# Vaccinations and holistic vets ... opinions please



## jmk83 (Nov 17, 2010)

Hi everyone,

Just wondering what experiences everyone has had with holistic veterinarians? We are getting our first GSD pup in January (yey! so excited!) and normally we see a regular veterinarian for our cats but I'm considering switching. I've also been reading a lot of pros and cons about yearly vaccinations. Any opinions? I can't imagine not vaccinating a puppy but I'm curious about adult yearly vaccines. I know our regular vet has just changed the distemper vaccine to every three years when it use to be every year. 

Thanks for your opinions!


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## cshepherd9 (Feb 11, 2010)

I go to a regular vet but my vet gives a 3 year rabies shot and then after the age of 2 the dogs get their vaccines every other year. I remember when I first started going to him he had a long clinical explanation of why he does it this way but that was 7 years ago and I don't remember exactly what he said.


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## Emoore (Oct 9, 2002)

I can't speak about holistic vets since I know nothing about them, but I stopped vaccinating Rocky this year. From now on he'll only get rabies as required by law. After receiving shots for the last 8 years he'd better be immune.


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

If you look up the vaccination guidelines from the AAHA, you will get alot of your answers on vaccinations. Some vets still vaccinate every year. I follow the AAHA guidelines.

As far as holistic vets, I"m sure there are good and bad. I think you need to find a happy equilibrium between modern medicine and holistic medicine.


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## BlackPuppy (Mar 29, 2007)

I go to a holistic vet. I get only rabies vacs. They titer for distemper every 2 years just so I can have something in case I need to kennel them. 

Any other vet is going to really push you to get yearly vaccinations. After I switched vets, I'd go to my old vet's office to weigh my dogs. I also use them as an emergency back-up vet. Anyway, whenever I weigh my dogs the receptionist starts pushing me to make an appointment for vaccinations. 

I also had one of the vets there try to convince me to vaccinate my sick dog because it will help make him better. Um, really?! I don't think so. I think that was the last time I took any of my dogs there.


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## LisaT (Feb 7, 2005)

jmk83 said:


> I can't imagine not vaccinating a puppy but I'm curious about adult yearly vaccines. I know our regular vet has just changed the distemper vaccine to every three years when it use to be every year.


There is no question nowadays that _annual_ vaccinations are unnecessary and dangerous. 

Vaccination - GermanShepherdHome.net


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## vat (Jul 23, 2010)

I have a vet that is holistic but she practices both. When I took Max as a pup I interviewed her. I asked her opinion on titers. She said it was more costly than the shots but she was happy to do that. Max will be 1 this month and will go in the spring for his shots. We will discuss then if he needs all of them one more year or we test.

My last vet gave my 14 month old all of his shots at once and then heartworm. He knew this pup had bad kidneys, needless to say I lost him 1 month later! Take your pup to the vet your thinking of using for your pup's first visit. Talk to the vet, ask questions and observe how he/she checks your pup over. I was so impressed by our first visit, none of my other pups ever got checked over so well. 

Remember you are paying the vet for a service, you have the right to be informed and choose the care you want. And never let them take your dog to the back without you unless it is for surgery.


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## crittersitter (Mar 31, 2011)

After the first year I titer test if I have concerns, otherwise it's just rabies by law for us. I have seen too many links to chronic disease and cancer to over vaccination. I've used several holisitic vets. If you can find one in your area go for it! Also, no more vaccines for those kitties. Cats are VERY sensitive to over vaccination


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## Stosh (Jun 26, 2010)

I used to go to a vet that was primarily holistic- he was very conservative in vaccinating and left it up to me. As our gsd got older he stopped giving anything but rabies, which is required by law.


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## sable123 (Jul 11, 2010)

jmk83 said:


> Hi everyone,
> 
> Just wondering what experiences everyone has had with holistic veterinarians? We are getting our first GSD pup in January (yey! so excited!) and normally we see a regular veterinarian for our cats but I'm considering switching. I've also been reading a lot of pros and cons about yearly vaccinations. Any opinions? I can't imagine not vaccinating a puppy but I'm curious about adult yearly vaccines. I know our regular vet has just changed the distemper vaccine to every three years when it use to be every year.
> 
> Thanks for your opinions!


Don't confuse limited vaccine protocols with holistic medicine. Every vet school in the country teaches some form of the Dodd/Schultz research and protocol.

If your vet still pushes annual vaccination and ones you don't need like corona and, for most, lepto them you just need a more hip and less greedy conventional vet.

Most of the holistic vets are just quacks and you will spend more money and get worse results, including death, with them.


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

holistic vets are quacks?????? Really?


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## dOg (Jan 23, 2006)

I buried a dog at 4.5 due to vaccines.
More ain't merrier.
Your dog, your wallet. Get educated, question authority.


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## LisaT (Feb 7, 2005)

sable123 said:


> Most of the holistic vets are just quacks and you will spend more money and get worse results, including death, with them.


:rolleyes2:

it is true that any type of professional has their "bad eggs", but this is just a silly remark.


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## Chicagocanine (Aug 7, 2008)

BlackPuppy said:


> I go to a holistic vet. I get only rabies vacs. They titer for distemper every 2 years just so I can have something in case I need to kennel them.
> 
> Any other vet is going to really push you to get yearly vaccinations.


Not necessarily. My vet does "traditional" medicine but she also incorporates some holistic type treatments, and she does not believe in over-vaccinating and especially not vaccinating sick pets, or seniors. She is the one who told me we should stop vaccinating our senior cat (before I knew much about vaccination issues.) 

I also used to go to a holistic vet for my previous dogs in addition to their regular vet. We went there for therapy for their bone/joint issues (to do acupuncture and hydrotherapy.)


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## MicheleMarie (Mar 29, 2011)

knew a GSD breeder that was 100% holistic and she said giving your dogs any types of vacc or pill until 1.5years of age was bad. needless to day her GSD lived to 18years!!!!


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## sharkey19 (Sep 25, 2011)

Please make sure your puppy gets his/her puppy vaccines. They can get really sick without them. The reason most puppies don't get certain diseases is because they get vaccinated, don't get complacent and think that those diseases aren't still out there.

That being said, once your puppy is a over a year old, you could talk to your vet about doing titres to minimize vaccines. They are quite costly, but if its something you are worried about, it is definitely a good option for you.


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## Anja1Blue (Feb 27, 2008)

onyx'girl said:


> holistic vets are quacks?????? Really?


 No not really - just a very ignorant statement. I think my vet, who practices both allopathic and holistic medicine, would be offended to think she had been labelled a "quack". However, if not pushing vaccines, trying to find a more natural way of approaching illness rather than stuffing a dog with drugs which can have side effects, and not displaying one bag of Science Diet in her reception area constitutes a quack, quacks get my vote!)

Both my dogs have an exemption for vaccines because of autoimmune disease. However, assuming I were still in the market for them I would do rabies every 3 years, as it is required by law. I would immediately follow it up with a homeopathic remedy to counter some of its nastier effects. I would do titers on everything else, and never vaccinate again beyond the puppy stage. (And I would follow Dr Jean Dodds' vaccination protocols for a puppy.)
________________________________________
Susan

Anja SchH3 GSD
Conor GSD
Blue BH WH T1 GSD - waiting at the Bridge :angel:


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