04/11/2026
I suspect that around 90% of all domestic pets are OVER-VACCINATED.
This means that they are being given unnecessary re-vaccinations for diseases that they have active immunity to and good antibody levels for. (I'm talking about the core vaccinations - C3 for dogs, F3 for cats firstly.)
Often every year, when most pets will only need re-vaccination every 5 years at most. I have clients who've titer tested their dogs for 12 years after only a puppy vaccination, and who still have strong protection with no re-vaccinations at all.
I refuse to use the word 'BOOSTER' because I think it's manipulative and misleading. Nothing gets boosted while your pets have good antibody levels, because the antibodies interfere with the vaccines. All your pets get from an unnecessary re-vaccination is the risk of vaccination injury and harm!
That's the core vaccinations.
Non-core vaccinations I tend to avoid unless there is significant risk (if it's a dangerous disease like lepto, which is pretty rare in most places), or unless people need them for support dogs, kennels, daycare, or competition.
Kennel cough only lasts a year, so it does need to be repeated. I don't give this one to my dogs, because it's nearly always a mild, self-limiting disease that I can treat very effectively with h0meopathy.
Most other non-core vaccines I don't believe stack up when I look at the risks versus the benefits.
OVER-VACCINATION harms pets. IN fact, any vaccinations carry the risk of harm. So I tend to want to be minimal with vaccination, while at the same time making sure that pets are immune to potentially deadly diseases like parvo.
I'm not anti-vax. Or pro-vax.
I sit in the middle and do my best to help you work out what's the best informed choice for your pets!
Want more great holistic health info from Dr Ed? Follow this page and like the post. And let me know in the comments - how often do you vaccinate your pets? Have you ever had a pet harmed by vaccinations? Have you had vets pressure you over vaccinations?
