According to holistic vet, Dr Andrew Jones, DVM, one of the worst things you can do for your older pet is to agree to the ubiquitous annual vaccinations.
If you’ve been following my information for any length of time, you will know that I am against pet owner complying with annual vaccinations for adult dogs without at least first informing themselves of the risks.
For more information on the risks of annual vaccinations for adult dogs, click here.
In Dr Jones’ view (which makes a lot of sense just from a logical point of view), the older the dog, the higher the risk where pet vaccinations are concerned.
Unfortunately, many vets s
till advocate annual vaccinations, and worse, many pet boarding facilities still INSIST on the production of evidence that the dog (or cat) has had ALL vaccines in the past 12 month period. This requirement can often be overcome by a letter from your vet stating that your pet is not a risk for spreading infectious disease. BUT, you need to know about this so you can be prepared with the letter from your vet, and to negotiate with the boarding facility well in advance of your pet’s stay so you don’t run into a problem at the last minute. If a particular boarding facility won’t accept this, then go to another one that will.
You also, of course, will need a vet who is not one of those who insist on annual vaccinations for all dogs.
So what types of risks associated with vaccinations increase as the animal ages? Well, many older pets (just as is the case with senior humans) suffer from some form of degenerative illness such as heart disease or kidney disease. This may be in its early stages and not affecting your pet (or not affecting him much). A vaccination is likely to worsen these types of conditions, particularly if your dog goes off his food as a result of the vaccination (which is quite likely in an older dog). The combination of the kidney disease, vaccines being injected into your dog’s system, feeling lethargic and not wanting to eat for a day or two, and compromise to the immune system as a result of the vaccines could easily cause your dog to go into acute kidney failure.
Dr Jones’ message on this issue is simple – DON’T do it. Do not subject your older dog (or cat) to unnecessary vaccinations. It could kill your pet!
For more information on Dr Jones’ methods and views, click the blue link => Veterinary Secrets Revealed
