British Veterinary Association (BVA) to acknowledge that dogs die from Lepto vaccine reactions

The Issue

To the British Veterinary Association

We the undersigned ask for the British Veterinary Association (BVA) to review their statement and position on canine vaccinations, frequency of vaccinations, titre testing for DHP, acknowledge and stress to the public of how serious adverse reactions can be, encourage all vets to deem medical conditions occurring after vaccination as being Adverse Reaction, clarify what is classed as Healthy in terms of vaccination when the dog has health conditions, and openly and publicly encourage all pharmaceutical companies to research and reduce the Adverse reactions to Lepto vaccines. 

We are aware that the BSAVA guidelines state for Lepto to be classed as Core, but they also state

The European consensus statement recommends the use of annual quadrivalent vaccines for all at-risk dogs based on the widespread recognition of leptospirosis in European dogs that have received the bivalent vaccine. Decision-making regarding leptospiral vaccination should take into account the following:

■ The availability of evidence of serovars in circulation in the locality

■ Knowledge of the local area with regard to weather, flooding and environmental risks

■ The lifestyle of the dog and travel plans with respect to the risk of exposure to leptospirosis

There are two groups on Facebook, dedicated to the two main pharmaceutical companies, requesting that people share their dog’s experience of adverse reactions to Lepto vaccines. We are aware of the figures collected by Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD), and that adverse reactions to dog vaccines are classed as Rare. However, we also know and hear examples of vets refusing to accept and acknowledge that a dog’s new condition, life changing condition or death is a result of the vaccine. We’ve just heard another case of a dog developing abscess after receiving L4, which the vet refused to acknowledge was an Adverse Reaction, and the client had to go to another vet practice to get the dog treated. 

My own dog died after the Zoetis Lepto 4 vaccine ripped his heart strings to pieces. He has a grade 3/5 murmur before vaccination, and I question whether any dog with a heart murmur or other health condition is actually healthy enough to receive a lepto vaccine. I had to watch my boy drown in his own fluids after the Adverse reaction, which three vets initially refused to accept could possibly be caused by the vaccine. 

In 2022 we are still seeing vets with the attitude that it is better to vaccinate, and if we don’t know when the dog was vaccinated then we’ll vaccinated again, and we’ll give all vaccines including DHP every year. 

We’re also hearing of how some vets are arguing with dog owners and accusing the owner of killing their pet if they refuse to vaccinate with Lepto – whilst the vet industry refuses to produce any details of known cases of Lepto in the UK.  

We are seeing too many websites, where the practice (private and chain) are insisting that vaccinations including DHP are given every year. We are still hearing of vets thinking that they have the right and it is their duty to vaccinate every dog, when the law states that the vet must provide the client with enough information for the client to make an informed decision – this not happening due to misinformation being provided to vets. It is unclear if the misinformation to vets and the claim that Adverse Reactions are just media hype are coming from; the pharmaceutical companies, or the training universities, or other recognised veterinary bodies.

We have seen through Animal and Plant Health Agency’s (APHA) Non statutory Zoonoses project FZ2100 reports that APHA has identified at least 14 Serogroups and 19 Serovars of Lepto in the UK.

This petition is not disputing that Lepto is a risk factor, and is not an anti DHP vaccine petition - but vets are clearly not considering the dog’s lifestyle and activities when trying to vaccinate them with Lepto, or vaccinate them with DHP on a yearly frequency.

There is much talk about the Adverse Reactions to Lepto being caused by the excipients, as much as the strains. Whilst the vet industry are dismissing adverse reactions as being social media hype, then the pharmaceutical companies will never improve the vaccines to reduce the suffering and deaths.

Perhaps the Veterinary industry would like to fund the medical treatment of dogs that become unwell after Adverse Reaction to vaccination, instead of encouraging people to vaccinate their dog, and then charging them a fortune whilst the owner tries to save their pet's life?

We repeatedly hear of vets claiming that the Lepto vaccine will protect the dog from Leptospirosis, but the vaccine has never done that. The Lepto vaccine helps the dog to fight any infection of Lepto that the dog is vaccinated against.

We know from the UK's Animal and Plant Health Agency, a part of DEFRA, that they have identified 14 different types of Lepto in the UK. So a vaccine of 4 isn't going to protect the dog from Lepto when they can catch so many different types in the UK. See Project FZ2100 Zoonoses and Veterinary Public Health reports

So we specifically ask that;

1.     The BVA review their statement on canine vaccinations including the following.

2.     The BVA raise the issue of what is classed as an animal healthy enough to be vaccinated.

3.     The BVA publicly bring an end to the vaccination culture of, “Best to vaccinate, and if you’re not sure when it was vaccinated then vaccinate again”

4.     The BVA acknowledge and recommend that vets offer in house Titre testing for DHP.

5.     The BVA stress that DHP must not be given yearly, as per the SPC.

6.     The BVA stress that it is shown that DHP can offer several years of protection, and the client should be offered Titre test before considering DHP booster vaccination.

7.     The BVA raise awareness that DHP can be reconstituted with diluent, and the vet does not have to use lepto vaccine.

8.     That the BVA raise public awareness that adverse reactions to vaccination are not media hype or scaremongering, but actually do happen.

9.     The BVA acknowledge that whilst Adverse Reactions are Rare, that Adverse Reactions to L2 and L4 are often not just a lump in the skin, but can and has included horrific reactions, life changing conditions, and death as a result of the Adverse Reactions.

10.  The BVA openly call upon vets to report to the manufacturer and VMD (when VMD have it up and running again) any issues that occur after vaccination - and for the vet to accept that it probably is an Adverse Reaction and should be classed as an Adverse Reaction. Better to over report than run away and burry the head.

11.  That the BVA openly and publicly encourage all pharmaceutical companies to research and reduce the Adverse reactions to Lepto vaccines.

12.  That the BVA openly and publicly call for pharmaceutical companies to research a universal vaccine for Lepto.

13.  That the BVA publicly calls for the pharmaceutical companies to explain why so many dog breeds are excluded when trials for new vaccine are conducted.

14.  That the BVA call for research to identify more easily when a dog has a Lepto infection. I strongly believe that many dogs with Kidney issues have previously been infected with lepto, which the vet has failed to diagnose.

15. That the BVA publicly acknowledge and ensure their members stress that the lepto vaccine may help a dog to fight Lepto if it is vaccinated against that strain, but the vaccine will never protect the dog against catching Lepto.

16. That the BVA acknowledge and advise their members that A.P.H.A. have identified 14 different types of Lepto in the UK as of summer of 2022, that L4 does not cover 85% of the strains, and call for members to support a campaign for a universal Lepto vaccine.

17. That the BVA stress to their members that there is no need to vaccinate a puppy with DHP until 10 weeks of age, due to maternally derived antibodies - and to stop the unnecessary vaccination at 6 weeks of age.

18. That the BVA stress to their members that injecting DHP at year 1, or one year after the puppy jab at 10 weeks is against the instructions on the Summary of Product Characteristics.

19. That BVA reminds all their members that it is the owner's choice to vaccinate or not, and the vet is required by law to provide enough, honest information for the owner to make an informed decision. The "We had a dog die from Lepto last week" doesn't cut it or pass as enough information.

Mark Ellis

Petition Starter

From : BVA

To : Mark Ellis

 Fri 09/05/2025

Hi Mark

Thanks for your petition about the Lepto vaccines. I’m sorry to hear about your experience.

I know that the VMD subsequently shared data from their adverse event reporting scheme in relation to your concerns.

Whilst we would always encourage owners to discuss the appropriate course of preventative treatment with their vet, it is generally out of our remit to give specific clinical advice or comment on specific cases. It is the role of the RCVS as regulator to protect the public and we would point vets and owners towards the supporting guidance to the Code which requires vets to ensure informed consent for all treatments https://www.rcvs.org.uk/setting-standards/advice-and-guidance/code-of-professional-conduct-for-veterinary-surgeons/supporting-guidance/communication-and-consent/ Where appropriate we would also remind vets to report via the VMD system.

As it happens, we are meeting with VMD next month and I would be happy to raise your concerns with them directly and give some consideration on whether there is anything more we can reasonably do to promote reporting.

With best wishes

XXXX XXXX

Director of Policy and Governance

Mark Ellis

12/05/2025

FAO The full Board, and The full Council, British Veterinary Association

An open letter to BVA regarding my Petition “BVA to acknowledge that dogs die from Lepto vaccine reactions”

Dear BVA Board, and BVA Council,

I acknowledge an email from XXXX XXXX, Director of Policy and Governance, dated 9th May 2025.

I am at a loss as to how anyone would think that a petition titled “BVA to acknowledge that dogs die from Lepto vaccine reactions” would necessitate a response about appropriate course of preventative treatment, and specific clinical advice. The BVA will be fully aware that the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is currently investigating the Veterinary Industry, and the failures of the RCVS to protect the public.

The petition is inspired by the BVA statement of 6th July 2016, where the BVA stated 

(1) “We are very concerned that the recent articles about the L4 vaccine risks scaremongering dog owners into making blanket decisions and avoiding vaccinations for their dog.”

And (2) “In addition to this, the World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA) has issued a statement in response to the articles, stating that the claims made by the papers are completely untrue.”

In 2018, the RCVS and VMD published a joint statement, in an attempt to get vets to agree a vaccination programme in advance, and for vets to follow SPC and other guidelines. They clearly failed.

https://www.rcvs.org.uk/news-and-views/news/rcvs-and-vmd-remind-vets-to-agree-vaccination-programmes-in/ 

I have previously provided BVA with a copy of my open letter to RCVS, regarding RCVS’ failure to ensure suitable training around vaccinations, and to monitor that training. It is clear from CMA’s latest release that RCVS’ years of protecting vets is probably coming to an end. It’s also clear from daily comments on social media, that vets have refused to accept that ARE happen, or that vaccination programmes should be agreed based on local information, and enough information for the owner to make an informed decision.

So, turning to the reason for the petition. It is clear from BVA’s statement at (1) above that the BVA were more concerned about vet financial turnover than animal health. And that at (2) above, the BVA deliberately tried to mislead vets and pet owners in to thinking that claims in the newspapers that dogs were dying from Lepto vaccines was untrue and unfounded. And it is because of this that dog owners and vets all think that claims of adverse reactions are lies.

I note that the WSAVA have changed their SOP around talking to the public, and have declined to respond to my correspondence to them on the matter of vaccine training.

I find XXXX XXXX response to a petition by over 6000 British residents to be a slap in the face to those 6000 signatories, and an attempt to gaslight the public. 

So I ask that the BVA Board and Council both discuss the following; 

(1) The BVA, either intentionally or by accident publicly mislead vets and the public into thinking that there are no real adverse reaction to Lepto 4, and any claim of death by Lepto 4 is untrue and unfounded.

(2) The BVA are asked to publicly state that actually, to be clear, there are numerous types of adverse reactions to Lepto vaccines, as confirmed by VMD, and that Lepto vaccines actually have caused death in hundreds of dogs that trained vets deemed healthy enough to vaccinate. 

(3) That there is under reporting of ARE by vets - due to vet organisations publicly dismissing the very idea of adverse reactions.

(4) That pharmaceutical companies will never address issues of death being caused by vaccine ARE until vets report all possible ARE events, and pathologists talk to owners and accept and record that vaccines do cause death.

Attached again are VMD’s own official figures on adverse reactions, which includes deaths due to dog vaccines.

Yours

Mark Ellis

cc. VMD, RCVS