Internet Myth #17: "I called my breeder and she said that the vaccines caused my dog’s allergies."

Unfortunately, we as Veterinarians have to deal with this Myth quite frequently. It is not true that a Vaccine caused the allergy or allegies. The truth is that a whacky immune system is responsible for any allergic reaction. A vaccine given to an animal that has a perfectly normal immune system should not cause any problems. However, if the puppy has an inherited faulty immune sys...tem, the vaccine can trigger a response and so is blamed for the reaction.

Rather than address the problem responsibly and reflect on their breeding practices as to why they are producing puppies with defective immune systems, breeders find a scapegoat and play the blame game. As a result, vaccines and often Veterinarians end up getting blamed for something out of our control when the real issue is that the mother and father dogs used to breed those puppies should not be used again.