Side Effects of Pet Vaccines: A Closer Look

Both of my 5 month old germ. shep/chow puppies were spayed and vaccinated on Monday. I told the vets office no shots. The receptionist insisted that was the best thing because they had 6 cases of parvo the week prior. I agreed. Today (wednesday) One of our sweet gentle pups had to be taken in this morning for infection(?) and dehydration. She hasn't eaten since Sunday eveniing,drinking very little. She seems very disoriented. The other pup has been just fine. Vaccines???

My two pugs, ages 2 and 1.5 yrs. old rec'd Leptospirosis vaccines on 05-05-08. The younger pug exhibited no side effects, but after 3 hours, the 2 year old began scratching at his face, vomiting, having muscles twitches, the skin around his eyes swelled, and his lips swelled. Upon calling the vet, I administered 25 mg. of Benedryl orally. It took around 3 hours for the symptoms to dissipate to the point that he was able to sleep.

Hi. My 2 Year old Ragdoll kitty went in for her annual check up and feline shots. there were 3 shots she received. one was for Leukimia and one for Rabies and the other was a shot for feline cat fever. i dont remember the exact name of that shot. I got Shyla home after her shots and she started vomiting and then had diareah. i have had cats all my life. i am 50 years old. i have never experienced this before. i called the vet and the lady at the front desk told me she is having a alergic reaction and i need to give her some Benydril for kids ; they said one cc. i ran to the pharmacy and went home and gave it to her then she seemed to be okay. my gosh, they never warned me of side effects. i was a nervous wreck and i would not recommend these shots done all at once. the rabie shot i believe is what caused her to become ill. I hope anyone getting their animals shots look into what exactly they are giving them and to only have 1 shot at a time; if your cat doesnt go out; i wouldnt even risk the shot.

18 hrs after vaccination my 15yr old Westie is shaking and dissoriented walking around in to walls and falling over with no idea where she is.

This is not regarding a remedy, but about a bad side effect both of my dogs had after their yearly vaccinations (distemper and rabies). My female Rotwiler/cattle dog mis had two seizuers three days after receiving the immunizations. My 15 year old male australian shepherd began to bleed profusely from his nose.

I took my 12 wk old 9lb chi for his shots last Friday. He received, Bordetella, rabies and 6 in 1 distemper. 6 days later he woke me up at 3:30 in the morning whimpering, paranoid and sniffing and shooing things that weren't there. I waited until 8am when the vet opened and took him in....first I thought he ate something that didn't agree with him as he got a hold of a plate with a 1/2 eaten hamburger and some fried veggies....but the more I read the more I realize that he is having a very bad reaction to his shots. I specifically told them not to give all the shots at one time because of his size but they said it was fine....well no it is not...I had a perfectly beautiful and normal chi now I have a very paranoid hallucinating puppy that I don't know how to cure. I am giving him benadryl, some lact-something stickly liquid to absorb toxins, valuim and antibiotics...it's killing me to see him like this. If anyone can help please let me know.

My dog Thor is a healthy 10 lb.,4 yr old male neutered mini Rat Terrier. He has lived in Aberdeen, Scotland for 2 1/2 years, moved from Katy, Texas. He did not have any adverse reactions to any vaccines while living in the US but has had reactions the past two years to the multi boosters not rabies. He does not react right away but 6+ hours after wards. Last year I was out for our evening walk and thought he had been stung by a bee or got into a stinging nettle plant due to the swelling on his face. I contacted the vet and took him in after hours. he was given an injections and pills and improved by the next day. No other problems were noted. He had his multi annual injections on this Wednesday morning 11:00, at 8:00 pm his right eye started to swell up followed by the rest of his face and hives broke out on his body. I called the after hours care, spoke with a vet who told me what type of over the counter meds to use on Thor. This helped him, reduced swelling in his face and body so I did not take him in to the emergency clinic. The next morning his body was covered again with hives so we went to the vets. While waiting he vomited his breakfast, pacing continually. He got two injections one for tummy upset and one for reaction. I was also given Zantac Syrup 300ml, dosage 0.6 ml twice a day by mouth till his stomach settles and Piriton 4mg, dosage half a table twice a day till symptons are gone. The vet checked Thor's records and said he did not get the same brand injections as last year. I've checked Thor's records from the US but the brands aren't listed. I will be contacting my vets there to find out what they were so I can pass the information on to my vet here. the vet has recommended that Thor be given Piriton at least 24 hours before he gets his next annual injections to help reduce the reactions. Thor spent the rest of the day resting and sleeping. He looks better today but is not his normal self yet. Went for a walk this morning but he didn't seem to enjoy as he usually does. Looks like he has a few hives again, is pacing but my husband says he is so much better than before. I'll take his word for it as I see Thor all day and he doesn't. To reduce Thor's stress and me not getting bitten I now mix the liquid meds with peanut butter I don't have any problem with Thor taking them. I put his pills in a piece of cheese. the vet said it was okay to do this. I'm due to move back to the US next year and am hoping these problems will not follow us.

Hi I have a two year old Border Collie. When she got her 1st puppy shot she had a severe reation and took a week to recover. I didn't witness this but the breeder didn't want to send her until she had her seen by a vet. That was the conclusion. It was the 4 way puppy shot. At one when she recieved her rabies shot she lost her coat, not entirely but it was a weak coat, she lost weight as well. A homopathic vet wasn't surprised as she expeirienced this herself with her rabies shot.(hair loss). She is fine now and got back to normal, but I am very nervous about the next time she "needs" to get another rabies shot.

Our 4 months old great dane puppy has received the 5 in one vaccine at the age of 6 weeks at the breeder. Since, we have been batteling HOD and it has awaken his chronic diseases. In his case, HOD was vaccine related and not diet related. He is aggressive with other dogs and hyperactive. He is followed by a traditional and homeopathic veterinarian. We have been controlling the HOD with a low in protein raw diet with supplements (vitamin C, MSM, cod liver oil, probiotics). On the homeopathic side, he is treated with lachesis.

in may 2005 our 2 year old weim had a reaction to the lymes vaccine that caused her to have IMHA she was in emeregency for a good week with 3.5 blood transfusions and meds, imuran and pred. It was very hard on her and knowing any more vaccines or stress may cause it again. The cost was well over 7,000.00 to get her better, but I cannot put her through any more vaccines and risk her life again. Tiiters right now will be done, but if they ever come back low I am going to be at a loss as what to do because I am not going to do anymore vaccines. Right now we lost two other weims this winter due to vaccines . The vets answer for doing vaccines is to give high doses of pred and benedryl. This is not an acceptable answer. The high doses of pred in the one with imha had warts, or as also know as palamomoias which is also a form of cancer.

You asked for experiences concerning vacinnation side effects in pets. I had a very traumatic first hand experience that led to my dog's death within 10 days from the time a 5 in 1 booster was administered. It caused Canine Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia. I felt so guilty for agreeing to the shot - no one ever told me that this could be lethal in a dog. We spent nearly $4,000 trying to keep our poor puppy alive but he just kept on failing. We had to make the painful decision to put him down. Since then I tell everyone I know to do research on what these vaccines can do. My dog was a mixed breed - dobie, rottie & shepherd. I now have a four year old chocolate lab - he's had his initial puppy shots but I am very careful about the boosters - I have a vet that will do titering which is a bit more expensive but I feel it's safer to find out if a booster is really needed "on schedule". It's interesting today parents have to sign waivers for their children when vaccinated but vets aren't required to alert pet owners to the dangers..

six months ago our year old Dashchund had booster vaccinations for kennel cough, rabies, and combination vaccination for distemper etc. The next day she developed a huge lump at the vaccination spot that stayed for 3 weeks. The vet gave us anti-inflamitories. On April 2, 08 she had all her boosters for above vaccinations again. A few days later she got a rash all over her stomach that is still visible now and today just over 2 weeks later her neck is swelled and she has a lump on top of her head. Can this just be allergies? or something more serious. I hope we can manage without anymore shots, only kennel cough which is required for placing her in the kennel.

I have two Italian Greyhounds, sisters, 1 year 3 months. They had their dhtpp, rabies, and bordetella vaccines on Friday, April 11th. I have noticed a change in their personality as of Saturday.They have been sleeping almost all day long.They get up to move to another position and pass out again. Saturday my blue IG had an accident in her bed, which she never does. Then Sunday night she had diarrhea all over her crate and all over her. The eating habits have not changed. She does seem a bit dehydrated. I haven't seen her drink much. My fawn is just sleeping and does not seem to want to play like usual. Any advice?? Let me also say that my blue had broken her leg 7 weeks ago and had to under go surgery to have two plates in her front right leg. Could she have not been well enough to get her vaccines???? This is all very upsetting. They are like my children and I hate to see them in any kind of distress.

Duramune Max 5 and Canine CoronaVirus Vaccine for my 9 week old Aussie male. He had a terrible reation which lead to a steroid shot and pills. He has a swollen face poor little thing. I am worried?

Beardsley is a two year old Miki; mix of Maltese, Papillon and Japanese Chin. My vet mentioned that about six weeks after the injection some of the small dogs loose the hair at the site of injection. Instead, five weeks after the injection Beardsley has developed an autoimmune neurological disorder, White Shaker Syndrome. He has fairly violent full body tremors. Steroids are slowing them down, but I have yet to see if the steroids will put him into a full remission and there is a possibility of relapse under stress or with annual vaccinations for the rest of his life. A holistic vet tells me it is possible to get a waver for the rabies vaccine with a neurological disorder. It seems a bit late, but perhaps he will gain a full remission and become himself again. His former animated self is under the bed the majority of the time and quivering uncontrollably, especially with noises like the phone ringing. I did this so he could go to an obedience class, that he can not now attend. Ironic, eh?! -Dee L.