by Lynnel Jones
It seems impossible that I would ever be grateful for the deaths from parvo of eight fully vaccinated puppies from various Bullmastiff litters over the course of several years. But it’s true! I am! The good that has come of these deaths, agonizing as they were, is that I’ll never again vaccinate any of my puppies or adults!
When the eighth death occurred, I said to myself, and anyone else who would listen, "There’s got to be a better way!" I was fully convinced that the only possible explanation for these deaths was that puppies were contracting parvo from the vaccines themselves, either directly from particularly virulent or ineffective batches, or secondarily from virus shed in the stool. Subsequently, thanks to information available on the Internet, I discovered that this was indeed the case.
Empowered – by the Internet and lists like this – to talk to other breeders and puppy buyers, I found my experience was not singular. Others had gone through the same tragedies. Many people had been informed by vets that poor breeding was responsible for the deaths – puppies with compromised immune systems were the problem, not puppies whose immune systems had been overwhelmed and weakened by vaccines and further jeopardized by commercial dog food. According to some experts, more frequent vaccinations over longer periods of time were a solution. But I doubted that. I had seen a puppy from my lines die of total immune system collapse at 18 months. His owners had chosen the Foster and Smith-type vaccine regimen of frequent combined vaccines.
For a year or so before the last pup died of parvo, I had been
tutored by a fellow breeder in changing the dogs’ diet. I had never
fed straight kibble. I had always supplemented with fruit, vegetables,
eggs and vitamins. Convinced by my friend that millions of years of
doggie evolution are about raw food, I was in the process of wending
my way through Pitcarin’s diet, then Volhard, to Schultze and a raw,
species-appropriate, no-grain diet. Because I had already seen
significant improvement in every aspect of my dogs’ health, I thought
perhaps I would go cold turkey – no vaccines and just tend health via
diet.
Then the same friend who had gotten me started on raw food sent me a
Natural Rearing Newsletter and product list. I discovered homeopathic
nosodes for parvo and distemper protection. Cheap insurance, I
thought. Although I did a lot of reading and researching online and
purchased three or four homeopathic veterinary books, nosodes
continued to seem somewhat magical to me. But I’m not against magic!
In fact, I’m a big Harry Potter fan! Can’t hurt!, I thought. Might
help! Right from the beginning, in myself and in the dogs, I saw what
silicia can do to pop out a sliver or clear up an abscess. I watched
belladona bring a fever down in minutes. I saw ruta grava clear up
pulled muscles I know would have taken weeks before. I used pregnancy
formula during gestation and caulophyllum to whelp my bitches. There
was no disputing the superiority of these homeopathic remedies to the
conventional remedies I had used before.
To be really honest, I missed the prophylactic-use-of-nosodes
controversy completely. When I read about Hahnaman, I learned he had
vaccinated that way. Dr. Pitcairin's book assumed prophylactic use. It
made sense to me and to my puppy customers that what we were doing was
using an oral vaccine. For me the theory has always been less crucial
than the results anyway. "Does it work?" is what I want to know
because working is what keeps my dogs healthy and me happy!
Now, many years down the road from vaccines, I find my puppies and
adults light years ahead of where they were when we stopped
vaccinating. The impact has been not just health but temperament as
well. Mine is a cantankerous breed. Amazingly, bitches who have never
gotten along now tolerate – even enjoy – each other. I encounter a
whole new class of puppy buyers as I require nonvaccinating and a raw,
grain-free diet for an enforceable guarantee. Many people come to me
to buy a pup because their experiences with canine cancer, liver
disease and other immune system failures shortened longevity as
well as generated gargantuan vet bills are more than they care to
repeat. The people who think the whole thing is silly and that I’m a
nut-case, I wish well and bid farewell.
Will I always use nosodes? Probably. If it enhances a puppy’s chances
of avoiding disease, to me, it’s worth the doing. To my puppy buyers,
it’s a reassurance that they are doing everything helpful and nothing
harmful to prevent disease. I’m curious to see, as I progress toward
more generations of nonvaccinated, raw-fed pups, in what ways general
health will continue to improve. For my own personal pups, I suppose
if years go by without serious illnesses from various viruses, I may
reevaluate my current prophylactic posture. For now though,
prophylactic nosodes are for me… and the offspring of the 15 or so
Bullmastiffs who live with me!
© 2002 Lynnel Jones