Quote:
Originally Posted by pitgrrl
I don't mean to derail this thread at all, but I just wanted to mention for Tommysmom, since it seems our dogs have similar problems, that I've stopped all but legally required vaccinations because over the years I saw a pretty direct relationship between vaccinations, HW preventatives, wormers, everything really and Streets' digestive issues.
I really think that there is the immediate reactions to worry about, but also the effects on the over all health of an animal, especially if they already have chronic conditions. I'm not at all suggesting everyone just stop vaccinating, but rather that it be treated as an individual thing which is considered in light of the animals health and lifestyle.
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I was actually thinking about this, Pitgrrl... I had Tommy's shots done this year simply because he's so young, I really felt he should have his first adult shots. I think after this though I'm going to find a way to do titers instead. Rabies is every 3 years here, so I don't have to worry about that for a while, but I'm uneasy about the others. I've never been able to prove a direct correlation between vaccinations and Tommy's issues, but they DID start after he began his first round of puppy shots. Our vets mentioned it when we went for his shots this year. They aren't the same vets that we originally had, but they sat there combing through alllllllllllll of Tommy's extensive veterinary records, counting off days between when he had his puppy shots and when I had him in for various gastro issues and they really feel that there might be a correlation even though they don't match a textbook case of vaccine reaction. I'm glad you brought this up though, because you have what I don't - EXPERIENCE. I have only gut instinct, because Tommy is so young, I won't be able to see the patterns very clearly for another couple of years.
Thank you for bringing this up, hopefully others will see it too and perhaps gain more insight into mystery gastro issues!
And yeah, sorry for highjacking this thread! It's really all related though... it's always a balancing act between protecting our dogs from potential threats and protecting them from unnecessary medical treatments, isn't it?
And heaven help the doctors if I ever have a skin baby... what's in that vaccine? Do we need it? Can I titer test my baby? 