May 5, 2004

Rob Lauver
210 Andersontown Rd
Mechanicsburg, PA 17055

Mr. Lauver,

As per your request expressed in our conversation on April 30, 2004,1 am putting my objections to what I consider to be Golden Lake's inadequate vaccination policy in writing. I feel the fact that you run a boarding kennel and at the same time actively discourage your customers from vaccinating their pets according to generally accepted medical protocols is very unfortunate and potentially detrimental to the welfare of the animals that stay at your facility.

I do not deny that there is controversy in the veterinary profession as to what constitutes adequate vaccination. In the last year I have decreased the frequency of vaccination boosters I am recommending for canine parvo and distemper, as well as for feline distemper. I also recommend that indoor cats not be vaccinated against feline leukemia. I feel that this is a reasonable response to the current state of medical research in regard to vaccination protocols. My policy closely mirrors that of the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine.

The information you give to my clients and the recommendations you express to them represent at best a fringe medical opinion - one that is not supported by the mainstream veterinary medical community. In any area of medicine it is very easy to find fringe opinions about almost any health issue. This issue is no exception.

Vaccination is a medical procedure. As with any such procedure there are benefits and risks. While it is true that over-vaccination (or, indeed, any vaccination at all) may have potential negative effects, it is even more certain that under-vaccination poses known hazards. The question, then, boils down to what constitutes over-, or under- vaccination. This is a question to which no one has an absolutely definite answer which applies all the time in all situations - not you, Mr. Lauver, nor me, nor the many researchers who are addressing the issue and publishing sometimes conflicting and confusing results.

There is a school of thought, for example, which supports substituting antibody titer tests for yearly vaccines after a certain age. While this approach is certainly better than nothing, it is not foolproof. No one really knows what a protective antibody titer actually is under each and every exposure circumstance.

As far as published recommendations for vaccine frequency is concerned, these vary between the extremes of some authors who recommend no vaccines at all after six months of age to other authors who recommend twice yearly vaccines for leptospirosis in endemic areas (such as central Pennsylvania).

Because the published opinions are all over the map, it is really up to each individual veterinarian to establish what he or she feels is a proper protocol. This is a medical recommendation which must address the specific exposure risks of each animal that a practitioner sees. It must take into account such variables as the animal's place of residence, travel habits, age, medical history, current exam findings, etc. It is as much a medical decision as the choice of antibiotics to treat a bacterial infection. Therefore, it is a recommendation which can only be properly (and legally) made by a veterinarian.

Mr. Lauver, you are simply not qualified to dispense advice about vaccine protocols. I have had numerous clients whom you have managed to frighten into wanting to stop vaccinating their pets in a proper manner. I deeply resent that you have taken it upon yourself to advise my clients about this very important medical issue.

The boarding practices you allow to take place at your kennel complicate things a great deal. Your kennel has a policy of allowing strange dogs to directly interact during the time that they stay with you. While this may fulfill your notion of a "recreational dog camp", it is an extremely unwise policy in my opinion. Over the years, I have treated dogs who were seriously injured during their stay at your kennel. The fact that you are now also discouraging generally accepted vaccination protocols only compounds the issue. We have recently treated several dogs for respiratory infections they contracted at your kennel. I don't know if inadequate vaccination was involved in these infections or not, but what is certain is that if the boarders were properly separated then outbreaks such as this would be far less likely to happen. If you continue to discourage medically proven vaccination protocols and persist in allowing such close interaction of strange dogs to occur, I fear that it is only a matter of time before we see an outbreak of more serious and deadly infectious diseases, such as parvo or distemper virus, originating at your facility.

Because of these very serious concerns, if you do not change your above-mentioned practices and policies, I feel that I have no choice but to take the following actions:

1.I will contact the proper authorities in regard to your practice of dispensing advice and one-sided information about vaccination protocols. As mentioned above, vaccination is a medical procedure and I feel that your insistence on advocating changes to the vaccination protocol of your customers' pets may constitute practicing veterinary medicine without a license.

2. Because I am convinced that your policy of allowing strange dogs to interact while at your facility is a dangerous and unwise practice in the first place, and because the risk of infectious disease transmission is greatly enhanced by your refusal to require that your customer's dogs receive generally accepted vaccination protocols, I will contact the humane society and request that they investigate your facility. We are currently seeing an outbreak of upper respiratory infections originating at your facility. To me, this is a wake-up call which requires action to be taken before more deadly outbreaks of more serious diseases occur.

Believe me, I do not consider taking these actions lightly, and I am not anxious to do so, but I am genuinely concerned about the welfare of the pets that visit your facility. Unless you can show me a willingness to take action on the above issues I will go forward and contact the authorities. If I do not hear from you in writing by May 20, 2004,I will proceed with the actions described. The choice is yours.

Sincerely,

(Signature removed for security)

Douglas A. Benner, V.M.D.
1424 S. Market St
Mechanicsburg, PA 17055