Are Veterinarians Educated Regarding New Vaccine Protocols?

My friend and colleague in the war against over-vaccination, Australian Elizabeth Hart, posted this as a response to my article, What to Do When Your Dog Has a Vaccine Reaction  I’m posting it here, instead of as a comment,  because the subject is so important. Here’s what she said:

Over-vaccination of pets is a multi-billion dollar international scam. But where are pet owners to turn to for protection from this unacceptable practice of over-servicing? Certainly in Australia there is little in the way of effective regulation of vaccine products, or consumer protection for users of veterinary services.

For many years pet owners around the world have been coerced by poorly educated veterinarians into having repeated unnecessary, and possibly harmful, vaccinations for their pets. This is a great shame on the veterinary ‘profession’.

Pet owners need to be warned that many veterinarians are not proficient in companion animal vaccination ‘best practice’. For instance, the World Small Animal Veterinary Association’s Vaccination Guidelines Group has warned that “there is an urgent requirement for education of practicing veterinarians in this area”.(1)

Many vets also appear to be ignorant of the concept of ‘informed consent’.

On the topic of veterinary training in vaccination best practice, Professor Ronald Schultz, a member of the WSAVA Vaccination Guidelines Group, says: “Our new grads don’t know a heck of a lot more about vaccines than our older grads. And I’ve figured out why this is. They know a lot more about basic immunology, but they don’t know about vaccinology and the two are not the same…Also, they’re taught by people generally that know nothing about vaccinology. Now, when do they get their vaccine training? During their fourth year. And who’s giving that? The veterinarians that know how to give vaccines, that still don’t know about vaccinology. So we haven’t gone very far from where we were ten years ago or twenty years ago with regard to training veterinarians about vaccines”.(2)

This is hardly comforting news for all those pet owners who are currently placing their trust in the backward ‘knowledge’ of many practicing veterinarians…

It’s way past time that both the veterinary profession and vaccine manufacturers were brought to account for unnecessary, and possibly harmful, vaccination of pets.

References:
1. Refer to the WSAVA Vaccination Guidelines Group page on the WSAVA website for the quote re education of vets: http://www.wsava.org/VGG1.htm
2. The quote from Ronald Schultz was transcribed from the Safer Pet Vaccination Benefit Seminar DVD which includes footage of the 2009 US NJ Rabies Challenge Fund Benefit Seminar: http://www.dogs4dogs.com/New%20Shopping%20Cart/Check%20out%20page.htm

Click the upcoming link to learn more about what internationally-renowned vaccine experts Ronald Schultz, PhD, and Jean Dodds, DVM, have to say about pet vaccination and vaccinology in this 2 hour DVD.  All proceeds less shipping benefit the Rabies Challenge Fund study of the rabies vaccine.