Please read the following important information

Our policy is to homoeopathically "vaccinate" with nosodes and to holistically worm all our dogs while they are undergoing their quarantine period in foster care, normally whilst still in Ireland. They will also be neutered whenever possible, depending on their general health at the time and they will also be helped on an emotional level with a well researched and popularly used Organic Flower Essence combination. A balanced natural diet with no tinned or dried processed food helps a dog's natural immunity to disease so, to this end, we also recommend the principles of the BARF diet to be followed. When this is not possible, we encourage people to use Burns complete food BURNS PET NUTRITION It is important to have an annual check-up as this will save the owner cost in the long run by preventing problems early. Preventative health care is better and cheaper than veterinary care later on. Pet insurance is highly recommended, as then the owner can budget their pet's annual costs. We haven't reached the decision to follow this holistic path lightly but most of us have dogs that have suffered, or are still suffering, because of adverse vaccine reactions and / or adverse reactions to chemicals and pesticides etc. Freddy's Story We do not profess to be vets ourselves but we have researched the subject for many years and are driven by our own tragic experiences and those of the many people we have met along the way with sad tales to tell of the demise of their animals. We do work closely with our own Homeopathic Vets who, apart from achieving their full veterinary qualifications, have gone on to undertake a full 4 yrs of extra study to become fully qualified in Homeopathic veterinary medicine. There is a comfort in vaccinating which for many years has made us feel we were protecting our dogs but, now, with strong evidence to the contrary, we have been able to totally change our ideas with a clear conscience. Contrary to some opinions, we are not attempting to save money or cut corners in any way. We have the welfare of the dogs utmost in our thoughts and deeds in everything we do and we feel that, having suffered enough already, we don't want to add to their problems.

Only Healthy Dogs Should be Vaccinated

According to the manufacturers own recommendations "only healthy dogs should be vaccinated". Any vaccination should only be given when the animal is totally free of any sign of acute or chronic disease and not at the same time as anaesthetic or other drugs. Apart from those with obvious diseases, this also includes animals that are in a state of stress. It has been shown that it is risking putting these stressed animals in great danger of suffering a serious adverse reaction by subjecting them to vaccination.

Testing antibodies Some pet owners may choose for their animal to have an antibody blood test when it is annual vaccination time. While a high titre usually means more than adequate cover, a low titre does not necessarily mean that the immune system, when challenged, will not respond.

Why We Choose Not to Vaccinate Allopathically

At least two surveys, one in USA and one in England have shown that there is a very statistically significant rise in animals being presented to vets for a variety of sicknesses within the weeks following their annual vaccination, inferring that the vaccination has lowered their ability to withstand disease. There is good evidence now that all the vaccinations and drugs and commercial processed foods used are cumulatively lowering the immune systems of our pets Homeopathic veterinarians and other holistic practitioners have maintained for some time that vaccinations do more harm than they provide benefits. Vaccinations represent a major assault on the body's immune system. Vaccine induced chronic diseases range from life-threatening conditions such as auto-immune crises to conditions destroying the quality of life of an animal as in chronic skin allergies." If you step back, open your mind and heart, you'll start to see patterns of illness post-vaccination." For decades, homoeopaths have been taught the concept of "vaccinosis" which is a term meaning disease caused by vaccination. Vets using homoeopathy to treat animals with long-term or difficult conditions have repeatedly improved their conditions using remedies for vaccinoses. In other words, the chronic disease must, in part, have been caused by vaccination. Many natural therapists have been aware that repeated vaccination is likely to be part of the cause of chronic allergy and other diseases. This is now backed up by research in humans and animals "Many people are very concerned about vaccinating their animals and the adverse reactions are often referred to as vaccinosis and miasms which is said to be difficult or impossible to cure. Most wonder why "annual boosters" are given to our animals when vaccinations for humans last for our lifetime. Also asked is why isn't the dose adjusted for the size of the animal? The many serious adverse reactions may be grossly under-reported to the vet and to the manufacturer. Catherine O'Driscolll tells us " 55% of all illnesses reported by participants occurred within the first three months of vaccination." Arthritis - Diarrhoea - Allergies -Dry eye/conjunctivitis - Epilepsy - Loss of appetite Nervous/worrying disposition - Skin problems - Nasal discharges - Vomiting - Weight loss - Behavioural problems - Tumour or growth." Not only are annual boosters for parvo and distemper unnecessary, they subject the pet to potential risks of allergic reactions and immune-mediated haemolytic anaemia. There is no scientific documentation to back up label claims for annual administration of MLV vaccines It has been shown that the more vaccinations, for different diseases, that are administered at the same time, the less likely they are to work and the more likely is the immune system to be compromised. What this means is, it is medically unsound to vaccinate for non-endemic disease, such as distemper and hepatitis, because the important parvovirus component of the vaccine is less likely to be effective. Kennel cough vaccinations in dogs are even more unsound medically because it is an unnecessary extra vaccine for a disease that is not normally life-threatening. This is especially important to note as conventional kennel cough vaccination is not even very effective as, despite kennel owners insisting that dogs be vaccinated before boarding, kennel cough is still a problem. A more effective way to prevent disease would be to stimulate the immune system by the use of things like vitamin C and immune stimulant herbs like Echinacea and by administering the homoeopathic kennel cough nosode In veterinary medicine, probably the best known study was done by Dr. Christopher Day of England involving `kennel cough' in a boarding kennel. At the time he was called in, there were 40 dogs in the kennel with 35 that had kennel cough. About half had been vaccinated for this malady. He gave a nosode to all the animals that were there and all the dogs that came in through the rest of the summer (another 214 dogs). He successfully reduced the incidence of kennel cough from over 90% to less than 2%.

What Is A Nosode?

In homeopathy, there is a special type of remedy called a nosode. A nosode (from nosos, the Greek word meaning disease) is a homeopathic preparation made from matter from a sick animal or person. Substances such as respiratory discharges or diseased tissues are used. It sounds repulsive, but the preparation, using alcohol, as well as the repeated dilution and succession, essentially renders the substances harmless, while producing a powerful remedy. The use of nosodes in a prophylactic manner, for preventing disease, has been employed in veterinary and human homeopathy for many years. It is supported by various holistic veterinarians and authors. Nosodes have been developed and used successfully for almost all animal disease The late Dr. George MacLeod, in his book "Dogs: Homeopathic Remedies" had this to say about nosodes: "…gives a more solid immunity inasmuch as it incorporates the entire defence system, which is mobilized as soon as the vaccine is taken into the mouth and builds up protection with each further dose. This build-up leads from tonsillar tissue through the lymphatics incorporating the entire reticuloendothelial system. This procedure is equivalent to what is known as `street infection' viz., ingestion of virus etc. during daily contact with other animals, when immunity would be built up in the same way." There are no side effects when using homeopathic oral vaccines-a reaction may sometimes be observed…but such reaction is transient and soon passes." Another advantage in protection by homeopathic means, is that vaccination can be started very early in the pup's life, e.g., within the first week if necessary. This does not interfere with the presence of any maternal antibodies." Nosodes appear to stimulate the entire natural immune system to react against a specific disease. .'

Holistic Vaccination Program