And when dogs get annual jabs, pet owners may be getting gouged. "It's inappropriate and [veterinarians] need to get with the current policies and guidelines," said Dr. Jean Dodds, a California-based veterinarian and researcher, who is an expert in dog vaccination protocols and an outspoken critic of over-vaccination. Some veterinarians told Marketplace staff who documented vet visits on hidden camera that they recommend yearly vaccines as a way of making sure that pet owners schedule wellness exams. Other vets either were not familiar with or did not trust research that says annual shots are unnecessary. Research in this area is "black and white," Dr. Dodds said in an interview with Marketplace co-host Erica Johnson for the show's season premiere, "Barking Mad," "There's plenty of documented evidence that shows that vaccines last much longer than we used to believe, and from now on, vaccines should be given less frequently to those animals that are properly immunized when they were younger." Hidden camera investigation There are about 14.5 million dogs and cats in Canada, according to research published in the Canadian Veterinary Journal in 2009, and 50 per cent of cats and 78 per cent of dogs saw a veterinarian in the past year.
And when dogs get annual jabs, pet owners may be getting gouged. "It's inappropriate and [veterinarians] need to get with the current policies and guidelines," said Dr. Jean Dodds, a California-based veterinarian and researcher, who is an expert in dog vaccination protocols and an outspoken critic of over-vaccination. Some veterinarians told Marketplace staff who documented vet visits on hidden camera that they recommend yearly vaccines as a way of making sure that pet owners schedule wellness exams. Other vets either were not familiar with or did not trust research that says annual shots are unnecessary. Research in this area is "black and white," Dr. Dodds said in an interview with Marketplace co-host Erica Johnson for the show's season premiere, "Barking Mad," "There's plenty of documented evidence that shows that vaccines last much longer than we used to believe, and from now on, vaccines should be given less frequently to those animals that are properly immunized when they were younger." Hidden camera investigation There are about 14.5 million dogs and cats in Canada, according to research published in the Canadian Veterinary Journal in 2009, and 50 per cent of cats and 78 per cent of dogs saw a veterinarian in the past year.