Hi everyone, I would be interested to know how many of you are aware of the dangers to your pets resulting from what I believe now also, of annual vaxs, painkillers Rimadyl and Metacam. As some of you may know my partner and I have fostered several dogs for the OC, and also greyhounds from other rescues, and the first thing we do is get them vet checked, and we see the usual, maybe ear / eyes need treating,general stiffness, fatty lumps etc. but no record of vaccination!!! apart from these the dog is fine, we get them vaccinated and treated with the known painkillers and within a few months I see problems. I did not want to believe this at first so I did some back tracking on all of the medical records of the dogs that I had adopted or perm. fostered and was shocked to find that all of them bar one, a GSD whom I had from 13wks of age and whos problems started from her first booster as a puppy,she lived for 12yrs with skin problems, allergies to the environment and others. she had suffered an anaphalactyc shock to the booster, but the vet still advised yearly boosters with an injection before each one of antihistamine. had I known then what I know now I would not have continued with them. I lost 3 to vax related illnesses in 2009, 2 with cancer, 1 his own immune system attacking his body, another in 2010 with cancer, all within 3- 5 months of vax their symptons appeared, pain killers administered which cause their own side effects, [with Rimadyl death in some dogs]. The vet prescribed Metacam for one of my old greyhounds I have at the moment, I was told that she had arthritis in her back legs,she had been on it before for a short time, she was panting a lot,obviously she was still in pain and it was repeated on maximum dose and a check up every few months, I mentioned my concerns but the vet would not budge, my other hound was diagnosed with osteoarthritis in her left hip, she also appeares to have neurological issues, these are permanent foster dogs so any medical costs would normaly be met by the rescue, so it can become a difficult situation to get alternative treatment with every rescue struggling at the moment. Last year I did a day course on canine massage therapy, one of the dogs there a GSD was having regular treatment, he was previously unable to use his back legs and on painkillers, he was now able to walk/run and on low dose painkillers. So at my own expense I took both my hounds for therapy just over a week ago, [with consent from the rescues and medical information from the vet on the consent form]. Results; both dogs have only a little arthritis,[ 1 has arthritis in her tail,] locked neck muscles, various scar tissue down shoulders and spinal area, these are ex-racing dogs so would expect these kind of problems, the so called osteoarthritis in left hip is actually a severe groin injury she must have received during her racing career and stretches down her left leg, I was invited to feel this injury myself, not surprising she refused to run.My dog on[ Metacam] after one session of massage therapy is now walking much better,I've reduced her meds right down she is no longer panting in pain. They are both going back in a months time for another session, the dog with the neurological problems should never have had her booster as the symptoms have got worse, apparently it can cause encephalitis and epilepsy, I will need to keep a close eye on her for the next 3 months at least. If we know our dogs have been vaxd perhaps we should not submit them to uneccesary treatment.Approx, 70% I am told of vet practices income is from annual boosters.
Please be aware, we put our trust in our vets to do the best for our dogs and other pets.what do the oc members think , do you still advise vaxs for the dogs coming in to our care, when this is done as puppies and then one booster at 6mths to a year this, through scientific tests has shown it gives immunity for many years. CANINE HEALTH CONCERN website will answer many questions against vaccination and the use of NSAIDS. Well worth a look. Tina