Losing My Dogs to Auto Immune Disease

These were the saddest days of my life when I had to have my two dear little CKCS put to sleep when they could fight no more against this awful disease.

Chocky was just 4 years old when I lost him to it and my dear Kizzy was struck by it a year later and we lost her aged just 7 years.

We battled for over a year to try and save them and get them into some sort of remission but it wasn't to be.
I researched it and researched it and eventually found it had most likely been caused by religeously vaccinating everytime it was due. I spoke to my vet about it and he said he felt it was very likely that could have been the cause but obviously couldn't say for certain.
During my research I found out about titre testing and decided with my current dogs this is the way I would go as I would NEVER want to see dogs go through what they went through again.

So my current dogs had thier puppy vaccs and then a year on I titre tested for everything except Lepto, they both had amazingly high titre results so I was so relieved I hadn't pumped more vaccine into them.

A few weeks later I heard someone abroad saying something about a titre test for lepto so I spoke to a few vets on the web as my vet said there was nowhere that done it. All the vets I spoke to on the web admitted to me that they never routinely vaccinated thier own dogs but titre tested them first to see if they needed it and one vet gave me the name of Idexx who do titre test for Lepto.
So armed with this information I went back to my vet who contacted Idexx and so my dogs were tested for that also. Neither had any cover for lepto so they both had just that vaccination.

I just wish I had known more before about auto immune disease and the link to vaccination as maybe my dear Chocky and kizzy would be alive today. RIP my babies.

I have a friend has a Weimaraner with this, she is very poorly i will PM her this link if that is ok, I think it may be of some comfort to her. x

Yes please do and if I can be of any more help to her please tell her I will answer anything I can.

Sorry to hear you lost your precious dogs this way MM. I am also suspicious of 'over-vaccinating'. In fact a retired vet once told me that humans don't need annual vaccines, so why do dogs? He also said most of the diseases that are being vaccinated against no longer pose a threat in this country anyway (as they have been pretty much wiped out). He even went on to say that he feels it is just a money making scheme... how much of that is true? I wish we knew.

That's so sad, and tragic for you to have two of them with the same disease. You must have been heartbroken twice over. I never even knew about titre tests and will ask for one for my pup, so thank you for sharing. They were beautiful dogs. xx

Thanks for sharing this with us MM. Its certainly made me think a little more about vaccinating my lot, and I will ask my vet for further info regarding titre testing. I was aware however that the majority of vaccines will cover dogs for upto 2 years, but thats little comfort for poor Kizzy and Chocky.. RIP little angels...

So sorry for your loss MM..
Take Care
X

thanks for sharing your story i am very lucky to have a vet that would agree with you .......RIP in cavalier heaven left at the bridge under the large tree in the shade i know where to find you xxxxx

I haven't had my dogs vaccinated annually EVER, I had one tested for titre level and it was OK apart from the Lepto - but I knew that only lasts approximately 6 months anyway, and now it is probably worth while having a Kennel Cough vaccination at the same time as the Lepto Kath

Sorry about your loss, very tragic and sad.
But an interesting post and certainly food for thought there.

How I feel for you in your loss of these beautiful wee cavaliers. Thank you for this blog which will alert many mmore owners and save many more wee dogs from suffering.