Feline Vaccinations
By Pat McKy and Dr. Susan Beal

Carder wrote: Our vet has recommended that we have our cat be inoculated against feline leukemia. This was suggested before any blood tests or any indications that she may have leukemia, but rather just as a "precautionary" procedure.

Does anyone have an opinion on the feline leukemia shots? Are they needed? Are there any side effects? Is feline leukemia as rampant as we seemed to be led to believe?

Our cat seems healthy overall. She hunts and sleeps. Every few weeks, she does vomit. We have not changed her diet -- except for what she catches.

Hi, Carder,
I have an opinion. DON'T VACCINATE!
A quote from my book, NATURAL IMMUNITY, Why You Should NOT Vaccinate!: "If after knowing that some of the health hazards from vaccinations include AIDS, allergies, arthritis, asthma, autism, blindness, cancer, cataracts, cerebral palsy, chronic ear infections, conception rate lowered, encephalitis, epilepsy, fibrosarcoma at the vaccination site, hyperactivity, hyperthyroidism, hypothyroidism, interdigital pyoderma, juvenile type diabetes, learning disabilities, leukemia, lupus, meningitis, mental retardation, multiple sclerosis, paralysis, short life span, sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), tuberculosis, damage to and/or failure of heart, kidneys, liver, pancreas and other organs of the body, and ALL of the diseases for which your animal or child were vaccinated, are you still willing to take that risk of vaccinating? If so, WHY? There is no proof that vaccinations work at all."

A quote from Richard Pitcairn, DVM, PhD (Immunology): " If you knew when you gave a vaccination that you might save an animal from an episode of an acute disease, and you also knew that you would be sentencing the animal to a lifetime of chronic disease, would you still vaccinate?"

Please ask your veterinarian to talk with Richard Pitcairn or one of the veterinarians listed in the back of my book and get the real lowdown on vaccines.

Another quote from Richard Pitcairn: "If you go to your veterinarian and say, 'I think my cat is sick from the vaccine you gave him a month ago,' you will not be taken seriously. I tell you from personal experience that within the veterinary profession, this possibility is almost universally denied. It is a question of faith, you see. There is absolutely no concept of a vaccine reaction which can result in increased susceptibility to another unrelated disease. It is not a question of not believing in the possibility. It is not even considered."

A quote from Don Hamilton, DVM: "...When the veterinarian was asked if this could be related to the vaccines, he replied, 'Of course not, vaccines do not have any side effects.' ...The denial our profession practices under would be even harder to imagine had I not been there myself. But I still do not understand how anyone can practice for more than five or ten years and make such a statement with a straight face. I guess it's a good thing we are not a profession of Pinocchios."

A quote from The Natural Remedy Book for Dogs & Cats by Diane Stein: "Too many dogs develop distemper and too many cats develop feline leukemia after vaccination; many die. Both cats and dogs develop varying levels of other illnesses as well."

Pat McKay

Greetings,

Several days ago there were some queries raised about the "required" vaccinations for cats.

The issue of vaccinations in cats (and other species) raises the same questions, as does the issue of vaccinations in dogs.
The immunity to viral diseases is long-lived, and does not require yearly booster vaccinations to be maintained. As such, if this kitty has ever had a panleukopenia (feline distemper) vaccination, it is very likely that this immunity will persist for her lifetime.

The same holds true for the other upper respiratory viruses.
I do not advocate vaccination for FIP or FeLV, since I feel each of these illnesses are evidence of deep chronic dis-ease.
As do many homeopathic veterinarians, I feel that FeLV is actually associated with relative over-vaccination, especially for feline distemper/panleukopenia. This over-vaccination has taken an acute illness and replaced it with a deeper, more chronic illness.

The issue of Rabies vaccination is a legal issue, not an immunological issue. Even though the immunity to Rabies virus appears to persist over the long term, the legislators in some areas have seen fit to mandate regular revaccination of companion animals.

As such, regardless of my personal opinion, as a veterinarian I can not legally advise against Rabies vaccinations.
Once again, the comfort level about this issue of vaccinations varies in our care-givers.

However, from my perspective as a veterinary homeopath, the practice of yearly vaccinations with multiple antigens has significantly contributed to the decline in health and the prevalence of chronic disease (including skin problems, allergies, ear problems, thyroid disorders, seizure activity,.......) in our animal companions.

I can not, in all good conscience, continue to recommend annual re-vaccination for the animals presented to me for care.
I hope this gives you some information on which to base an informed decision about the procedures elected in your kitty's upcoming health maintenance examination.

Sincerely,
Susan Beal DVM