Rep. Peter Rines of Wiscasset is sponsoring legislation that will require Maine veterinarians to give disclosure forms to pet owners when prescribing medications and before vaccinating their animals.

This legislation will ensure that pet owners receive disclosure information detailing the risks, benefits and adverse side effects of veterinary vaccines and prescription medications, as well as the minimum duration of immunity for vaccines based on published challenge studies (in challenge studies, animals are injected with high doses of virulent virus to test immunity). The veterinary disclosure forms will be similar to those pharmacists are required to issue with human prescription medications.

Maine citizens have been unwittingly overvaccinating their pets on the advice of veterinarians who vaccinate annually, biennially and triennially with vaccines that actually provide immunity for several years. For example, challenge studies by Dr. Schultz demonstrated that canine distemper vaccine has a minimum duration of immunity of seven years, and Cornell University’s challenge studies showed cats were completely immune to feline panleukopenia eight years after kittenhood vaccination.

Because redundant vaccination does not boost immunity and current scientific research increasingly points to overvaccination in triggering autoimmune and chronic disorders in animals, it is essential that pet owners be given full disclosure prior to vaccination in order to make informed choices and to be able to recognize symptoms of adverse reactions to vaccines or medications.

I would hope all concerned pet owners would support Rep. Rines’ veterinary vaccine disclosure legislation and make Maine a healthier state for pets.

Kris L. Christine, Alna