Vaccine Protocol

There is, and will continue to be, a lot of controversy over the use of vaccines in pets (as well as humans).

Much of the controversy stems from the widely held belief that many of today's vaccines aren't necessary for public health, but rather are being pushed by a greedy pharmaceutical industry

One thing to keep in mind when deciding whether or not to vaccinate your dog, or any pet for that matter, is whether the vaccine is required by law.  Much of the legal requirement to vaccinate your pet was at one time a result of public health initiatives necessary to limit the spread of disease among animals as well as people.  You don't have to be an expert on public health to know that animals -- pets -- can spread some pretty serious diseases to humans.  The one that should come to every one's mind is rabies, which can be contracted by humans through a bite from an infected animal.  Of course biggest reason to vaccinate our dogs against rabies isn't because the law requires it, but because we love them and want to protection for such a dangerous disease.

Well the purpose of this post isn't so much to give you my personal thoughts on the issue of vaccines -- which I haven't so far -- but rather to point you to the following web site which has some pretty good information concerning the timing of vaccines for dogs and cats:

The Whole Dog / Vaccines

When reading the article posted on The Whole Dog, you'll easily see how pharmaceutical companies have influenced the timing of initial puppy and kitten vaccines.   Rather than attempt to quote or reiterate the recommendations here, please take some time to read for yourself what I think is some pretty good advice for anyone interested in vaccinating their dog or cat.

I plan on writing more concerning vaccinations in the near future -- hope you find this little bit of interest an encouragement to read more for yourself.  Please be sure to share with everyone what you've learned, after all that's the purpose of this blog.

Jim