Hi,

Im trying to find alternatives for the annual and puppy vaccinations for my dogs. I have already looked at a few web sites about alternatives.

I own toy dogs and last year two of them had a bad reactions to the booster which included; swelling around head, neck and face, became very restless, the skin around these areas also seemed to go red and caused them discomfort and to excessively itch constantly, they both seemed very distressed because of these reactions for atleast 8 to 12 hours after they had the boosters. We did contact the vet and they basically said nothing they can do, keep your dogs quiet and calm if it gets to the point they have problems breathing then bring them back in. I think the vets answer was basically not good enough and I am worried this may happen again to my dogs.

Has any one elses dog had the same problems, if so what have you done?

Also if any one can email me with a good web site which holds good information about alternatives and where i can get them from i would be greatful. Or any other good info which i may be able to learn from.
Thanks alot

Regards Louisa
bleucoral@hotmail.com

Hi Louisa,

Ainsworths sell homoepathic "vaccinations" 

http://www.ainsworths.com/news/details.aspx?id=12

Kath.

Hi Louisa,

I'd advise finding a Homeopathic Vet who would first treat your dogs for the reaction they had last year, and then advise whether further treatment 'vaccination-wise' is actually neccessary, homeopathically.  I don't think it's wise to just buy the Homeopathic version and administer them until the residue from last year's shots are out of their systems. 

Where are you?  Going to email you some more info.

Hi Muriel
Sorry to intrude but could you email me the info as well pleeeease :D
anne@davandaws.plus.com
Thanks Anne

Hi Anne,

No problem, will go do that now:-)

I was thinking of going this route but find the £150 initial consultation fee from our local homeopathinc vet a little hard to justify.

You'll probably find the consultation lasts at least an hour, if not 2, as they take a much fuller history and want to know a lot more detail about your dog than a conventional vet would, also close observation of the animal. 

Since a regular vet charges about £20 for a few minutes very often, it's not so bad when you think about it.  If I was fortunate enough to have a Homeopathic Vet near me, I'd gladly pay it to know my girl was being well looked after.

Would the homeopathic vet fee's not be included in your pet insurance? which would reduce them largely?
Either way if it worked, it would be worth paying the money to make sure your dog was in full health.

Yes I understand that it COULD be good value for money. But with 2 dogs and 3 cats it would take a whloe bottle of very good whiskey to broach the possibility of spending that sort of money, with my OH.

Phone the Apothecary Chemist on 01709531177.

There is no consultation charge, they take order over the phone, deliver free with a few working days and it cost about £4.50 for a course of tablets, powder or bottle. I get the bottle as it's easier to administer and it has lasted 3 dogs two years so far! They put a Kennel Cough vaccine in it free of charge and it covers everything else. I haven't been near a vet for vaccinations for years and never would again! 

Claire did you just give it too your dogs on the day they were mean't to have a booster or have you always done this.I am really interested in this too for one of my older dogs who takes a bad reaction to his boosters.

I have to say that I stopped giving my Pomeranian's annual boosters a number of years ago after losing some a few days afterwards.  I was advised by someone that I should ensure that the dead vaccine is used not a live one such as Nobivac.  I now ensure that their first injection is this and not a live one.  Since doing this we have not lost any of our Pom's after years of heartbreak.

Very interested in this topic as Callia is due her first puppy jabs in just over a weeks time and as I said on another post I am extremely wary of this due to the damage that was done to Murf previously.

I have many reasons for wanting to do this homeopathically that I won't go into as it would be too long ;)

I will be doing puppy classes with her as soon as possible, do the classes require the pups vaccination card? If so and I go the alternative route then I will have to think again. I am desperate to socialise her as in her large breed it is extra important from an early age due to their wariness of people.

I have treated my dogs homeopathically in the past when conventional medicine has failed and have been very pleased with the results but I still have a niggling doubt, my older 2 have had theirs, albeit with disasterous results with one, but because I had them done, something in me says that I owe it to her to go the conventional route, albeit I am not happy doing it, if that makes any sense

H/p, I know some classes will accept h/pathic nosode treatment instead of conventional vax, why not ring them & ask? Or ring h/pathic vet institute in uk & see if they know of any. I also know PET dogs now accept h/pathic nosode use instead of vax. :)

Christine, Spain.

thanks Christine :) I should have thought of that myself, suffering from sleep deprivation I think :D

Louisa -I also have Toy breeds. We did have the puppy vacs done but no subsequent boosters. I think in a lot of cases they do more harm than good but, of course, most vets would disagree as vaccinations bring in regular income.
Perhaps nosodes would be worth considering - they're not expensive and won't be a threat to your dogs health.

Hi Shedog,

The nosodes can be given as soon as they arrive, they do not react with any other vaccine previously given.

The doses are as follows: (If I remember correctly!)

x2 a day for 3 days
x1 a day for 6 weeks
x1 a month for 6 months

This is repeated once a year at roughly the same time, given to a clean mouth.

Any advice you need or worries you may have will be dealt with over the phone. They are so helpful and friendly. My first dog had 2 boosters after his puppy vaccines, but was a rescue so it was already done. The next I had as a puppy and was nosoded at 6 weeks when I got him. No waiting till he was 12/13 weeks old before socializing him! The latest one was also a rescue and again had had 2 of the course before I got him, but he won't be finishing it!

HTH, any more info you need, feel free to PM me.

Claire

I don't know if they have the test in the UK or if it's called the same thing but in the US you can have a blood test called a Titer done in lieu of vaccinations.  It tests to see if the antibodies from the previous vaccinations are still present in the body.  There are 2 lines of thought here...one is that the vaccine boosters last for approximately 3 years and should only be given that often and two is that the puppy vaccines last throughout the dog's life much like human's vaccinated as babies don't have to be vaccinated again.

Yes, titre testing can be done to decide whether or not to booster the dog ... except for leptospirosis. There's no test for that, and as it's a zoonotic disease it's considered worth boostering against that annually, with the others being given bi-annually or maybe even every three years. Of course the cost of titre testing is always added to the cost of any booster that administered.