Rabies Vaccine Side Effects in Dogs

Does anyone know if I can get an exemption for the rabies shot for my Maltese? I live in Nebraska. My dog had a reaction and has lost a big patch of hair around the injection site.

I agree that pet vaccines, especially the rabies vaccine is highly dangerous to dogs. The first year I had my springer mix, Starsky, not too long after his vaccines, he developed a nail disorder called lupoid onychodystrophy, where his nails fell out or he would chew them off until they bled and caused him pain. Then, I did not return for his other 'annual' vaccinations. I used the excuse I did not have the money, which was partly true, but I'm a firm believer in that NATURAL is always the way to go with both humans and animals. So after being late (several months late) on getting his rabies shots and after getting $100 fines by the county because I had stopped getting him vaccinated I was forced and not too long after he developed an "auto-immune" disease where his red blood cell count dropped severely and he stopped eating and lost so much weight his sides almost touched in the middle of his body. I was in tears constantly... My vet was awesome at this point though.... He did all he could by getting Starsky on some fatty acids and some steroids, and with those and lots of prayer, Starsky came through (though that lasted about two months). I thought I was going to lose him. But thank God, he is still here and is 7 years old now!!

Well the County did a sweep through our city last year and guess what, I got a warning that my dogs were not vaccinated...... Of course they weren't! I believe it is killing animals all over the place and it's criminal! How many dogs are causing rabies infestations to humans that you know of? That pales in comparison to the amount of dogs developing 'auto-immune' issues because of these horrific vaccinations!

So, I tried to fight it and lost.... my vet wrote me a waiver for Starsky because he did believe Starsky had been through too much to get vaccinated and risk getting ill again.

But, Maggey, my 4 year old black lab mix had to get the vaccination (rabies). So I tried fighting it, but I would have had to take this to court if I didn't pay the $100 and get her vaccinated. So Maggey got vaccinated and less than 3 days later, she developed a rash, hair loss, redness, and swelling at the injections site, and here we are a year later, and she still is itching and losing hair just above her tail where the shot was injected! It makes me so mad that I am forced against my will to do this.

I'm battling what to do now that they are due again for their rabies vaccinations....

Holly, I'm sorry to hear that your dog had such a bad reaction and I feel for you because I'm in the same boat! My dog has had so many anti-biotics and vaccines because I just didn't know better at the time. She has suffered for the past four years with an auto-immune problem and the homeopathic vet that I'm working with tells me if my dog ever gets another vaccination it will finish her off. Well, her rabies vaccine is overdue and I don't know what to do now. I wish someone knew a legal way around this mess!!

Sorry to hear of your battles with the County over forced rabies vaccinations. Perhaps you can get a waiver for next time around. The rabieschallengefund. org website can probably be of help.

We have a one year old toy fox terrier that developed a bald spot on the right shoulder just above the leg from the rabies vaccination injection. The hair has not grown back after several months and the spot is completely bare. Our vet does not seem concerned about it and gave the next injections under the front right leg. He has since developed a small bump under the skin at the second injection site. This is a show-quality TFT and we are highly frustrated with our careless vet, feeling like we've been duped. Any help, suggestions or treatment would be highly appreciated!

Go to a health food store and homopathic medicince - Thuja 30c. Start giving your dog asap 3-4 times a day 4-5 pellets.

hpathy.com/veterinary-homeopathy/articles/homeopathy-for-animals-ii/

Stop everything else. Feed light natural home cooked meals and also Apple Cider Vinegar and coconut oil as it helps the body detox.

I have 6 cats and a dog, 3 of the cats are from the same litter and are 2 years old. A few months ago near their 2 year mark, they were given their rabies and distemper shots. Before we were even in our car, one of them (Spidey) started convulsing, this triggered foaming of the mouth, loss of urine. We immediately rushed him into the vet's office again, where he was given a corticosteroid injection, I believe, for the reaction. Spidey had never had a single medical issue before this day. Of the 3 rescues he was always the strongest and biggest. Since this day, Spidey has had 3 more seizures that we know of. They cause him severe distress and wiped him out for over 24 hours. One time I did not think he would make it through. We of course took him to the vet who stated that they did not think the seizure was related to the shot (same vets who treated him the first time). Also they keep telling us that it would not benefit Spidey to treat him unless his seizures occur more frequently.

I am very scared for him, I want to make sure he has a healthy long life. When we found them as 1 month old kittens, they were half the weight they were supposed to be and nearly starved and dehydrated to death. Their mother we assumed was killed or picked up.

I hate to see him so wiped out. And my heart stops each time I see him suffering. I will never ever have him vaccinated again. The other cats do not seem to have any issues with the exceptions of dry long drawn out coughs. Again the vets dismiss this.

Not sure what has to happen to get the attention of the powers to be to investigate this phenomenon and determine to what extent these reactions occur.

Why my dog reacted to a distemper shot w/ black pigment and loss of hair on the injection spot, and also on the other side were he had the rabies shot 2 months prior?

Two of my male cats developed a bad skin rash after they were neutered (and given a rabies vacc). The rash is in the form of scabs all over the back half of their bodies.

Both of my kitties were vaccinated with the three-year rabies vaccine on Saturday. My six year-old kitty did fine, but my year and a half year-old kitty got very sick a couple of hours after--vomitted all over the house about eight times. Last couple of days have been better, but still vomitted once per day. No other changes, differences, or exposure so pretty sure it was the vaccine. It cannot even be attributed to the stress of the ride to the vet because I have a mobile vet that comes to the house

My 14 year old male 20lb Bichon Frise came down with AIHA (Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia) after receiving a rabies shot when he was 9 years old. He had been in perfect health, but after the injection I knew something wasn't right. He became very quiet and withdrawn for a few days. I didn't think much of this but a few weeks later he wouldn't eat and became very listless. After examining his gums I realized they were almost white which shocked me. I had no idea what was wrong but I took him to the vet.

After some testing and blood work the diagnosis came back. I had to take him for a transfusion, hospitalization, and meds. He survived this attack after a week in the hospital. Less than a year later the same thing happened... Long story short he's had 4 attacks in the last 5 years all requiring transfusions and hospitalizations. Prednisone stopped working for him and instead they gave him Atopica (cyclosporine). This was very effective and brought him out of his illness very quickly. He hasn't had an attack now in almost two years but I give him 25mg of Atopica twice a week. I also have him on 2000mg Vit. C and other natural and organic supplements, colloidal silver that I put in his water every day, and an organic diet of cooked turkey and veggies, Solid Gold WeeBits kibble, cottage cheese, and fish oil.

He's doing great and acts like a puppy now. I pray this disease does not reccur... It is a nightmare and very expensive to boot. Vaccines are deadly things for dogs as they wreak havoc with their delicate immune systems. He has a letter from his vet so he doesn't need any more vaccines. I had to have a rabies titer done which was 24. They say 5 is about normal.

Please everyone, do not do the 3-year rabies shot for your beloved pet! Last year our vet recommended the 3-year to save us time from doing the yearly shot. We went ahead and did it for our 8 year old, 90 LB mountain dog/collie rescue. At first, we didn't see any major reactions to the new shot other than the normal sessions of seasonal allergies resulting in swollen nodes that a healthy dose of antibiotics would resolve. These allergies and resulting skin infections were a lot more frequent since doing the shot, but we didn't think it was out of the norm, nor did the vet.

Seven months later, we brought the dog in for allergies and swollen lymph nodes. Tests were taken and came back positive for lymphoma, which has no cure in the canine world. Incidentally, the cancer arose in the area that the shot was administered. Until getting involved in the canine cancer community in an attempt to treat and get a few more months with our dog, I made the discovery that many dogs faced with similar cancer diagnosis had owners that were doing the 3-year or even the yearly shots. We feel terrible that we put our beloved dog through the unnecessary multiple shots year after year. Vets commonly will give several shots at once, which puts a lot of undue stress on your dog's body. Humans get shots when they are little and as adults don't get a bunch more. If you are going to give your pet shots, please consider doing it in their early years and after doing a "blood titer test" to see if the vaccine levels in the dog's body are still acceptable. (They usually are for many years after). I believe the blood test costs more than the shots, but losing your pet to illnesses related to over-vaccinating them is worse.

Additionally, you should also be reading the label on commercial pet food to make sure that it doesn't contain "meat by-products. " I've researched and found that there wasn't a lot of regulation of the pet food market until recently. Meat by-products are things like chicken beaks, feathers, euthanized animals or rotting carcasses sold for rendering into pet food. Some companies have come out in response to not using by-products, and changing out their food to healthy meats like we would eat. Maybe I'm a little skewed because our dog has cancer, but in finding out some of the sources it can come from, we do have some choices.

In most areas, titer tests are acceptable to pass the annual rabies vaccination requirement and receive the tags. Your vet will have to test the blood and then put it into writing that your pet has acceptable levels of the vaccine in their system and provide this to the local ordinance to receive the tags. I've contacted several vets and found there are quite a few out there that do the titering because they do not recommend over-vaccinating through an animal's entire life because the vaccines stay in their systems for so long. Hope this helps someone.

First, please let me send big, big hugs to each of you who have lost your beloved family member. It is awful to feel so helpless and you each have my heartfelt sympathy at your loss. I don't know if I'll have better luck, but my fingers are crossed.

My 7 yr old cat got a 3-year rabies vaccination exactly one week ago today. Two days afterward she developed a fever, lost her appetite, and became extremely lethargic. We took her to the emergency vet. They suspected a reaction to the vaccine, gave her subcutaneous fluids and a Benedryl shot. The next day we took her back as she was no better after the Benedryl wore off. Her temp was 103.6. She had a Fever of Unknown Origin 5 years ago and needed to be hospitalized, so we knew it was important to IV fluids and nutrition into her, so we left her. Her fever went up to 105, but it broke the day after that and we were able to take her home. Her urine had tested for bacteria and high white cell count, so she was put on Clavamox (urinary track infection) and Metronidazole (diarrhea) and Pepcid (stomach upset for Clavamox). She is still not fine. Her little bottom is still sore from taking her temp so much. She does not tolerate the Clavamox and throws it up immediately, but the vet did tell me that the culture shows no UTI so we can discontinue the Clavamox. We did discontinue it immediately. In fact, we took her off all the meds because she needed to have food and water.

As of last night, she was still not eating except for 5 or 6 'crunchies'. This morning she finally ate some of her favorite 'treat' food: Fancy Feast Turkey with Gravy. It wasn't much but is an improvement. We were to take her back today if she hadn't started eating, and I'm not sure that a heaping teaspoon really qualifies as 'eating'. It is nowhere near her regular intake. I am hoping to see an increase later today as I'm sure she's still not feeling great. Her eyes are not the sparkly big round orbs they usually are, but I'm pretty sure she does not have a fever. I have read so much about renal failure and vaccines, tho, I am petrified. Her readings came back normal, but that was on the first day. Does the renal system continue to degrade? How will I know, and when should I check, and is there something that can be done to prevent/stop it if is degrading?

I can only hope for the best. She's got a bit more energy today, but just a bit. She's an indoor cat, so no more vaccines. We only got this one because we're going trailering in Canada next year and they won't let cats in without a rabies vaccine. If I had known, we'd have skipped Canada! We'll just have to wait and see.

Oh my gosh... I hope your kitty gets 100% back to normal. I just took my 10 year-old cat in for a rabies and leukemia vaccine yesterday. He always acted like a puppy... He follows you around all the time, loves to interact and play and be held as he purrs, he buries his head in your neck as you rock him. He loves people.

Today he is isolating himself, hates when I pick him up, and when I do - he hisses and growls at me. HE NEVER did any of this before and has always been the sweetest cat. NOW, he seems angry and doesn't want me around him. All of these horror stories I am reading about dangerous vaccines are freaking me out. I am so mad at myself and can't help to think something horrible is going to happen to him.

Good for you. Merck has been in the news recently about the Home Again chip causing cancerous tumors. Vaccines are dangerous, just like they are for us & the yearly doses are not needed. Titering is a test to determine if needed.

In 2007 I had a beautiful Golden Retriever and he needed his rabies vaccination for his license. So we went to a clinic and he received all of the yearly vaccines including a 3 yr. Rabies shot. A short time later 2-3 months we found out he had cancerous tumors on his jaw, liver and anal area. Long story short he lived for about 8 months longer. We decided to try and heal him naturally and he did have a good quality of life during that time. I wish I never had him vaccinated for the rabies and all of the others. I do believe the amount of vaccines was too much for a dog 11 years old.

You are correct & the Vet should be jailed for killing your dog with his/her GREED! It was pure Greed or Stupidity. Either way, put the cuffs on!

My white toy poodle had a reaction to the rabies vaccine. She initially vomited right after injection. 2 months later at the sight of her injection her skin turned black and her hair fell out.

We took our 8 yr old yorkie poo in for his rabies shot, one day after he cant eat, diarrhea, vomiting for 2 days after, now 5 days after shot and he still can not eat, the vet put fluids under the skin and told us to give him pepsid and a diarrhea pill. Took ex rays and nothing showed up. They doubt its from the shot, but Rocko was healthy and full of life before the shot. We are scared, from the info on the web about side effects, we had no idea of the side effects and or death. We will never give the shot to him again, if he lives that is.

Death After Rabies Vaccine

My beloved, 14 year old indoor Persian cat had a reaction to 2 vaccines given together in 2000. She never had two shots together again, and she had an antihistamine before any shot, but I limited what vaccines she had. I wish she'd have had nothing further.

She had a 3 year rabies shot in 2006. She was due for a booster shot last August & I let the deadline pass. She had a great winter - eating like a champ.

After nearly a year away from any vet visits, I took her into a new vet for a check up on February 11, 2010. The vet assured me that they only used the Merial Purevax 1 year vaccine without the adjuvant that had been linked to sarcoma. Apart from sarcoma, I was mainly worried about any immediate reaction, but she did not have one - that day.

At the Feb. 11 appt., she had blood work, then a follow up urinalysis on Feb. 28. Everything was normal. Importantly, her bilirubin was negative.

By early March, she was putting her ears down slightly. Then she began eating less. She was losing weight and we could feel her backbone. I raced into the vet & they said she was refusing food because she was upset that we had just moved 10 miles. Absurd. She's lived in many places with us, including Germany. Her bilrubin was now 25. She was jaundiced. It turned out she had pancreatic cancer that was blocking her bile ducts. She never woke up from surgery.

Her name was Reesie G. She was a Tortie & her little tongue stuck out naturally. She was the most wonderful, loving, joyful pet. Like the most faithful dog, she ran to my husband when he came in the house & did rolls of happiness for us on the rug in front of the fireplace. We are devastated. I would do anything to go back to Feb. & not let them give her that vaccine. ReesieG, Mommy loves you. I pray I will be able to see you again in heaven, where I know you are.

To Whitney from Virgina,

I am soooo sorry for your loss!I have lost many pets over the years. And it sucks basically. It hurts and you feel like your heart will break when you breathe. I wish that I could say something to make you feel better, but there is nothing. It does get better though, I promise. It still hurts when I think of all the critters that I have loved and lost over the years. But, not like it used to. I love animals! No matter what they are. I have been where you are and I am very sorry. I have heard that the spirits of animals and children go straight to where they are supposed to be because they are inocent and without sin. So yes,your little furry one is in Kitty heaven. I truly believe in this.

We took our Welsh Corgi puppy in for his rabies vaccination when he was about 5 months old. Within a few hours his face swelled up like a balloon. He didn't seem to be in great distress but he looked awful. We had to put him on antihistamine and the swelling came down within a couple of hours. It was not a fun experience.

Reaction to rabies shot

I saw bruising on my dog and I thought she might have fallen. so to be safe I took her to vet to make sure she didn't injure herself inside. Turns out the shot cause her to have a problem with her blood (autoimmune) she is now being treated. i wish I would have known that this could have happen.