Shandy and Darby got puppy distemper and parvo vaccinations and then only rabies vaccinations every three years for the rest of their lives.

I realized recently that although I've been writing this blog since September, I've never really touched on the subject of vaccinations and overvaccination. I've been leery and skeptical of vaccinations for dogs since the mid-'80s. The more I read about them, the more harmful they seemed. They are definitely not harmless, as many vets would have you believe. They can cause anaphylactic shock shortly after the injection for one thing, and they can cause long-term problems with auto-immune disorders, cancer, and a whole range of chronic health problems. So it's best to keep them to a minimum.

Homeopathic veterinarian Dr. Charles Loops explains:

Vaccinosis is a disease syndrome caused by a weakness that is precipitated by vaccination. It is becoming rampant in the dog and cat population. Examples of vaccinosis include autoimmune diseases, such as irritable bowel disorders, lupus and pemphigus; hypothyroidism in dogs; eosinophilic skin disorders, hyperthyroidism and asthma in cats; and chronic skin disease or allergic dermatitis in dogs and cats.

These diseases are identified as vaccine-related conditions for two reasons. 1.) The onset of the symptoms is associated with the date of vaccination in many cases. Usually, two weeks to one month following a vaccination, symptoms such as skin problems, diarrhea or asthma ensue. 2.) Homeopathic remedies that are effective on vaccine-related problems are often the same remedies needed in these diseases, and the patient’s response to these remedies can be dramatic and curative. Some of the more common vaccinosis remedies used are Thuja occidentalis, silicea, sulphur, malandrinum, mezureum and lyssin.

However, the rabies vaccine is required by law. You don't want to mess around with that, because the health department can come down very hard on you and your dog if your dog isn't up-to-date and gets into trouble, either by biting someone or being bitten by a wild animal. In a case like that, depending on where you live you might be faced with a "Sophie's Choice": Either euthanize your dog or put him or her into total quarantine for six months without any human contact. Of course, the latter is a fate much worse than death, so I hope no one ever chooses that for their dog if they find themselves in that terribly heart-wrenching position.

In most parts of the United States, you can get a waiver to avoid the rabies shot if your dog is ill or very old or has shown adverse reactions in the past, but you will still suffer the wrath of the health department if your dog gets into trouble by biting or being bitten, so you really have to weigh that and decide whether the risk is worth it.

The good news is that when it's time for your dog to have a rabies shot, if you seek out a homeopathic veterinarian ahead of time (even just for a phone consultation) who can prescribe some homeopathic lyssin for your dog to be taken right after the injection, you should be able to counteract the side effects of the rabies vaccine. Here's a directory of holistic veterinarians, some of whom are homeopaths.

The other good news is that the distemper and parvovirus vaccinations are completely at your discretion. It's a good idea to make sure that puppies get them, but that immunity tends to last for years and those are primarily puppy illnesses anyway, so after age 1, you can stop all vaccines other than rabies. The vaccine producers are coming out with more and more of them―for everything from Lyme disease to giardiasis. Just remember that each vaccination has the potential to cause anaphylactic shock or to wreak havoc on your dog's immune system. So proceed with caution, especially for diseases that are rare or easily treatable.

And even with the distemper and parvovirus vaccinations, it's best to give them a week apart (ask your vet for monovalent, or single, vaccines). They're less troublesome to a dog's immune system. It's also best to avoid giving them when anything else stressful is happening, such as spaying, neutering, grooming, etc. In the latest weekly newspaper column by Dr. Michael Fox, the famous holistic veterinarian and author, he responded to a question by a woman whose cat had gone into cardiac arrest while being groomed right after getting a rabies shot, "In my opinion, no traumatic procedure … should be done on an animal that has just been vaccinated."

One other thing: If you're really uncomfortable with abandoning the whole yearly shots scene, there is a harmless way of making sure that your dog is still protected. You can get a "titer test." This is a blood test that indicates your dog's level of "humoral" immunity, which is mediated by antibodies. There is another type of immunity (cell-mediated) that won't show up, so a negative reading doesn't necessarily mean that your dog isn't protected, but a positive reading always means that your dog is protected.

It's odd how this whole "annual shots" tradition evolved. Did you know that it has never been proved or even claimed that dogs must be vaccinated every year in order to maintain immunity? It's just a custom that's completely without foundation. After all, we don't go get ourselves vaccinated every year! Of course, it's a good idea to go see your vet at least once a year for other reasons―heartworm tests, fecal exams, overall health exams―but the yearly shots are completely unnecessary. And if your vet is pushy about it, don't let him or her pressure you into getting them. Remember: "First, do no harm." You don't have to be a vet to adhere to that.