1,000 signatures reached
To: HM Government
Allow personal choice whether or not to vaccinate our dogs with Leptospirosis vaccine
We, the undersigned, request the right to continue to choose whether or not to use leptospirosis vaccine on our dogs, as per our personal choice, as no vaccines within the UK are currently mandatory.
Why is this important?
The guidance notes for the Animal Welfare Regulations 2018 state:-
"An up to date veterinary vaccination record must be seen to ensure that dogs have current vaccinations against canine parvovirus, canine distemper, canine adenovirus/infectious canine hepatitis, leptospirosis.
Vaccination against other diseases such as Bordetella bronchiseptica (kennel cough) or Canine parainfluenza virus may be required by the establishment.
Certification from a veterinarian of a recent protective titre test may be accepted instead of a booster vaccination as required by the establishment.
The certificate must state the specific disease it is for and that it is valid for the current period."
Antibodies for the three viral diseases, i.e Distemper, Hepatitis and Parvovirus can be tested by titre test, so can be verified without the need to vaccinate a positive titred dog.
There is no titre test available for Leptospirosis, as it is a bacterial disease, so there is a proposed compulsion to vaccinate annually with a leptospirosis vaccine.
The Leptospirosis vaccine is responsible for many serious adverse reactions, up to and including death, so many of us choose to not use this non-core vaccine on our dogs.
Using official figures published by the goverment body APHA (Animal & Plant Health Agency), there have been 5749 cases of Leptosprirosis reported in the past 7 years, which equates to an average of 821 cases per year.
There are approximately 8.5 million dogs in the UK, so this equates to a 1:10,000 chance of a dog contracting Leptospirosis per year.
The vaccine has very poor efficacy, and at best "reduces infection and urinary excretion" (source: Nobivac L4 Datasheet). It does not prevent disease, it just reduces the severity when contracted.
The EMA (European Medicines Agency) have 4505 adverse reactions recorded (Nobivac L4, April 2018). Adverse reactions recorded include anaphylactic shock, convulsions, renal failure, IMHA, IMPA, heart failure and 883 DEATHS (approximately 12% of the adverse reactions resulted in death).
This is just the data for ONE vaccine and there are many others available.
We believe that the breeder is best placed to make decisions on the vaccine protocol for their own dogs, as they have been free to do up until this new legislation.
Leptospirosis vaccination must remain optional, not compulsory, as it is in the protocols of the VMD (Veterinary Medicines Directive) and the WSAVA (World Small Animal Veterinary Association). No person should have the power to make a non statutory vaccine compulsory, in order to comply with the legislation, when it stands a good chance of impacting adversely on our pets health.
