What would I do for my own pup?

Knowing the risks inherent in vaccination, I tend to minimize them in my newbies. Anything I can do to prevent chronic disease later in life is energy well spent. Yet I want them protected from the possibility of acute infectious disease, especially parvovirus diarrhea and distemper, both of which are potentially fatal.

What I've come to decide is a prudent course is the following protocol, which calls upon the innate intelligence of the pup's immune system, and bolsters that with proven immune enhancement and nutrition and sometimes homeopathy. I'll paint the best case scenario, where you have already made contact with the breeder (who even more ideally, has been breeding generations of dogs naturally -- see Recommended Resources for a list of Natural Rearing breeders). So, this is how I would do it, were I to be buying a new puppy:

1. Ask that the breeder not vaccinate your pup, even if the others in the litter will be vaccinated before they are sold.

2. Ask the breeder if it would be permissible to send a supplement to give your pup, to be scooped into the food as early as food is offered. If that's acceptable, send a can of Transfer Factor Canine Complete, with the instruction to follow the label for dosages. This will extend the deepest immune protection possible, by continuing to supply transfer factors similar to those in the dam's colostrum, keeping the immune system of your pup on high alert for any pathogens. There is also a great balance of nutrients and probiotics to enhance your pup's resistance both generally and locally in the gut.

3. Ask that your pup not be weaned before 8 weeks if possible. While this was the norm for many years, in the last several years it has become fashionable to wean earlier, often at 6 weeks of age. In the wild, wolf pups would nurse longer, 8-10 weeks commonly.

4. When you take possession of your new pup, transition to a raw food diet if you can. Grow Your Pups with Bones, by Ian Billinghurst is a great companion book to Give Your Dog a Bone, available through the same places (see Recommended Resources). If all-raw food is not within your scope, then follow the B+ Plan for dogs.

5. Continue using the Canine Complete long term, at least through the first year of life. It may be beneficial to the immune system to "pulse" the transfer factors by giving none for a weekend per month, then resuming.

6. Optional: use homeopathic nosodes for parvo and distemper. These are remedies made from the disease discharges and should not be used in animals receiving constitutional homeopathic care. If I use them in youngsters, it's only for the first 9 - 12 months of life. Check with your homeopathic veterinarian if you wish to use these.

7. If your animal will be an outdoor animal some of the time, give one rabies vaccination after at least 4 months of age, preferably after 6 months of age. The resulting immunity at this age will likely be lifelong, though laws do not presently recognize immunological outcomes. I commonly administer an "antidoting" remedy ASAP after vaccinating, and I use only killed rabies virus vaccine. I also make sure that anyone getting vaccinated by me is on the Transfer Factor products in some form, as I feel it will help stem the immune system confusion that results from vaccination.

8. Watch closely for the first week or two after vaccinating, as I've seen animals get sick from only this one vaccine, given only once. Even itching a month later, or ear infections, may well be due to the vaccination, so stay watchful and go for cure if you see these manifestations of vaccinosis. If illness shows, consult your homeopathic veterinarian.