DVM Article Quotes & Links

"Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored." - Aldous Huxley

Link to an article in DVM, the Newsletter of Veterinary Medicine describing the contents of the American Animal Hospital Association's 2003 Canine Vaccine Guidelines. Excellent place to start with fabulous quotes from task force members.

Some quotes from that article:
Under "Booster Vaccines:" Of the core vaccines, the taskforce recommends that the adult dog receive rabies; canine parvovirus vaccine; canine adenovirus-2 (hepatitis vaccine); and distemper vaccines every three years.
The caveat to the recommendation, says Ford, is that there is good evidence that the protection conferred in adult dogs by both canine distemper and canine parvovirus exceeds five years.

Under "Anticipated reaction:""It's hard to believe it'd be controversial to any DVM who's lived on earth for the past year or two. You'd have to be from outer space if you haven't heard about the issues," says Schultz.

Under "Who Won't Buy It:""There are some corporate policies among these conglomerates of veterinary practices in the country. They have standard policies that all dogs get all licensed vaccines every year. What we're saying is that's wrong. Don't do that," says Ford.

In the American Animal Hospital Association's 2003 Canine Vaccine Guidelines http://www.dogs4sale.com.au/AAHA_Special_Report.htm on the last page, Appendix 2, #1 in priority under the "Important Vaccination Do's and Don'ts" is "Don't revaccinate more often than is needed....."

Full details are available by clicking this piece of text.

Managing Vaccine Changes
The extended durations of immunity for vaccines is not “new” or “recent” science as some members of the Maine Veterinary Medical Association (MVMA) have claimed. AAHA reveals on Page 2 of their Guidelines that ideal reduced vaccination protocols were recommended by vaccinology experts beginning in 1978. A Veterinary Practice News article entitled “Managing Vaccine Changes” by veterinarian Dennis M. McCurnin, reports that: “Change has been discussed for the past 15 years and now has started to move across the country."

Full story is aviable by clicking this piece of text.

For .pdf file of the web page with article about Managing Vaccine Changes, click this piece of text.

Full story is aviable by clicking this piece of text.

For .pdf file of the web page with article about Annual Pet Vaccinations may be Unnecessary, Fatal, click this piece of text.

Vaccines of the Present and Future
Dr. Alice Wolf, Professor of Small Animal Internal Medicine at Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine, stated in an address at the 2001 World Small Animal Veterinary Association World Congress: “The recommendation for annual revaccination is a practice that was ‘officially’ started in 1978. This recommendation was made without any scientific validation of the need to booster immunity so frequently.” She also stated that “some veterinarians use the recommendation for vaccinations as a way to ensure client visits for yearly examinations and, least appropriate, as a ‘profit center.’”

Full story is avaible by clicking this piece of text.

For .pdf file of the web page with article about Vaccines of the Present and Future, click this piece of text.

Colorado State’s College of Veterinary Medicine
According to Colorado State’s College of Veterinary Medicine Teaching Hospital, “Yearly booster vaccine recommendations for vaccines other than rabies virus have been determined arbitrarily by manufacturers.” The AAHA’s guidelines state “..there is no scientific basis for the recommendation to revaccinate dogs annually with many of the current vaccines that provide years of immunity.”

Full story is available by clicking this piece of text.

For .pdf file of the web page with article from Colorado State’s College of Veterinary Medicine located on Sylvia's Cyber Kitty Condo webpage, click this piece of text.

Or by clicking this piece of text.

For .pdf file of the web page with article from Colorado State’s College of Veterinary Medicine located on Calm Animal Care webpage, click this piece of text.

AVMA, AAHA to release vaccine positions
The statement stresses AVMA's stance on education, a reduction in the profession's dependence on vaccine sales, which account for a significant portion of practice income, ..........

Practitioners and scientists like Glickman theorize the repeated use of vaccines breed antibodies that can attack a host's own organs, causing autoimmune disease. Schultz argues that many annual vaccines remain effective throughout a lifetime; at least one of his reports successfully challenges a distemper vaccine after seven years. But despite all the research, it wasn't until veterinarians started noting soft-tissue sarcoma developing at vaccine injection sites in cats that the issue sparked widespread debate.

AVMA admits that the practice of annual vaccinations is based on historic precedent and not research.

" In the 1970s, there were four vaccines for dogs and we weren't using them often. Now there are 16 vaccines for dogs, and if they're not getting them annually, they're getting them more often than that." (quote from Dr. Ronald Schultz)

AVMA refuses to reveal much concerning its position prior to publication, but according to Galvin, the statement offers advice for veterinarians and proposes the following:
* Veterinarians must promote the value of the exam and move away from their dependence on vaccine income. Emphasize communication, customization and learning the lifestyle of clients to attract patients to the practice.

From the article, to give you an idea of who Dr. Schultz is, aside from being a member of the task force for the American Animal Hospital Association, "immunologists like Dr. Ron Schultz, a University of Wisconsin professor who's performed duration of immunity studies since the 1970s" and about himself, he states in the article: "I'm the only one in the profession who challenges the immunity of vaccines. I'm really one among a total of three individuals who have challenge studies out. With just a few of us studying them and more vaccines on the market, how are we supposed to keep up?"

Full story is available by clicking this piece of text.

For .pdf file of AVMA, AAHA to release vaccine positions, click this piece of text.

From a DVM article entitled, What Do We Tell Our Clients?
It has finally happened. The American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) has released canine vaccine guidelines. Some practitioners may dread it and consider the recommendations as a "practice buster."

The concern of course is the loss of our "vaccine hook." Some of us have been actively building new wellness care programs all along to make this transition easy and even sensible; others, unfortunately, have buried their head in the sand, hoping it wouldn't happen. Wherever you stand on this issue, the word will travel fast and it will surely be an issue that as a veterinarian you must address.

1. We must first assess the client's concern. Has damage occurred to our credibility? Has the client come across counter information from outside sources? If so we must first repair our credibility.

The key to our success will be devising a means of keeping the "annual visit" when not performing an "annual vaccination." A quick look at our human medical colleagues (family practitioners, internists, obstetricians) shows us that annual health care exams and laboratory testing are commonly performed with minimal regard to vaccinations being given. In fact, dentists do very well at getting their clients to return every six months. On the other hand, our image has become that of a "vaccinator" and not "a physician for animals."

Full story is available by clicking this piece of text.

For .pdf file of What Do We Tell Our Clients?, click this piece of text.

Developing Common Sense Strategies for Fiscal Responsibility

The purpose of this article is to focus on the third of these essential cornerstones: the economic realities of protocol changes, and how medical and surgical standards including reduced frequency of vaccination can be compatible with financial viability; and, yes, even success.

For a real eye-opener of potential revenue loss, research practice records for the most recent 12 months of client activity to determine the estimated number of adult canine patients that were seen for annual vaccinations. Multiply this number times the revenue loss calculated above on an individual patient basis to determine the total potential lost income.

Do not get discouraged! Changes in product and service mix have been an ongoing fact of veterinary practice existence. Evolving ideas about vaccine protocols are no different than the introduction of parvo vaccine years ago, recommendations for less frequent heartworm testing more recently, and loss of dermatology income after the introduction of incredibly powerful flea preventatives in the mid-1990s.

Full story is avialable by clicking this piece of text.

For .pdf file of Developing Common Sense Strategies for Fiscal Responsibility, click this piece of text.

Canine Vaccine Guidelines

In the American Animal Hospital Association's 2003 Canine Vaccine Guidelines on the last page, Appendix 2, #1 in priority under the "Important Vaccination Do's and Don'ts" is "Don't revaccinate more often than is needed....."

Appendix 2
Important Vaccination "Do's and Don'ts"

1. Do Not Vaccinate Needlessly
Don't revaccinate more often than is needed and only with the vaccines that prevent diseases for which that animal is at risk.

12. Do Not Assume that Vaccines Cannot Harm a Patient
Vaccines are potent medically active agents and have the very real potential of producing adverse events.

For .pdf file of the webpage to Canine Vaccine Guidelines article, click this piece of text.

An excellent source for Dr. Schultz's Data

International Veterinary Information Service, Ithaca NY

Click this piece of text to view a list of publications by Dr. R. D. Schultz

I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Peter and Kris Christine in allowing me to share this information with all visitors to my site.

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