Puppy & Kitten Vaccines Harmful? Get Educated!

We live in a world of vaccinations. And even though there have been obvious side effects, there are a good number of people who believe in doing what the doctor/vet tells them to do. This is not only their own health, but the health of their pets.

**Disclaimer** I am not a vet. Just someone keeping informed for my own pets’ health. However, Dr. Karen Becker is a well-known holistic vet. Her video on the subject can be found below.

What Are Core Vaccines?

This post mainly refers to core vaccines. Core vaccines are vaccines that vets recommend to all dogs or cats because they are more of a larger epidemic. For example, dogs generally get the Rabies and DHLPP (distemper, lepto, parvo, parainfluenza). Non-core vaccines are those that vets recommend based off your pet’s lifestyle. For example, if you do a lot of boarding/daycare then you’ll be getting the Bordetella vaccine.

Puppy/Kitten Vaccines

I was astonished when I found out the purpose for multiple puppy/kitten booster vaccines. When a puppy/kitten is born, they have some of their mother’s immunity. It lasts anywhere between 6-16 weeks. A vaccine won’t work if they still have their mom’s immunity. And it’s hard to say with each individual animal when that immunity runs out. So, vets do boosters every week or two in the hopes of catching them at the right time and properly immunizing your pet.

So what’s wrong with that? Though vaccines give immunity to harmful diseases, they also contain substances that are harsh on your pet’s system and can cause a myriad of problems. This can come in the form of cancer, auto immune disease, allergies, and in rare cases even death. Professor Ronald Schultz suggests that a well-timed vaccine given between 14-16 weeks of age will cover your puppy/kitten. And then getting their vaccines again 1 year later should be all your pet needs for their lifetime.

So, do you skip the booster shots? That’s up to you and what you feel comfortable with as there are risks with your puppy/kitten getting sick up until that prime vaccine window. With my own dog, I chose to wait until she was 15 weeks old to get her DHLPP done. I then waited and got her rabies done 1 month later to space them out. I was carful with her up until then, keeping her away from high traffic dog areas. One might be concerned about socialization. But I wasn’t super worried as my pup had a pretty well-rounded confident personality and it didn’t end up stunting any of her social skills. That will vary from dog to dog. But I would say that it’s not harmful to most as long as their first experiences with other dogs are positive ones.

Adult Dog/Cat Vaccines

After the boosters you get annual, bi-annual, or every 3-year vaccines. This is partially because there is, or was, poor research as to how often a pet needs to get vaccinated. And the other reason is money. If the vet can get you in the door, they get paid for the vaccine. It also opens up the opportunity to see if your pet has any other potential health ailments that they can alert you about and get “treated”.

New research is coming out all the time, including about vaccines. Some vets are making the change, many need to be re-educated on the subject, and some will continue their practice regardless.

Titer Testing

Titer tests can be done occasionally to see if your pet still has immunity against the disease. It can be more expensive and not all vets provide it. This is partially why most will opt to re-vaccinate, not realizing the damage that it could be causing to their pets’ system. It can be challenging finding a vet that does titer tests so you may have to search. If you board or do daycare with your dog, you’ll need to find out whether or not the facility accepts titer tests as a replacement for having the vaccine done.

IMPORTANT!

NEVER get your vaccines from the feed store! It can be tempting to go this route for convenience and price. But there’s no telling how those vaccines have been stored and many pets have gotten sick, or even died, from not being properly immunized. Much better to get them immunized by a vet where they properly store and source their vaccines. Don’t risk getting an ugly vet bill from using the seemingly convenient alternative.

The videos below help better explain vaccines to help you decide what is best for you and your pet.