Page 64 - Showsight April 2013

skin disease” into your search
engine and it should bring up the
complete article.
The canine immune system
was designed to handle natu-
rally occurring pathogens such
as diseased prey or a bacteria-
contaminated carcass. While not
as protected as nature’s clean-up
crew (ants, vultures and buz-
zards), descendents of the wolf
were once well equipped to con-
sume carrion. Healthy carni-
vores were virtually immune to
the viral diseases they encoun-
tered prior to the modern age of
health care.
But things have changed as
veterinary medicine advanced to
protect our pets. Vaccines immu-
nize dogs from dreaded rabies and
other deadly diseases but depend-
ing on the frequency and content
of booster shots, they also tend to
impair the immune system.
The most common expression
of an overtaxed or underperform-
ing immune system is skin prob-
lems. For example, if your dog is
chronically exposed to an inhaled
allergen, he doesn’t sneeze or get
runny eyes like we do, he is more
likely to itch. And scratch. And get
skin inflammations and infections.
This is not to suggest withhold-
ing core vaccines from your pet.
The intent is simply to balance
the “prevent this and treat that”
rhetoric of the pharmaceutical
companies and today’s pharmaceu-
tically-indoctrinated veterinarians.
Thankfully, some vets are
immune to the hype and, while
recognizing new threats to our
pets, they do not overreact. If your
dog shows symptoms of ischemic
skin disease, we hope you will
read the technical information
Does your dog have a rash,
pustules or nodules as shown in
these photos? If so, he may suf-
fer from Vasculitis, a blood ves-
sel disease.
Vasculitis can result from
rabies or lepto vaccine reaction,
i.e. a manifest result of vaccinosis.
Size and breed can affect severity
and susceptibility.
Vessel wall inflammation or
microhemorrhage may be a post-
vaccination result of rabies vac-
cine. It can be injection site-spe-
cific or to better confound your
vet, the external evidence may
develop elsewhere such as anus,
face, or legs.
The following document is a
bit technical but worth the read
because localized, and even gen-
eralized ischemic skin disease
is becoming increasingly com-
mon as dogs are exposed to and
assaulted by an ever-increasing
range of unnatural substances.
We thank TheDogPlace.org
Science & Advisory Board Mem-
ber, Patricia Jordan, DVM, CVA,
CTCVH for technical assistance
and for sharing Dr. Ihrke’s presen-
tation paper.
I won’t attempt to cover all of
the symptoms and references but
if your dog shows any of the symp-
toms described or shown in these
photos, just type “thedogplace/
ischemic skin disease
H ealthy carnivores were
virtually immune to the viral
diseases they encountered
prior to the modern age of
health care.
64 • ShowSight Magazine, April 2013