HELP! My puppy had a vaccine reaction

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.

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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.

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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..

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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.

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.