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 Melissa (OKC, OK) on 07/29/2008

We boarded our 11 year old female Husky at our neighborhood vet we have used for 20 something years. They said she was too large for a cage and she would have to be put in the dog run. That we could bring her bed also since she had a car accident as a young pup and broke her hip. They would not keep her until her shots were brought up to date as she had not had any from a Vet since she was 3. I used to give her booster, but they don't recognize them! We left town for two nights so I don't know what her reaction was initally, although I called the 2nd night and they told me she wet her bed (which she has never done) and did not like their food. She has been urinating on herself ever since (one month now). She won't eat unless I hand feed her meat, tiny amounts and hold her water bowl under her nose.She just lies there like she is 100 years old. I called two other vets and they all say it is not the Vaccines! That she is 11 yrs old, spayed, that her bladder could have dropped and may be incontinent. She has always been an indoor dog she goes outside, does her business and comes right back in. So there was no reason to vaccinate her yearly. Thinking back now to when she was spayed and they gave her vaccines then; she was very ill afterward. I took her back several times, they gave her antibiodics, etc. I really feel she is going to expire this time and it was all so unnecessary.

EC: Melissa, please research the Tellington Touch techniques. They are massage techniques that can produce remarkable results.


Combination Vaccines
Posted by Emmitt (Lakelnd, Florida) on 07/26/2008

I got my 16 week old cat that weighs 4.4 lbs his immunizations yesterday. Now he is having the same symptoms. Lethargic, Meows and bites when picked up and doesn't eat or drink. He got the rabies ahot and fel leukemia and Ercp (whatever that is) hope he will be his old self soon!!


Combination Vaccines
Posted by Suzanne (Toronto, Ontario, Canada) on 07/24/2008

Within 3 hours my 19 month old shih tzu was very lathargic. My high energy puppy suddenly started acting like he was 19 years old. Now I'm finding out that dogs don't need yearly vaccines. The vaccines are good for at least 5 years. Personally, my dog will not be getting his shots till he is at least 7 years old.


Combination Vaccines
Posted by Peggy (Amelia, Ohio) on 07/12/2008

I too have had problems with my chihuahua and the bordetella vaccine or nasal spray. She has same exact symptoms. Before she was spayed she had received the vaccine. All was fine, then after they spayed her she got kennel cough from the vets and the tube for anesthesia caused her to develope tracheal damage. She was on antibiotics and had nebulizer treatments for three months after. The was 6 mths old then. She is 2 1/2 yrs old and I took her for a routine visit this past Sunday. They insisted she get the shot but I told them of her reaction when she was spayed and said no. They said we can do the nasal spray and made me feel less of a good parent to my little girl so I agreed reluctantly. They gave her steroids and benadryl before the treatment and put her on amoxicyllin. She has been back to the vets again and received another steroid shot and benadryl injection and changed her antiobiotics to tribessin. She is still sneezing, running nose, severe reverse sneezing to where her whole chest sinks in. They say nothing can be done, she will be ok. Not in my book. This issue is not over. To boot, they charged me for the second treatment even though I did not want her to have the stuff in the first place. She is never boarded or around a bunch of other dogs. They make you feel like a bad person if you don't get the shots or nasal spray but then you feel even worse after you do and they have a bad reaction. Not sure what to do at this point.


Combination Vaccines
Posted by Dana (Kauai, Hawaii) on 07/12/2008

I have about a 14 week old kitten who weighs 5.5lbs. Yesterday I took him to the vet to have his booster shots and ever since he has been very lethargic, won't hardly eat or drink and he meows and bites me when I pet over the injection site. I hope he is ok, and after reading all these posts I am very hesitant to get the rest of his booster shots.


Combination Vaccines
Posted by Danny (Lancaster, Oh) on 07/12/2008

About 3 weeks ago I took my 1 yr old male cat Tazzy to the vet to get his distemper and rabies b/c we were boarding him and having him neutered while he was there. A week later he seemed to be ok and his same ol' self. The vet never mentioned if he had any problems. Well yesterday I took Tazzy back to get his 2nd booster and since then he has thrown up several times, has runny stool, won't eat and is very mopey (not himself). Not sure If I should call the vet and let them know b/c I'm thinking they may just want more money out of me.
what should I do? Any suggestions?


Combination Vaccines
Posted by Brian (Ferndale, Michigan) on 07/10/2008

My 9 yr old Chi always has a reaction to the vaccine shots, but they seem to be getting worse. This latest one was for the rabbies (and maybe another?). He is listless and very sore. He cries out when picked up, yelps after he barks (has since stopped barking), walks very unusual, will not jump up or down and hides under a chair shaking. It has been a week now and seems to be getting a little better. His appetite is good and bathroom is OK. I am done with all vaccinations for him except for the required rabbies (unless I can avoid that too?)


Combination Vaccines
Posted by Elaine (Bumpass, Virginia) on 07/06/2008

I have three terriers. Welsh, Irish and Wire Fox. The Fox Terrier is 15 and because of reactions to vaccinations, I now have all boosters given separately. Last April, 2007, I took my 3yr old Welsh Terrier, Maggie, to get her DHPP. She had been very healthy up till then. She was very lethargic for the first two days and would not eat. Then, she started walking with her head cocked to the side. She stumbled when walking and seemed disoriented. It was a very busy time for us...we were packing to move from CA to VA in ten days...my father was dying and in the care of hospice. It wasnt until about five days after Maggie was vaccinated that we realized how serious her condition was. We took her to the ER Vet about May 2, 2007. Blood work and urinalysis were normal. The vet performed a neurological exam and said that she had a serious neurological problem. She was concerned that the live virus from the vaccination might have crossed the blood brain barrier and actually caused her to contract distemper. There were also a lot of other neurological diseases that could be the cause. She told us that the only way we would know what was wrong was for her to have a CT scan and a spinal tap. She told us that these tests would cost about $1500-2000. We of course decided to go ahead with the tests. She sent Maggie home with us and told us that she would contact us in the morning. She wanted the tests done ASAP because the next day was Friday and if the tests werent done by noon, they wouldnt get the results until the next week. She called us very early the next morning and told us to have Maggie in San Diego at 9am. It was an hr drive for us and we left her off and were told that she could probably go home that night and that they would have some of the results by then. We called to find out when we could pick her up and were told that she needed to stay overnight because her blood pressure was very high...and they didnt have the results but would in the morning. Called early the next morning and was told that Maggie should stay thru the day because of blood pressure...and they still didnt have the results. By that evening, they wanted to keep her overnight. We told them that we were coming to get her. I was sure that blood pressure was from her being nervous...and they promised they would have results when we picked her up. We drove down to get her and were told that they still didnt have the results...seemed strange since that is why they needed to perform tests before noon the day before. Sent Maggie home with Prednisone and antibiotic. In the meantime, we moved out of our house and spent the next week with my family. My father died that week. We were on the phone with the vet daily...one week later there were no results from the tests. The final bill was $3,500 but we had no idea what was wrong with Maggie. She was no better...still stumbling and cocking her head to the side. She was no longer playful and slept all of the time....and peed constantly because of the prednisone. On the 17th of May, we had to leave to drive to VA. The Rx had run out and they renewed them. The vet had no explanation for the lack of test results. We started to realize that somehow the test results must have been lost. There was no other explanation for no test results ten days later. The vet kept putting it off on the lab. On the second day of our trip to VA, the vet called me on my cell phone and said that all the test results were normal. My question to him was, What is wrong with my dog? After all of that time and money, they were telling us that there was nothing wrong with her. She wasnt better though. We took her off of the prednisone and the antibiotic. We had been stopping every hr for her to pee while we were driving. It has now been over a year. Maggie is now back to normal. It was a gradual change. She no longer cocks her head to the side. She plays, runs and eats normally. The one lasting side effect seems to be with her personality. She has become anti social. She doesnt like to be held and growls at us when we make her do something that she doesnt want to do. She never acted like that before. Our new vet in VA does not want her to have anymore vaccinations...except for the Rabies. She said that it is the law that she has to have that one. She is four now and is due for the rabies in a couple of weeks. I am hoping that it doesnt cause the same problem that the DHPP did. We will never know for sure what caused Maggies neuroligical problems but I have to believe that it was the booster shot that she received.


Combination Vaccines
Posted by Connie (Greeley, CO) on 06/23/2008

I lost a beloved female Australian Shepherd, Belle, that I bred and raised... to her "MINIMAL" vaccines. I NO longer use ANY! Please check out my website for the complete story and photos of her decline. http://pinecrestaussies.tipod.com (In Memory of Belle) I'm trying to spread the truth, so that other animal lovers truly know what HARM vaccines can cause. I also suggest you join the JstsayNO2Vaccs / BeyondVaccination Lists at YahooGroups.com. READ the book: Natural Immunity, by Pat McKay. HTH, connie & the RAW Fed Aussie Pack.


Combination Vaccines
Posted by Vivia (Morton, PA) on 06/20/2008

re: lyme vaccination for pups -- my pup dobie just got his first lyme shot and it was the scariest thing ever, first he lost control of his bowels and then he fell down and peed, he is a little tired now but i hope he will be ok.


Combination Vaccines
Posted by Dave (Mayo, Ireland) on 06/20/2008

Had litter of Pugs Parvo Vacc. 19th June, on way home checked pups, one was near death, back to Vet -- steroid injection, ok now.


Combination Vaccines
Posted by Patty (Ocean Park, WA) on 06/20/2008

I took my orange tabby in for his rabies, lukemia & distemper booster yesterday. He also got 2.25 Drontal pills for worms. When I came home after work last night he was aggitated. I thought he was hungry but he ignored the food I put down for him. Later I noticed he was licking his legs and paws, couldn't get comfortable laying down, and he was breathing rapidly. He wouldn't let me hold him or pet him for long. I called the vet at home. He suggested i give Mulligan half a Benydril. It took another 45 minutes for that to work. He is still sleeping this morning and hasn't eaten.

I had another cat that had the same reaction to his rabies booster. What is going on here! One vet told me it could be a reaction to the medium used in the vaccination. If so, why are they still useing it! I am going to email the WSU and Cornell Vet schools for more info.


Combination Vaccines
Posted by Gloriann (Eden Prairie, MN) on 06/18/2008

After a week my 6 yr old choc lab started having diarehha. I thought it might be his food so decided to switch it and after 3 weeks of very very loose stools. I realized it is not the food. It was the vaccination. I have him on canned dog food to give his stomach a break. No change.


Combination Vaccines
Posted by Ann (Coon Rapids, Minnesota) on 06/16/2008

About 3 months ago I took my dog into the vet to get her second DHLPP (it was a series of 3) and first Rabies vaccination. She was 14 weeks old. About 3-4 hours after her vaccinations she started throwing up, had diarrhea, and would not eat or drink anything. I brought her into the emergency room and they did a test on her that indicated she had Parvovirus. They also said they had ruled out any possibility of a false positive from the vaccination given earlier that day. Now, my uncle had given me the pup about 9 days prior to me bringing her into the vet, and had already taken her in for her first set of DHLPP at 6 weeks old. None of the other puppies he has contracted Parvo, and I hadn't been bringing her anywhere where she could have picked this up. SO, I don't know if this is possible, but I think the vaccine gave her Parvo! Poor dog, she was in the vet hospital for 5 days. She is fully recovered now but I refuse to get her vaccinated again!


Combination Vaccines
Posted by Amber (Terre Haute, Indiana) on 06/16/2008

about the dhlpp vaccination -- my liter of 9 boxer puppies had there shots on saturday the 14th and now today on monday the 16th there all running fevers and have diahreea and will not eat or drink i have been giving them baby asprins a half of one 2 x daily and 1cc of benadryl 2 x daily does anybody have any suggestions they were fine before they were given to them eating and everything thanks so much and be blessed



NEXT