Getting shot of a cough

Has anyone ever had any problems with their dogs after vaccinations?

My rescue Staffie always got a terrible cough every time he had his vacs and was quite poorly so I now get him tested to see if he needs them and to see if they were linked. So far he hasn't and he hasn’t coughed at all and has been healthier than when he was getting vaccinations annually.

I've done the same with my Labrador but I wanted to take him to training/activity clubs for more stimulation and no training school would accept the vets report stating tests had been done and he was fine so I had him vaccinated and he now has a cough.

I have done some research and understand they can react after the vacs but I'm interested to know if anyone else has experienced the same problem as two separate vets are saying they've never heard of that kind of side effect.

Helen Gordon, via Facebook

The pros and cons of annual injections

I am a subscriber to your magazine and remember a keen discussion about the pros and cons of annual injections. My friend's Jack Russell has just had his annual injections which seem to be the reason he has turned into a nervous wreck. He has become afraid of the dark and of going out for his walks. Thank you for any help you can give.
Margaret Rogers, by email

Richard Allport, alternative vet, advises:

Two points here – first, are annual vaccinations (or indeed any vaccinations) necessary? Here is my own personal advice on vaccinations:

Vaccination advice

· 1st vaccination: 12 weeks (or later)

· 2nd vaccination: 16 weeks (or later)

· (leave at least four weeks between vaccinations)


· Booster at fifteen months (or later)


· Any further boosters at not less than three yearly intervals


· Consider Leptospirosis yearly only if your dog is at risk and if the manufacturer can guarantee their vaccine contains the strains of Leptospirosis likely to be encountered by dogs in the UK.


· Consider requesting blood tests to check antibody levels, rather than administering regular boosters. Many dogs are found to have sufficient antibodies for anything from five to ten years following the last vaccination.


Do not vaccinate if your dog:

· is not in good health

· is on any medication

· has had a previous adverse reaction to a vaccination

· is otherwise at risk (e.g. family history of autoimmune disease or epilepsy)


Whenever vaccination is to be given, help protect against adverse reactions by giving homoeopathic Thuja 30c:
one dose three times daily for three days before, and five days after, vaccination.

If your dog cannot be vaccinated for one of the reasons mentioned above, consider administering homoeopathic nosodes. Nosodes are not guaranteed to confer immunity, there is no proof of their efficacy, but they may give at least some protection. It is important to obtain nosodes from a reputable supplier and dose according to the recommendations of a qualified homoeopathic vet.

Please note this vaccination advice is my own personal view and your own veterinary practice may suggest a different regime of vaccination.

Secondly, if the stress of the vaccination has triggered the acute fear of the dark and walks, the Jack Russell in question would certainly benefit from the help of a suitably qualified and recommended behaviour therapist, together with natural calming and anxiety relieving agents such as:

Kalm Aid (a good combination of two anxiety relieving amino acids)
Skullcap and Valerian (a calming herbal mixture)
Dr Petals Fears (a flower essence complex that does what the name on the bottle suggests – calms and soothes fears and phobias)

If you would like any more information on any of the supplements mentioned do contact me on info@naturalmedicinecentre.net.

Preparing for the shots

I am equally worried about vaccination reaction and my dogs catching deadly diseases and was wondering what protocols other breeders are using these days.
I am about to have a litter and was wondering if there is anything I can do to help my pups cope with their first vaccines.
Name and address supplied

Cavalier breeder Bill Knight contributed this post to our other blog about Beardie Taiga's death from a suspected vaccine reaction (Click here to read the full post):
"We used to find that after their first vaccination our puppies would be very sleepy, off their food, often with an upset tum and with a painful lump at the site of the vaccination. About 14 years ago we changed our regime and we now don't have any of these problems. We now use Dog Combination 30c from Ainsworths in London when the pups are two and half weeks old. It contains homeopathic potencies of Hepatitis, Leptospitosis, Hard pad and distemper, Parvo virus and Kennel cough and it must be crushed - you can't touch it and it must be given without food. You need to ask for a leaflet that tells you how much to give and when. The dogs then get their traditional vaccine at eight weeks and since we've started using the Ainsworth Dog Combination we've not had any problems with reactions. We always insist on Nobivac and the other thing we do is keep all our pups until they are 10 weeks so they don't have any stress. There are four things we do that might otherwise be traumatic - the pups are jabbed, tattooed, chipped and litter screened before going to their new homes so we like to keep them for that extra two weeks to make this as untraumatic as possible. If anyone wants to know more I'd be happy to explain further. I'd just like to say how very sad I am about Taiga and send Lorraine all my sympathy."