You have had your JRT puppy for a few months now, and it is
now time to start thinking of vaccinating them.
Or maybe you have an older rescue that you are not sure of their
vaccination history, so you are thinking maybe you should be getting their
shots as well.
Vaccinating your JRT is a big decision, right up there with
whether or not to spay or neuter them.
There are those on both sides of this issue that feel that is it either
absolutely necessary, while others feel that it is the last thing you should
do. Keep in mind that you need to check the codes and requirements for where
you live. Some cities require
vaccination of JRT’s as part of legal ownership. In this case, the decision is pretty much out
of your hands.
If you live where vaccinations are not a legal mandate and
you are not sure whether to vaccinate, and want a little more information
before making a decision, check out the information on vaccinating below. There a many factors that must be looked at
in the decision making process, and hopefully you will get a better idea of
which decision is the right one for you and your JRT.
Think of the currently recommended vaccines in three
categories: Rabies, Core, and Non-core.
Rabies—in
most states, rabies vaccinations are required no matter what. If you do not have your JRT vaccinating
against rabies, if it were to bite someone, it could be legally required to be
placed in quarantine, or worse, put down.
Core—these
types of vaccinations used to be given each year, but now in most states the
recommendation is every three years. Why
the change? Because the original
protocols were set in the 40’s and 50’s and more has been learned and come to
light on the time frame.
Non-core—these
are vaccinations that are not recommended or required to be given unless the
need arises. One example of a non-core
vaccination would be the Bordetella, or ‘kennel cough’, vaccination. This is usually only given when the JRT is
going to be kenneled with other canines, to prevent the possible transmission
of Bordetella disease.
Some other possible problems to keep in mind, if you are
still considering vaccinating your JRT are:
Long
term health problems—there are those that claim that vaccinations can in fact
cause long-term health problems.
Scientists have found that there are various illnesses in JRT’s that can
be linked to vaccinations including asthma, allergies, anemia, digestive
problems, cancer, diabetes, arthritis, organ failure, seizures and neurological
disorders. If your JRT currently
suffers from one or more of these ailments already, it is generally rule of
thumb not to vaccinate them.
Tumors—each
time your JRT gets an injection, there is scar tissue left behind. Scientific evidence shows that the very scar
tissue left behind can develop into cancerous tumors called sarcomas.
Auto-immune
issues—over time evidence has shown that constant exposure to all those
vaccinations can eventually compromise your JRT’s immune system leading to
long-term health problems.
Unnecessary
vaccinations in general—there are many opponents of vaccines that raise the
issue that the very diseases that JRT’s are vaccinated against are unnecessary
because of their rarity. If you are in
doubt, there is a test that your veterinarian can perform that checks the levels
of antibodies in your JRT’s system, so as to know what they do and do not need
to be vaccinated for.
The best thing to do is to gather all the information you
can, even discussing it with your JRT’s
veterinarian, and weighing the good against the bad. Only you can make this decision, and the
whole point is keeping your JRT happy, healthy, and with you for a long, long
time.
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