Another Alternative - Titers
By Several Wellpetters

Theresa, Greetings,

I'm not Dr Dupree, but since my name was in your letter of 2/22/97 in which you asked about vaccination and titre. I thought I'd have a go here, too.

All titres tell you is that the animal has had an immune response to the material (antigen) in the vaccine, and that it has made antibodies (which we measure in the titre).

In some cases (for instance Lyme Disease) it is possible to differentiate a natural infection (that is contact with the organism in the wild,...) from an artificial infection (that is vaccination), but this is not always the case.
The immunologists have equated the presence of certain levels of titre to immunity, but will tell you that the only true measure of immunity is found by challenging the animal with the organism in question. They either get sick or they don't, and some of the sick ones die, and some recover. Sort of crude, but that's how it's done.
Whether the animal gets immunity to the pathogen via vaccination or via natural infection sometimes doesn't matter. This depends a bit on the organism involved.

For instance, if you are vaccinated for a disease such as influenza, you will have immunity to the strain of virus in the vaccine. The viruses shift in the wild, and their characteristics change (that's their mechanism of survival) and so the 'flu virus you meet on the street may not be the 'flu virus for which you were vaccinated. In some cases there is enough similarity between the wild virus and the vaccine virus that there is a cross-reaction in immunity and you are protected, fully or partially, from the wild virus.

Many believe that the relative overuse of vaccination is hastening the shift in viral and bacterial populations, and making it even more difficult to make vaccine that "works". I feel strongly that the eroding levels of health of our companion animals also results in apparent vaccine failure. However, as you say, basically immunity to a pathogen is immunity no matter how that immunity is reached.
From my way of thinking, it makes more sense to strengthen the body and reduce the susceptibility to the virus/dis-ease, rather than vaccinate like crazy. If you are unconvinced that your herd/flock/kennel is vital and strong and healthy, excessive use of vaccinations will not provide that health to them. More vaccinations do not a healthier dog make.

There are many good studies about the duration of protection and action of vaccinations in dogs. I have thirty to fifty references in my files, and could sure provide you with some reading, if you want to get with me.
The middle ground depends a great deal on your individual kennel, as well as your comfort level. When I say I tailor programs to the individual, those are things that I take into consideration. My own preference and choice is not to vaccinate, but to foster health and wellness via other means. Not all my clients and colleagues are comfortable with that. It doesn't make sense to me to throw the baby out with the bath water, and so I compromise (to some extent) in these situations.

For instance, some of my clients are fine without vaccinations. Their reasons vary from we never did that on the farm, to feeling confident that the statistics generated by the immunologists are valid for their animal and that immunity lasts a long time, to knowing in their hearts and minds that their animals are healthy and vital.
Some of my clients are OK starting by skipping a year of booster vaccinations. That gives me a window of opportunity to educate them, and for them to use other methods to strengthen their animals Vital Force. In many of these cases we see chronic problems, such as ear itchiness or seasonal allergies abate, and this too gives me more fuel for the "please don't vaccinate" fire.

Some of my clients need the numbers and "scientific confidence" that the titres provide. In most cases the titres are indeed in what is considered to be protective levels. The client is happy, the dog is happy, and I am happy. Actually, for some people the titre is a reinforcement that their dog does have a working immune system, and as such would be able to deal with an infectious organism.

Again, the titre levels also buy some time for education and maturation of thought and gathering of information.
Some of my clients are happy that their dog is protected, but want the mental and emotional confidence that they are "doing something", and wish to use the nosodes. My rules for nosode are pretty basic. Any animal that is showing any signs of chronic disease is not a candidate for nosodes use. If the animal is apparently healthy, but the use of nosode "rattles" the Vital Force and causes the expression of symptoms, then we stop the nosode, and address the imbalance and chronic disease

Nosodes are powerful medicines, and should not be used lightly. They should always be used in consultation with your veterinary homeopath. Schedules and combinations vary a bit between veterinarians, as well as in different kennels and situations, and it would not be appropriate for me to offer schedules and doses in this forum.
If I have a client who seems really fearful about their animal getting an illness, I try and go back and find out the ways and the wherefore of such deep fears. Sometimes (usually) it can be traced back to a specific situation, and then we work from there. I also reinforce that health is not icing, but comes from the inside, and that they, as caregivers can do a great deal to foster health on a daily basis. Sometimes with these clients, all I can do is split the vaccine - for instance, offering Parvo only.

If I have a kennel that has had a problem with Parvo, for instance, I deal with those individually. That means looking at the nutrition and management practices, the parasite loads, the housing and hygiene, the movement of dogs in and out,....all those things that affect health and wellness. In some cases we use nosodes in these kennels, often in the very young and susceptible animals, while we are doing other things to foster health in the kennel.
I soon weed out those people who come to me demanding only vaccination, and wishing no other health maintenance. I also refuse to vaccinate yearly. I can no longer in a good conscience continue to recommend a procedure that I feel is damaging to the animal's health and well-being.

So, you see, there are no easy answers here. This is a big issue, and your ultimate decisions will depend on your comfort level, your individual dogs, your kennel management, as well as the confidence you have in those to whom you turn for advice.
I hope this has been of some use, and suggested some options that you might wish to explore with your holistic practitioner.

Sincerely,
Susan Beal DVM

Greetings,

With regard to your Goldie with the relatively low titre for corona virus,....
Corona virus is not a serious threat to an adult dog (and is opportunistic in young dogs).
Even among the conventional veterinary circles, one often hears about the corona vaccine as the vaccine looking for a disease,..... Many practitioners do not feel that it is a required part of the routine vaccination schedule.

I had the opportunity to have a conversation with a classmate of mine a few days ago. She owns a company that manufactures vaccines, mostly autogenous vaccines (where they take a specific disease entity and custom make a vaccine for that animal or herd).
We were speaking about my practice and she asked about my use of vaccines.

When I told her I rarely vaccinate, and sometimes use titre as a measure of protection if the caregivers need some support in their decision not to vaccinate, her reply was "if they have any titre level at all, they'll be protected, so I guess there's not much sense in continuing to vaccinate these guys !"
This from a conventional scientist and vaccine manufacturer, completely unaware of the controversy brewing about the use of vaccinations in our animal population.
I thought it rather interesting.

If your veterinarian is skeptical about titres, please feel free to get them to contact me, and we can share some experience and titre results (my clinic's as well as some consolidated from other practices).

I also would remind you that the only titres you really need to have tested are those for parvo and distemper in dogs, and panleukopenia in cats.

Remember that the laboratory doing the titre must be able to do post vaccinal titres (the technology is different from doing post exposure titres), and that they are aware that it is a postvaccinal titre. This will greatly influence the titre results (which is important is you are going to concentrate on what is considered to be a protective level of titre).

I hope this has been of some use to you.

Sincerely,
Susan Beal DVM

Andrea, Greetings,

In the ongoing discussion about titres and nosodes,.... you wrote:
Aari has a titre of 1:2048 so he is quite immune. He was vaccinated at 16 weeks last...he is now 2 years so this titre was as a result of no boosters. Does this mean that the Nosodes will reduce the titre?
I want to understand all this!

I am really encouraged to get information about titres in previously vaccinated animals. It's fuel to my fire that the yearly boosters are not needed to maintain adequate antibody levels, and that these antibodies persist for many years. I'll add Aari to my list of vaccinates with known titres, if you don't mind!

Nosodes themselves do not create titre. The mechanism of protection is not a cell mediated mechanism, and as such, there are no antibodies formed by the body in response to nosode use.

Nosodes will not reduce existing titre.
Immunologists have shown that repeated doses of conventional vaccinations do reduce titre because the titre antibodies actually combine with the vaccine antigen. This is similar to the mechanism of maternal antibodies interfering with the vaccine given to young pups.

Your Aari is in great shape - I would neither vaccinate this pup, nor would I use nosodes with him. There would be no benefit to either at this point in time.

Regards,
Susan Beal DVM