HELP! My puppy had a vaccine reaction

[greenthumb3]

I have a baby miniature schnauzer. She was born in June. At 6 weeks, she had the DA2PPv, then the DAPP a month later. She appeared to have no reactions to those.

Then, a month later (this week), she was given three vaccines: DAPP, Corona virus, and Leptospirosis 4-way. On the way home from the vet, she started whining very high pitched and I could tell something was wrong. She vomited and then just lay in her crate. I phoned the vet and he said to bring her back right away.

The vet confirmed that she had a reaction to the vaccines given to her and they then gave her Dexamethasone and Diphenhydramine. I know one was like Benadryl and the other was like a steroid, for swelling. She slept most of today, kept rubbing her head all over the ground whenever she was out of the pen, and vomited once more in the morning. Tonight has been covering her ears?head? with her paws and rubbing at her head.

The vet said that for her next appt., in 3 weeks, I can give her a small dose of Benadryl prior to coming in for her next set of shots. I am scared what will happen next time!

I want to give her some homeopathy to help her deal with the pain, anxiety and inflammation from her vaccine reaction. Any suggestions? Please?

Must I vaccinate her? Which illnesses are most common (I heard parvo for puppies is important, per the breeder, who did not vax and then had two of her dogs get it and it was terrible for those dogs). I know Rabies is the law in my state.

I've perused a few links, but am hoping for more specific suggestions or decisions some of you more experienced dog owners have made, in terms of holistic care for your pets.

TIA!!

[lifeguard]

The rubbing her head on the ground & with her paws is itchiness. It's how my pup reacts with her allergies. Benadryl can help with itchiness but double check with your vet for dosage.

[greenthumb3]

Oh, apparently, I can report the reaction to the USDA Biologics hotline. (The number for the hotline is given at the very bottom of the page)

[mesa]

I only vaccinate for parvo, distemper, and rabies. I would not give any more combo vaccines if I were you. Read this site. http://www.doglogic.com/vaccination.htm

In a nutshell, we vaccinate for Parvo and Distemper at 9-10 weeks, 14 weeks, at 16-18 weeks, and once more at 12 months. That's it. no more shots, ever again. You can run titers once a year to test immunity, but you shouldn't have to vaccinate anymore after the puppy series.

[Ola_]

Oh my goodness, how scary! Personally I would not give any more combo vaccines ever. Also, at this point your puppy has had a number of parvo vaccines so I doubt you need any more. If it were me I would be doing the rabies vaccine only and watch for reactions closely (once you get one it is more likely that she will have them for future vaccines).

Will your state accept the 3 year rabies? If so, I'd definitely find a vet who carries it (it's basically the same thing as the 1 year vaccine but it's been "rated" differently as I understand it). Also, consider having your vet write an exemption letter due to the reaction she had.

[Oubliette8]

I vaccinate using the AAHA Guidelines as a guide. You can read them here- http://www.aahanet.org/PublicDocumen...s06Revised.pdf

Lepto is particularly known for causing adverse reactions in small breed dogs. Depending on where you live and what activities you do with your dog, you may choose not to give it at all. I have a small breed dog, and do choose to vaccinate for Lepto due to our location, her love of drinking from puddles, and the fact that we often go hiking. I give the Lepto separately from her other vaccines though, and we remain at the vets office for a short time afterward to be sure there is no reaction. I also time her appointments so that I can watch her for the rest of the day.

Given your pups reaction, I might choose not to give the Lepto at all. I would also skip coronavirus, mostly because its basically useless. We do not do Lyme disease either and only give bordatella when it is necessary to board her.

To lessen the chance of a reaction in the future, you can choose to give only single vaccines- no combo shots. And space those vaccines out (ie, go in for only one shot, and come back in a week or two for the next different shot) You can also only give vaccines you feel are truly necessary. Legally, the only vaccine you have to give is rabies, although it may be hard to board an unvaccinated dog, or get dog park memberships etc. You can also talk to your vet about writing your dog an exemption based on her past reaction. It depends on the vet as to whether they will be willing or not.

Quite frankly, I had a ferret go into anaphylaxis after vaccinations, after which I chose never to vaccinate him again, regardless of the law. Of course, as a strictly indoor pet, he was not at particular risk for catching much of anything. In my case, I only made an exception for the one animal, the others continued to be vaccinated.

I would do some heavy research into this before making your decision. Be aware that your puppy may not yet be protected from those things which she has recieved some shots for- the reason they give them in a series is that before the mother's immunity wears off, shots are fairly useless. But we can't tell for sure in every dog exactly WHEN that immunity will wear off, so a series is more likely to ensure your dog is fully protected by not leaving a wide window of possible unprotection. If your dogs maternal immunity is long lasting (and you just can't know) she may really need the last shot to have immunity. So its important to research what vaccines you think are critical, if any, and weigh them against the possibility of reaction.

[Nicole915]

Very good advice upthread. I would add only that premedicating with benadryl usually takes care of any issue. Often puppies will have a reaction, and then as adults have no issues, but every patient is different.

As for writing an exemption, at least where I practice there is no way to become legally exempt from giving a rabies vaccine.

In the future, you can have titers drawn to assess immunity, and only vax for what is truly needed.

Good luck with your miniature schnauzer! Mine is snuggling next to me as I type, they are great little dogs.

(I'm not your vet, and this isn't medical advice)

[greenthumb3]

Originally Posted by Nicole915

Very good advice upthread. I would add only that premedicating with benadryl usually takes care of any issue. Often puppies will have a reaction, and then as adults have no issues, but every patient is different.

As for writing an exemption, at least where I practice there is no way to become legally exempt from giving a rabies vaccine.

In the future, you can have titers drawn to assess immunity, and only vax for what is truly needed.

Good luck with your miniature schnauzer! Mine is snuggling next to me as I type, they are great little dogs.

(I'm not your vet, and this isn't medical advice)

Nice to "meet" another owner of a miniature schnauzer.

Good to know about titers, I had heard it's more common now to test for what they need and vax as needed.

[greenthumb3]

Thnx everyone!
So, apparently, there is a core set of vaccines to give a puppy? Parvo, distemper and rabies being the most important? Is that correct?

[theretohere]

Originally Posted by greenthumb3

Thnx everyone!
So, apparently, there is a core set of vaccines to give a puppy? Parvo, distemper and rabies being the most important? Is that correct?

Correct. How's puppy doing?

[Nicole915]

Yup, those are the three vital ones. In your situation, I would probably pre-med at home with benadryl (your DVM can give you the dose) and just expect a slightly sleepy puppy. You can also wait until you get to the vet, where they will give an injection and then you'll just have to wait around for a bit while it takes hold.

[SubliminalDarkness]

I don't know if you board your dogs ever(we do when we go on vacation), but I think you'll be hard pressed to board your dogs at all unless they're fully vaccinated. The boarders just can't take a risk of your dog making other dogs sick.

[mesa]

I don't board my dogs. I find that if I'm in need of care (which isn't that often, actually...he usually goes with us everywhere) I can hire a pet sitter to come to my house. Austin's happy (there really is no place like home for him) I'm happy...and no unnecessary shots

[mysticmomma]

We only vaccinate for rabies, because in our county the dog will be destroyed if it bites someone without proof of rabies vax.

[greenthumb3]

Originally Posted by theretohere

Correct. How's puppy doing?

Thanks for asking...she seems to be doing fine, no other strange symptoms have popped up since her vet visit last week. Thank goodness!

[greenthumb3]

Originally Posted by mysticmomma

We only vaccinate for rabies, because in our county the dog will be destroyed if it bites someone without proof of rabies vax.

Wow. That's some serious stuff in your county!
The law in my state is that dogs, cats and ferrets must have the rabies vaccine every three years. I guess the immunity wears off after 3 years and to be "safe" a booster is recommended.

[greenthumb3]

Originally Posted by mesa

I don't board my dogs. I find that if I'm in need of care (which isn't that often, actually...he usually goes with us everywhere) I can hire a pet sitter to come to my house. Austin's happy (there really is no place like home for him) I'm happy...and no unnecessary shots

I see no reason for us to have the Bordetella shot for this same reason; I hire someone to watch my cat, and I can have them watch the dog, too, when I need it.

[greenthumb3]

Originally Posted by Oubliette8

To lessen the chance of a reaction in the future, you can choose to give only single vaccines- no combo shots. And space those vaccines out (ie, go in for only one shot, and come back in a week or two for the next different shot) You can also only give vaccines you feel are truly necessary. Legally, the only vaccine you have to give is rabies, although it may be hard to board an unvaccinated dog, or get dog park memberships etc. You can also talk to your vet about writing your dog an exemption based on her past reaction. It depends on the vet as to whether they will be willing or not.

Okay, so how supportive was your vet about this? I hope mine will be helpful, but I admit I am nervous a bit as I don't want to rub his ego the wrong way and have to be a "bad" dog owner and be pushy about this

I also bought the veterinary's annual puppy plan to save money on the vaccines and the spay my puppy will have done later, so I wonder how a selective vaccine schedule fits into that, too. (Rebates for having less vaccines would be nice...hopefully they'll agree to the revised schedule/selective vaccines or I might have to see if I have to pay a penalty for "breaking the contract" with them. sheesh.) I will have to ask about all these details, but it's important enough to me to avoid anything severe from happening simply b/c of too many shots, some unnecessary for our dog..

[mesa]

Originally Posted by greenthumb3

Okay, so how supportive was your vet about this? I hope mine will be helpful, but I admit I am nervous a bit as I don't want to rub his ego the wrong way and have to be a "bad" dog owner and be pushy about this

I also bought the veterinary's annual puppy plan to save money on the vaccines and the spay my puppy will have done later, so I wonder how a selective vaccine schedule fits into that, too. (Rebates for having less vaccines would be nice...hopefully they'll agree to the revised schedule/selective vaccines or I might have to see if I have to pay a penalty for "breaking the contract" with them. sheesh.) I will have to ask about all these details, but it's important enough to me to avoid anything severe from happening simply b/c of too many shots, some unnecessary for our dog..

honestly, I bought the vaccines myself and did them. My vet didn't even have the single vaccines in stock, and he wasn't willing to order them, either. This was a couple of years ago, though, and in a small town, so hopefully things have changed since then.

I know the limited vaccine thing is catching on in a big way, so hopefully more vets are willing to do it. As for them giving you a hard time, just remember, you guys are supposed to be partners...and your vet should listen to you and take your concerns seriously. If he doesn't, you should find another vet.

[Oubliette8]

My vet is generally willing to order vaccines for me, and does things my way, usually I explain my reasoning and he explains his, and we come to an agreement- by that I mean, if he has a good point I haven't heard, I take it into consideration, things like prevalence of certain diseases in our area for instance. If he cites research, I might ask him more about it, find out if its more up to date than mine, and ask for a copy to read. But, my vet and I have a pretty unusual relationship. I've known him since he was a high school kid cleaning kennels, and he knows I know what I'm talking about. He also lets me watch procedures and such that they generally discourage owners from being present for. He is very traditional and main stream, I've considered going to a more holistic vet, but he's so good about respecting my opinions and letting me be involved that I stay with him. I know when we switched to the AAHA guidelines, they asked for a copy for instance, instead of writing it off.

One tip- don't take the vet techs or receptionists word for it. The ones at my vets office are always trying to talk me into conventional things, and while they may see alot of stuff, I feel the vet has the most current information and has generally heard more perspectives. They've also told me I can't be present for surgery when the vet says no problem, and once told me I couldn't observe a crucial ultrasound on my dying dog when I had rushed over to be there for it (the vet heard me arrive and ushered me straight in). I'm not saying there aren't knowledgeable vet techs, assistants and receptionists, there certainly are. I'm saying that first its good to have several opinions, and that in the vets practice, his word is generally final, so even though "most" people are discouraged from something, if you want the final say, ask the vet.