The comments below reflect the personal experiences and opinions of readers and do not represent medical advice or the views of this website. The information shared has not been evaluated by the FDA and is not intended to diagnose, treat, or prevent any disease or health condition. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional for medical concerns.
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.
The wonderful Theresa from Minneapolis, MN has been helping pet owners and their beloved pets around the world on Earth Clinic since 2013.
About Theresa
Theresa from Minneapolis was born and raised in the inner city, always wishing she had been raised on a farm.
Her love for creatures great and small began at an early age, starting with caterpillars - which continues to this day, along with an interest in all insects and 'creepy crawlies'.
Theresa's interest in pet health started with a bird keeping hobby at age 14, where she learned from another hobbyist that the simple addition of Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) in a bird's drinking water kept fungal infections away; she was able to share this with her avian vet who in turn prescribed it to her own clients; Theresa was surprised to learn that she could teach her vet a thing or two. This important lesson - that each of us can be a teacher - was a turning point for Theresa, and fueled her quest for the knowledge held in lore, and remedies passed by word of mouth. That quest for knowledge continues to this day, as new and old remedies alike are explored. She may not have experience with a particular issue, but she will research it to the best of her ability and share what she finds freely, in the hopes that you can heal or improve your pet's health.
-----------------------------
How To Show Theresa Your Appreciation
If you would like to thank Theresa for her helpful posts, she asks if you would please consider making a donation to one of her favorite local rescue organizations, or by making a donation to help the genius contributor, Ted from Bangkok, recover from his stroke.
While it is possible you are seeing a side effect of the rabies vaccine, it is also possible your dog got exposed to distemper or parvo while at the vet's office. I would also contact the vet and let them know that your girl is experiencing a side effect and ask for their direction ... and also ask if there were any parvo or distemper dogs in the office that day. If this were my dog I would get some activated charcoal into her ASAP and begin treating for parvo.
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!
Posted by Normlmary (Tucson, Arizona Usa) on 10/06/2010
Big Pharma rules the Animal Shelters where I picked up two cats recently. The 8 mo old got the rabies vaccine four weeks prior, tho it is NOT necessary. When I picked her out at the pound and remarked of her sneezing, the volunteer told me to humidify her for a few days in the bathroom and it would go away. I know about not vaccinating Humans, another lie from Big Pharma, but when I read on line the side effects of the rabies vaccine, I knew that's what was happening. She rarely sneezes now, two weeks later. I am having her chip removed shortly. Mandated chips in animals from Big Pharma and they want to chip us all. They will just start out with 'certain' populations. I'll have none of it in my pet or in my body.
Posted by Val (San Carlos, Sonora, Mexico) on 12/01/2009 ★★★★☆
My 21 mo old 6 lb Female Papillon developed allergy symptoms, gastric problems, and some nervous, paranoid and insecure behavior soon after receiving a SQ rabies vaccine in her right shoulder. Symptoms were mild to begin with but worsened over the next several weeks. We initially treated with Children's Benadryl 12 mg orally TID. 5 weeks after being vaccinated, at the vaccine site she developed a large area of alopecia (2" wide by 3" long and appears to still be increasing in size) which is quite large for such a small dog. We started treating with Temeril-P 1 Tab BID and decreasing dose. She's near completion with her with the Temeril-P and has just started Pentoxifylline therapy o.25 ml BID (120 mg/ml). My Vet had it compounded into a liquid, due to the fact that it only comes in a non dividable time released coated caplet at the pharmacies. The gastric upset and itching has improved, though she is still foot licking and face rubbing. This is an extremely beautiful, well bred show dog, and beloved friend. I'm concerned about long term effects, and of the alopecia increasing in area and possibly affecting her beautiful ears and face. Anything more I can do to help insure she recovers completely?
Posted by Kacy (Granite Bay, California) on 06/09/2009
Rabies Reaction: In Feb of 2008 my 8 1/2 year old Pekinese required, by law, a rabies booster. The injection was given we came home and I kept looking at her thinking something was not right. I asked my husband if she looked funny to him and he say "OH MY her face is swollen". So back to the vet I went, they gave her another shot to counteract the vaccine. I told the vet that this dog would NEVER have another vaccine of any kind. He agreed!
I got my dog vaccinated in mid january 2009. She received a 3yr rabies shot and a 1 year bordatella shot, all in the same visit. The first couple of days she was pretty lethargic and i thought this was normal. Her usual early morning readiness and late night "i still wanna play" coincidentally vanished with this vet visit. The vet seems pretty informed, but may not know just how evil these pharma co.s get in the name of profit (please see my next story about profit). She insists absolutely that the vaccine has anything to do with this and now i've paid 500+$ getting her thyroid checked....next story:
My god blessed and beloved cat, Phyllis, passed away barely reaching the age of 9, back in July 2005. When she was about 3, i got her a rabies vaccine. Shortly after, a lump started growing at the injection site (vet advised that this probably was just a little reaction to the injection)...and it grew to about the size of a breast of chicken (and it also looked like such) by the time i had it removed (@300$+) about 2 years after it initially started growing. Well, 4 years after the removal, she comes deathly sick supposedly with "cancer". Well, after 7,000$ of chemo, she died 3 months later.
DON'T TELL ME THAT A PHARMA CO. MAKES PILLS! THEY MAKE MONEY AND THEY MAKE MONEY FROM SELLING PILLS THAT WILL ENSURE YOU NEED TO TAKE MORE PILLS LATER ON. Otherwise, they'd be out of business. Do yourself a favor and go to a naturapath for you, your loved ones and your pets. f the pharma co's and those little psychotic people wandering and blathering around my office all jacked up on "feel good" pills, don't forget them young school shooters, too, who are always jacked up on anti-depressants. the doctors will kill you and your pets, albeit out of both ignorance and arrogance, but they will be making GOBS of money for themselves and the pharma's by pushing this non-sense....where did the war on drugs go awry?
I have 2 Old English Sheepdogs. They are 8 &9 years old and are not vaccinated since puppy shots. My 9 year old had 1 rabies vac. at 3. I took him to a vet for a moaning problem which ended up to be a hernia. Without consulting me, they gave a rabies shot which is the second in his lifetime, however, I was told that he couldn't get surgery without the vaccination. I was appalled. My dogs are raw fed, no heartworm or flea meds., and no vaccinations so he was healthy. Within 3 months, he developed sebaceous cysts all over his body and always wants to sleep. Before the shot he was so active. I got rid of the cysts with Colloidal Silver but because of that shot he is not the same. My other sheepdog has had no shots since puppy and will not get any. I hope this forum is seen by everyone.
I have a Coton de Tulear and he had a horrible reaction to a rabies shot. The vet gave him his shot in his back near his neck area. I hear that is odd. He was very lethargic, would not eat, would whimper if we touched him at all, he could not move his neck to the left or right, he was very ill. We took him to the hospital and we discovered that he had a high temp and was dehydrated. After staying over night and blood tests,x-rays, and five days of antibiotics, he is hopefully going to be okay. He still won't eat and is just sleeping a lot right now. I don't know what to do in another 3 years when he is suppose to get his next shot. But we are not going to go through this again!
In response to Barbara from LA, CA posted 9/7/08 - Adverse Reaction to Mandatory Rabies Vaccination in Dogs Barbara, I am in the same predicament with my Bichon who is now 10 years old. Instead of automatically vaccinated him each year for all the traditional vaccinations I have blood titers taken which indicate if he has enough anti-bodies to protect him - so far so good. He hasn't had a vaccination since he was 1 year old. Now having said that, I don't have the control over the rabies vaccination since it is state law in NJ. The last rabies vaccinations he received - 3 in his lifetime so far, I almost lost him each time. It is clear to me that his body cannot handle the rabies vaccination and now that he is 10 years old and will be due for another one in November of '09 I am sick about it. So, being the pro-active person that I am, I first spoke with my Vet about my concerns just yesterday. He said titers are available for rabies but if my state (NJ) does not accept them than it doesn't make any difference. So I went online and sure enough there is an EXEMPTION CERTIFICATE FOR RABIES VACCINATION - Yey!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! As long as your vet is willing to support you and sign off saying that it would be medically contraindicated to vaccinate your dog due to an infirmity, other physical condition, or regimen of therapy. So there is hope - if your state of CA has such a certificate. GOOD LUCK
Our 1 and half yr old beagle got his 2nd rabies vaccine 2 months ago, and had a severe reaction which caused a large mass at the injection site and almost killed him. Now he is suffering from severe Anemia, with no identifiable cause. He has been on several meds for 4 weeks, with no improvement..And I fear or sweet little pup is going to die as aresult of the vaccine....Any helpful info would be greatly appreciated.. We are in AZ....
I had my ten-year old terrier mixed breed vaccinated against rabies and within 24 hours she suffered hind-end paralysis, unable to stand or support her own weight. Because she is older and had a chronic disease (liver failure), we chose not to have her vaccinated against parvo/distemper but did go ahead with the rabies. I almost had her put down as I believed it to be end-stage liver failure. Thank goodness the home euthanasia vet was unavailable as 36 hours later she showed some signs of improvement but still had hind-end weakness. After much research and talking to specialist from the University of Georgia Vet Hospital, the recommendation is not to do vaccinations on dogs that are chronically ill or older. There are cases were the paralysis persists and the animal has to be put to sleep. Don't go through what I did. If you have an older pet or one that is chronically ill or immunocompromised, forego the vaccinations.
Posted by Leanne (Kamloops, BC Canada) on 11/27/2008
We lost our long time best friend of 12 years after he went on arthritis medicine. His symptoms were the same as the shots. lethargic and lost the use of his hind legs. Our baby, Duke was a large loveable husky who could jump a 6 ft fence.... when we saw what happened to him at the end of his life we swore we would never let that happen again to one of our family members. So now we have Pearl our 10 yr old chihuahua who has a heart murmur. We were told she needed her distemper vaccination. Needless to say we are not. If your furry friends are not out and around other dogs.. then love them with all your heart and let them be. Peace and love
Posted by Theresa (Tustin, California) on 05/22/2017
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.
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.
The wonderful Theresa from Minneapolis, MN has been helping pet owners and their beloved pets around the world on Earth Clinic since 2013.
About Theresa
Theresa from Minneapolis was born and raised in the inner city, always wishing she had been raised on a farm.
Her love for creatures great and small began at an early age, starting with caterpillars - which continues to this day, along with an interest in all insects and 'creepy crawlies'.
Theresa's interest in pet health started with a bird keeping hobby at age 14, where she learned from another hobbyist that the simple addition of Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) in a bird's drinking water kept fungal infections away; she was able to share this with her avian vet who in turn prescribed it to her own clients; Theresa was surprised to learn that she could teach her vet a thing or two. This important lesson - that each of us can be a teacher - was a turning point for Theresa, and fueled her quest for the knowledge held in lore, and remedies passed by word of mouth. That quest for knowledge continues to this day, as new and old remedies alike are explored. She may not have experience with a particular issue, but she will research it to the best of her ability and share what she finds freely, in the hopes that you can heal or improve your pet's health.
-----------------------------
How To Show Theresa Your Appreciation
If you would like to thank Theresa for her helpful posts, she asks if you would please consider making a donation to one of her favorite local rescue organizations, or by making a donation to help the genius contributor, Ted from Bangkok, recover from his stroke.
You might consider homeopathic remedies Thuja and also Silcea - google up on dosing, you should have no problem finding info about these two remedies. Also consider activated charcoal or bentonite clay - a tsp added to the food am and pm to help pull out toxins. Did he get neutered? One other thought is that during anesthesia all muscles are totally relaxed and can result in the animal waking up with all their bones out of adjustment/vertebra subluxation. You might consider a doggy chiro and should also seek out a holistic vet for vaccine repair.
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
The wonderful Theresa from Minneapolis, MN has been helping pet owners and their beloved pets around the world on Earth Clinic since 2013.
About Theresa
Theresa from Minneapolis was born and raised in the inner city, always wishing she had been raised on a farm.
Her love for creatures great and small began at an early age, starting with caterpillars - which continues to this day, along with an interest in all insects and 'creepy crawlies'.
Theresa's interest in pet health started with a bird keeping hobby at age 14, where she learned from another hobbyist that the simple addition of Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) in a bird's drinking water kept fungal infections away; she was able to share this with her avian vet who in turn prescribed it to her own clients; Theresa was surprised to learn that she could teach her vet a thing or two. This important lesson - that each of us can be a teacher - was a turning point for Theresa, and fueled her quest for the knowledge held in lore, and remedies passed by word of mouth. That quest for knowledge continues to this day, as new and old remedies alike are explored. She may not have experience with a particular issue, but she will research it to the best of her ability and share what she finds freely, in the hopes that you can heal or improve your pet's health.
-----------------------------
How To Show Theresa Your Appreciation
If you would like to thank Theresa for her helpful posts, she asks if you would please consider making a donation to one of her favorite local rescue organizations, or by making a donation to help the genius contributor, Ted from Bangkok, recover from his stroke.
You might see if the homeopathic remedies Thuja and Silicea will help your pet. These remedies have been helpful in negating side effects from vaccines.
It's so sad, I keep reading more and more stories about these stupid vaccines hurting our dog babies. Of course these vets are going to keep saying what protects them, rather than our pets, who they are supposed to be protecting. I have had my dog started limping two weeks ago, but the shots were about 6 months ago, when he was neutered...so, it may seem like a far jump for me to say so, but I am very consistant with our walking routines, his foods, and our environment has been the same all 6 years since I found him....so the rabies vaccine will be due again in about 4 months and I am looking for any other options or any type of remedies we, as pet lovers can do that may help to alleviate the poisons/vaccines they force us to pump into their poor selves:( I don't trust any "Professional" (dr.'s) opinions since they have a vested interest in not admitting to the obvious(according to the endless stories of other dog owners in this thread).
Any advice is much appreciated.
You must be logged in to this post! Please sign in:
Please note that we use cookies necessary for the functioning of our website, cookies that optimize the performance. To learn more about our cookies, how we use them and their benefits, please read our Privacy Policy
