[Sandra-A1]

There has been a lot of discussion about the topic of owners over vaccinating their horses over on a E-List that I belong to and several informative posts by:

Ellen van der Laan, D.V.M.
The Ark Holistic Veterinary Care
5240 Garton Road
Castle Rock, CO 80104
http://www.arkholisticvet.com

got me to wanting to hear more opinions & learn more about the over vaccinating of our horses and I started looking around online to see what else I could find.
I found the following article on a site created to provide more information about Headshaking Syndrome and thought I would share it with everyone here.
It does give us something to think about... wink

Treat Your Horse As You Treat Yourself

Have you ever wondered why you vaccinate your horse yearly and not yourself? Have you ever wondered why your horse's immune system is so weak and yours so strong? When you go to a shopping mall or to a party do you feel unsafe because of all the people you will come in contact with who might be carrying a contagious disease? Many veterinarians will tell you it is simply not safe to take your horse to a horse show and risk exposing your horse to the other horses, and therefore, your horse should be vaccinated. Yet you are at the same horse show without your annual booster. Even though you are at risk just as much as your horse is at risk, why have you not taken the same injectable precaution? Or, could it be that you already have immunity since being vaccinated as a child. Your horse has the same immunity for the diseases for which he has been vaccinated. In fact, your horse has been repeatedly vaccinated for diseases for which he has already developed immunity. So, why are we being told to vaccinate our horses yearly, and could this procedure of over-vaccinating our horses actually be causing more harm than good?

We believe that Headshaking Syndrome in most cases is the result of over-vaccinating. We have seen repeatedly that horses whose head shaking symptoms have been removed using Capstar, that after being re-vaccinated, head shaking symptoms immediately return. It is a well-known fact that an ill horse should not be vaccinated as their immune system is already being challenged. Yet, horses with Headshaking Syndrome are repeatedly vaccinated. This explains why horses with Headshaking Syndrome only seem to worsen year after year.

The truth is that there are no scientific studies in horses to support why we are told to vaccinate our horses yearly. Instead, pharmaceutical companies who produce and profit from the sale of vaccines, educate our veterinarians, who then educate the public consumer that yearly vaccinations are recommended and a safe practice for our horses. The truth is that no one really knows exactly how long a vaccine is effective in horses. Blood titers will give us a measure of the antibodies in the blood stream, but blood titers only measures one part of the complex immune system. A horse with a well functioning immune system may still be immune even if he has a low or zero titer for a specific disease. In fact, no one knows what number equals immunity. Yet, we vaccinate yearly just to be safe. This yearly vaccination practice is like over-watering your plant. It is unnecessary and eventually becomes harmful. Horse owners vaccinate their horses yearly with very good intentions, but unknowingly may be causing more harm than good. Not all humans, horses, dogs, or cats can handle the current vaccination recommendations.

The immune system is not an inexhaustible resource. It can be broken and worn down. It is true that the immune system is made stronger each time it fights off a natural disease. In nature, we are hit with a disease; the body fights the disease and recovers, and as a result the immune system is much stronger. But today our horses are being injected with many man-made artificial diseases, several at once, directly into the muscles of our horses . We expect the immune system to respond to each disease and have the correct immune response, which is to build antibodies and fight off the diseases. But what happens if the immune system does not respond correctly? What if the immune system is overwhelmed by this huge attack at the cellular level year after year? If the immune system is not able to have the correct immune response, this man-made disease stays in the body.

Your horse now has to deal with a chronic man-made disease. Then you vaccinate again, and again. Your horse’s immune system is crippled and he is now susceptible to other diseases that he was at one time able to fight off. Such as autoimmune diseases, Headshaking Syndrome, skin disorders, allergies, just to name a few, and all of these conditions are on the rise. These are problems of a chemically manipulated immune system. Our horses are not healthier as a result of the practice of over-vaccinating; instead our horses are developing an immune system that over reacts to the slightest sensitivity.

Many people do not even realize just how dangerous vaccinations can be to some humans. The government has paid out 1.2 billion dollars to parents of babies that have been injured or killed by vaccinations. And these are just the cases that were accepted as vaccination injury. To be accepted as a vaccination injury, the reaction must happen within 2 days of the injection. Autism has risen 620 % over the last 20 years in this country. It typically does not develop until the baby is 2 years of age. It is interesting to note that Autism mirrors mercury poisoning, a severely toxic neurochemical. Babies today are exposed to high levels of mercury that is used as a preservative in vaccines. These vaccine induced autistic children are not accepted as vaccination injury. Vaccination injuries are also happening to our animals. We just don’t hear about it.

Pharmaceutical companies are rushing vaccines to market and testing them on our babies and our animals. Human babies are now receiving 40 vaccinations in the first 2 years of life. The amount of mercury in their system is many times higher than what the FDA declares as safe. The West Nile Vaccine (WNV) was rushed to market and our horses have been the testing field. There are many people who are blaming the WNV for abortions, deaths, founder and other problems in horses. The responses from the government and the pharmaceutical companies are always that vaccines are safe, and there is no evidence to link this or that to the vaccine. This is not a plot by our government. This is a misguided belief that vaccinations are protecting us from contagious disease. They fear that if we begin to suspect vaccinations as a problem we will not vaccinate our children, our pets, or ourselves.

The individual is not the primary concern when it comes to the vaccination campaign; instead it is the herd or group. It is believed that everyone in the herd needs to be vaccinated to stop the spread of diseases. Even though it has always been known that there are harmful reactions to vaccines, those individuals who are injured by the vaccines are considered casualties in the war against contagious disease. The problem today is that the numbers of devastating reactions are climbing at an alarming rate. More and more individuals are being injured and suffer as a result.

We are not saying that horses should never be vaccinated. We are saying horses should not be over-vaccinated. The Tetanus vaccine is known to be good for 12 years in humans. This is probably the same for horses. There are other countries like Australia and New Zealand who vaccinate for Tetanus every 5 years. Even this practice is probably still over-vaccinating. There has never been a case of rabies reported in a horse that had been vaccinated twice. It is thought that two vaccinations yields lifetime immunity. The flu vaccine is only 20 percent effective as it is made from last year’s flu virus. This year’s flu virus is usually different than last years. The Potomac Horse Fever (PHF) vaccine is probably of no significant value since the cause of PHF is different than what was originally thought. One vaccine may be sufficient immunity for the life of your horse. Remember, you too have been vaccinated, but you have not continued to be vaccinated year after year.

There is a lot of debate over this issue of over-vaccinating among veterinarians. They do not agree among themselves on what is the correct protocol of how often to vaccinate. There are some veterinarian organizations that are now recommending that dogs be vaccinated for rabies every 3 years and not past the age of 10. This is definitely an improvement upon the yearly vaccination schedule imposed on dogs. We need to see movement in the same direction for our horses. The problem becomes clear, if a vaccine actually gives lifetime immunity then to repeat every 3 years is still over-vaccinating, and can be harmful instead of helpful to our beloved pets.

A good rule of thumb:
Treat your horse as you would treat yourself.

<small>[ January 07, 2004, 01:59 PM: Message edited by: Sandra-A1 ]</small>

[Dawn]

I will admit that I didn't read through all of that, but there is a big difference between most human vaccines and horse vaccines. Some human vaccines do have to be given throughout life. Such as tetanus. Others, such as polio, are a one time (well several time) thing that lasts through life. There are also some animal vaccines that only need be given through one cycle (can't think of any just off the top of my head, sorry.) I would not say that most horses I've been around have a weaker immune system than I do. I get sick with something at least 5-6 times a year. Most horses never get sick safe a mild cold or allergy problem. And the biggest reason that animals should be vaccinated (IMO) is that there are not treatments, the treatments are outrageously expensive, or the treatments have not been approved for many animal diseases. With humans, we have a relatively affordable fix to most fixable diseases.

[Dawn]

Just a side note on autism. It's not that it doesn't develop until the second year of life. It's that it's not detected until the second year of life. Most forms of autism are first diagnosed because of the child not speaking. Up till two years, the child is still within the acceptable window to develop language. Most autistic children who are verbal aren't diagnosed until they enter a structured setting such as an organized preschool or school. That does not normally take place till the child is 4 or 5 years old. Some autistic people are never diagnosed. The reason that autism numbers are rising is not because more people are autistic. It's because people (parents, doctors, and child-care workers) are more informed and are better able to recognize the signs and symptoms of autism. There is absolutely no way of proving that the child was not autistic before. There is no case of a child "developing" autism. That's not to say that it hasn't or couldn't happen. There's just no way to say it has.

[spyro1]

Sandra, once again, well done applaud How do you do it?? I myself have always wondered about this, why have my kids only required a tetnus shot once on their whole lives, (one is 9, the other is 11) and here I am told by my vet to do my horse every year. How much different can the vaccines be, for the same thing? I have to be honest, I don't vaccinate my horse as religously as I used to, because of those concerns. there are literally dozens of vaccines that are supposed to keep your hrose safe against disease, yet you always hear about the hroses who are vaccinated and still contract the disease. I beleive that horses immune systems (much like humans) are actually damaged adn weakened by over vaccinating. Just my opinion though, I am sure I will catch some flack for it Thanks again Sandra for sharing that info bow

[Dawn]

Tetanus vaccines aren't just given once in a lifetime. In fact, that's the major one that people do continue to get throughout their lifes...

[spyro1]

Dawn, if you didn't read the entire article, how can you possibly post a reply to it?? As far as you getting sick 5-6 times per year, wow, you are actually sick every 2 months?? If I were you, I would get checked out by your DR, that is an awful lot of times to be sick per year. As far as I know, there is no vaccine that is given to a horse only once right now, to protect it's whole life.
Dawn if you read my post you would see that I gave the ages of my children, and yes, they have only required one tetnus shot their entire lives. My doctor reccommends it done every 10 years. We don't vaccinate our children every year for it, so why are we vaccinating our animals each year for it? And it has nothing to do with no treatments for it, name me a few diseases that are untreatable, that horses are vaccinated for??

[Dawn]

No, you aren't required to get a tetanus vaccine (unless you go to certain areas), but you aren't required to vaccinate your horse either. Dogs, you are required to vaccinate against certain things. Truthfully, I can't think of a single thing that horses are only vaccinated against once, but there is one vaccine that's only given to dogs once. Maybe someone else knows what it is.

[Dawn]

And you're right, I do get sick alot. During the winter and summer I get sick at least once a month. Spring and fall, I'm usually not sick. I've had a recurring case of mono for the past 2 years, and the doctors say that I most likely will for the rest of my life.

[Dawn]

The reason I could comment on it without reading the entire thing, is that I was just making a general comment on the fact that human and animal vaccines and diseases are different. I have read the entire article now and still hold the same opinion. They might say that vaccine producers want them given every year because they make money off of it, but what do these people make money off of? People not giving traditional vaccines and instead using their "natural" approach to prevention and treatment. No matter how you look at it, they're in it for the money too.

[Blistering Winds]

Vaccinations are awesome in my opinion. In both the human and animal world. Yes you can go your whole life never getting sick and never getting a vaccination. Key issue, you are never exposed to the disease.

I do believe some vaccines will eventually be dropped from the list of "have to have" because we've pretty much eradicated it here in the US. BUT, have we really eradicated it? Or have we, through vaccinations, created a better immune system.

Rabies, the reason they went to 3 yrs over 1 yr is because they have scientific proof that the vaccine is still Working at 3 yrs. Actually the results are 4 yrs, but the variable is too high to call it a 4 yr vaccine. With more testing and usage, we will be able to do the same with several other vaccines as they are improved through the years.

There are certain vaccines I make sure my animals have. Rabies and DHLPP-C for my dogs, and Rabies, VEW-T, Flu/Rhino for my horses. Strangles if I am in an area that has break-outs. My horse will get a strangles vaccine this year since we've had a few break-outs over the past few years in this area.

Same with my kids. I will continue to build up their immune system by getting the required shots (except Chicken Pox) and get them prepared for the long road ahead in their lives. Many of the children's shots are beneficial because a simple case of anything can kill a child. Of course I understand that my children may be hypersensitive to the proteins and preservatives in the Vaccine (which is what usually causes complications in children...normally an "egg" allergy).

I've never personally seen the "head shaking syndrome". So I can't really comment on it. I know horses who get vaccinations regularly. Mine has at least had VEW-T regularly every year. Flu/Rhino most of the time. I think one year it got skipped. He is way past due for strangles, and WNV vaccine he didnt get this year, but got it last year. (well, 2002).

I don't think it's a pharmacutical issue in Humans though. Because it takes SOO much research and money for a drug, even vaccines, to be approved for humans, it's not really cost efficient because the vaccines don't cost that much. If they did, they would never be given. Plus most of the humans are done early, while your immune system is developing, and you are pretty much good for life. Except tetanus, which isn't a virus anyways.

Anyways, that's some interesting stuff you got there Sandra.