Wellness for dogs: why your pet needs vaccines but not reiki and raw meat

[Boronia]

this may be of interest (though drawing blood from the neck rather than the leg is questionable)

 

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2021/dec/24/wellness-for-dogs-why-your-pet-needs-vaccines-but-not-reiki-and-raw-meat

[persephone]

1 hour ago, Boronia said:

this may be of interest

Scary article . So our dogs are doomed to eat kibble and never to have the benefit of some natural therapies or food or BONES ! 

[twodoggies2001]

Not my boys.  From the day they came home as baby puppies, over to a raw natural diet.  As for vaccinations, puppy shots and the booster.  From then on, titre test every 2 years.  One of my previous boys had a titre at 10 and believe it or not, still had immunity.  

 

[asal]

54 minutes ago, twodoggies2001 said:

Not my boys.  From the day they came home as baby puppies, over to a raw natural diet.  As for vaccinations, puppy shots and the booster.  From then on, titre test every 2 years.  One of my previous boys had a titre at 10 and believe it or not, still had immunity.  

 

 

 

my vet told me over 20 years ago booster closer than every 5 years is over vaccinating and most dogs never need boosters after their one year booster. ditto for cats

 

[tdierikx]

Pickles' dogmother used to be the CEO of the AVA... with a doctorate based on animal vaccines. She told me that the basic C3 vaccine will generally provide protection against Parvo, Distemper, and Canine Hepatis for around 7 years... longer if the dog in question is subjected to conditions where those diseases are in the environment - due to small attacks regularly by those diseases keeping the antibodies fighting them active, such as when I was continuously bringing home foster pups from pounds and other unknown backgrounds, my dogs were essentially being exposed regularly to all manner of things including the big 3 diseases, and that was actually a good thing for their immune systems.

 

Funnily enough though, the Canine Cough addition vaccines (C4/5 extras that cover influenza and bordatella) only provide protection against those bugs for around 6 months... pretty much the same as how our annual human flu shots work. If your dog may be at risk of Canine Cough, then annual boosters are recommended.

 

All of my dogs have generally only had their puppy vaccinations (C3 only) and their first adult booster shot... then nothing unless I had to board them somewhere.

 

As for diet... over the years my various dogs have been fed various diets... from supermarket kibble/tinned, to high end premium kibble, and Harper is currently basically on raw chicken carcases or turkey necks. Very few of them have ever had any diet related issues regardless of what they were being fed... and none of them have ever been regular patients at any vet clinic. The last time my vet saw Harper for a medical problem was about 7-8 years ago when she was stung by a bee and turned out to be highly allergic... *sigh*

 

Vets (and vet nurses) are educated to give advice about "complete and balanced" diets - essentially plugging the premium kibble options is part of their "job". Whether this is completely medically sound advice, or the premuim kibble manufacturers have a hand in forming general opinion is moot... technically, the general idea is to feed your dog whatever it is doing well on. Most dogs do well on the premium kibbles out there... but many also do just fine on kitchen scraps or supemarket pet food options.

 

I won't poo-poo Reiki... I have actually used it to good effect on one of my own dogs. Also, some supplements containing strange ingredients can be beneficial for aging issues like arthritis and the like, so I won't poo-poo those either - especially when many studies have proven that some of them actually work, and have less side effects on the body than traditional medicines used for those problems. I would much rather feed an arthritic dog Antinol (or similar) than anti-inflammatory medications that can damage kidneys or liver if used long term.

 

I will say that I am not your average pet owner... my vet actually said that I only come to him for a second opinion or medications... *grin* (pretty much sums it up though). I also have years of hands on experience with various animal species and their possible medical problems. I now have my Vet Nursing qualification, and am a qualified zookeeper also. I can be a vet's worst nightmare client... or an effective participant in diagnosis/treatment of any issue with an animal in my care... it's up to the vet which rendition of me they choose to deal with... *grin*

 

T.

[PossumCorner]

My old vet, long since retired, fed his own dogs only Pal tinned dog food.  (His surgery stocked every known dog food, all the high end kibbles and supplements). 

He said more or less what @tdierikxhas said above but more pointed: that high end dog food is driven by the conglomerates to entice the better heeled or the more gullible or both.  He was a bit straight from the shoulder and a top vet - large and exotics as well as dogs, cats.

[Luvapoo]

It's a tricky one, and when it comes to diet everyone is an expert.

 

I do buy expensive kibble. I have tried supermarket kibble also. As an experiment I fed supermarket kibble for 2 weeks then slowly reintroduced the pricey stuff by mixing them together. My poodles were picking through it and leaving the cheap stuff behind. That was my answer for them.  They get bones and raw mince, and raw chook also. I actually don't care what others do, or do I ever preach, I just do what works for us.

 

As for vaccinations, we took 2 pups to a vet run puppy pre school for a bit of fun. They spent 50 percent of the time telling horror stories thereby trying to sell medications for worming etc and also said our new pups required FOUR vaccinations before 16 weeks. I almost choked.

 

 

 

 

 

[tdierikx]

Harper is 9 years old now, and being Dane cross, is a large breed dog. Evey indicator says that she should be showing signs of old age, such as arthritis, etc... but this is not the case. She still runs around like a 2 year old, and as stated before, hasn't had to see a vet for any health related issues for around 7-8 years... maybe I'm doing something right?

 

As she was born to a dog that had ended up in the pound whilst pregnant, one can't necessarily say she would have gotten the very best care while in utero - until her mum came to our rescue shortly before whelping. I do know that once born, she and her siblings were given the very best care... but can post birth care negate possible in-utero neglect? Maybe she is just genetically blessed? All dogs (just as all humans) are different/unique, and as such should be cared for as individuals. What works well for one, may not work as well for the next...

 

The pet care industry has exploded in recent years... and a lot of "advice" has been driven by profit making by the companies that stand to make the most of the boom... food for thought...

 

T.