Side Effects of Pet Vaccines: A Closer Look

This past April we took our two cats into our new vet to get their distemper shots done. This new vet required us to get those shots for our pets to be seen by them. For the whole time I've had my cats, one for 14 years and one for 7 years they have only ever recieved their distemper shot, not the rabies vacination. So we took our cats in for their shots and there was a BIG mis-communication between us and our vet. When the vet came into give the shots they gave our cats both the rabies and distemper shot. I honestly didn't think to ask why they had two needles. I know this was a big mistake on my part and it was our fault for not saying anything or asking why two needles. So after the shots when we paid we realized that we paid for rabies shots. I was very suprised and said to my husband that well it can't hurt them but next time we won't get those for them since we never had before. Well a week after the vacinations were given our younger cat who is 7 years old came down with a Urinary Tract Infection/UTI. He had never had a UTI ever in his whole life until a week after the vacination. My husband and I immediately both thought that it was related to the rabies shot since he had never had one before and now all of the sudden a UTI! So we took him in to be treated and I asked the vet could it be related to the rabies shot. Well naturally the vet said no, that it would have nothing to do with it. But then why would they say anything different? They make money off of it! Both of our cats are indoor cats, and have been their whole lives so this is why we don't get their rabies shots. I will not be so irresponsiable again when it comes to vacinations for my pets. I personally feel it was because of the rabies shot but who knows. I know my pets and I take very good care of them so I personally feel that the UTI was caused by the rabies vacination.

My cat got his first distemper vaccine yesterday at the ripe old age of 3. He's been acting like he can't even hear me like he's mad at me, because I call his name and he is unresponsive, very lethargic, sick to his stomach, walking very slowly, having a hard time jumping up in places where he has never had any problem before, and all he wants to do is sleep. He is a very vocal cat and he hasn't made a sound since we came home from the vets office. He is also very cautious with where the injection was given, he seems sore in that place. If you have any idea if this is from the distemper or rabies shot or from something else please let me know because my cat is one of my best friends to me, because he is always there, and never judges you haha =] thank you.

-Ashley

I had a 4 month old kitten die of cat distemper because I didn't get it's vaccines. I think that telling people not to get vaccines is wrong - it was the death of my little Angel.

hello! I just want to share what terrible results I'm having today after a distemper shot for my kitten,"1st one at about 12 wks".My kitten is a "plain jane barn-yard long-haired, that , I rescued after being abanded from the mother at 5 wks". Its been a tough 7 wks,"thanks to fleas,ear-mites, worms, & full-blown ring-worm, with the kitten has been on medication for a month for:! so,, today, I was very happy,, my cat was as healthy as hell & has been growing all her hair back & finalley "being a kitten". Until 3 p.m. today when she got her 1st shot,"the 1st hr. home ,: she was fine, 2 hrs later she was limping & meowing funny,,then ,, she just layed down & has"nt been up since,"& if you touch her,she is ready to bite you! I just forced a little water down her & she started to wake-up abit & actualley treid to play while staying in one spot,,"so,, things are looking up",, BUT,, this is nuts,, I was not told of any side effects at all!!!,, Shes still on an anti-biotic , but,, I'm not going to give that to her tonite, this poor kitty has already used about 5 of her 9 lives,,I want her around for awhile. I will be asking LOTS OF ??? before her booster shot & rabies shot!,, good luck to all of you & your pets!!! This web-site was a real eye opener & tear-jerker for me,, good-luck all!! Sorry,, no remedy from me except "ask tons of questions before a vet visit", bye!

My cat went in for her distemper shots yesterday afternoon. She was eleven weeks old. Today, the vet called us to see how she was. She would not walk, eat, or drink, and she could not stand up. She had to go to the emergency vet and went into cardiac arrest. The first vet told us that there was no possible way that it was an allergic reaction but the emergency vet said that it was very possible. I have never heard of a vet calling to check up on an animal. The kitten has died now, but it is still weird that no one can seem to find a reason for the sickness.

re: Distemper Vaccinations: One of my kittens [10 weeks] is having some sort of reaction to a distemper shot. He is very drousy, doesn't want to move, and has a sore abdomen. He mews when you touch a spot on his back & pick him up. He also will not purr and looks very uncomfortable. My other kitten who received the same shot has no visible side effects & is her usual energetic self. I'm really worried about my little boy kitten, he isn't acting normal. Please let me know if you know what's happening to him & how it can be fixed!!

Hi,

I'm a Pet Rescuer and over the years I have witnessed my own dog have reaction to rabies shot:developed lump on right side and aggression, called to report it but told me that the days from shot was over the course to report. Next, a lost german shepherd was lost;took her in got her spayed and received the distemper shot;her behavior changed to becoming aggressive and now I'm having problems handling her. Before the distemper shot, she knew basic commands and had no problem handling her at all. I don't know what happened to her and why such aggression.

Okay, I have to tell our story of our beloved lab named Mo. We took him for his distemper shot and he got so sick from it. He could not walk or eat. He was vomiting and jerking. We called the vet and he said he must be allergic to the shot. So we said please make sure that it is on his record for future shots. It took almost 2 weeks before he was better, but he was still acting a little strange. He would take off on us (we live in the country) which he NEVER did before. There is a campground about a quarter of a mile away and he ended up there and they called the Humane society to pick him up. We called over there and they said they had him and they were getting his vet record. We said he was current on all shots which the record would show and we would be over to pick him up. They said we had to pick him up before a half an hour or it was an "extra" charge after noon. We got there before noon and they had given him ANOTHER distemper shot EVEN though they had his record and it showed he was allergic and current and that would be $90 please! What? you have his record and it says he's allergic and you gave it to him anyway? He was so sick, he went blind. We took him for emergency vet visit and they said he had brain cancer. Well if he did it was from the freaking shot! Some "humane" society!! They killed our dog-period and I will never forgive them. He was a happy vibrant just fine dog before those two shots! There is nothing "humane" about giving a dog a shot he didn't need and already had when it clearly showed on the vet report he was allergic to it for a stinking $90!

My dog died recently. We had to put her to sleep. I know it had to be from the distemper shot. I am going to say something to the vet this week. I would like the name of the company that the vaccine came from. I want to contact them. Dogs and cats are being vaccinated too much. I am going to pursue this so my little dog did not die in vain. I think you should do the same. We have to do something. These companies and the vets are making loads of money and putting our precious pets in jeopardy.

My 11 1/2 year old springer spaniel, Abby, had a distemper shot on Oct. 13, 2011 and we had to put her to sleep on Nov. 1. I think it is from the shot. We took her and my other dog, an irish setter named Butch, to the vet for their shots. Also, my irish setter had enlarged lymph nodes. At the vet he didn't get the shot but had other tests. She had a slight limp from jumping off our deck. But 12 days after the shot her limp go really bad and her face got droopy. We took her back to vet and she said her shoulder showed atrophy and she had bell's palsy. She gave us something for the shoulder and gel for her eye on the bell's palsy side. That was a friday. Over the weekend she got worse. On Monday she couldn't walk. Her back legs gave out. We took her back to vet and they kept her overnight. The next day she couldn't move from the neck down. They had given her steroids. She had to be put to sleep. It was heartbreaking. I love her and miss her so much. She did have some arthritis issues but no like that. The other dog that was diagnosed with lymphoma is still around taking medication. I think this all was from the distemper shot.

I took my 2 year old perfectly healthy pomeranian in for a routine vaccination this past saturday. 3 hours after he recieved his distemper vaccine his left leg went lame. I brough him to the ER, they gave him benadryl and steroids and kept him for a few hours, I called to check on him and was told his right leg went lame as well. He now is paralyzed from the waist down and cannot control his legs or bladder. I moved him from one ER to the next to try to get some answers--no one believed me that it was from the vaccine.

They insisted that he must have a disc or spinal cord injury. They did a CT scan and an MRI--no disc problem was present. They found that his spinal cord was dying off rapidly. They are monitoring him now hoping that it will not travel up his spinal cord. They want to do a spinal sugery but I will not let them because I know in my heart my dog was not injured. It has to be a side effect of either the vaccine or the needle. Does anyone have any insight?? I am truly devastated. I have already spent $6k and no results. I will try anything for him. Please pray for my little Carlos and send any helpful information my way!!!

My Pekingnese died in four days from a distemper vaccination. He was in otherwise perfect health. The vet who had administered the shot admitted that it sometimes happens. I had never heard of a deadly reaction to a shot that we are told all dogs must have. Her sanguine advice was, if I get another dog, to "get the dog's titres checked" before getting the dog vaccinated for distemper.

Yes, I Have had a GR puppy that had frequent and excessive urination right after I vaccinated him with distemper shots. Never again. It took a long time for the issue to correct itself. A good Holistic Vet can give your dog homeopathic treatments that has no side effects and may help your pup get back to normal.

My two year old Havanese had a very bad reaction to the distemper vaccine. She had this vaccine alone without any other vaccine's at the same time. I will never get my dog vaccinated again (except for rabies.. State law every 3 years) but I will get Titer tests to see if the dog is protected against these diseases properly. Vaccinations are very scary!

My little terrier got her distemper shot this week and the day after she could hardly make it up and down the stairs, and was generally lethargic, not eager to go outdoors as usual, and slow to eat her from her dish. Is this an expected side effect or something really serious?