Are Vaccines Really Harmful?
Some have attributed every ill of the canine and feline pet populations, from allergies to arthritis to severe immune system breakdowns, to excessive use of vaccines. Others, most notably vaccine manufacturers, insist the vaccines are harmless and that the benefits outweigh the risks. Where does the truth lie? A few years ago, the Colorado State University School of Veterinary Medicine became the first veterinary college to issue a vaccination schedule that recommended against annual vaccinations. In their new protocol they wrote, “We are making this change after years of concern about the lack of scientific evidence to support the current practice of annual vaccination and the increasing documentation that over vaccinating has been associated with harmful side effects. Of particular note in this regard has been the association of autoimmune hemolytic anemia with vaccination in dogs and vaccine-associated sarcomas in cats…both of which are often fatal.” There is some evidence to sugg
