Bordetella Vaccine
Posted by Rae, Mark and Alyssa on Apr 1, 2009
The Bordetella Vaccine, or Kennel Cough Vaccine, is usually given to canine puppies many times throughout the first year in a series of numerous shots, and then yearly as a booster.
Although it is given so frequently, the bordetalla shot is often unnecessary. Many vets are becoming aware of the need to only administer this vaccine on a case to case basis, and only recommending it to dogs that are frequently around a large number of dogs, as in the case of show dogs.
The reason veterinarians are becoming hesitant to administer such a vaccine is the substantial evidence showing it can cause mild to extreme adverse reactions in your pet.
The bordetella vaccine side effects can include soreness and a lump at the injection site, hives, lethargy, vomiting, diarrhea, breathing difficulties, lameness, or even death.
The vaccine for kennel cough is usually given in a set of shots nicknamed “cocktail” vaccines, where many different viruses are being injected, easily over-stimulating your dog’s immune system where it cannot possibly overcome the onslaught of so many diseases all at once.
This is why many dogs have these negative reactions to the vaccines. Their bodies just cannot handle creating all the antibodies at once, especially if they are under one year or a small breed.
Even if your dog does not show any side-effects to the bordetella vaccination, it may not prevent him from contracting the illness.
Fever, steroids, disease, or maternal antibodies can prevent your dog’s ability to make the proper immune blockers that the kennel cough shot is designed to produce.
So, you could be exposing your pet’s immune system to a high stress situation, when the shot itself may not even be effective.
Additionally, if the kennel cough vaccines are given too close together, vaccines can be made ineffective by earlier shots; given too far apart, the immune response will not be properly activated.
Also, kennel cough vaccinations given to very young puppies (under six weeks of age) could prove to be useless, as their immune system may not have the “memory” quality to sustain the antibodies.
Even if your dog happens to contract kennel cough, the symptoms are mild and compared to the side-effects of the vaccine, may be easier for you and your pet to handle physically and emotionally.
Kennel cough symptoms can include a dry cough and tracheal irritation that lasts from seven to ten days, but their general state of health and happiness is usually unaffected.
They typically show no loss of appetite or rise in temperature either, which is more than you can say for the kennel cough vaccination itself. The vast majority of infected canines will recover on their own with no medication in a very short period.
If the cough seems persistent or annoying to the dog, there are many herbal cough remedies that have no side-effects for your little guy or gal, and are much more cost effective than the vaccine, which may not protect the canine in the first place.
Another huge down side with ALL vaccinations is the fact that there is a high concentration of so-called “modified live” virus particles.
By injecting your pet with these viruses and the toxic chemical mixture, you are actually facilitating the onset of a full blown viral attack. This means if your pet was exposed to a highly contagious virus or bacteria then you are actually giving him a strong dose which can easily lead to full-blown symptoms.
We hear this story almost daily, where animals were completely healthy, they get vaccinated and within a couple of days the animal is extremely sick and is under attack.
Not only can vaccines give an animal any number of diseases that they are meant to protect him from, they typically cause chronic inflammation which is now known as the leading cause of cancer.
Clearly, the vaccinations are not working and are causing far-reaching life-threatening problems. This is why we do not recommend giving any vaccines to your pets. Please read this short article on the dangers of vaccinations.
If your dog or cat does happen to have the standard kennel cough symptoms and you are looking for a safe organic kennel cough treatment and you would like to try treating kennel cough at home, then please see our home remedies for kennel cough.
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Mail this post
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE INFORMATION REGARDING THE BORDETELLA VACCINE. I WAS WAVERING AS TO WHETHER I SHOULD GET THE VACCINE FOR MY PUP OR NOT. NOW THAT I HAVE READ THIS PAGE, I AM SWAYED AS TO NOT GET THE VACCINE. I NEVER BOARD MY DOG, HAVE HER PROFESSIONALLY GROOMED, OR TAKE HER TO “DOGGIE DAYCARE”. AND THE ONLY OTHER DOGS SHE IS AROUND IS MY PARENTS DOG WHO IS NEVER AROUND OTHER DOGS. SO, THANK YOU FOR THE HELPFUL INFO.
SINCERELY,
KODA’S MOM
Just back from the vet because Harry is coughing and having other symptoms post vaccination, including a bordatella shot. The vet tried to make me feel as if he was already exposed prior to getting the vaccine.
Interesting article & nice site.. will visit again
I am worried. I just had my puppy vaccinated on Saturday and it is Thursday and my puppy has been coughing for 2 days. I wish I wouldn’t have gotten the vaccine. I am worried about her and am wondering at what point to take her to vet. She is eating and drinking so far…I hope this goes away.
Donna, the problem with vaccinations is that the chemicals they contain can completely destroy a dog’s immune system for up to two weeks, which means they can be susceptible not only to the viruses / bacteria contained in the vaccine, but also to anything else that is going around in the environment. We find many dogs that are infected with Parvo also end up with, for example, respiratory illnesses such as pneumonia.
If it is kennel cough, then our Kennel Cough Gold Treatment Kit will be great, but at the very least, the Life Cell Support product which is part of that kit, and which is also sold under the name Vaccination & Wormer Detox, will help to flush any residual chemicals from the vaccination from your dog’s body.
Unless she gets substantially worse, we would not recommend taking her back to the vet - their recommendations to vaccinate have already apparently caused additional issues, which they will want yet more money to “treat”, and so the cycle continues. Thus is the way of chemical-based medicines.
Yesterday, my vet convinced me that my Joey needed to get a Bordatella vaccine. That he was “at risk” After reading this site, I am angry I agreed to it because he is not in doggie daycare, groomers, or anything like that. Today, he has had diarhhea all day, 7 times total. Bloody diarrhea. which is how I came onto your site. I am not sure if this is a normal symptom. I know blood is not a good sign so I am freaking out. The thing is that is the only symptom he has, and that he is sad. He’s been moping around all day. And not one site talks about bloody diarrhea and bordatella. so now another vet visit. I wish vets had the best interest of the pet in mind and not their pocket.
Steph,
We’re sorry to hear about Joey. Based on talking to hundreds of customers, we would agree that many vets do not appear to have the best interests of the animal at heart (although we also hear about some who do care and go the extra mile for their clients).
Was Joey only given a Bordetella vaccine, or was it a multi-shot (e.g. 4-in-1, 7-in-1), as we’ve never heard of bloody diarrhea being a side-effect of Bordetella vaccines?
Bloody diarrhea is usually associated with Canine Parvo, as we’re sure you know, which is why we ask which vaccine(s) he was given.
We do come across many dogs that develop the full illness from the vaccine that is meant to prevent them, especially Parvo, so we’d double check this with your vet (or maybe a different vet).
We did come across these two sites that may be of interest: http://www.ioeba.net/Vaccinations.htm and http://earthclinic.com/Pets/vaccination_side_effects.html
Rae and Mark,
my dog was given the 6-in-1 a couple months ago, ive heard a few rumors about bordetella, including some side affects. Since the vaccination was so long ago, are these considered side affects of the vaccine or is it something else entirely?
It is hard to say exactly what’s going on, but side-effects from vaccinations can occur immediately and/or some time afterwards. One of the problems is that the chemicals they contain weaken the immune system, and the effect of this is cumulative.
We usually recommend a detox following vaccination - see http://www.parvobuster.com/mega-doggie-detox-kit.php for details. At the very least, you should try the Vaccination & Wormer Detox product - see http://www.parvobuster.com/vaccination-and-wormer-detox.php for more information - which is actually the same as the Life Cell Support that is in the Detox Kit.
How often do you need to vacinate for Bordetella I send my dog to a kennel and she has had the shot last year is it still good
Also how often should the Leptosporosis shot be updated. Thanks
Cindy, we don’t believe in vaccinations - ever.
Please read another of our blog posts at http://www.ParvoBuster.com/vets for more information about why we take this stance.
We also recommend What Vets Don’t Tell You About Vaccinations, by Catherine O’Driscoll.
Finally, our policy with our own dogs is to keep their immune systems as strong as possible, so to see what sort of things we do with them, please see our Doggie Immune Builder page.
Cindy, as we don’t believe in vaccinations under any circumstances, our answer to this is the same as to your earlier question - never.
I wish I had seen this sooner. We lost our beloved pet in September. This was just 7 weeks after receiving the Bordetella vaccine.
In 2008 Bordetella was given nasally and she had a slight reaction. In August 2010 they gave it again when they had her in the back during a routine exam.
In late August I noticed a slight weezing in her breathing. They treated her for Pnuemonia for two weeks with no improvement. They then did a biopsy and informed us it was an aggressive diffuse lung carcinoma.
Of course they claim it is not from the Bordatella. Strange though how suddenly this came on and they claimed it to be common yet I can find very little about diffuse aggressive lung cancers.
Dan,
We are very sorry to hear that you lost your pet. It’s hard to say exactly what was going on, and as you say, there seems to be no information about diffuse aggressive lung cancers, but if we turn up anything, we’ll let you know.