, but it was the juice that allowed him to become active again. There's a holistic MD in Missouri who treats his Lyme patients with injections of sugar right next to the ligaments and he's had a lot of success, so I know the sugars in the juice are what helps the joint issues. It's a 100 percent natural with no preservatives. You can read about it on PubMed."

03/14/2011: Jeannie from Des Moines, Ia replies: "How is your dog doing today? my dog seems to have had the same reaction, who is a Shiztsu, and my vet also swears that the symptoms have nothing to do with the shot even though this all started the evening after he got the shot."

[SIDE EFFECTS]  05/02/2011: Delynne from Castroville, Tx, Usa replies: "I have three chihuahua's. The other day I took two of them to get the rest of their shots and one of the shots was the lyme shot. The youngest dog is only 7 months and the other dog is a little over 1yr. Anyways the youngest had no reaction whatsoever and the other one did. It was so sad! He wouldn't walk the next day nor eat. He yelped when you picked him up due to pain. He shaked and just wanted to lay there. He received his shot on a saturday and still on Monday he still doesn't feel good. I informed the vet he will not be getting the 2nd dose in three weeks.. Very sad!"

[SIDE EFFECTS]  07/08/2011: Mrs D from Simpsonville, Sc replies: "My 3 yr. old dog just receive a rabie shot on yesterday and now she can't walk and she is not eating what did you do for your pet, the vet says it had nothing to do with the shot but I think different."

08/17/2011: Ravenquille from High In The Mountains, Pa replies: "I had one of my cats die in a few days after getting his first Rabies shot. After that, I no longer vaccinate, or use any traditional medications for my cats ( I use diet and naturopathic, natural measures only ).
Any kind of vaccine is dangerous to both man and beast; it is always best to avoid them altogether."

11/20/2011: Sueq from Elizabeth, Sa, Australia replies: "@mk3jade, I am sorry for everyone's experience with these vaccinations but had to mention to this comment an experience I have had with my toy poodle. She only ever got her first baby shots with the breeder, I do not trust vac's as a rule. In the first yr and a half we had her we would bathe her with a type of dog shampoo which contained Pyrethrums... Toxic to pets as well as fleas!! Bella would get those fits you were telling of, exactly like that. I happened to come across a site which detailed all the toxic pesticidal shampoos and flea treatments etc amongst other pet preparations. I stopped using these and started using plain old oatmeal soap. NEVER had a "fit" since! So please don't disregard the damage flea shampoo's can do, they are dangerous and detrimental to our animals health."

01/07/2012: Mack from Ballston Lake, Ny Usa replies: "For anyone who has a pet presenting symptoms of a tick-borne infection please consider trying antibiotics if you know your pet has been bitten even if the tests come back negative for a tick infection. The side-effects from the antibiotic are so minimal and it may save your pets life.

My dog Mack was deathly ill this summer. His tick infection tests (DX4) were negative, blood work showed highly anemic but X-rays and ultrasounds were not turning up anything either. Vet took a stab at putting him on doxycycline and within 24 hours Mack began turning around. Now just 5 months later he is doing great.

By the way he's had the lyme vaccine for several years, the vaccine didn't prevent this infection and I believe he's had 2 separate reactions the past 2 years he's had the lyme vaccine. I will never give it to any of my pets again."

02/11/2012: Teresa from Rockford, Iowa replies: "I am the proud owner of a hybrid Pom a poo. When we got Rascal from the breeder, she insisted that we follow up with his puppy shots as the formulation she gives her puppies is not what your typical vet gives out-remember, they are courted by the pharmacueticals just as your physician is and we all know how they are in bed with the pharmacuetical companies by promotions and kickbacks. If we had taken him to the regular vet, the vaccinations would have killed him. We have a wonderful vet we trust explicitly for our yellow lab but our lab, Boston is 100 lb. And can probably tolerate a tummy upset but not a 3-5 lb pup that will not get any bigger. So check with your breeder's reccomendation or consult with someone who specializes in your breed and a lot of heartache can be avoided."

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04/28/2010: Karen from Sealrock, Or. replies: "Kelp powder will cure all the bald spots by giving the much need nutrition & regulate the glands. I was given a almost bald goat once who could not get up from the ground. within 6 months she was running with the herd and with a full shinny coat. All the Best - it works!"

04/14/2011: Becca W. from Waco, Tx replies: "Christine,

My dog lost his hair too, around the injection site and my vet said it was my fault, and that the fur would grow back once he was feeling better. He still has that triangle of fur missing on his rump, and I will always ask for diluted rabies shots from now on. I have found that Benadryl is good for almost everything that ails a dog, and that like humans, dogs deserve a second opinion too.

Karen: I think I will give that kelp powder a try.... I've tried everything else so this can't do any worse.

Thanks,

Becca"

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12/13/2011: Rosie from Greer, U.s.a replies: "I have had a total of four dogs in my lifetime, two of them had reactions to vaccinations. My first dog was a male pug and had skin allergies. After vaccines, large tumors came up on his skin and there was a very strong smell that never went away. He always smelled but this was alot stronger. I now know that this permanent smell was the liver being unable to detox the vaccines and not due to the lack of bathing. The dog had to be on pregnisone the entire time, without it he would scratch and scratch until there was blood everywhere. I stayed up many nights putting him in a bath of greenzone which helped but didnt cure. I now know that his liver needed some work. He died at the age of two, from a stroke. I cant say it was directly from the vaccines but I can say that he got alot of help from the vaccines and the pregnisone. My other dog was a German Shephard, I inherited him from the neighbor that severly neglected him, she did tell me that he had heartworms, but she didnt tell me about the seizures. I questioned her about his first seizure and she doged the question, but after having many seizures, she finally admitted that his first seizure took place after he was vaccinated and was given heartworm meds. Imagine that, giving a dog with heartworms vaccines. Well that would explain his second seizure that came after the second heartworm treatment. This was a grand mal seizure and I thought that was it, but the doctor gave him a shot of steriods and it revived him. It lasted maybe a week and a half, then I gave him oral steriods every other day and then He had another seizure, but it wasnt bad. Then he got a severe infestation of round worms. I dreaded getting the meds, because I knew what was coming. I had 3 seizures, one every day. By that time, I knew this dog could no longer take any meds at all, I also knew that he couldnt handle chemicals either. But I wasnt able to put it all together fast enough. He started to decline, took him to holistic vet, she gave him an eye exam and from the look on her face I knew that this was a brain tumor. We were able to stop seizures, but not the brain tumor, I had to put him down yesterday. I now know that holistic doctors can detox these vaccines out of their systems.

As for heartworm, the meds are nasty but so is the disease. They provide heartworm nosodes that works for some animals but not all. I will spray my other two dogs with natural mosquito repellent instead of giving heartworm, which I have never done with my own dogs but after what happened to Obie, I am taking this disease far more serious. So what happened, I now know that obies liver could not detox and that all the toxins were routed to his brain which in his paticular case was the weakest organ. Toxins generally land on the weakest organs, then you have parasites, fungus, yeast, bacteria. Much like you would see with rotting garbage. Of course, I was not giving the whole truth about obies condition from the start. According to New York Times, one rabie shot should last a lifetime. My philosphy is after these experiences is one set of shots and one rabie, if you have an outdoor dog. MY new pug has hever had one, there are no racoons in my living room, at least I hope not. As for a large dog, that is more tricky, if they bite someone, and there not up to date on rabie, owner could be sued. If you want a healthy pet, stay away from the vet unless it is an emergency. Stay away from corn, diary, gluton and soy, no chemicals at all, supplements also have fillers and binders that dont set well. These expensive vet supplements have them too. There are supplements that are O, K. If you decide to vaccinate, call a holistic vet first, be ready in case you have a reaction to the shot. Most of all old dogs should die from old age, not from heartworm, tumors, seizures etc. Those were the excuses from the previous owner. Her excuse was, he was just an old dog, and she couldnt wait to put him down, as she had been trying for the past year. Each time we blocked it. It was just too inconvient and embarrassing for her. This is still too raw.sorry"

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EC: Another name for Children's Diphenhydramine is Children's Benadryl.

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EC: Thank you, Carol! Your feedback has been cross-posted to the Side Effects section on the same page.

01/11/2010: Lucia from Miami, Florida replies: "Hi....I love the idea of not having to vaccinate my dog, so I wonder how you deal with the fact that it is the law to give them the rabies shot every year. Thank you"

02/14/2010: Karen from Deland, Fl replies: "Here is an interesting article written by a veterinarian in Clearwater, FL....

"The Big Scam: Rabies Vaccination
written by John Fundens, D.V.M.

I would like to give you, the reader, the truth about the so called required vaccinations, particularly rabies. There are two basic forms of law. One is the legal Constitutional and Common law that this country was founded on, and the other is "colorable" law passed by Administrative agencies/bureaucrats who have been given so called authority to pass laws. Black's Law Dictionary 5th Edition defines colorable law as "That which is in appearance only, and not in reality, what purports to be, hence counterfeit, feigned, having the appearance of truth." Yes, I study the law, am a paralegal, and have an extensive law library.

So any and all mandatory rabies vaccination programs are colorable law, in that they have been passed and mandated upon the pet owning public by certain vested interest groups. Who are these groups? First and foremost are veterinarians, in general, and veterinarian medical organizations. Second are the local animal control personnel, bureaucrats and politicians. What are their reasons? GREED, POWER AND CONTROL. Both these large powerful interest groups stand to benefit greatly by having rabies mandated by colorable law.

Veterinarians receive a large percentage of both their gross income and profit from vaccines given in the office. On average vaccines cost 60 to 95 cents per dose and are charged to the client at $15 to $25 per injection and substantially more in the large cities. Therefore, if veterinarians lobby to have a colorable law passed to give rabies vaccine every year that enhances their financial picture.

The veterinary medical societies, by working with other groups and area politicians, are rewarded by increased prestige and professional standing in the community. After all we are protecting you from the dreaded disease rabies, whether it exists or not. Some areas of the country are more enlightened and fortunate to have the rabies vaccine mandated every three years. You can be assured the rise of rabies is never taken into account as to whether the vaccine should be required or not. More on this later. The local government personnel benefit by extending more control over our lives, enriching the public treasury with fees, tags and fines, and giving the appearance that local government is doing something about animal populations, disease and risks to the public. Since rabies vaccines have been mandated, what county or area has seen less dog and cat bites, better animal control, more public awareness and educating of pet owning responsibility, better birth control of unwanted animals, less euthanasia of animals and decreased growth of animal control facilities?

These special groups and lobbies will use any argument, realistic or not, to justify their position. They are excellent at using the media to spread the lies and distortions. Examples: We have increased numbers of dogs biting people, pitbulls attacking and killing children are on the increase, more dogs and cats are running loose terrorizing neighborhoods, killing wildlife and other domestic stock, etc...ad nausaem. The only thing rabies vaccination is for is the protection from rabies virus, all other justifiers for the vaccine fall under human control and exist because there are a certain number of humans, connected to animals, who are irresponsible. Rabies is spread by the bite of an infected animal. The number of dog/cat bite cases in the U.S. that expose humans to rabies is as rare as shark attacks. This low incident rate has nothing to do with mandatory vaccination as the number of cases was low before the mandatory requirement.

Let me give you an example of Pinellas County, FL where my Affinity Clinic is located. I secured information from Pinellas Animal Control through the Freedom of Information Act. The record of animal control starts in 1964. From 1964 to 1978 there were zero cases of dog rabies in the county. Magically in 1978 rabies vaccine was mandated to be given every year and all dogs tagged and licensed. WHY? Well it seems four veterinarians, with animal control bureaucrats, pushed the county board of supervisors to pass a law mandating rabies vaccination every year. There were three local vets and one professor from the State Veterinary College who were behind this. It was interesting reading their letters pushing this law and the minutes of the county meeting. There was talk of dogs biting people (no actual figures given), dogs running loose, animal overpopulation, rabies on the increase in the U.S. (the increase was in wildlife, not dogs), etc.,etc. Not once was the issue discussed that there was no rabies in the county in dogs. To this date there still has not been one case of dog rabies, including the population of dogs whose owners, GOD BLESS THEM, do not vaccinate for rabies. Let's go further.

From 1964 to 1989 there were no cases of rabies in cats in Pinellas County. Magically in 1989 a law was passed mandating rabies vaccination, tags and licenses for all cats. Same tired worn out excuses were used. Since the 1989 law there was one cat with rabies contracted from the bite of a bat. DO YOU READERS REALLY UNDERSTAND WHAT I HAVE JUST STATED? This is standard throughout the Country. No allowance is made for dogs/cats who never leave the house or yard, could never be exposed to rabies under any circumstances, or who are so ill, old or at the end of their life cycle that the rabies vaccine would throw them over the edge. No, all dogs and cats are treated the same because we have the bogeyman, rabies, stalking the streets waiting to strike unprotected dogs and cats.

Is there rabies in this Country? You bet. Are there areas of this Country that have rabies in their wildlife population and do some dogs/cats become infected? You bet. But let's be realistic. Rabies has been on this earth long before man walked here and will be here long after we are gone. The only way to get rid of rabies is to remove mankind and the upper animals susceptible to the virus. Then maybe the virus will die off. It is a self limiting disease in the wild as it is fatal. So the virus has an extremely hard time spreading far and wide.

What is wrong with targeting those areas of the Country that have a problem with rabies using a realistic and specially formulated program that will protect the population at risk? Too logical and the special groups don't make any money. Why not educate the pet owner to the risks and dangers and let them decide whether the immune system damage from rabies vaccination is greater or lesser than contracting the disease. We do have a God given Constitutionally secured right to LIFE, LIBERTY, AND THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS. Public health officials always have the right to mandate emergency health care procedures in case the public, in general does not respond properly. But why should every day, month and year be as if an emergency or crisis exists? And why should we have more and more control of our lives taken from us?

The vaccines, particularly rabies, are a political and economic scam being forced upon pet owners because they do not know the truth. Rabies, nationwide, is nowhere near the problem the veterinarians, media, politicians and bureaucrats would like you to believe. If you wish more of the truth go to your local city or county government building and look up the codes and statutes concerning vaccines and rabies. Get figures from local animal control for rabies in dogs, cats and wildlife in your area. Then you can start to fight back, take control of your life, and protect your pet from the only dreaded disease that is important--special interest groups pushing their program leading to vaccine induced damaged immune systems. Only you can set yourself free.

Current Veterinary Therapy by Kirk, the textbook bible for veterinarians in general, has an article on canine and feline vaccines by two researchers. Near the end of the article is a paragraph called Annual Vaccinations. It states "The practice of annual vaccinations lacks scientific validity or verification. There is no immunological requirement for annual vaccinations. The practice of annual vaccinations should be considered of questionable efficacy unless it is used as a mechanism to provide an annual physical examination or is required by law." Sure, if we can't manipulate you with annual vaccinations let's pass a law to get you into the office. Nice trick!

Well reader, it is your choice. I can only hope to stimulate you to look and go further. You don't have to take this suppression. Fight back. The only thing you have to lose is your freedom and you have already lost a great deal of it. I can fight with you but I can't do it alone.""

08/26/2010: Kim from Fort Lauderdale, Florida replies: "Lucia, In Fort Lauderdale you can request the rabies shot that is good for three years versus doing it annually. Hopefully, the same option is available in Miami ask your vet or call the Humane Society."

08/28/2010: Isabelle from Garden Grove, Ca Usa replies: "Hi Lucia! Look for a vet who is working with alternative methods like acupuncture and homeopathy and talk to him about it. Sometime they can get a waver depending of the situation. That what I do in california. Good luck! "

11/27/2010: Leann from Lake Bluff, I, Usa replies: "Please everyone, do not do the 3-year rabies shot for your beloved pet! Last year our vet recommended the 3-year to save us time from doing the yearly shot. We went ahead and did it for our 8 year old, 90 LB mountain dog/collie rescue. At first, we didn't see any major reactions to the new shot other than the normal sessions of seasonal allergies resulting in swollen nodes that a healthy dose of antibiotics would resolve. These allergies and resulting skin infections were a lot more frequent since doing the shot, but we didn't think it was out of the norm, nor did the vet.

Seven months later, we brought the dog in for allergies and swollen lymph nodes. Tests were taken and came back positive for lymphoma, which has no cure in the canine world. Incidentally, the cancer arose in the area that the shot was administered. Until getting involved in the canine cancer community in an attempt to treat and get a few more months with our dog, I made the discovery that many dogs faced with similar cancer diagnosis had owners that were doing the 3-year or even the yearly shots. We feel terrible that we put our beloved dog through the unnecessary multiple shots year after year. Vets commonly will give several shots at once, which puts a lot of undue stress on your dog's body. Humans get shots when they are little and as adults don't get a bunch more. If you are going to give your pet shots, please consider doing it in their early years and after doing a "blood titer test" to see if the vaccine levels in the dog's body are still acceptable. (They usually are for many years after). I believe the blood test costs more than the shots, but losing your pet to illnesses related to over-vaccinating them is worse.

Additionally, you should also be reading the label on commercial pet food to make sure that it doesn't contain "meat by-products. " I've researched and found that there wasn't a lot of regulation of the pet food market until recently. Meat by-products are things like chicken beaks, feathers, euthanized animals or rotting carcasses sold for rendering into pet food. Some companies have come out in response to not using by-products, and changing out their food to healthy meats like we would eat. Maybe I'm a little skewed because our dog has cancer, but in finding out some of the sources it can come from, we do have some choices.

In most areas, titer tests are acceptable to pass the annual rabies vaccination requirement and receive the tags. Your vet will have to test the blood and then put it into writing that your pet has acceptable levels of the vaccine in their system and provide this to the local ordinance to receive the tags. I've contacted several vets and found there are quite a few out there that do the titering because they do not recommend over-vaccinating through an animal's entire life because the vaccines stay in their systems for so long. Hope this helps someone."

01/18/2012: Ashley from Modesto, Ca replies: "Just so everyone is clear, the 3 year rabies vaccine is actually the exact same as the 1 year vx. Through research vets realized that the vaccine actually stayed in the system working for longer, therefore they extended the time it is good for."

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