Side Effects of Pet Vaccines: A Closer Look

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 Henry (Forked River, NJ) on 06/28/2009

Our 9 year old Westie was given her yearly DHP, Lyme & Leptospirosis vacc. Friday since then she has been very Lethargy sitting around like she is on drugs.had to take water to her and hand feed her.Checking my past records I found that the DHP Vacc.was previously a 1 year vacc.the one given was a 3 year vacc.When I called Vet.they said to give her baby aspirin and call Monday to let them know how she is.Has anyone experience this problem???

this vet is new as previous vet moved I think she was given too many Vacc. at once.


Combination Vaccines
Posted by Kindlerenz (Columbia, SC USA) on 06/24/2009

We took our 6 month old Beagle mix puppy in for his shots, including heartworm vaccine. I had a bad feeling going in and actually asked the vet how often an animal has a reaction to thes shots, and he pretty much laughed it off. As I was waiting in line to pay the bill the puppy suddenly lost his bowels, vomited several times and collapsed limp on the floor. The nurse rushed him into the back room and did not let me follow. They were shaving spots all over him, frantically looking for a vein that would allow them to inject antihistamine and fluids but he had almost completely lost all blood pressure. The doctor's were able to save his life through heroic efforts and did not charge us. The puppy had another reaction a week later but pulled through. He is now 6 years old and doing fine but has frequent stomach aches even with food for sensitive stomachs and an intermittent limp in the leg that was injected.


Combination Vaccines
Posted by LINDA NIKANDER (HERNANDO BEACH, FLORIDA) on 06/17/2009

I HAVE A 6 POUND 4 YR. OLD YORKI.

HE HAS GOTTEN HIS LAST 2 YEARLY VACCINATIONS AT A LOCAL "_____" - (DISCOUNTED SHOTS)
HE HAS BECOME SEVERLY ILL GETTING HIS SHOTS THERE.
1ST TIME COULD HAVE BEEN A ONE TIME INCIDENT,

IS THERE ANYTHING I CAN DO IN THE UPCOMING YEARS TO AVOID THESE REACTIONS.

COULD IT HAVE BEEN AN OVERDOSE ?

I SENT A FRIEND THERE WITH 2 AVERAGE SIZE CHIHUAHUAS. BOTH OF THEM HAD SEVERE REACTIONS, SWELLING OF FACE AND EYES WITHIN 1 HR. OF INJECTIONS.

HAVE YOU HEARD OF OTHER COMPLAINTS AS THIS ?

THANK YOU, LINDA


Combination Vaccines
Posted by Susan (Memphis, Tn USA) on 06/13/2009

I took my Bichon Frise in for his yearly vaccinations 2 days ago and now he is crying all the time and acts like he can barely walk. He has eaten very little and has not been to the bathroom. How many days should this last? I do not recall this reaction in the past. He is 3 years old.


Combination Vaccines
Posted by Kacy (Granite Bay, California) on 06/09/2009

Feline Vaccine reaction:

My Ragdoll cat received the last in a series of kitten vaccines (others were given by breeder as she was now 4 months old), we stopped by a friends house on the way home and I left the Rebekah in her crate in the garage. When I returned to check on her 10 minutes later she had vomit all over the floor of the crate and her eyes were dialated and she seemed dioriented. We rushed back to the vet who was now closed, so on to emergency. The vet there really could not see anything wrong with Rebekah. Less than 90 seconds later, Rebekah projectial vomited across the room and his comment was "OH I guess there is something wrong!" DAH He administered a shot to counteract the last one. She has NEVER had another vaccine (she is strickly an inside cat). She is now 10 years old and PERFECTLY healthy. She has only been back to the vet ONE time in her life and that was for a UTI-urinary tract infection-my fault for not cleaning water bowls often enough.
Kacy


Combination Vaccines
Posted by Margaret (Barry, Texas) on 06/06/2009

I gave my min pin his second shot today and now he is swollen in his face and he has red rings all over his stomach,what do I do I never had this happen I always vaccinate all my pups.


Combination Vaccines
Posted by Nicole (Peabody, MA) on 06/04/2009

My dog is having side effects from the Lyme Booster Shot.. anyone else experiance this?

I took my 4year old MIN PIN (7pds and very active) Diamond, for her LYME BOOSTER SHOT yesterday. After her shot she was tired, but i thought that was normal. Around 6pm that night I noticed a golf sized bump on her lower back, where thet gave the shot. Also she was acting very lazy. This was strange and i called the vet. i was told to give her 1 "81mg" asprin and call the next day. My dog has this shot last year, and i didn't notice any side effects. All night she was extreemly tired, and lazy. Acting sick. The next day i saw the bump still, also she was not acting like herself. she wast excied for food, treats and she laided in bed all day. when i tried to take her outside she collapsed and ran back in to lay down. she will not sit near anyone and is acting hurt. i gave her another asprin and called the vet. i went in for a visit and they said she was having a bad reaction to the lyme booster. they gave me a liquid medican to give her once a day for 4 days and they said she will get better. now im homw with her and she is still acting so strange, im scared. she is sitting in her bed with her eyes shut facing the wall. she wont play or sit with me on the couch. let me know if you have experinced this.. i need hope that she will get better.. thank you


Combination Vaccines
Posted by Marion (Crowville, Louisiana) on 05/31/2009

side effects after booster dhpp shot

even though the vet knew about my dog being allergic she said it would been ok to give him the booster. She did give him another shot first to prevent him from swelling like he did last year. Still he got the shot at 10 am. By 6 pm that night he swell on and had a skin rash. of curse the vet was closed and i didn't received a call from the emergency number until 9:30 pm. The shot was friday. now it's sunday and the dog still has a skin rash what i treat with benadryl.

The dog is a chewweenie, 3 years old and 17 pounds heavy.


Combination Vaccines
Posted by Susan (Orlando, FL) on 05/28/2009

We recently adopted a puppy from the Humane Society. We visted with him several times before choosing him as the one. He was healthy, happy, energetic, playful, eager to please. He was simply a joy to be around. Of course, when you adopt from a shelter, the pets have to be spayed or nuetered and receive vaccinations. This was done on Tuesday. We picked him up on Thursday. He was a completely different puppy! He was very lethargic and coughing. The clinic tech said he was tired because he had just woke him up. He had no idea that he was very ill. We took him to our vet that evening. He was diagnosed with kennel cough and given antibiotics (an injection & pills). I treated him with aromatherapy as well. He seemed to improve slightly over the next two days. By Monday he was relapsing. Tuesday I called our vet. Since he couldn't be seen until Wednesday morning, we called the Humane Society and they had us bring him in. They administered a shot of penicillin and gave us different antibiotics. My husband didn't like the look the vet and tech shared when they listened to his chest. That was at 3:00 pm. At 5:00am, we had to rush him to the emergency clinic. He was stumbling, bumping into things and urinating uncontrollably. The clinic put him on oxygen for an hour (they close at 7:00 am). Then we went back to our vet. They administered IV antibiotics & fluids. He passed away that evening. I feel western veterinary medicine killed this wonderful creature.

EC: Dear Susan, so sorry to hear about your puppy. How sad.


Combination Vaccines
Posted by Cathryn (Marietta, Georgia) on 05/19/2009

Allergic Reaction to Vaccination of Corona First Vaccine for Puppies:

I rescued a male, yellow labrador retriever, 8 months old, and took him to our veterinarian of 20+ years. He was examined and given a Corona First Vaccine. On our way home, his "lips" began to swell up and he looked fat cheeked. So I immediately called back to the vet and returned to get it taken care of. He was given a shot to reduce the swelling and his medical record was to indicate his allergic reaction to the Corona.


Combination Vaccines
Posted by Nolan (Port Richey, Florida) on 05/18/2009

I have a female pug that is now 9 years old and very healthy. About 4 years ago, she developed a rash and itching as a result of her "yearly" shots. She was given a steroid shot and was ok after that. I now give her some benadryl before taking her for her shots, and we have not had any reactions since. We will get her shots this year, but this is the first time in 4 years. After reading the info on the lifespan of rabies innoculations, I am comfortable with this schedule.


Combination Vaccines
Posted by Mimi (Brooklyn, NY) on 05/13/2009

Side-effects from vaccination

I took my 8 month-old Siamese kitten to get tested for FIV Friday of last week (5/8) and while we were there, she was given both her rabies vaccine and the first of the shots for feline leukemia. When we got home she was acting fairly normal, but the next morning we found her huddled in a corner, shaking and unkempt (her feet were covered in litter). We cleaned her off and tried to comfort her, but she was acting very paranoid and jumpy. It is Wednesday now (5/13) and while she's shown marked improvement, her behavior is still far from normal. I'm fairly beside myself--prior to getting her vaccinated, she was absolutely the most cheerful, engaged, talkative and loving cat I'd ever met. Now she seems distant, lethargic, impatient and when I look in her eyes, I no longer feel like she is looking back at me. I feel just horrible for allowing this to happen.

I started her on Thuja a couple days ago, but haven't seen much of a difference in her behavior--maybe I started it too late? I called the vet, but am hesitant to bring her in as she is still eating and drinking normally, and I don't want to scar her further. She seems to be running a low-grade fever from time-to-time so I think I will make her an appointment. If anyone else has any suggestions or similar stories, I would be eternally grateful if you emailed me, I'm at a loss about what to do.

I should note that one of my two other cats--both of them are American shorthairs--was also vaccinated at the same time and her behavior has been normal. Still, I don't think I'll be getting them any more vaccinations in the future--they are all disease free and only go outside when I'm supervising them. It's just not worth the pain and fear it causes them, or the heartbreak it has caused me.


Combination Vaccines
Posted by Jenniebcmb (Mount Holly, NJ) on 05/07/2009

I was given a tabby kitten almost 3 years ago this fall. She was born outside, so I wasn't sure what she had come in contact with so she was given rabies, FELV, and distemper; maybe something else, but I cannot remember. She was taken back the next year and received the booster for distemper and 3 yr. rabies. She is due this month for distemper, 3rd year. I have been debating on whether I should take her. When she was given all the shots the first time, I thought she was going to die. She laid in bed with me all night. She could barely move, she was burning up and wouldn't eat or drink. This was all the same day. The next day, she was fine. But the shots made her very ill.


Combination Vaccines
Posted by Pia (Fayetteville, GA, USA) on 04/28/2009

Possible reaction to yearly vaccination.

Our sweet Sapphie, a beautiful weimerarner started swelling up like a balloon a couple of days ago. It was so bad she looked disfigued. She also started throwing up. We thought she might be having an allergic reaction to a bee sting or even a snake bite. Went to the vet. They gave her sterioids which made her throw up again, all this after giving her a shot of an anti-inflamatory. Since weim have such a delicate stomach, we decided to stop the steriods. She did get a little better.

So the vet put her on Benadryl. As she was acting nuts, drinking wo much water she had to pee every 30 minuts (no exageration,) the vet change her to Chlortrimetron. This was after this morning her face and ears where swelling up again and her coat, which is smooth, was showing bumps and patches all through out her body. Needless to say, I was totally freeked out!!

So know the vet thinks she might be having a delayed reaction to her yearly shots. Has anybody experienced something like this with their pet: extremely swollen face, vomiting, hives through out the body?

Any and all help would be greatly appreciated.


Combination Vaccines
Posted by Liz (Manitoba, Canada) on 04/26/2009

Distemper, Rabies, Vaccine

Five days ago we brought our 13 year old schnoodle in for his shots. Two days later he was shivering terribly and became extremely hypersenstive to touch. The vet did blood work and examined him but could find nothing. We took him home and he got worse, over the next two days he became blind and deaf, his gate became more and more staggered, we could not touch him or he went absolutely berserk, squealing and snarling and biting. He kept pacing the house. He paced all night long, for over 14 hours until the vet arrived and we had him put down. I can't even express how mad I am. Even now the vets are saying he must have had a brain tumor, that they have never heard of side effects from vaccination. Well I have had a dog who had a brain tumor and it doesn't come on suddenly like this. I know it was the vaccine. He was the sweetest little dog for 13 years and didn't deserve this.



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