The comments below reflect the personal experiences and opinions of readers and do not represent medical advice or the views of this website. The information shared has not been evaluated by the FDA and is not intended to diagnose, treat, or prevent any disease or health condition. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional for medical concerns.
Combination Vaccines
Posted by Jennifer (Palm Springs, Ca) on 05/04/2018
My very healthy Zoe 8.5 years old went in for a blood panel & well check up, to give vet a basis for any future problems. Her blood count was 58 within the high normal range. Everything on panel was excellent. The vet at the time gave her a DA2PP vaccine. Two days later, she became listless, feverish and quit eating! She urinated outside I got a paper towel to see if she really peed, as she hadn't drank anything for two days. The paper towel was full of bright red blood! Omg! Brought her back to vet. He took her blood again and it was 18! She turned yellow in her mouth and ears. He gave her antibiotics and steroids suggested we feed her baby food with a syringe. This was a perfectly healthy dog before these vaccines. Took her to another vet in morning as she couldn't even walk by this time. She had her admitted to a VCA Emergency Hospital for a blood transfusion. But her body continued to destroy her own blood cells along with new blood. She passed away at 4am. Diagnosis was IMHA; which is common especially for the female cocker spaniel I find out now, after the fact. No one ever told me that. I would never have allowed the administration of a vaccine that would kill my baby girl. A law needs to be passed, vets should inform cocker owners of the possible threat, at least give the option to the owners. We ended paying approximately $5,000 in attempt to save her life, to no avail. We r so upset! She was a precious girl. I would rather deal with any disease than put her through that. She literally bled to death. She has a brother from her litter and never have been separated; he received same vaccines and had no reaction. But vet medical books are aware of this danger in all cockers, but especially a female. Be aware parents of cockers, this was deadly. Her brother is grieving with us. So sad. Hope this post will save someone else's baby.
Combination Vaccines
Posted by Erika (Plano, Tx) on 10/06/2013
I took my healthy vibrant loving five-year-old Chihuahua named peanut in for his vaccinations yesterday morning and nine hours later he was dead I am devastated and I never want anyone else to go through the pain that I'm going through right now.
I am so angry that he was healthy and fine and after he got his shots he died all I was doing was trying to care for my animal.
Combination Vaccines
Posted by Cheryl (Vancouver, Wa) on 12/27/2012
My 11 yr old shih tzu received the following vaccines on a tuesday - rabies, dhpp, and bordatella, along with a dex/depo shot for his itchiness due to allergies. this same vet diagnosed my baby with a heart murmur, and had him on lasix and elanapril, and was giving my dog a dex/depo shot app every 6 weeks.
2 days after getting all those shots at the same visit, my beloved dog died of congestive heart failure. since then, i have learned that the dex/depo shots were steroids, and that steroids should not be given to a dog with heart problems. i would like to know if the dex/depo shots caused him to die so suddenly or from receiving too many combo vaccines at the same visit. (i got my baby when he was 8 yrs old; the previous owner could not find his vaccination records, thats why my vet kept after me to get these shots. and also because i was planning on boarding him at this vets office over xmas, thats the reason the vet gave for giving him the bordatella along with the others. )
i am almost ready to get another dog; i have never been so heartbroken or so sad as i have been since losing my baby. we were inseperable, and i need another companion soon. i need to know if holistic practice is what i should seek for my new pup and if things would of turned out differently if i'd of done this with my pet that died. thank you for reading this; any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Combination Vaccines
Posted by Richard (Beaumont, Ca /usa) on 03/25/2012
I HAD a 7 year old English bulldog. She WAS very healthy and active. She was very active the day she had her 3 year DHPPC booster. She seemed a little sluggish that night. The vet instructions said she would experience some lethargy and lack of appetite. The following morning she was very sluggish. She ended up dying in my wife's arms before 8am. Beware what is being injected into your loved ones. I will never have a my dogs vaccinated again. Your pets rely on your judgement for their health.
Combination Vaccines
Posted by Ddbmom (Des Moines, Iowa ) on 12/12/2011
My bordeaux received Rabies vaccine along with the 3 in one vaccine in Feb. of 2011. She was diagnosed with Lymphoma in Sept. of 2011 and passed away in Dec. of 2011. I believe that she should not have received these vaccines especially after a surgery that she had the same day as the vaccines were given. She was on a grain free dog food along with fresh meat and veggies and not subjected to any pesticides. I think that her immune system was not able to handle all of the toxins that was given to her that day. She was 4 1/2 years old.
Combination Vaccines
Posted by Jryan0719 (Berlin, Ct) on 08/20/2011
Brought my 2 cats to Petco for their vaccinations. The next day Tiger who is normally very happy go lucky was limping and crying and him sore when we touched him. After rushing him to the er, xrays and blood work they thought he may have been hit by a car. The next day he was perfectly fine. One week after the shot we found him listless and seemingly paralyzed on one side. Again we rushed him to the vet. We told he had recently had vaccinations but they kept insisting it was not the cause of his problems. They said he had neurological damage. At the vet he seized, his hind legs went straight out and he was unable to control them. The vet gave him no hope so we put him down. How does a healthy 2 1/2 year cat go from perfectly healthy to dead in a week if it weren't from the shot?
Combination Vaccines
Posted by M.c.remya (Palakkad, India) on 07/12/2011
i have a similar querry too, My lab who was 5 years old was prone to vaccination on MAY 2nd 2011, DOC came home vaccinated it , but I don't understand how dump a person can be, as he injected my doggie with 2 vaccination at a time without our knowledge, 1) for rabies, 2) for skin infection, IMMEDIATELY after the vaccination, he left me on the other hand told him, thte dog had fever the previous night, so he even checked and told nathin is wrong now and he vaccinated it :(, after the it couldnt move, I had to carry the 65 kg animal all over even for natures call. Thy it never walked, I took it to vet thy gave us medicine, it lost its appetite, just kept on drinkin water, and finally on MAY 16th morning, it raised its head from the floor, slammed its head on both sides like how whales do in the ocean, we got scared, then ist toungue turned blue /ash and it dies, I really cannot take this out of mind pls anybody tell me what was teh reason for its pityful death , we couldnt save it than watchin it mercifully :(, pls help me , , , am haunted with its thoughts and guilt.
Combination Vaccines
Posted by 5 Pooches Home (Houston, Tx) on 03/10/2011
My chi died of vaccination side effects. It was obvious since the day she got vaccinated that something was wrong. She was vaccinated near her heart and NOT amazingly after that moment everytime I touched or picked her up she would cry or yell. I couldn't understand at first. I thought it wud go away. But nope it stayed like a dadly parasite lurking on my baby's body and waiting to finish her off. Finally 5 months later she had respiratory problem one night and then I got her X-Rayed and her heart was enlarged! I cried at the vet office. Then we did EKG and nothing (According to the other vet) was wrong but slightly abnormal. 1.5 months later her health deteriorated and she started losing weight despite good diet and she passed away after a slight stroke.
Plz. note that she had NO health problems until this vaccination. I shouldn't have got her vaccinated coz I know she would be alive today otherwise. She was my heart and soul and I clearly let her down and contributed to her death - killing her. So PLEASE other dog owners, once ur dog is vaccinated 1st year, NO NEED to revaccinate them.
I had adopted her from a shelter and she was with me for almost 5 yrs. In these 5 yrs, I gave her complete holistic care with 100% vegetarian homemade food and she thrived on it. Before when I adopted her her hair wud fall but not anymore. She ate lots of fruits and fresh veggies each day but its sad to say that of all things my stupidity and me going against my instinct and vaccinating her killed her. So plz. everyone as dog owners and dog lovers, say NO TO VACCINATIONS.
Combination Vaccines
Posted by Linda (Queen Creek, Az) on 12/09/2010
Michelle, we recently experienced the same thing with our 15 week old pup. When he received his second set of shots he was feeling well and was not eating a lot. Then about 3 weeks later he was better; and had put on 4 pounds. Our vet gave his third set of shots and then took blood and xrays of his hips because he was limping. The blood came back that his rbcs were low and wbcs high; so they put him on an antibotic.
Another week went by and I took him back to the vet to have a recheck on his blood work and he was back to being not perky, just laying around, could barely walk and I was feeding him daily with a spoon; but at least he got food in him. He was drinking and moving his bowels; which were soft. Our vet then put him on predinsone to kick up his rbcs and increase his appetite; but instead had the reverse effect, he didn't want to eat. The Predinsone did help increase his rbcs from the previous blood work and his wbcs went back to normal but then all of sudden his platletts drop; that was why she put him on predinsone.
Another week went by and he was no better, we finally took him into the vet again because on Saturday 12/4/10 I took him out and he did his potty and then fell over. I picked him up and call the vet right away. When we got to the vet she said, OMG he has a fever of 104.6 we need to put him on ice to get his temp down then she said, I am sorry but he will not make it through Sunday, we said what? What is wrong and she said, I have no idea, our little man was in pain when you touched him all of a sudden. We were then told she recommended we put him down to avoid his suffering.
We are still overwhelmed with this whole situation and still no answers. We paid $1200.00 US money to make him better and he died. I believe it was from his last set of vaccines that put his immune system in a spinal downturn. No one wants to be responsible, we CANNOT bring him back; but we did everything that we were told to do by the vet and we need closure as to why. Good luck on your journey of trying to find out, I wrote the manufacturer Merck; but I really am not expecting to hear back. Our little boy should have NOT died! Best of luck
EC: So very sorry to hear of your loss. May you find healing on your journey.
Combination Vaccines
Posted by Fredah (Ham Lake, Mn) on 08/21/2010
I had a 8 year old sheltie. She had continuous ear infections that were treated with steroids and antibiotics which made her comfortable for a week or two but the swelling, redness and pus from her ears never went away. The vet finally talked us into her having a ear canal ablation (removal of the ear drum) on her right ear. She was doing better and on her two week post surgery check up the vet gave the yearly shots to her. Two days later she was admitted to the University of MN hospital, placed in an oxygen kennel, IV's, and died 4 days later. She should never have received shots when her immune system was healing... The shots killed her. I currently have two shelties, they eat a raw diet, and only received their first baby shots. They will not get shots unless a titer test is done and the results are that it is necessary. I have read a comparison that by giving animals their yearly shots it is like giving humans their shots that are given their first year of life every year. It's sad to think that by trying to provide the best care for our fur babies we are slowly killing.
Combination Vaccines
Posted by James (Greer, South Carolina) on 08/14/2010
Vaccinations? do I let my cat go without it or with it. If they get rabies or distemper how long do they live. My cat was 1.5 years old and I took her to be vaccinated. My cat, the one good thing in my life I loved, died within 10 minutes from these vaccinations. Then I find out oh this happens sometime, thanks a lot for telling me that after the fact. These past few days have been the hardest of my life. So maybe one day rabies or distemper might have set in. But I know she would be here now if I hadn't have done it. She basically died for nothing and I'm having a really hard time with it. I'll never trust a vet again.
EC: So sorry for your loss, James.
Combination Vaccines
Posted by Petshack (Winnsboro, Sc, Usa) on 07/26/2010
I'm a breeder of Chihuahuas and have been giving my own shots for over 9 yrs and have never had a bad reaction until now. I gave my 3 litters of 8 week old puppies shots and 4 to my 15 week old. A puppy left me on Friday [ 6 days after shot} and was fine , went to vet & checked out fine next AM I get a call and puppy is about dead. They took to emergency vet and she tested positive for parvo I called emergency vet and told them I gave shot on the 25th and he was at vet day before and was fine could this be a reaction to the shot and could she test positive due to shot only 6 days earlier. She said no to all. Well against me begging the new owner & vet they put this puppy to sleep without trying to save. But now I knew I was in for it at my shop. . . Sat 6 days after shot all were good. Sunday 7th day first one showed signs. His eyes looked sad to me, I started on fluids & antibiotics then took to vet on Monday. After 5 days pup died, Monday had two more get sick. Under vets supervision I treated at home. Well did not stop there- every pup I gave the shot to got sick, and the signs were nothing like you hear about- no bloody stool, no smell , no diarrhea , and only 3 threw up. I kept a close eye on them and when I noticed their eyes look sad they were started on treatments. I saved 2 little 2lb babies and feel very lucky, I lost 7 and no 2 were alike as far as when or how they passed. I think two passed from heart failure, 2 just did not have the will to survive. The 2 that made it , took them 12 days to come around after laying down for that many days. I called the co. where shots were made and they made a report & have a case #. It was turned in to keep track of the vet there who also said "highly unlikely" and she took down all the symptoms etc from me. And asked did they run a fever. No not one did. My vet thinks I had bought a bad batch of shots and I feel the same. I just want other breeders NOT to buy the shots from the batch that I have. This was very heartbreaking and costly for me. Not sure if I can post the batch # here or the co. that made them. I will never give my puppies a 5-way CV again!
Combination Vaccines
Posted by Ann (London, England) on 04/14/2010
My cat died from vaccination side effects..there was nothing wrong with her before having them..4 days after getting the jab she died and was ill straight after the vaccination, went into a coma..in the wild they don't get vaccinations and live longer..we have cancer and heart disease in pets today which we never had before..it is mainly down to vaccinations..my friend's dog also died from cancer, she said because of jabs..we have too many today instead of treating with more remedies..the vets get alot of money for vaccinations..this is their main profit..I have a cat that is 14 and have had a jab and is like a kitten, and also 3 cats that are 12..I assure you they won't be getting any and they go out..
Combination Vaccines
Posted by Robert (Roswell, Ga 30076) on 02/21/2010
My female Airedale puppy 4 1/2 months old just died from Vaccine Induced Hemolytic Anemia the vet gave her the Galaxy DA2PPV CV in addition to Rabdomune. This was her 4 set of boosters Rabdomune rabies vaccine 12 days later she became sick and after 2 blood tranfusions prednisone cyclosporine she died. I'm a 59 year old male and I never had anything in life affect me so....I'm heart broken and haven't slept in 12-13 days.....I don't know if I'll recover....my health is now declining....maybe it's my time now.....I'm so sick!
Combination Vaccines
Posted by Elaine (Greencastle, Pa) on 02/14/2010
Deadly Vaccinations
It's been 2 1/2 years, but I still can not get over what happened to my precious cats. Here's my story.
On the evening of August 20, 2007 I took two of my cats in for their yearly FVRCP booster and Feline Leukemia booster. Within an hour after we returned home Rebel began vomitting and having breathing difficulties, and Levi began digging at himself and biting his paws. We called the after hours service as by this time the office was closed. The vet blew us off stating that it was the cats' nerves. Things were not better an hour or so later so we again called the vet and this time he agreed to see us. Upon seeing the two of them he agreed they were having some type of allergic reaction. He gave them both an antihistamine shot and steroid shot and sent us home with steroid pills to give them in the morning.
Levi got better within an hour or so of returning home, but Rebel did not. He vomitted and cried all night and labored for breath. I called the vet on the morning of August 21,2007 and they had me bring him in. The vet just said that it was taking longer to wear off and that they would keep him until evening and see how he was. Unfortunately, by evening he was no better. I asked if it could have been a bad batch of vaccines and was assured no because the vaccines were from highly reputable companies. The vet at this point also stated that something was affecting his nervous system and that this wasn't a typical vaccine reaction. He assured us that he would call the vaccine companies.
On the morning of August 22, 2007 I called to see how Rebel was doing he was rapidly declining. They just now had decided to give him IV fluids and do blood work. We could not understand why the delay in treatment. It seemed like it was a wait and see situation. I called back a few hours later and was told that he was in liver and kidney failure. The test also revealed that the phosphorous levels in his kidneys were high and that this could not have happened in such a short amount of time. The vet more or less insinuated that he was already sick before he received the vaccine, but that did not explain Levi's reaction. I even stated this to him again he just said he wasn't really sure.
After this phone conversation, I immediately left work and went to be with Rebel. When I got there he was just laying in the cage convulsing in pain and crying. His once bright pink tongue was now almost black. I knew then that he wasn't going to make it so I called my boyfriend to leave work. I couldn't even hold him one last time, even that hurt him too much.
At 12:45 P.M., Rebel began throwing up so I told my boyfriend to turn his head so he wouldn't choke. He stopped breathing, I ran out to get someone, who proceeded to take her good old time getting to him. I don't why she even bothered because all she did was put her hand on him and say yes there is no heartbeat. I know it was probably too late but a little effort may have been nice. She couldn't even bring herself to say she was sorry for our loss.
The office staff then called our vet because he was not even there when he died he was out on a farm call. Once he arrived, he half-heartedly apologized and asked if could do an autopsy. He then stated that he would call the vaccine company which he was supposed to have done the day before!
He did contact me that night by phone to tell me that he had done the initial part of the autopsy and that Rebel's kidneys were small, the liver was mottled, and that he had large amounts of blood in his colon which apparently is due to the immune system going into overdrive and causing the body to over clot blood. We have not heard from his since and don't know that we will. He was supposed to send samples from Rebel away for pathology tests but we were not even told how long it would take and in our state of grief and shock we didn't think to ask. We did finally get the results of the autopsy, several months later I might aid. The cause of death heart failure. I stated to the vet, that you mean the reaction caused his whole body and heart to shut down. All he could say was yes more or less.
I am blaming the vaccine companies for pushing these vaccines on animals that don't really need them and the veteranarians for not explaining the risks. I found much of this out too late through my own research. Rebel never went outside and neither was Levi so their risk to anything was minimal. I also can't understand why vets are giving more than one shot at a time. They would often say, "Well that way you only have to bring them one time". I thought I was giving them the best care possible, little did I know that it would kill one of them.
Levi seems to have fully recovered but I am concerned that there could be long term problems. My cats will no longer be receiving these booster shots. I will only do what is required by law, which in this state is a rabies shot every three years. We will also no longer use this vet or any of the other vets at their office because we really do not feel that Rebel received adequate care. Perhaps if the vet would have seen us the first time we called for help and not an hour and a half later, maybe it would have made a difference.
I apologize for the length of this e-mail. I tried to keep it as brief as possible without leaving out too much detail. Thank you for taking up this cause. Many people do not understand the bond with a pet and can not comprehend what someones goes through in situations like this.
Thank You,
Still Grieving in PA
