Every year millions of British dogs and cats - possibly your own - are being put at risk. How? Let me explain. Canine Health Concern has just launched a much needed campaign to try and change the unnecessary and potentially fatal vaccination of dogs and cats. The core element of the campaign is an open letter to Professor Dean of the Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD), the government body responsible for vaccination guidelines and regulation. The nature of the problem is summed up at the beginning of this letter:
"Despite repeated requests over many years, the VMD – a government department - has failed to take action to ensure that veterinary vaccines are administered no more frequently than is necessary, or to warn and protect the public from spurious claims on the part of veterinary vaccine manufacturers and veterinary surgeons. Independent duration of immunity studies have been available since the 1970s to show that immunity to viral disease in dogs and cats persists for years or the life of the animal, and that annual vaccination is not required."The thing that I found really shocking as I read the rest of the letter was the fact that equivalent bodies in other parts of the world have woken up to the risks and have stopped allowing pharmaceutical companies to promote regular boosters. Why not the British? Hard to say. For a nation of pet lovers we are not shining here and it is important that this issue is brought to the attention of parliament so that pressure can be put on the VMD to make these much needed changes to the regulations.
If you would like to know more about this issue visit the resource area of the Canine Health Concern website and click on books/publications and then look for press releases/letters. It is an eye opener and if you feel inclined (as I did) to take action I hope you will decide to write to your MP.
No comments:
Post a Comment