'Are we killing our pets?' Petfood article.

BubbleFrogette

To be honest, I would be extremley wary of any 'advice' dished out by this bastion of scandal, the Daily Mail. Remember that it was also them that caused all the controversy over the MMR vaccine, which was subsequently proven to be a load of codswallop. The result of which has put the lives of children at risk and compromised herd immunity.

And to say that veterinary science students are being taught by huge corporations is on very thin ice too - at the university where I work, it's academics and vets who teach the vet students, not corporations (although I wouldn't put it past them in the USA).

BubbleFrogette

sleepymy wrote: »

Even human vaccines aren't all 100% effective but should lessen the severity of the disease if contracted.

Nothing is 100%, except the odds that you will one day pop your clogs.

sleepymy

KVet wrote: »

Yet again, another article by Daily Mail lambasting the veterinary profession. I think thats 2 in as many months? (the other one was this one if anyone is interested). Also why on earth are they dragging the crazy people like Catherine O'Driscoll out of the woodwork? Shes at the complete extreme I would say (having read her website and laughed heartily over it).

I never recomend any one food so I certainly don't feel that its the Vets that rea "to blame"! The only time I advise a diet change is when animals are suffering from Kidney/liver disease etc etc. I feel that there is a whole load of scaremongering going on and, sadly,Vets are getting attacked. Again. Oh well.

It makes me sad that so much paranoia is aimed at what I believe to be a noble profession. Between the antics of a young dog and the diseases of an old cat I would be lost without the support of my vet this year. Our vet gives me so much advice over the phone and is supporting my attempt to reduce the cat's visits to them. I've been there so often over the past few months I think they've started giving me discount

I've only ever been guided towards diet change when the cat developed CRF. Even then my vet (in the early stages) told me to look for commercial brands with low protein so it would be cheaper. We only switched the cat onto prescription food prescription food because it was also gentler for his inflammatory stomach condition.

Like every other profession there are good ones and bad ones but I refuse to believe that all vets enter into a conspiracy with drug companies at the expense of the animals they're dedicated to treating.

BubbleFrogette

I totally agree Sleepymy, and the same goes for medical doctors and scientists as well.

Steel_2

crank_girl wrote: »

It might explain why there are so many cases of animals/people contracting the diseases against which they are vaccinated

If you've been vaccinated against something it doesn't mean you won't catch it.

Vaccines simply stimulate an immune system to produce antibodies that can fight an infective agent.

Our immune systems do not contain the anitbodies to every known illness. Our bodies manufacture antibodies on a "case-by-case" basis in response to a threat. This can take several days, and for some illnesses great damage can be done in the time interval between contraction of the agent and full antibody production.

By vaccinating in advance, you're giving your body time to manufacture those anitbodies, the 'knowledge' of which is then permanently stored by the body and can quickly revved up into full antibody production if the real threat ever comes knocking.

And if you have a reduced immunity through disease or using certain medicines, your immune system will not work properly even if you have been vaccinated in the past.

BubbleFrogette

Steel - you explained it better than I did!

Shoshannah

BubbleFrogette wrote: »

As far as I'm aware, IgA (immunoglobulin A) is involved in the innate immune response, whereas vaccines aim to work with the adaptive immune response, to generate immunological memory. If animals/humans do contract the disease they have been vaccinated against, it won't be long before the immune system recognises the antigen and destroys it (unless they are immunocompromised).

IgA (like IgD IgE, IgG and IgM) is part of the adaptive immune response, not the innate. All antibodies are produced by B-cells, which form in the bone marrow.

The kennel cough vaccine (the one which goes up your dog's nose) works by stimulating IgA levels locally, thus avoiding the need for a systemic vaccine. However, because kennel cough is a disease complex caused by several different bacteria/viruses, the vaccine is not 100% effective at preventing the disease. However, it should decrease the chances of your dog catching it, and limit the severity and duration of signs if he or she does.

The duration of immunity varies for each vaccine. As a rule of thumb, vaccines against viral diseases (ie parvo, distemper, hepatitis) last longer than vaccines against bacterial diseases (mainly lepto). The lepto vaccine is generally regarded as giving protection for 12-13 months, although in some cases it may be shorter. This is why a lot of vets now recommend keeping up with yearly vaccines against lepto, but give the full DHPPiL every 3 years to minimise overvaccination. Some parts of the DHPPi vaccine may last longer than 3 years and possibly even for the lifetime of the dog.

With cats, vaccination for FeLV (feline leukaemia) may not be necessary once they reach 3 or 4 years old because it is kittens who are most vulnerable to contracting the virus. Once contracted however, this is a lifetime disease so vaccinating kittens is definitely recommended.

It is a good idea to only give vaccinations based on an assessment of the animal's lifestyle and how much at risk they are. Indoor cats probably don't need FeLV vaccinations as they don't come into contact with other cats. Kennel cough is very contagious, but dogs usually have to be in quite close contact to catch it, so if your dog never goes near other dogs then he may not need a KC vaccine. That said, I think it is important to keep to a strict schedule for puppy/kitten vaccines, plus the first annual booster to make sure their immunity is sound as they enter adulthood.

Remember that diseases such as distemper have been made uncommon by the success of vaccination, and always remember that unvaccinated pups still die from parvo.


With the food... trouble with a lot of the commercial diets is that they are quite high in carbs and low in protein. Take a look at your commercial food (wet or dry) and you will likely find that the main ingredient is some sort of cereal. Dogs, and especially cats, tend not to graze in cornfields. Diets high in protein better resemble what wolves and big cats eat in the wild. You can achieve this by feeding a raw meat diet (check out the Raw Meaty Bones site), or at least adding some raw mince or chicken to your pet's dry food each day. Some people prefer to feed a commercial diet intrinsically higher in protein. Orijen is high in protein and free of grains; Applaws and Nature's Menu also quite good.

robert_harper_2000

I prefer Orijen as it is 70%-75% real meat rather than the Burns 65% rice. After all dogs and cat are carnivores.

sleepymy

robert_harper_2000 wrote: »

I prefer Orijen as it is 70%-75% real meat rather than the Burns 65% rice. After all dogs and cat are carnivores.

No, dogs are omnivores.

Shoshannah

sleepymy wrote: »

No, dogs are omnivores.

AFAIK this is under debate. Wild canids may pick at ripe fruit on the ground, but their diet is predominantly meat. Wolves do not eat the veggie stomach contents of their prey, they shake it out and eat the rest of the carcass.