One of the main reasons I practice holistic medicine with my prized purebred.
Vaccines suppress the immune system, as well as make them tumescent in the later years from the accumulation of NASTY chemicals, who's test history stops at "kills fleas/ticks/rabies, not dogs"...yeah, but what does it DO to the dogs over time.
Heartworm you say? A dog with a healthy immune system being fed prime feeds, i.e. raw, will fight off the viral/parasite load on it's own.
Disconnect, I look at my pup sleeping next to me and channel all her good energy to your baby.
I feel for you so much right now...
And you MF DOOM hit the nail right on the head. Vaccines (thanks to big pharma and our lovely FDA) are killing our animals. Flea collars are killing our animals. Lawn treatments are killing our animals. Their food is killing them.
I haven't had a dog in years but for a cat do not get them vaccinated unless they are high risk. And frankly, they shouldn't be if they are a pet. Google animal vaccines and cancer if you want. They are finding more cases where dogs are also being affected.
Animals need animal protein. Period. There are differences in proteins and they don't get much if any animal protein in most of the food we have to offer them. That is changing a bit but not enough. The more expensive foods have more but I know that does get costly. Or you can go the route of MF with a raw diet which they say is the best. That new commercial with the cat who says "I am not a vegetarian!" is soooooooo true. We have made animals vegetarians although most owners don't realize that. The manufacturers knew but hey, they don't mind poisoning us so why would they mind killing our animals so they can make a few more dollars.
If you have a cat, feed as little dry as you possibly can. As low of a phosphorous number as you can get. Get a Drinkwell pet/water fountain. They make a huge difference in the amount of water they drink. The same applies to a dog. It is so very important to have a cat drink because they just don't drink enough on there own when in a bowl and then spend most of their lives in a state of dehydration. Which is why so many die of kidney failure.
What really sucks is if you get a rescue, they have already been vaccinated. Don't panic if you have a vaccinated pet. More and more vets are becoming aware of the dangers and hopefully used a non-adjuvented vaccine and or vaccinated in an area that can be...removed... if a tumor were to grow.
But if you have the choice, there is no need to vaccinate if you take care of your pet as they should be. If there is a true need for certain protections, ask first if there is a pill or liquid form.