Vacci I would like to thank Dr. Joel Parker, B.Sc. - DVM of the Animal “ Medical Hospital in : West Vancouver for giv- -ing me another platform to speak from with ‘regards to vaccinations, among a few other . \ In his Nov. 3 letter to the ‘© editor tided, “Ask a vet about pet health,” Dr. Parker wanted -t0 know, *...why does a dog wainer ... feel it upon herself to’offer a medical opinion about. vaccinations for dogs?” :* First off, I don’t train dogs forthe North Shore News. I “vam employed as a journalist to . write.a weekly column about dogs. As a journalist, Iam “responsible for writing articles that are informative, educa- -Having said that; i it would- | -n’t be ethical of me to write an - article —regardless of ies con- without .”* the research with regards to © vaccinations has taken a great eal of time. I received my information about vaccines - ine preiec from books and articles, such as those written by Dr. Jean Dodds, who has been practis-" ing veterinary medicine for 36 years with a list of credentials, merits of honours and awards for her research in the field of veterinary medicine, that could easily fill this column. These " articles are published in pezi- odicals and veterinary journals. Most are available on the Internet, you just have to know how to locate them. Furthermore, columns such _as the one I wrote inform readers and allow them to pose questions for themselves. ‘They cen then further their _ research and for their own - opinion. Whether they believe it of not is up to them. This is called freedom of choice. Secondly, dog trainers like myself sometimes deal with | behavioural problems that PETS —— stem from a medical condi- tion. Increased aggression has been linked to a dysfunction of the thyroid. In homeopathic medicine a pattern of disease expression called rabies miasm, is used to describe some cases of increased aggressive behav- iour. These particular cases of increased aggression have been associated to the rabies vac- cine. Heaven forbid we actually educate ourselves and under-. - stand the medical condition so we know what we are dealing with. Upon a veterinarian’s diagnosis, we offer. help from a behavioural perspective that is based on a broad spectrum of alternative theories and condi- tions. We hope this will allow clients to further educate themselves and continue the rehabilitation of their pet. Good dog trainers con- stantly educate themselves on all canine-related topics. This would include changing vac- cine protocols. This is because we really do care about the welfare of our clients’ pets. We * are passionate about beliefs and hope that through educa- tion, guidance our clients will become as passionate. Finally, Dr. Parker ques-- tioned whether the evidence is debate that links vaccines to serious illnesses such as hypothy- roidism, epilepsy arthrius, allergies and cancer is strong. f have clinical evidence written by veterinarians supporting, this claim. } will gladly forward this information to anyone. Qne of these articles utled Credibility in the face of Controversy by Dr. Michael A Paul, DVM and 1998-1999 president-elect of AAHA, actually gives guidelines to vet- crinarians as to how they can remain credible with their clients while changing their. vaccine protocols. His final line of the three-page docu- ment states: “The future is clear: Vaccine protocols will chenge to one degree or another. We will either change with them or be changed by them.” As | said in my past col- umn, since ‘vaccine protocols are changing, concerned pet owners should seek further information from their veteri- narian. If that vet can not coc their concerns, seek a second opinion, But then again, what do I know? ... Ym just a dog train- er. — E-mail Joan at . — —~ If your dog o1 or cat is insured chrough a national competitor then you probably have heard that your premiums are ‘going up. Again. You may also be aware that you now have to pay up to 60% of claims out of your own pocket as a result of your co-insurance rate ~ being) increased. Fortunately, you have another. option. ~ PetCare i is Canada’s fastest growing pet: “-insuger. We take pride in the fact that we offer simpler, easier, more affordable ways to” -insure the health of your dog or cat. ; Consider: - of his year “PetCare. has increased 1 polie cy coverage without increasing premiums. ® PetCare’s QuickCare policies start at less - ~ than $10: a month. With no co-insurance “ever. / 8 , PerCare’ 's MasterCare policies have no co-insurance _ until your pet reaches eight years of age." And then it’s a fixed 20% of claims. ot : INSURANCE BROKERS LTD are Sunday, November 19, 2000 —- Nerth Shore News ~- 43 Cat primer for kids & Cats Have No Masters...Just Friends, by Karen Anderson, Willow Creek Press, 108 pages, $24.50 US Terry Peters Contributing Writer KAREN Anderson reaches out to the feline species with this look at understanding: cats. She offers common sense advice on how to better inter- - act with your pet, covering a variety of ‘subjects, such as cat myths, playing with your pet, . and health care. The book is well illustrated with colour photoes which will appeal to the cat lover, While obviously written: with love, the author doesn’t challenge the reader with any new con- cepts and has a tendency to _ Write at an almost juvenile . * level. ana This would be a good _. choice to introduce a younger, first-time cat owner to. the world of felines but comes up short for long-time cat Jovers.. | Going crackers | for Christmas! © We're giving away 21 sets of four tickets tothe | ‘ Nutcracker at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre Nov. 24-26. wo One jucky w winner will . receive tickets for 4 plus back stage passes and dinner for 4 at the : Old Spaghetti Factory. Page : fondtek ee © eatons at Patific Centre 701 Granville Street ‘Ename @ address |. Mail or drop off.