Dr Judy talks with Dr Andi Harper about the benefits and risks of vaccinations: vaccine podcast
Learn more about Dr Andi, animal chiropractor and more at harpersridge.com
Do you know what is really in the vaccines that are given to your pet? Vaccines are used to build immunity against certain diseases and will contain a modified or killed form of the organism. Vaccines also contain other ingredients that may cause adverse reactions in your pet. All vaccines will have preservatives of some sort. These are typically either antibiotics and/or thimerosal, which is a mercury based preservative. Vaccine companies and the FDA will consider these substances safe if present in certain low percentages. The problem is that you never know how a certain individual is going to react to even a small amount of a chemical or antibiotic.
I recommend that you ask what is in the vaccine that is being given your pet. I have also found that package inserts are not complete. In an effort to investigate the ingredients in a certain rabies vaccine that we have in our clinic, I found that the package insert only listed gentamycin as a preservative. When I contacted the company asking about any other ingredients, I was sent the MSDS (material safety and data sheet ) that report the presence of neomycin(another antibiotic) and thimerosal. You can ask to see the MSDS sheets or find them your self online if you know the brand of vaccine that is to be used on your pet.
Remember – vaccines are not benign and may contain other substances with the potential to cause reactions in your pet. You have the right to be informed and deserve full disclosure of what your pet is receiving.
Here is more reason to carefully check the ingredients on the food you are feeding your pets: GMO. What is GMO? GMO stands for genetically modified organisms, and they are becoming more and more prevalent in our food supply every day. Crops are modified to increase profit by increasing resistance to disease, or increasing production. What is the problem with GMO? Genetic engineering is done in such a way that the DNA of the plant is permanently altered. The scary part is that very little testing is done to determine what effects the altered genetics will have on the person or animal ingesting the food. The modified genes can be unstable and even incorporate into intestinal cells, modifying their DNA!
This can explain increases in diseases such as allergies, food sensitivities, autoimmune syndromes and cancer, even when supposedly ‘healthy’ foods are being consumed. You can learn more details about the genetic modification of our food supply at: http://responsibletechnology.org/
What does this mean for your pet and how can you feed foods that are GMO free? The answer is to read labels and ask questions of food producers. Anything labelled organic will be GMO free by definition. Avoid soybeans, canola, cottonseed, corn, and sugar from sugar beets. These are the crops with the highest prevalence of GMO. Remember too that there are many byproducts of these crops, especially corn, such as syrup, starch additives. Many companies are now labeling their products that are GMO free. You can find a more comprehensive shopping guide at http://nongmoshoppingguide.com/.
In general, fresh organic ingredients will provide the best chance of avoiding genetically engineered foods. Companies that do not use genetically modified ingredients will typically make that obvious on their packaging. Remember – pay attention, read labels and ask questions if labels are unclear. The time you spend will be worth the health benefits to you and your pets.
Our pets bring so much to our lives – love, companionship, joy, playfulness. It is devastating to face the moment of truth when a beloved pet may be leaving our lives. There are difficult decisions to make, finances to consider, and most importantly, we do not want our pet to suffer needlessly. These decisions can be heart-wrenching, to say the least.
How do you decide how long to treat your pet, and with what? Do you feel selfish by keeping your pet alive in