04.Case studies
Sally Turner has vaccinated her dogs annually for many years, as advised by her vet. This year, when Sally took her four-year-old dog Patsy for vaccination, she raised the topic of triennial vaccination. However, the clinic was not offering triennial vaccinations and Patsy received a C5 and an injection to protect against heartworm.
One week later, Patsy died from an immune response triggered by the distemper vaccine in the C5. Sally has since become aware of the new guidelines for vaccination by veterinary professional bodies such as the Australian Veterinary Association (AVA). Had she known about them beforehand, she would have insisted Patsy be vaccinated accordingly.
Pet owners on a mission
After the sudden death of her eight-yearold dog Champus from immune-mediated disease, Bea Mies began looking into possible causes for her pet’s death.
When she learned that vaccines had likely perpetuated Champus’ condition, she began to question the practice of annual core vaccinations and contacted both the Australian Veterinary Association and Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) , as well as the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission.
Elizabeth Hart (right) has been campaigning against unnecessary and possibly harmful pet vaccinations since 2008, after her eight-year-old dog Sasha became ill and was subsequently put down following vaccination.
Elizabeth has since joined forces with Bea to demand the veterinary profession adopt bestpractice vaccination, and to insist that pet owners be properly informed about crucial information regarding international vaccination guidelines.