NEWS

(For CONGRATULATIONS, see our 2007 or 2008 CONGRATULATIONS PAGE)

Appeal for Information on Stolen Pups
Read more...

Warning: Dangerous Fle/Tick Product
A warning from America
Click here to read more.

Happy Endings Book and Calendar
Read more...

Many Tears Appeal

Dear little Tamba has found a forever home.
Click here to read more.
Sandie's Sponsored Slim for Tamba
Click here for details

Animal Lovers' Auction

Thank you so much to Gemma and to everyone who has been supporting IRR.
Click here to read more.

SCAREMONGERING BY THE VACCINE COMPANIES

Response by Catherine O'Driscoll to the current vaccine marketing campaign

A CHC member telephoned me today to tell me that there was a terrible scaremongering article in her local (Aberdeen) newspaper about a pet epidemic. As you may know, Intervet currently has a marketing campaign, offering a full course of vaccines at the price of a booster if an animal has lapsed from the 12-monthly booster. They are threatening an epidemic if people don't go for the annual shots.

My letter to the editor is shown below. If any of you see a similar article in your own local paper, then I would be happy to send a letter to the editor. You'd need to let me have the editor's name and email address. Also, if you can let me see a copy of the article I'm replying to, that would help. (If you can't scan it, then maybe you could type it out, since I do need the actual facts to respond to before I shimmy into getting sued.)

Dogs Monthly have responded to Intervet's marketing campaign by asking me to answer a lot of questions posed by their campaign. That should be out soon.

Thanks

Catherine

From: Catherine O'Driscoll Sent: 27 February 2008 16:22
Subject: Pet Epidemic

Dear Mr Tucker

I write in response to your front-page piece on February 27th, headed, “The Pet Epidemic Just Waiting to Happen”.

You should be aware that this piece, sent to you by the vet Ian Anderson of Robson & Partners, is the result of a public relations campaign by the vaccine manufacturer Intervet (confirmed to me by Mr Anderson, and the campaign itself by specialist dog magazine editors in the UK). Vets throughout the UK have been invited to circulate this marketing material to local papers throughout the UK. It should therefore be viewed as a sales and marketing exercise, as opposed to a scientific assessment of what is actually happening in the UK.

I took the liberty of telephoning Mr Anderson to establish the extent of the ‘epidemic' that has been used to frighten people into the veterinary surgery. Mr Anderson told me that he had experienced three cases of parvovirus in his practice in recent months. I asked Mr Anderson whether they were of type I parvovirus (for which a vaccine exists) or type II parvovirus (for which a vaccine doesn't exist). He replied that they were both. This does not represent an epidemic, and it does not represent an ‘epidemic' that would be resolved by current vaccines.

Secondly, the PR campaign offers a full course of boosters for the price of one. This is unnecessary in most cases, since independent duration of immunity studies show that once a dog has been vaccinated as a puppy and given his first booster, the dog is probably immune for years or life. To be precise, immunity against parvovirus has been shown to last for at least seven years by challenge (where a dog is vaccinated and deliberately infected seven years later), and up to 15 years by serology (blood test). Therefore, the vast majority of paying clients will be frightened into the practice for a double course of vaccines that is both unnecessary and, according to the American Veterinary Medical Association and leading experts in the field, “potentially harmful”.

It should be further noted that vaccines are now offered to give three years' immunity – so if a dog has lapsed to 18 months, as stated in the article, he still shouldn't need a cut price full course IF local vets are taking advantage of the three-yearly boosters that are available. If they are not, then they are actually costing their clients more money, unnecessarily – and their public concern is disingenuous.

Unlike the parvovirus vaccine, however, I should state that the leptospirosis vaccine does not confer long-lived immunity. Mr Anderson informed me that he had seen cases of leptospirosis in his practice recently. My own vet, in Kirriemuir – a half-hour away down the A90 – tells me that he hasn't seen a case of leptospirosis in ten years (i.e., it is not an epidemic). Current expert advice is that this vaccine should only be given if there is a disease threat in the area, since the vaccine is thought to be ineffective (there are hundreds of strains of lepto and only about three in a vaccine); it is short-lived, and it is potentially dangerous, being associated with severe adverse reactions. You might like to read the article, from Dogs Today, concerning a so-called leptospirosis epidemic on the Canine Health Concern web site. Intervet didn't sue after being exposed for scaremongering – instead, they wrote to the editor to pull the advertising plug.

All of my statements within this letter are true, and carried within my book “Shock to the System”. I am the founder of Canine Health Concern, a columnist for Dogs Today magazine, and I currently have articles on this subject, stating the same facts, appearing in Dogs Monthly and Your Dog – all highly respected specialist publications.

I receive, on a regular basis, emails and letters from dog owners whose dogs are desperately ill, or dead, as a result of unnecessary vaccines, and I would be grateful if you would put the other side of the story - which has nothing to do with profit.

The threat of epidemics if you don't repeat-buy their products is a very cheap shot, especially when it ignores the actual science.

Yours sincerely

Catherine O'Driscoll

01821 670410

www.canine-health-concern.org.uk

ANIMAL THOUGHTS WORKSHOPS with PEA HORSLEY

One or Two Day Workshop
April 26 & 27 - Yorkshire

Day One is an Introduction including practice with domestic animals.

Day Two is offered as a Development Day where we will practice the more advanced skills of remote viewing, medical gestalt and mediumship. Sunday also involves 'photo talk', a chance to receive a communication with one of your animal friends from their photograph. In developing these skills we will be blessed with the company of Alpaca guest teachers! A must for any Camelid lover!!

For further information about the workshops, venues and how to book a place please visit the Workshops & Schedule sections of Animal Thoughts with much love to you and your animal companions,
Pea x

Pea Horsley
Experienced & Compassionate Animal Communicator
Readings & Workshops
Animal Thoughts
T: 020 8696 9121

"The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated."
- Gandhi

Send animals a wave of love as well as a wave of patience. People go through life at a terrible rate like our lives depend upon it. But the life of your animal may depend upon your patience to wait and listen to their response.

Homeopathy Campaign News

Celebrities back "Homeopathy worked for me"
Five well known UK celebrities have agreed to endorse the Homeopathy worked for me campaign. Actresses Jenny Seagrove and Michelle Collins, along with actor Carl Myers, TV presenter Gaby Roslin and well known obstetrician Yehudi Gordon have all this week confirmed their public support
for this campaign.

Sir Richard Branson gets into Homeopathy
Sir Richard Branson, arguably the most famous entrepreneur in the UK, will launch six Virgin Healthcare centres in the UK. The centres will offer a variety of treatments, including homeopathy. For a link to this story, visit the website.

THE HAPPY ENDINGS DOG BOOK!!!!

Sadie Meg and Daisy are in Maria Alexander's book of stories of rescue dogs called
the Happy Endings dog book.
The website is www.doggielove.co.uk

Pudsey, Ricky and Stevie are all featured too.

Read the stories of over 190 dogs ...all in full colour!
Over 250 pictures plus lots of information about dog health and behaviour from
professionals including Jan Fennell. Plus dozens of
rescue websites. It would make a great gift for a dog
lover or someone looking for a dog!

Part of the profits of the book will help two animal rescue centres: Last Chance Animal Rescue in Kent (www.lastchanceanimalrescue.org)

and Many Tears Rescue in Wales. (www.freewebs.com/manytearsrescue)

£20.00 Plus £3 First Class Registered Post (its fairly heavy)

Please PAYPAL TO MCROWCROFT@AOL.COM

OR CHEQUE OR POSTAL ORDER TO MARIA ALEXANDER

Happy Endings

P.O. Box 888

Bromley Kent BR1 9EP

Please allow up to two weeks delivery.
(Please do not make checks out to the rescue centre. Thank you)

SPECIAL OFFER: BUY TWO BOOKS AND POSTAGE FREE ON 2ND

BURNS NEW MOIST CANNED FOOD

Exciting news!!! Burns has just brought out a brand new Lamb, Rice & Vegetables moist food in a can.

http://www.burns-pet-nutrition.co.uk/burns_moist_food.htm

Pet Food Recall

Probably most people will have already heard about the Pet Food recall that has hit North America and more recently, South Africa but, just in case, you have missed the news, basically there are dozens of processed pet food brands that all have used a Chinese supply of contaminated ingredients, which has caused death and illness in a large number of cats and dogs, causing pretty much a mass recall of those products. The official line was that a smaller number of deaths have occurred, but it is now thought that the actual numbers run into the thousands.

Apparently, Nutro for cats has been pulled off the shelves here in the UK (although, so far, there is nothing in the media about this happening here). Nutro has been bought by the Mars company that also owns most of the major petfoods like Pedigree, James Wellbeloved etc, but not Hills Science. If you click on this Mars Directory link and select your country of choice, it gives a list of some of the petfoods they are involved in.

WHAM show at Davy Down

Wham show

Gemma will be going with the I need a home leads, so if any fosterers are going you can get your leads there.

STOP PRESS
Irish Retriever Rescue has a three page feature in Dogs Today magazine, February edition,
called "Eire today, gone tomorrow".
As usual, Dogs Today also has features on homeopathy, raw feeding and vaccination too because they have Richard Allport, Nick Thompson and Catherine O Driscoll writing for them.

Courses being Offered by CHC
EFT for you and your animals
The next Animal EFT workshop will take place at our home on February 10th and 11th 2007.
The next EFT Practitioners course is on the 17th and 18th of March 2007.
The courses start at 10am on the Saturday and Sunday mornings and finish at around 5pm. Many delegates, if they are residential or travelling very far, arrive for supper on the Friday evening. Some leave after the workshop on the Sunday, and others on the Monday morning. The cost of the workshop is 170 pounds, plus 25 pounds per night for B&B, and 5 pounds for an evening meal. Lunch and refreshments are within the course fee, as is your manual. We are located between Perth and Dundee, just five minutes from the A90 very easy to get to if you are driving. If you fly we can collect you from Edinburgh airport, or if taking the train, from Perth railway station. Easyjet flights, by the way, start as low as 6 pounds each way if you book at the right time. Best to check flight times with us before booking, so we can make sure we are free to collect you and take you back.

Practitioners Certification
This workshop covers the use of EFT on yourself and others. This can be face to face with others, or over distance. The workshop includes sister EFT therapies, Tappas Acupressure Technique and Be Set Free Fast, as well as muscle testing and dowsing to help with diagnostics. We also include some animal EFT.

Animal EFT
During this workshop, you will also learn how to use EFT on yourself and other humans. This is because it would be such a waste not to teach you this and also because sometimes animals pick up their owners issues, so you need to treat the human as well as the animal. We also practice animal communicating, because the animal can often tell you what lies behind any apparent problems, and what needs treating. We also include muscle testing and dowsing as a means of communicating with animals. And, of course, you will also learn how to use EFT to help animals with a wide range of problems, including physical, emotional and behavioural. Catherine has been teaching EFT since 1998, and we are pretty sure that you will have a wonderful weekend. Delegates usually leave with a big smile on their faces, full of excitement about EFT and the uses to which it can be put. If you have any questions, please contact Catherine (email Catherine@carsegray.co.uk or tel 01821 670410). The number of people attending the workshops are kept quite small with a maximum of eight people. We would advise you to book early to secure your place

ATTACHMENT

Foundation in Canine Healthcare 2007
We are near Preston on 24th and 25th February, Have a potential weekend in Surrey on either 3rd and 4th or 10th and 11th March We are doing an evening talk in Birmingham (Solihull) on Thursday 26th April before going to Gwynedd in North Wales for another Foundation weekend on 28th and 29th April. More details and updates on the website canine health concern

Veterinary Secrets Revealed. Multimedia package being launched soon
You can imagine how excited we were when we received an email from Andrew Jones, a vet in Canada who has written a book to empower pet owners; to work with us, alongside our vets, to improve our pets health. The book is called Veterinary Secrets Revealed. Andrew wrote the book to help us heal our pets at home using a variety of natural remedies, but with veterinary diagnostics as part of the programme. It is a complete home study programme, written as a manual. He teaches pet owners how to examine their pets, from head to toe, make a diagnosis, and treat common ailments. Shock horror. As you might imagine, Dr Jones has received some flack from his veterinary association. But, when you think of it, why should a vet not write such a book? You could go on a first aid course tomorrow to learn how to examine a human, make a diagnosis, and even treat. As part of the first aid course, you would also be taught when to call in the doctor. Andrew Jones has done the same in his book, highlighting where a vet should be called in. Some vets might consider Dr Jones book irresponsible: letting ignorant pet owners meddle where they might cause harm, or delay when a vet should be consulted. I think the opposite is true. It is important, for example, that pet owners know if their dog is dehydrated. It is important that they understand the significance of white gums or yellowing in the eyes. It is marvellous to show us how to check pulse and heart rate; to spot deeper health problems from the state of the skin; to identify a heart murmur; to know what to have in our pet first aid kit; and to know how to perform CPR ??? and save our animals lives before the vet can make it on the scene. Dr Jones even shows us how to perform the Heimlich Manoeuvre, which will definitely save a few lives. And he is backing the book up with DVDs and group study programmes aided by modern technology. We have been saying for quite a few years that this is the way forward for the veterinary profession. If vets are worried about the financial effect on their practice now that we know that annual shots are no longer necessary, then they need to be looking towards the future. Where does the future lie for the intelligent vet? It lies in educating pet owners so that they are better able to take care of their pets. Well done Dr Andrew Jones youre a pioneer of the future. We need more of you. Veterinary Secrets Revealed is available through canine health concern Click on links and go to the Resource Directory and look under Veterinary.


©2008 Irish Retriever Rescue UK