The
vet that I liked left the clinic that I was not happy with to
join a new clinic. So, this is early in the year 2000, February
or March. It was time for shots for Ellie-or to look into shots
for Ellie-my black, female Standard Poodle, and I asked the vet
about the annual rabies vaccination.
"No,
we can do a three-year vaccination," she said.
I
asked, "Did that just occur?"
The doctor replied, "No. I mean, we've had it since 1999."
Well,
that was interesting to me. So, I called the vet clinic that had
given Moolah her shot, talked with the manager, and asked, "Do
you still do the annual vaccination?"
She
replied, "Yes."
I
asked, "Is it still required by Arapahoe County?"
She
said, "Yes, Arapahoe County requires it."
I
was convinced that Arapahoe County was at fault. Why would I think
otherwise? Why would the vets mislead me? So I inquired at Arapahoe
County Animal Control and eventually learned that they were not
at fault. As a matter of fact, they had notified everyone of the
change in the rabies vaccination law. Additionally, I learned
that the vaccination period was not set by county ordinance but
by state law.
Subsequently,
I learned of a study in Europe indicating that 7 to 12 percent
of all vaccinated companion animals experience adverse reactions
within the first 45 days, including death and autoimmune illness.
The 1-in-10,000 and 1-in-100,000 adverse reaction statistics,
thrown around by some veterinarians, have not been validated scientifically
and are based on reactions reported by veterinarians themselves.
That's sort of like Dracula guarding the blood bank. There is
no real good data on these adverse reactions that I am aware of,
other than that European study.
Based
upon all of this information a list of questions was developed
and submitted to the veterinary firm (part of a national chain)
that had given Moolah the fatal shot. They wouldn't respond to
the questions, but they sent the questionnaire on to the veterinary
group's Southwest Regional medical director, Dr. Rocky McKelvey.
He wrote back that the issue of annual vaccinations is a controversial
subject, that it's based on local regulation, and that this national
chain of more than 100 free-standing animal hospitals has chosen
to practice "conservative medicine" and recommend annual
rabies vaccination.
Then
on September 1, 2001, the American Veterinary Medical Association
issued "Principles of Vaccination" that state that the
practice of annual rabies vaccination is based on historical precedent
and government regulation not scientific data. And that's the
basis for the practice of conservative medicine?
This
brings up the real question: Who can you trust? Moolah's rabies
shot did not come from a rogue vet or as a random act. The practice
of annual vaccinations by this large group of freestanding vet
hospitals continued in 2001, according to Dr. Rocky McKelvey.
Moolah has passed on and there is no bringing her back. I realize
this. Why do I tell Moolah's story? Because what happened to Moolah
need not, and should not, happen to another dog. Unfortunately,
since December 28, 1999, annual shots bearing potentially deadly
side effects have been issued to thousands of dogs and cats knowingly,
willingly, systemically by economically motivated "professionals."
Who
can you trust? Guardians must ask about alternatives to annual
rabies vaccinations because, obviously, the vets are not informing
them. Not when the cost of the rabies vaccine to the vets is 61
cents per shot and they sell it to guardians for from $15 to $38
along with a $35 office exam. Are vets in professional practices
or are they in transaction-based practices - no different than
commissioned salespersons? There are many, many, many veterinary
practices that thrive and have done wonderfully - as illustrated
in their own vet magazines - without being dependent upon transaction-based
shots.
Why
has this annual-rabies-shot practice gone on for 20-plus years?
I can connect the dots only one way, and it draws a picture of
economics.
I
was financial planner of the year in 1985. I founded the National
Association of Personal Financial Advisors, the largest fee-only
organization. I've written a book on financial planning that's
gone into two editions. It's been critically acclaimed and 10
years later has been called one of the few classics in the business.
I pioneered no-load insurance in this country and authored or
have been mentioned in hundreds of different articles during my
time. Had I not had this background, I doubt that I would have
put two and two together.
Maybe
this is not how the dots are connected. But in light of the vaccination
protocols of all of the major vet schools, in light of the American
Animal Hospital Association saying three-year vaccinations, in
light of the law changes, any vet - any vet - who continues to
practice a vaccination protocol of annual rabies shots, without
providing guardians with the opportunity for informed consent,
in my opinion, is guilty of malpractice and silent, deadly, animal
cruelty.
I
can't bring the Fabulous Moolah back. But I can carry on her legacy
by applying her Standard of Excellence to the veterinary profession
and, hopefully, save millions of dogs and cats from death and
suffering, and save their guardians from the suffering and the
cost.
And
thus, we established Next-To-Kin, for The Fabulous Moolah - The
Standard of Excellence, and for your fabulous canine companions.
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