Side Effects of Pet Vaccines: A Closer Look

My 11 week old siberian husky received the 3rd round of the DHPP-C vaccine, after receiving the first two at 6 and 8 weeks respectively. She seemed a little lethargic after, but as that is common I thought nothing of it. A few hours later she had hidden under the deck and was wheezing. As soon as I was able to get her out I called the vet and arranged to bring her back in. It turned out she was having an allergic reaction to some component of the vaccine, and was bleeding into her lungs. Although the doctors at both the regular office as well as the specialty clinic worked with her for about 5 hours, due to the severity of her reaction and the critically low oxygenation levels throughout that time, she did not make it. I am now hesitant to give any of my pets anything more than what I am required to by law, even though I had never thought to question the recommended vs. required vaccines in the past.

I took my Yorkshire Terrier, Maggie, in to receive a parvo booster shot yesterday. Today she is depressed, lethargic, and is urinating a large amount of blood. She is two years old.

Parvo is usually a puppy ailment, I've only seen one adult dog with it and there might have been some question as to how old he really was.

my dog had his rabies and distemper shot and about two days later his stool has been abnormal several days. He is 10 years old and I recently met a woman that testified before congress about childhood vaccines. She thinks that his vet is over-vaccinating my dog.

Our cat (a little over 1 year old) received 2 vaccines, rabies and distemper and is very sluggish six days after--there are no other symptoms--cold, etc. This must be the drug--how do we counterract it?

My dog Ozzy a 6 month old Boston Terrier had his first Bordatella vaccine before being fixed. He has been very sick with flu like symptoms for 4 days now. He's been dry heaving, vomiting, and losing weight. He's just not himself. I honesty think it was the shot that contributed to these symptoms.

We purchased pet insurance for our 2 1/2 year old inside only cat. Part of the deal was to have a physical and update vaccinations. He had his first rabies (2 years) at 11months, and vet at the time said he didn't need anything else, since he was strictly inside and not exposed to any other cats. Jan. 15, took him to new vet, gave him rabies and FeLV, and FeUpper resp. even after I told them he did not need them. Here we are some 2 weeks later, 1 emergency trip and 1 overnight hospital stay, and 500 dollars later, I have a cat that has lost 3 lbs, will not drink, runs a temp of 104.5, and has completely transfromed from the spaz cat who loved to play, run, chase, and get into general mischief, into a cat that can barely walk, and wants to sleep all the time. drs. keep telling us the shots did not cause this. He has never been sick before, and now, nothing but sick since the shots. I will not be getting more shots for him. and only hope he can pull through. drs. diagnosis-fever of unknown orgin. ha ha....

I took my 7 week half pound toy poodle to the vet to get first set of shots on a Monday. They gave her an 8 and 1 shot and wormed her.By Monday night she was vomiting. She vomiting Tuesday night and by Wednesday I thought she was doing better just a little weak but walking around. Thursday night she was laying around not walking. I took her to the vet Friday morning. They gave her some fluids through the skin. I left her there through out the day. The vet said she was not doing well and there was nothing else he could do. I took her to another vet and he gave a blood transfusion and some antibiodics. she was doing better saturday then sunday she starting laying around again. Symtoms she was having not opening her eyes much, stiffing the neck back, stiffing legs out, and hissing at me. She was tested negative for porvo. I truly believe the shot killed her. I heard after the fact the vet should not have given this small of a dog a 8 and 1 shot. Is this true?

I've owned my horse for 6 years and last Spring he had what I consider to be a bad reaction to the first set of yearly vaccinations. I think that was tetanus, strangles, rhino and rabies. He was lethargic and walked away from me in the paddock for 3 days. This is a horse who's in my pockets and always following me around like a puppy. He's never reacted like this before. I wondered if any other horse owners have had similar experiences and know what to do to prevent this type of reaction. Since he's boarded, I have to vaccinate. A homeopathic clinician recommended giving 3UC of Thuja 3 days before, day of and 3 days after to reduce reaction. I haven't tried any homeopathics on him yet, but may consider it. Anyone have any experience with this remedy and animals?

My name is Kris Christine and my precious 6 year old yellow labrador retriever, Meadow, developed a malignant mast cell tumor directly on the site of his rabies shot 3 months after vaccination. After a long battle, he recently died when the cancer metasticized throughout his body.

In order to prevent dogs from being required by law to be redundantly vaccinated against rabies (1992 French challenge studies demonstrated a 5 year minimum duration of immunity and Dr. Ronald Schultz's serological studies from the University of Wisconsin proved 7 year minimum duration of immunity), I founded The Rabies Challenge Fund along with Dr. W. Jean Dodds.

Concurrent 5 and 7 year challenge studies, being conducted according to USDA vaccine licensing standards by Dr. Ronald Schultz, began at the University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine in November 2007. Veterinary vaccine manufacturers are not required by law to provide long-term duration of immunity studies in order to license their product, only studies that demonstrate that they confer immunity for the length of time indicated on the label. Thus, rabies vaccine manufacturers are allowed to license 3 year rabies vaccines as 1 year vaccines despite studies proving that the rabies vaccines confer a MINIMUM duration of immunity of 5 to 7 years.

For further information on the rabies vaccine and adverse reactions associated with it, please visit THE RABIES CHALLENGE FUND website at www.RabiesChallengeFund.org.

CHEYENNE, Wyoming Passes 3 Year Rabies Ordinance!!

It's official!!! On December 8, 2008, the Cheyenne City Council passed a 3 year rabies ordinance which included a medical exemption for sick animals -- thanks to the efforts of Wyoming dog owners, led by Karon Volk of Karontara Irish Wolfhounds, who initially raised concerns about the city's outdated annual booster protocol.

CHEYENNE ? City Eases Rabies Vaccine Rules Wyoming Tribune Eagle, Page A3, Tuesday, December 9, 2008 by Jodi Rogstad

The City's Dogs and Cats will No Longer Need to Get Rabies Shots Every Year. Pet owners now have the option to have their animal companions vaccinated once every three years. Monday, the Cheyenne City Council voted 8-2 to change the city's rabies vaccine ordinance.

Cheyenne City Council http://cheyenne.granicus.com/AgendaViewer.php?view_id=2&clip_id=57

9. ORDINANCE - 3RD READING - Amending Section 6.12.020, Rabies Tags, of Chapter 6.12, Dog and Cat Registration, and Section 6.16.020, Rabies Vaccination Required, of Chapter 6.16, Rabies Control, of Title 6, Animals, of the Code of the City of Cheyenne, Wyoming. (PUBLIC SERVICES COMMITTEE)

ACTION: Approved as amended by substitute



ARKANSAS Considers 3 Year Rabies Law

Health Department Discusses Change In Pet Vaccination Law The Morning News November 22, 2008 http://www.nwaonline.net/articles/2008/11/22/news/112308lrpetvaccinations.txt

"LITTLE ROCK -- Arkansas and Alabama are the only states that still require annual rabies vaccinations for dogs and cats, but that could change in the 2009 session."

What You Can Do to Help: Contact the Arkansas Legislature http://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/ and ask them to pass the 3 year rabies legislation when it is introduced and request that a medical exemption clause for sick animals be included.

WICHITA, Kansas Weighing 3 Year Rabies Ordinance

City Seeking Vets' Input on Rabies Wichita Eagle November 15, 2008 "The city of Wichita is asking area veterinarians if it should change its ordinance requiring dogs to be vaccinated yearly against rabies."

What You Can Do to Help: Give the Wichita City Council a call and ask them to adopt a 3 year protocol with a medical exemption clause for sick animals.

MISSISSIPPI and SOUTH CAROLINA 3 Year Rabies Laws

A number of pet owners in Mississippi and South Carolina have been under the mistaken impression that their states require annual rabies boosters. Both states have 3 year protocols.

MISSISSIPPI Rabies Laws (for questions about Mississippi's 3 year protocol, contact State Veterinarian, Mississippi State Veterinarian, Dr. Jim Watson 601-359-1170) http://www.mbah.state.ms.us/disease_programs/rabies/ms_rabies_laws.htm

All dogs and cats shall be vaccinated against rabies at three months of age, revaccinated one year later and every three years thereafter,using a rabies vaccine approved as providing a 3-year immunity.

SOUTH CAROLINA Rabies Control Title 47 SECTION 47-5-60 (for questions about the 3 year protocol in South Carolina, call State Veterinarian, Dr. Stephanie Cox 803-898-4042) Inoculation of pets; certificates and tags.

A pet owner must have his pet inoculated against rabies at a frequency to provide continuous protection of the pet from rabies using a vaccine approved by the department and licensed by the United States Department of Agriculture. Evidence of rabies inoculation is a certificate signed by a licensed veterinarian

TENNESSEE Rabies Laws

Tennessee dog owners have launched an effort requesting the state to consistently enforce the 3 year rabies immunization requirement set forth in Tennessee law Title 68 Chapter 8 tennessee.gov/sos/acts/103/pub/pc0765.pdf . The RabiesVaccinationChallengeinTN Yahoo Group they formed can be found at http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/RabiesVaccinationChallengeinTN/?v=1&t=search&ch=web&pub=groups&sec=group&slk=3 .


THE RABIES CHALLENGE FUND

The Rabies Challenge Fund earned the endorsements of canine celebrities, Rin Tin Tin and Benji http://www.RabiesChallengeFund.org , and Jan Rasmusen author of the national-award-winning health care book, Scared Poopless: The Straight Scoop on Dog Care, will send an autographed copy of her book for donations to The Rabies Challenge Fund above $500 http://www.dogs4dogs.com/truth4dogs.html .

November marks the one year anniversary since the concurrent 5 and 7 year challenge studies began at the University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine, and the fund has raised $166,778 of the $209,000 needed to fund the studies' second year budget.

PERMISSION IS GRANTED TO CROSS-POST

My 1 pound and half pound 9 week old baby Chihuahuas are due for their second round of shots and I am researching what is in the second round, what it is incubated in, what the possible side effects are, etc. If you have any information you can share with me, please email me at [email protected] and put puppies in the subject line please. I am really scared of vaccines, for people or animals. I had a dog that lived 21 years and she never had a Rabies vaccines, or anything past a second round of shots. I am really concerned about my little girls, they are so tiny. Advice is appreciated. Thanks.

My 1 year old bichon-poo was vaccinated on 1-4-08. He received a distermper/parvo/corona booster. He started getting very sleepy after the vaccinations. On 1-20 he was falling over and was diagnosed with narcolepsy. He can not stay away for more than 5 minutes at a time. He loses control of his back legs, falls to the floor and goes to sleep. Even out in the snow, he can't stay awake. He falls face first into the snow and sleeps.

I have a Minature, Dapple Dachund--her puppy shots were ok, but the boosters made her break out in lumps and have trouble breathing. It would take the vets office a full day just to get her shots in her a little at a time. Now we just don't let her get them, or take her out where she can contact distemper/parvo, etc.

Had I not found this forum I would have been lost as to what I should do. I just took my 8 month old kitten in for her original vaccinations so I can get her spayed and I will never take her back once this is all done. She's lethargic and irritable, very unlike her normal loving attitude. I have a 7 1/2 year old cat who hasn't had any shots since he was 3 years old and he never will again either. They are both inside cats so I really don't see a reason for any more vaccines especially if this is how they're going to react to them!

I didn't think it was possible, and I tend to trust science, but the parvo/kennel/distemper vaccination given to my 7 week old beagle puppy, has made her anemic. What was a healthy puppy is now likely to be intermittently sick for the rest of her lives. Vet didn't explain risks, or offer single-vaccine solutions.

I got my 8wk old kitten vaccinated yesterday (F3 Vac - Fort Dodge, FIV - Fort Dodge and Milbemax Allwormer). Before we had him vaccianted he was energetic, very affectionate and alert. Once we got home from the vet he went really quiet. Today he won't even let me pick him up without meowing, as if he is in pain. He never meowed before!! He can hardly open his eyes and looks very sick and lifeless. We are so worried about him. Since he had his shots he is a different, sick little kitten. We were only getting him vaccinated to protect him, but it has harmed him instead.. I feel terrible and wish we never took him there.