About Vaccines 

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All we ask is that you be an informed pet owner. Do not allow your vet to dictate things that you are uncomfortable with. It has long been proven that dogs do not need annual vaccines, and there is NO law that says otherwise. The only vaccine mandated by law is the rabies vaccine, and in most states, this is a 3-year protocol. 

Important Information you need to know about [not] vaccinating your pets annually. Please read this carefully. If you don't have time now,  bookmark this page and come back later to finish your reading and to explore the links at the bottom of the page. It is imperative that anyone who owns a puppy from Kinetic Dobermans or Unity Weimaraners understands the implications of too many vaccines (or the wrong kind).

Of annual revaccination, Tom Phillips and Ron Schultz, "Canine and Feline Vaccines," in Current Veterinary Therapy XI, ed. R. Kirk and J. Bonagura (Philadelphia: Saunders, 1992) say, "A practice that was started many years ago and that lacks scientific validity or verification is annual revaccinations. Almost without exception there is no immunologic requirements for annual revaccination. Immunity to viruses persists for years or for the life of the animal. Successful vaccination to most bacterial pathogens produces an immunologic memory that remains for years, allowing an animal to develop a protective anamnestic (secondary) response when exposed to virulent organisms... Furthermore, revaccination with most viral vaccines fails to stimulate an anamnestic (secondary) response as a result of interference by existing antibody... The practice of annual vaccination in our opinion should be considered of questionable efficacy unless it is used as a mechanism to provide an annual physical examination or it is required by law (i.e. certain states require annual revaccinations for rabies)."

The Weimaraner Club of America policy on Vaccinations (updated 2005 & current)
Immune Mediated Problems and Vaccination in Weimaraners

A small percentage of Weimaraner puppies manifest an autoimmune reaction following vaccination. When the immune system of susceptible individuals is challenged by multiple antigens it becomes hyper-reactive and responds in the same way it would respond to fight off an infection; fever, elevated WBC and inflammatory reaction of tissues and joints.

Although many puppies can be vaccinated with no adverse reactions, there is no way at the present time to determine which puppies may react. Past research has documented reactions occurring between 8-16 weeks of age with the greatest number of reactions seen in puppies 12-16 week age.

Several of the vaccine manufacturers assure that immunity in puppies can be achieved with only two vaccines providing the second vaccine is given at 12 weeks of age. Therefore the Board of Directors of the Weimaraner Club of America recommends the following vaccine schedule:

8 weeks: Distemper, Adeno2, Parainfluenza and Parvo
12 weeks: Distemper, Adeno2, Parainfluenza and Parvo

The use of Corona, Lepto, Bordatella (kennel cough) and Lyme vaccine is not recommended unless these diseases are prevalent in the area. The recombinant DNA vaccines available for Distemper and Lyme have shown a significantly lower incidence of reactions.

June 2005 Update: HYPER-INFLAMMATORY DISEASE IN THE WEIMARANER
By Dr. John M. Angles, BVSc, BSc(Vet), MACVSc, DACVIM (Small Animal Medicine), DECVIM-CA

PLEASE read this article on how vaccines work.
Websites to visit for more information on this VERY IMPORTANT topic:

* Natural Rearing 
* The Immune System & How It Works
* Puppy Shots: Vaccination Issues for Breeders
* Vaccinations: A word of Caution - by Dr. Will Facloner
* Revaccination - by Christie Keith
* The Vaccine Controversy - T. R. Phillips DVM PhD & R.D. Shultz PhD
* Vaccine Information and Choice Network
* Cyberpet on Vaccinosis - Dr. Richard Pitcairn DVM
* B-Naturals Newsletter
* Vaccination News - a newsletter with both sides of the story
* Vaccine Liberation - A MUST READ!
* It's For The Animals - Dr. Jean Dodds, including a vaccine release form
* Vaccine Website

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