Vaccination Side Effects
Natural Remedies

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 Sue (Lenham, Kent, England) on 03/12/2010

Vaccination Side Effects

Our beautiful and well loved Doberman, Benson, had his annual health check and booster (Vanguard) on 11th September 2009 and after two weeks developed lumps which turned out to be Lymphoma. We sadly put him to sleep in January 2010. There was no sign of any lumps prior to his booster and he was an active healthy dog prior to this and after reading articles about annual vaccinations and their side effects it saddens us even further that the booster may have triggered the illness. We have therefore decided that we will not continue with annual boosters for our other dog.


Combination Vaccines
Posted by Lisac (Plainfield, Illinois) on 03/01/2010

I took my senior cat Riley in for routine exam and vaccinations. He is 15 yrs old and had not been vaccinated in a few yrs. After bringing him home, he seemed a little off (sleeping, lethargic, uninterested in play, food, treats). This has happened to my cats previously, but they always come around in a day or so. This time, Riley continued to be lethargic and would stare at the floor. He would also itch and lick his paws. His appetite did come back. A few days later, I noticed that he fell to one side in my kitchen. I picked him up and sat on the couch. In a few minutes, he seemed to get his bearings and was ok. He had a few more "episodes" over the next several days. I called the vet because I thought it may be an adverse reaction to the rabies vaccine. My husband thought I was overreacting, so I tried not to make too much of it. Thought Riley would get better on his own. Two weeks after the vaccination he was not getting any better so I took him back to the vet. A CBC was done and found that Riley is now slightly anemic (his blood work before the shot was perfectly fine) . Vet feels Riley's immune system may be haywire causing an auto-immune issue (something like IMHA). Vet put him on prednisone tabs to counteract the symptoms. Riley seems to be getting better, no stumbling or balance issues for two days now. He has continued to itch like crazy and licks his paws often. This is something that he did not do before the vaccine. I have another cat at home and will never get her vaccinated after seeing what it caused with my Riley. Have you heard of this before? Do you know what I can do to treat the itching and paw licking or is this a condition Riley may have for the rest of his life.


Combination Vaccines
Posted by Delilah (Long Valley, New Jersey) on 02/26/2010

Looking for detoxification from reaction to puppy vaccines caused head tilt and weakness in hips in 9 week old English Mastiff, checked for neurological and ventricular problems. Any suggestions?

EC: The first page of the vaccination side effects page has detoxification advice here: https://www.earthclinic.com/pets/vaccination_side_effects.html


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 Petshack (Winnsboro, Sc, Usa) on 07/26/2010

Oh I'm so sorry to hear about your dog. These were the same type of shots that I used on my puppies that all got sick Galaxy DA2PPv CV


Combination Vaccines
Posted by Debbie (Ithaca, New York) on 02/17/2010

mini pinscher pup quit breathing after routine vaccinations


Combination Vaccines
Posted by Elizabeth (Houston, Texas) on 02/17/2010

Re: injection site sarcoma

My dog had surgery last week for a tumor and the report came back today. She had an aggressive sarcoma. It is on her shoulder. The vet wanted to know if she'd ever been vaccinated there. Yes, the last time she was vaccinated, that's where the vet did it. This is the only time a vet has ever vaccinated one of my dogs on the shoulder, and it will be the last.

The vet was pretty certain that he had removed it all, but let's face it, it can and probably will come back.


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


Combination Vaccines
Posted by Therese (Austin, Tx) on 02/11/2010

I wish I had found this site and done research about vaccinosis before I lost my beautiful lab. He developed huge tumors at the site (neck) 2 weeks after the vaccinations. My backward vet said he had never seen cancer cells like those and that was that. I no longer vaccinate any of my pets except required rabies (Texas finally agreed to 3-yr period.) They have more than enough titers! We have 1 holistic vet in the area.


Seizures
Posted by Katie (Houston, Texas) on 01/25/2010

My pekingese pup is just barely six months old and received her corona virus vaccine and her lime vaccine this past Saturday, 01/23/10. This evening at 5pm my pup went into a seizure. I think the timing is pretty weird that now that this has happened. Is there any side effects and/or reasoning that now the seizures have begun. A lot like autism in childrens vaccines,,,is there a possiblity this is now happening to my puppy?

EC: There are a few other reader posts in this section linking vaccinations to their dog's seizures, unfortunately.


Combination Vaccines
Posted by Karrie (Arandis , Namibia) on 01/24/2010

I have a 5 year old Jack Russell whom we got from the SPCA a year and a half ago. He was vaccinated at that time and just received his boosters on Jan. 20. He became lethargic and feverish that evening (he was perfectly healthy beforehand). He also would not eat or drink and was trembling. He continued like that so we took him back to the vet the next day and they gave him an injection to bring the fever down, just said it was probably the vaccine and sent us home with him. Now, 4 days later he is not much better, his eyes are runny and when he barks he sounds different. I am trying to find a natural remedy for him online. Suggestions would be great because I have a feeling something is really not right.

Combination Vaccines
Posted by Ronda (Colorado ) on 04/09/2018

Our dog is exactly the same right now. Please tell me what happened with your dog.


Combination Vaccines
Posted by Suzanne (Hamilton, Ontario, Canada) on 01/22/2010

Side Effect from Vaccination

My one year old standard dapple dachshund received his vaccinations this morning (DHPP, rabies and Bordetella). Seven hours later he had an allergic reaction, his mouth and eyes were swelling up. I had to take him back to the vet where they gave him a shot of steroid and antihistamine.

He's had these shots before and never reacted, but this time he did.

Vet uses Pfizer.


Distemper (Dogs)
Posted by Mary Lou (Kenosha, Wisconsin Usa) on 01/15/2010

My little terrier got her distemper shot this week and the day after she could hardly make it up and down the stairs, and was generally lethargic, not eager to go outdoors as usual, and slow to eat her from her dish. Is this an expected side effect or something really serious?

Distemper (Dogs)
Posted by Ellaina (7441 Granville) on 08/19/2015

I know how you feel. My Maltese recently got his 3rd vaccination and when we got home he started lumping around and just lying on the floor. A few days later the hair around the injection spot to fall of and he started to not eat his food. A few weeks later everything returned to normal and the hair started growing back. Do not worry. Most dogs or puppies may feel this way. If you dog gets any worse make sure to call the vet.:)


Combination Vaccines
Posted by Dori (Powhatan, Va) on 01/13/2010

Pet vaccination reactions

I have 2 English bulldog/Australian shepherd mix dogs. They are from the same litter and are about 2 years old. They recently had their first vaccinations at a vets office. Prior to this the farmer who had them used the 7 in one vaccination shot from tractor supply. She didn't mention any reaction to that. But they had rabies 3 yr. vac. w/out incident. The distemper shot both reacted to with not eating for a week and being very lethargic. We even tempted them with eggs and they didn't want to eat those either. Now they seem fine.


Combination Vaccines
Posted by Amanda Carlin (Warrington, Cheshire, Uk) on 01/13/2010

I took my 1 year old Border Terrier to the Vets for his 1 Year booster injection, but within a few hours he developed Diarreah. The next day I rang the vets and they said this wasn't a side effect of the booster and to just starve him for 24hrs to see how he goes. Later that day he still had diarreah but this time it had blood in it, and all the next day too. I am going to take him back to the vets tomorrow but it just seems strange that he had his booster and is now very ill, he hasn't been ill all year so it can't just be a coincidence can it ??


Seizures
Posted by Sharonabath (Bath, Pa) on 01/06/2010

Here is my story, I hope it helps another sweet animal.

I was given a 10 week old Rottweiler puppy for XMas.He was HEALTHY & HAPPY for the 11 days we had him. On his 12 week b-day, we took him to the vet for his check-up and the vet proceeded to give him: Rabies, Lymes and Bordatella shots (please note that the nurse questioned the doctor giving 3 shots and not 2 and his response was"he is a big boy, 3 is fine" - he was 15 pds!! Got home and puppy acting/eating fine until 10 hours AFTER the shots when he started having a seizure (foaming at mouth, VERY vocal, body out of control and thrashing, deficated and urinated). Called vet and took him in, only after 2nd seizure did we make it (same type seizure "violent". Vet did blood work and tested for parasite and gave me 0.7cc valium to bring home with me in the event he had another seizure (give him valium and go to vet ER hospital) PLEASE NOTE MY VET DID WRITE ON PAPERWORK: vx induced? (this tells me he knows it was!)

Went to ER on New Years Day at 2:20am in morning as puppy had 3rd seizure. Vet did more testing (ammonia levels etc) In the morning vet called at 8:00am to tell me puppy had 4th seizure and it was the worst he has seen (same as he had been having at home)- said "prognosis not good". Put puppy on anti-seizure meds and said to call later/ Went to visit puppy New Years Day around 4:00pm and he was great, happy to see me, walking, licking & kissing me and just looked normal (besides his cath in his arm).Came home and called hospital around 9:00pm to speak to vet who told me I should put puppy to sleep!!!!!! Devastated I headed to hospital and while in route - puppy had 5th seizure (while on seizure meds). Ended up putting puppy to sleep :0(

NOW...3 vets, the vaccinations companies and the breeder are ALL fighting to "clear" their names. Fighting over WHO should do autopsy (we did NOT requst autopsy but breeders vet said that my vet POISONED puppy with these shots). Puppy is on way to cornell university so they can autopsy and find out WHAT happend to this beautiful babay boy who never had a chance to live. My heart is broken into a million pieces as I feel I did not protect my friend from these shots. (I also have an autistic son who got MMR shot and days later was COVERED in Measles - 2 months later, all his words GONE and diagnosed Autistic shortly thereafter. I HATE vaccinations and although i now some are neccesary, I do not feel they are "one size fits all". There should be better vaccination schedules (for children and animals) and their health should be taken into consideration - not everyone can have the same shots at the same time! I am going to fight this terrible tragedy until SOMEONE takes the blame. the vaccinations company is VERY concerned, as well as the vets (only concerned they may get into trouble, of course). We are hiring a lawyer to help fight this battle (not for the money we spent - $2500.00 in 32 hours) but for this puppies life that was taken away from him, way to soon. Someone is going to be put to blame and fortunatly, the 3 vets have all mentioned "vx induced" as the cause of his downfall. The one vet is SURE he was poisend and so, having these vets AGAINST eachother, will only help me get the answer I need. WHO DID THIS to him?? The VET by giving him wasy to many shots at once? The vaccination company having a "bad bach"?? OR the Breeders vet who sold us a puppy who maybe had some underlying health issue? All I can say is that they told me "THIS PUPPY WILL NEVER AGAIN GET A VACCINATION - if he makes it, he will be EXEMPT" (what does that tell us?) I hope you all have great luck with your furry friends and again, if I could "re-do" this time of events, I would have more cautiously looked into the vaccinations and INSISTED he be put on a schedule that I thought safer for him. best of luck to you all!!

EC: Dear Sharonabath,

We are sorry to hear about your puppy. Thank you so much for taking the time to write us in depth about this.

Seizures
Posted by Linda (Pa.) on 03/03/2018

Please please tell me how this ended!!! I'm going thru THE SAME RIGHT NOW! MY PUP IS IN HOSPITAL AS I TYPE!!!!


Seizures
Posted by Pam (Capron) on 03/03/2018

1:15a.m. called animal hospital Jane is doing better...taking her slowly of oxygen.. because she was gasping for air and vomiting she got fluid (vomit) in her lungs..took x-ray at hospital showed cloudy area in her lungs..she had fever..that has gone down at this time...also she temporary lost vision in her right eye..swelling in brain..still doing antibiotics...hope your puppy is doing better now. This is a nightmare..over Lyme vaccination



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