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I think by now all pet parents have some form of anxiety over getting their dogs vaccinated.
We often wonder if there are safer alternatives especially since it is mandated by law.
There is currently only one state, Delaware, that offers the option of having Titer testing done in lieu of a vaccination.
Maggie’s Vaccine Protection Act, gives both Veterinarians and pet owners the ability to exempt a pet from legally required rabies vaccine if the animal is sick, disabled, injured, or if other medical considerations exist which make vaccination a risk to the animal’s health and life.
Instead of a vaccination, a Titer test, which measures a pet’s antibodies to combat rabies, is now a viable alternative.
Delaware businessman and pet owner Al Casapulla initiated the bill after losing his beloved Shih Tzu, Maggie, to over-vaccination when state law required, she be vaccinated, regardless of whether it was safe.
“I have been working on this bill since she died… I am extremely excited and very emotional,” Casapulla said after learning the act had passed.
“My passion to see this through was more than the passion I had when I started my business, because I knew if this gets passed we would be saving the lives of so many innocent animals and allowing vets to use their discretion on making legal, educated exemptions.”
A titer test, also known as a serological test or antibody titer test, is a diagnostic test performed to measure the level of antibodies in the dogs’ blood against specific diseases.
Antibodies are proteins produced by the immune system in response to exposure to pathogens, such as viruses or bacteria.
In the context of dogs, titer testing is commonly used for vaccinations.
Instead of automatically revaccinating a dog for a certain disease, the titer test helps determine if the dog still has sufficient immunity against that particular disease.
If the titer test levels are adequate, it means the dog is still protected, and revaccination may not be necessary.
What can we do in the meantime
It would be wonderful if this law were passed in every state in the County.
But until that day comes, and hopefully it is not in the too distant future, what are some steps we can take to minimize the side effects of vaccinations.
If you have a smaller dog, your pup is in greater danger of the side effects of vaccinations.
These shots are one size fits all and your small dog will receive the same dosage as what is given to a Great Dane or any other larger dog.
We see so many smaller dogs developing auto immune diseases like hypothyroidism by the time they have barely reached what would be considered middle aged.
Many dogs have also developed cancerous tumors around the injection site later in life.
Having your pup vaccinated yearly with a compound that contains mercury, aluminum and formaldehyde among other toxins has been proven to be very detrimental to the overall health of our pets.
First we need to consider that only Rabies is legally mandated.
The very first option for a pet parent is to simply decline the rest. Combination of vaccines administered all at once are an overload onslaught to your pet’s immune system.
Another factor to consider is that the 3-year shot is identical to the 1-year vaccination. People only choose the 1-year option for monetary savings.
If you are backed into a corner where you have to have a rabies vaccination administered to your dog, at the very least, choosing the lengthier period of time can buy you a lot of goodwill in terms of your pups’ longevity.
Many holistic Veterinarians will give an exemption letter for pets who have reached seniority (which is technically age 7) or who are ill.
With just these 2 methods, you have already mitigated some of the harm.
Lastly as more and more pet parents are becoming aware of the detrimental effects of over vaccination of our dogs, there have been non mercury options (although their safety is still questionable) introduced to the market and a host of herbal post vaccination products (HWF by Amber Naturalz) to reverse some of these side effects.
Lets hope some day that we all have the option to protect our pets from over vaccination with the use of Titer testing.
Together we can make it happen and here is a great place to start.
