Rabies Vaccine Side Effects in Dogs

My 4 year old mini-goldendoodle had a rabies booster (defensor 3) yesterday afternoon. That evening, he didn't seem himself, but we thought he should be a bit off after getting injections. Our neighbor children stopped by to sell car wash tickets. When they rang the door bell, Bauer did not go to the door (he has never not gone to the door before). When he saw who it was, he acted afraid and refused to greet them. We again blew it off. This morning we were getting ready for work when we told him that he need to go pee before we left. I opened the back door to let him out and he again acted very afraid. He went to our couch and sat looking terrified. When I went to the couch, I sat down about an arm length away, but he didn't come to me. After a few minutes, I feared I would be late for work, so I reached out to him and he moved as far back as he could, showed me his teeth with a low growl and attempted to bite me. I quickly moved away and said nothing to him. Shortly after, my husband came into the room and I told him what happened. He repeated the same behavior. This is very unusual as our dog has never in 4 years ever tried to harm us or bite us. He even allowed the vet to scrape tarter off his teeth while calmly sitting on the table the day before. I decided to stay home and called our vet. The response I got was that she had never heard of behavior problems from rabies vaccines and it was likely related to pain. I assured her that I know he is not in pain, we have been through a broken leg, a torn MCL and bleeding gastritis, in addition to previous vaccines. This is not how my dog behaves in pain. He easily jumps on and off the furniture, is eating and drinking. He is not in severe pain to warrant aggression. A bit later, our housekeeper arrived. He greated her happily, laid on his back for belly rubs and seemed normal. About 20 min later, he looked out the front window, saw her car, started barking and ran to the garage door to meet her...but she was already in the living room standing behind her. He seemed so confused. So I called a larger vet center. The vet there told me that he must be in pain and mad at me for taking him to the vet! I felt so defeated. No one would listen to my concerns. I finally called a holistic veterinarian and have an appointment this afternoon to be evaluated and treated. I am highly concerned that behavioral issues after a vaccination is being ignored by medical professionals that I trust my baby to.

On Saturday May 13,2017 my six year old yorkie was given her shots, including rabies and has been sick now for a whole week. shortly after bringing her home form the Vet in Lake Forest California she just didn't seem to be feeling well, then the next day the diarrhea started and we can't get rid of it. The vet doesn't seem to be too interested in helping us. I will never get any vaccinations for my dog again.

Theresa

My 5 pound dog lost hair all over her body the day after her rabies vaccine. She also developed black spots all over. She doesn't seem in pain. I am taking her to vet and I am really worried. It could be autoimmune reaction to the vaccine. I tried to report the reaction but USDA site doesn't work. The vaccine manufacturer is Merial.

February of 2016 my 10 year old English Setter, Doti, had symptoms of an allergic reaction, such as swelling starting in her jowls going to head, neck and ears. This was proceeded by severe vomiting and diarrhea, and not eating or drinking which resulted in dehydration. I asked my vet if the rabies vaccination which she had gotten 7 days earlier was the cause and she said no, it had been too long since vaccination. Doti ended up in the vet hospital for two days where they gave her innerveineous liquids and prednisone and she came out of it ok. However she has had some weakness in her hindquarters since, which I thought was due to her age. This year, April 2017 she had the booster to the Rabies vaccination (I had let the time lapse so she was given a "one year" shot in 2016)Sure enough 6 days later she started swelling in her jowls and it moved to her head. I called my vet and said she had the same symptoms she had suffered the year before and it was the same amount of time after her rabies shot. I asked if it could be the rabies shot, she said, no it has been too long since the vaccination. The vet told me to give her Benadryl and if she got worse to bring her in. Doti did get swelling in her head and later her ears and a little in the skin of her throat and neck, but with the Benadryl she did improve. That was Thursday, by Sat. she started vomiting and having diarrhea. Along with other symptoms such as lethargy, fever, eyes starring, aloofness (not wanting to come in house even at night which is very unusual) some confusion. However she did continue to drink this time and did not get dehydrated. By Monday she was eating a small amount and acting more like herself. She did start to swell a little in her lips, but I gave her more Benadryl and it has gone down. Today (Tues.) she is doing much better, much more perkier, seems more herself and is eating and keeping it down. In researching reactions to rabies vaccination I learned reactions can appear weeks or months after the vaccination and the symptoms she had are very typical. I feel my vet should have known this or at least researched to find more information on the reactions to Rabies vaccination. I just hope she does not have reoccurrence of symptoms or chronic problems from it. She has had severe arthritis since she was 5 and I see that is one of the chronic symptoms of vaccine reactions. She also had a cough when she was 2-4 which suddenly cleared up so might have been due to the vaccinations. I wish a vet would have told me of the possible reactions to the vaccine. I may have recognized them and stopped vaccinating her. I will be reporting this to my vet in Beach so she recognizes the symptoms and does not revaccinate again. I feel we were lucky (or blessed) that Doti did not develop more serious symptoms after the second vaccination.

I desperately need some immediate help and advice.

Our little 3 year dog received his rabies shot last Wednesday and almost immediately started drooling. (he only got the shot because they required it to neuter him) He wasn't his same self for days and by Saturday was struggling to go up the stairs. By Sunday morning his back legs were paralyzed. We rushed him to the animal hospital and they keep saying he must have injured a disk, however he hasn't been active since receiving the shot (along with the distemper vaccine).He is alive and on pain meds, steroids, and muscle relaxers but I am not seeing improvement.

What can I do??

My dog that is 12 old and 2 years old had a reaction to the rabies vac .....right after it was give the first year. Seizure, loose stools, vomiting. This year he was pre medicated and same thing except he is having loose stools, blood from his rectum x4 weeks. This is off and on and it started that day. He goes several days normal and then it hits him again. We have him on pre digested food and no stress. He is miserable but our vet says it is unrelated

At 4 months Sophie Siberian Husky received her first rabies shot. Before she was fine and willing to be trained. After vaccine she does not listen, is very aggressive, is constantly biting on everything and anything, yelps for no reason, barks at my children and myself, strange dry sporatic cough and very hyper. I am so sad. She is a completely different dog that I loved so much.

We just took my 16 year old bichon mix to get a rabies shot at one of those mobile vets (nationally known) as the groomer would not take her without her current shot. I was hesitant cause for her age she is pretty spunky, and even though she has not had a reaction ever from it, she was 3 years younger when she got the last one. They gave her the shot and almost immediately she started to cry and limp, we rubbed the area hoping she just needed a few hours to feel better. Well it's the next day and she is so lethargic, she won't eat she urinating on the floor. She is walking around with her tail in between her legs. I am watching her like a hawk...I have a terrible feeling about this, and I'm sure I will be headed to an emergency vet today (of course its labor day and my vet isn't opened) I should have gone with my gut and just not had it done :(

My 7th month old lab/border received the rabies vaccine on Wed night. She is still lethargic and won't eat. It's starting to really worry me. She just threw up a little tonight. I don't know what to do.

We have raised Weimaraners all our lives. We have had 3 die of renal failure within 2 weeks of getting rabies vaccines. Our young Weimaraner was induced to play with a thin skinned old man and his tooth, not a bite, nicked his forearm skin. The lying man reported a dog bite and now Animal Control is involved. I won't license or vaccinate my adopted and previously vaccinated dogs because I don't want them having the same fate as 3 of our who have died. Yes, many have not died, but 3 is too many. Especially since canine rabies has been eradicated from the USA. In a pickle and don't know what to do. They demand we license the dogs, doing that means we have to vaccinate. Now, what!

Death reported 6th days after my snooky got her booster & 3yrs rabies shot & something inserted thru her nostrils. She was 4yrs old under 4lbs shih tzu

I have a 6 year old lab mix. She received her rabies vaccination on April 23,2015. I have never had any issues with her health until after this shot. Her symptoms did not show until 4 days ago which would have been May 8,2015. She now seems to have lost functioning on the left side of her face and her motor skills are very bad. She seems way off balance and her left ear and left side of her lip does not move. She still seems happy and is eating ok and using the bathroom as usual but I am very concerned maybe she had a stroke or something is very wrong. I have contacted my vet but he ensures me that in his 28 years of practice he has never seen any reaction to a rabies shot as I have described. Please HELP!

Thanks, Beth

With my new pup the state law requires a rabies vaccine to be given to dogs at the age of 4 months. I am concerned about injecting this vaccine into my pup. The breeder recommended if I could wait until the pup is six months the breeder felt it better. Any input?

Feb, 2012 I had my hound Roscoe vacinated with a "booster" for his rabies that the county requires. Roscoe was a very healthy, though elderly (12 yrs old) dog. He first showed signs that something was wrong within 2 months when a small rectangular area of his upper back at his shoulders started swelling. I suspected it was a fatty tumor, which my vet said was harmless... within two more months it appeared as 4 small "ball shaped growths on the rectangular area...

By August the original "balls" were the size of golf balls and were producing grape size similar "balls" on top of the original growths... My vet said "when he is uncomfortable enough we can let him go"... within the next two months the growths were tennis ball size and increased his original weight by 10#s... he had also lost his own body weight to where his ribs were starting to show, and his only joy was eating. Walking was hard as the growths were above his shoulder blades, where he had the injection.

December 1st I had already checked with other vets and they said "we can remove the growths" for aprox 830.00usd. I live on SSD and had no way of paying that money. No one takes payments anymore. So I had to say good by to my best friend who was so happy and healthy less than a year ago.

Thank you for letting me tell you about my dear Roscoe, a beautiful Plott Hound, I miss him everyday, and would never have approved his getting that vaccine if I had any idea that this was going to happen. Tonya

I had our 11yr old female Pemb Welsh Corgi vaccinated (rabies)--against my intuition. It was overdue because I was waffling. I had it done because the vet suggested it when taking her in for a sr dog check. A week and a half later, our Corgi was diagnosed with pancreatitis. She was treated and 6 months later, she ended up with end stage kidney disease and an autoimmune blood disease (can't remember the name right now, but her immune system was killing off all her red blood cells). I should have gone with my gut regarding the rabies vac!