It appears, as of Sunday evening, that all concerned are resigned to the notion that last week's FMD outbreak has resulted from a laboratory escape, from nearby Pirbright. All that remains to be established, it seems, is which of the two facilities is responsible - the government-funded Institute of Animal Health or the multi-national commercial pharmaceutical giant Merial Animal Health Ltd. Needless to say, to date, both are protesting the quality of their bio-security. Time will tell .....

Especially with regard to dogs, but equally relevant to other species, the vaccination debate rolls on: http://www.alternativevet.org/vaccination.htm.

I have the pleasure of having been invited to give my views in front of a camera, at the end of this week, for a new DVD presentation on the subject.

Of course, there is nothing new to discuss or to reveal but the anxiety felt by dog owners is understandably very real and very great, regarding protection of their beloved animals from the 'killer diseases', such as Leptospirosis, Parvovirus and Distemper.

Make no mistake, these diseases are still very prevalent out there and unprotected animals can fall prey to them, with disastrous consequences.

Several key facts need to be broadcast:

The diseases are killers.

It is not good enough to do nothing.

Annual boosting of vaccination is a habit, not based on science.

Even a single dose of vaccine, at the first injection stage, can be dangerous, in susceptible individuals. There is no way of determining susceptibility in advance.

There is a significant number of obvious vaccine reactions, rarely if ever reported under the SARSS scheme (http://www.alternativevet.org/sarss.htm)

Double-boosting in dogs that have missed a year or two is not only not based in science, it is also doubly dangerous.

In many cases, a single dose of vaccine can be protective for life. However, it is not possible to determine in which cases.

Antibody testing (titre testing) does not help a great deal. Animals can be immune without the presence of circulating antibodies.

Any dog with an illness or disease should not be vaccinated, according to the manufacturers' Data Sheet.

About 80% of chronic disease, in cases in which a start date can be determined, show first signs within three months of a vaccination event. This is despite the Newmarket POOCH study's findings (http://www.alternativevet.org/Vaccination%20WS024-07.pdf). This fact can be gleaned from veterinary notes up and down the country (i.e. real-life science).

Homeopathic methods (homeoprophylaxis) are without risk of side-effects.

Homeopathic methods are without clear proof of efficacy but limited clinical trial work is very indicative of a positive effect: http://www.alternativevet.org/research.htm

Thousands of dogs in the UK do not receive vaccination, rather receiving only homeoprophylaxis. This has not created a disaster.

Homeoprophylactic methods will not satisfy legal or competition requirements for vaccination.

My own dogs have never received any conventional vaccination, despite being extremely high-risk dogs as a result of their lifestyle and environment.

I cannot recommend the Pet Passport procedure for dogs, as it involves so much chemical input, further vaccination (Rabies) etc. I therefore advocate leaving dogs at home, when taking holidays and trips abroad.

What first alerted me to vaccination problems, who once was possibly the most vaccine-minded vet ever, was the sudden and dramatic relapse of homeopathically 'cured' chronic cases, just after a booster vaccination.

I am unable to recommend re-vaccination of any chronically-diseased patient, even after apparent 'cure', for this reason and because of the wording of the Data Sheet.

As stated at the outset, this information also applies to horses and to cats. In the case of horses and tetanus vaccination, boosting should not be necessary inside 10 - 12 years.

I am always very willing ot discuss this subject responsibly and in-depth, with any concerned enquirer (vet or animal owner): http://www.veterinary-homeopathy.co.uk/id4.html, knowing the legitimate concerns that attend this issue.

I had the enormous pleasure and privilege to have been invited to speak at the latest of the Prince of Wales's series of Summer Schools, held at his Cotswold farm and at Highgrove (17th - 19th July 2007). It was on the subject of 'Farming & Food'.

I felt slightly the 'odd man out', among the speakers, as I was not an integral part of the developing farming and food culture. I was talking about the role of homeopathy in welfare and positive health on the farm. Nonetheless, I found the course most illuminating and inspiring.

A diverse group of delegates and speakers were gathered, all of whom had a great deal to contribute. Among others, they came from retail giants, retail innovators and pioneers, the organic world, DEFRA, school food buyers, caterers, the European Commission for Agriculture & Rural Development, Young Farmers, the Soil Association and the NFU.

The Wednesday evening was spent as a guest of the HRH The Prince of Wales at Highgrove, both walking his magnificent private gardens and for a splendid dinner (local and organic). The Prince of Wales characteristically gave his vision of sustainable farming and the problems besetting the world, in agriculture and in climate. His Grace The Bishop of Liverpool gave an inspiring after-dinner speech on his work with sustainability education in Liverpool.

All agreed it had been a very worthwhile and positive experience and elected to continue contact and to hold further meetings. Much deliberation took place, about possible resolutions ot take forward. The series of Summer Schools convened by the Prince of Wales, of which this was only one topic, appear to be a powerful force for positive change and imaginative thinking.

The time of year for laminitis in ponies is well under way. It is comforting to know that homeopathy, along with sound (natural) feeding advice, has proved extraordinarily effective, even in some very chronic cases but especially if intervention is timely.

Mainstay remedies are: Aconitum, Belladonna, Fluoric acid, Graphites, Hypericum, Secale and Silica, used according to homeopathic principles. The experienced homeopathic vet will sometimes use others, according to signs and circumstance.

It is important to avoid feeding refined or semi-refined sugars, which are usually so much an integral part of manufactured foods and supplements.

See: http://www.alternativevet.org/nutrition.htm

http://alternativevet.org/Laminitis%20WS059-07.pdf

http://www.alternativevet.org/WS130-07.pdf

http://www.squidoo.com/laminitis/

It is important to establish a holistic regime, integrating management, diet, hoof-trimming and medical case. Chronic cases can require a great deal of close monitoring and regime adjustment, as the case proceeds, but the outcome is positive in the vast majority of cases.

Have you seen the September issue of 'Your Dog' magazine. On page 98 is a feature entitled "What's on the menu?". Dr Monica Lundervold MRCVS, employed in the PR department of IAMS, strenuously defends the 'processed food' cause, while yours truly has a bash for natural and fresh diets. I recommend reading both.

I am glad for Dr Monica that she has such faith in her employer's products (IAMS pet food manufacturer is a subsidiary of multi-national giant Procter and Gamble).

I quote from the 'products' page of my website www.alternativevet.org/products.htm :

"As with any walk of life, it is not wise to seek the advice of those who will directly benefit from that advice."

In her article, Dr Lundervold refers to the '24-hour Operational Ration Pack'. Guess what, this is only designed for continuous consumption over 15 days and certainly no longer than 30 days. Might the British Army have realised that such diets are not for long-term use? According to Surplus and Adventure,

" Features of the 24-Hour Operational Ration Pack are:

Incidentally, this little item comes to you, from military surplus supplies, for £9.95 (for 24-hours of food) and includes 10 matches, a striker and 6 water purification tablets! It is interesting to read that the military realises that there is such a thing as 'menu fatigue' and are introducing variety into 2007 packs. All this sounds far-removed from the petrol-pump sounding 'super premium' dog food described. Now would that be leaded or unleaded? Anyway, I'm glad Dr Lundervold mentioned the 24-hr ORP, really.

As for the publication of my own views (page 99), shame about the photo of the steel food dish! It's a bit 'off message' and I have made a mental note to try to remember, when writing articles, to ask for input on choice of photographs. By the way, my own incentive for writing the article? A free copy of the magazine!

The BBC have posted this:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/talking_point/6931324.stm 

It is often said that no research exists, to support the efficacy of homeopathy. It may be an idea to visit www.alternativevet.org/research.htm and http://www.alternativevet.org/outcomeanalysis.htm. It is not quite so insupportable as some would like us to believe......

Since the discovery of the virus strain, as being similar (or identical, depending which report one reads) to that used/kept at Pirbright research facility, the Protection Zone around the farm has been expanded today. The Pirbright facility is about 3 miles from the affected farm, so this new expanded zone includes the area around Pirbright and again has a 3km radius (interesting that the affected farm was THREE MILES from Pirbright (5km) so this area may be too small) and a new surveillance zone with a 10km radius from both sites.

Readers will be comforted that the head of the IAH at Pirbright has told reporters that there have been "no breaches of our procedures". Merial have apparently voluntarily ceased production of vaccines at the site.

Hit this link for a comment on possible homeopathic involvement in the treatment and prevention of Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD):

http://www.squidoo.com/footandmouth/

The other day I chanced upon an interesting venture. It's called VETONTHEWEB.CO.UK and is "the first and only web portal veterinary website in the UK, bringing vets, pet owners, pet and vet related businesses and welfare groups under one roof, for the benefit of all" to quote from the home page: http://www.vetontheweb.co.uk/.

I have posted an entry http://www.vetontheweb.co.uk/chrisday  but it would take more time than I have to make the most of the ambitious and expansive idea behind the project.

If you're interested in joining (free to pet owners), you can do so at: http://www.vetontheweb.co.uk/register1.asp

Late last night, preliminary results of virus typing were released. DEFRA said that the virus strain is not one recently found in animals. I quote from the announcement:

"It is most similar to strains used in international diagnostic laboratories and in vaccine production, including at the Pirbright site shared by the Institute of Animal Health (IAH) and Merial Animal Health Ltd, a pharmaceutical company."

This laboratory is not far from the affected farm. The suggestion is that this outbreak may be the result of a bio-security leak at the laboratory. Of course such laboratories do not just handle Foot and Mouth virus. It is time such work was out in the open and in the public domain. What other viruses do they have?

If this is indeed the source, it would not be the first time that a virus has 'escaped' from such a facility and it highlights the dangers of playing about with such things. The notorious escape of the lethal Rabbit Calicivirus from the Wardang Island research facility off Australia was but one example. The surprise is, when you play with matches, you get fire.

This may not be the time to repeat that I believe animal experimentation, as is carried out at Pirbright and many other research facilities, is a practice that should stop. I also doubt that this incident will make those involved rethink the whole thing. That does not appear to be the way science-linked-with-commerce thinks.

Back to the current FMD challenge, this finding makes it even more pressing that we should consider homeopathic methodology, to limit the spread of this disease. The discussions on the vaccination issue centre around economic considerations, because of the production of FMD antibodies and on whether the strain of virus in the vaccine is the correct one. The homeopathic option would, if shown effective, avoid both of these problems. If the disease starts to spread rapidly, it would take a very short time to establish whether homeopathy could prove effective.

http://www.squidoo.com/footandmouth/