© Jennifer
Hewitson, 760-944-6154
Is Your
Pet Dying From Over-Vaccination Due to Vet Economics?
Nationally and internationally, companion animals (pets) are being
over-vaccinated - a practice that is resulting in vaccine related
deaths, severe illnesses, reduced longevity and large monetary costs
to guardians (pet owners).
The most common practice is the annual administration of rabies
vaccine, based upon the oft-stated supposition that an annual booster
is necessary to maintain the vaccine's effectiveness. In reality,
there is no research substantiating that practice, and veterinary
schools and professional associations increasingly are embracing a
triennial administration standard.
A study of more than 1,000 cats and 1,000 dogs in the United Kingdom
by Canine Health Concern in March 2001 showed a 1 in 10 risk of
adverse reaction from vaccines! The study, which tracked over a
seven-month period the health of cats and dogs vaccinated by one UK
veterinarian, found that 7.54% to 12.42% of the dogs had adverse
reactions within a 45-day period post-vaccination. An almost-identical
number of cats - from 7.56% to 12.44% -- also suffered adverse
reactions within 45 days. This is quite contradictory to the
vaccine-manufacturers' claim that less than 15 adverse reactions occur
out of 100,000 companion animals vaccinated. The UK study results were
reported at the 99% confidence level. Vaccine manufacturers rely on
adverse-reaction statistics from the vets themselves.
In our opinion many vets continue to cling to the annual rabies shot
has less to do with a cautious standard of care and more to do with
their economic dependence on vaccinations for fiscal solvency. This is
especially true of a substantial - if not vast - majority of small vet
practices (1-3 people, non-specialty, non-emergency practice).
A vial of rabies vaccine costs the veterinarian about 61 cents and is
typically administered at a cost to the guardian of from $15 to $38 -
not including the $35 office visit. In perspective, an 18-oz. package
of Kellogg's Sugar Frosted Flakes® is $2.20 to the grocer and
approximately $2.75 retail. If the grocer's mark-up were comparable to
that of rabies vaccine, Frosted Flakes would cost $137 without the
office visit and more than $260 with it. To borrow Tony the Tiger's
expression, that size of a mark-up is "Gr-r-reat!"®
Take out 1 year of rabies vaccination and the consequential office
visit-- just for dogs -- and the average small-practice vet's income
drops from approximately $87,000 to $25,000 -- and this doesn't
include cats or other vaccinations!
The Veterinarian "Shot-based Practice" Model is a systemically flawed
economic approach and potentially detrimental to companion animals.
Bad practice-management becomes bad medicine, resulting in unnecessary
-- and widespread -- death, illness, reduced longevity of companion
animals and unnecessary cost to owners.
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