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 Katie (Fortuna, CA) on 04/07/2008

I just had my short hair tortishell calico/siamese mix spayed female vaccinated for the three main feline vaccinations, ie rabies, lukemia and distemper. My wife and I are hoping to train her as a therapy cat. She is the most friendly happy cat we've ever known. She is also the thinnest cat we've ever had. We call her the skinny kitty. We had her shots given at around 11 in the morning on Saturday. We then spent the day out and about, and didn't get home until after 4. She ate and drank while we were out, but when we got home she became very listless. Our other two cats (indoor only) groomed her constantly. They also assisted her to and from the litter box. On Sunday she refused to eat and drink, and cried if we tried to pick her up. She wouldn't even lift her head, and her eyes wouldn't focus. We noticed a crust around her eyes, and she seemed to have a hard time licking. After much searching, we found a dropper and started to force water in her. We then went and purchased kitten formula, and forced this down her as well. We had to hold her head up so that it would go down her throat. After doing this every four hours, she now sits up and did some minor grooming. Because she is so thin and had no fat reserves, we believe the only thing that saved her was us forcing the fluids. IF you find your cat in a similar cirumstance, please don't hesitate to use a dropper and give them fluids. I feel this may prevent the worst of the liver and kidney failure I've been reading about on this site. It's now Monday, and even though she hasn't left her bed, she did lift her head and purr this morning when I went to say goodbye.


Combination Vaccines
Posted by LylahRose (New London, NH) on 04/06/2008

I have several Chihuahuas and a large Cat.Yesterday they received their routine RabVac and today they are all ill with fevers,some vomiting,no diarehea, lethergic and in pain. I only recall this or simular effects in the past two years. My tiny Chi- is extreemly ill. I gave 12 ml and 22 ml to my larger Chi's- benadry but I am afraid they are dehydrating as they are not drinking. They received FortDodge from a Vet.


Combination Vaccines
Posted by Glenna (Estacada, OR) on 03/25/2008

Some one please give me hope. I have a 10 week old Chihuahua Puppy who is failing fast after a puppy booster 5 in 1 with no lepto. I have read through other comments but I just don't see anyone else having gone through this. I have three other pups from a bottle fed litter, this one is a blue female I got to help ease the loss of the blue mother to my bottle fed babies. The bottle fed pups are 9 weeks old and they are all doing fine from there shots. This one is lathargic, aggressive, cries when I pick her up, and tries to get away when I try to pick her up. She runs in circles, wants to eat but drops the food everytime she gets it in her mouth. She is either crying running in circles or sleeping with her eyes open looking half dead. The vet thinks the shot may have caused hydrocephalis- HAS ANYONE EVER HEARD OF A SHOT CAUSING THAT?- I guess she does look a bit more dome like, but i wonder if this is the shots fault or if it is merely coinsidence. I keep thinking if I continue to plung wet food and puppy formula into her, keep her warm... give her whatever meds the vet gives me... maybe she will pull through? But can someone tell me how long a vaccine reaction can last. The vet has already given her prednisone, and a steroid shot that was supposed to counteract the reaction... I just want to know what is wrong with my puppy, she was the happiest most playful one of the bunch before her shot and now I feel like I am loosing her and no one can tell me what to do?


Combination Vaccines
Posted by Michele (Key West, Florida) on 03/20/2008

My 5.5 month Maltese puppy went into shock after receiving 3rd vaccinations of Bordatella/intranasal, Rabies, & DA2PPLC


Combination Vaccines
Posted by Beverly (Port Ewen, New York) on 03/20/2008

My 6 yr. old Yorkie-Poo was given the first vaccine on 3/13. This was the first of two; it's a new dental vaccine by Pfizer. Within 2 hours we knew we had made a mistake. Interested to know if there are others out there who have tried this vaccine.


Combination Vaccines
Posted by Billy (USA) on 03/20/2008

Hi I seen your website, and you said to let you know if anyone has experienced side effects. I never knew there was any problem with side effects. Last Friday we took our 6mnth old kittens in for a rabie vacination they are siamese mix. The one kitten is fine, but we noticed the next day after the vacination the other kitten started sneezing, then the sneezing is a lot know , he doesn't want to eat, he acts like he has a hard time swallowing, because when he tries to drink its like he can't really do it that good. He has dried stuff on the side of his mouth, and oddly enough he just started 2 days ago giving off this foul smell like chicken poop. (sorry, but that's the only way to describe the smell. He lays around now and he is having a hard time breathing it sounds like he is so congested with like pneumonia or something. He was fine before the shot.I just wanted to let you know so you can use this information.Thank You for bringing this matter attention, God Bless


Combination Vaccines
Posted by Melissa (Hudson, New York) on 03/19/2008

Hello on March 11th my 2, teo yr old chihuahuas, one male and one female, had their annual vaccines. The following mymale whi is usually very excited to come outta his crate in the morning, came out and slowly walked to a corner and layed down, this was very strange for him. He screamed whenever he was touched. I could not find a specific spot that was causing his pain. He didnt eat or drink all day. He was very letharigic. He usually sits on the couch with me and when I get up, he gets up and follow s me. I was very worried about him. By the following day he recovered and has been fine. My female chihuahua was fine after her vacination atleat til yesterday, one day short of a week after her vaccines. She began violently scratching her face,and nawing on her feet and legs. I thought maybe she had picked up a flea or two, I applied her monthy dose of promaris. She contiued itching for hours she couldnt sit still, the scratching was constant. I wiped her with doggie wipes everywhere except where i applied her flea preventitive thinking maybe she got something on her while she was outside that was irritaing her.This didnt help. The worst part of this stared at 11pm, well after the vet was closed.By the time I was tryiong the wipes it was close to 4am, by now she was letting out little whimpers. I didnt know what else to do. It was then that i thought of my male chihuahuas prednisone that he takes for his collapsing trachea. I gave her one of those and this seemed to help with in about a 1/2 hour. Today she itched a bit on and off but ws better over all. I called the vet and explained what had happened and what i did. He told me with the prednisone if she continues itching BUT if i continue with it be sure to wean her off of it. I gave her one more prednisone tonight but she seems to have recovered. I will deffinately have my dogd titer tested before I have them vaccinated again to besure they actually need the vaccines in question.


Combination Vaccines
Posted by Patricia (Hampton, Va) on 03/18/2008

my 2 year old boston terrier received her shots today . i took her home and left her for about 3 hours, when i returned she was favoring the hind leg where she received the shot. she was wimpering a little when i picked her up, but she was ok once i got her up in my arms. she will not put that leg down on the floor. please tell me if this is normal after shots are given. i dont remember her being this way last year when she got her shots.


Combination Vaccines
Posted by Rebecca (Baltimore, MD) on 03/16/2008

My miniature schnauzer had her first allegic reaction to the PARVO vaccination at the age 9 and it continues to get worse each time. THe first time it happened her lips swelled so much that her beard was up to her eyes and her eyes were swollen shut as big as golf balls and she was panting non-stop. This occurred about 3 hours after the injection - I was giving her liquid children's benadryl while driving in rush hour back to the vet where they gave her two injections and told me to keep her on Benadryl for the next three days. Now when she gets her vaccinations I am supposed to administer benadrul for 2 days beforehand.


Combination Vaccines
Posted by Susann (Clayton, GA) on 03/16/2008

I went to a clinic 4 weeks ago and had my 3 cats given the 3 year rabies and the feline lelukemia shot. All 3 stopped eating the next day and hardly ate for a week. One cat started throwing up a few days later but got better in a week. Then 3 weeks later started throwing up again and I noticed then he also had lost weight. I took him in to the vet and after blood work which indicated a gall bladder infection and he had lost 10 lbs(he was 22 lbs). He was admitted Friday(3/7/08)to the hospital for the weekend. On Sat. the vet called and asked to bring in my food as he wouldn't eat theirs. He had an IV and they had to force feed him. I picked him up on Monday and when I got home and took him out of the carrier he couldn't even walk he was so weak. For several days I gave him 4 medications and had to force feed him and force water in him. On Fri(3/14/08) had to take him back in for blood work but 2 of the vets looked at him and he's gums and skin were yellow indicating liver failure. I then had to say goodbye to my Morgan who was 9 yrs old. The vet said the rabies shot caused a reaction that was 1 in 100,000. Now after reading the posts on this site I feel so guilty for giving him the 3 yr rabies shot and all the pain he went thru. I also have 3 dogs and 2 cats now and I don't think anyone should give the 3 year rabies to any dog or cat. A $15 shot has now costed me over $800 but that is nothing compared to the fact my cat is gone.


Combination Vaccines
Posted by Michelle (Camden, SC) on 03/09/2008

http://www.itsfortheanimals.com/DODDS-CHG-VACC-PROTOCOLS.HTM
CONTACT DR DODDS WITH YOUR QUESTIONS AND CONCERNS. SHE HELPED ME ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS WHILE RAISING MY PUPPIES!
SHE IS AWESOME!!

I have very carefully bred and raised 2 liters of Greater Swiss Mtn Dogs. With all passing health clearances in both parents (hips, elbows, eyes, etc)I did my homework on breeding, feeding, vaccinations, and such. I attended a breeding seminar given at a vet school that also spoke about vaccinations. I learned some disturbing facts. RABIES: the only difference between the 1 yr and 3 yr rabies vaccination is THE LABEL...can you believe that!!?? KENNEL COUGH: does not take effect for several days after it is administered. So, when your vet says it is mandatory for your pet to receive before he can stay the night they are usually long home before it is effective. Also Kennel cough is not life threatning and is easily treated; so why put your pet at risk. The sad thing here is that most vets know this and they do not pass on the information to pet owners, they just keep taking our money, then when health problems arise from the vaccinations...more money for the vet. When I questioned my vet about vaccines he agreed with me, but he would have never given me the information had I never asked...sigh! I take my dogs to several dog shows a year, they have never been given the kennel cough vaccine, and they have never contracted kennel cough.A puppy should never be given a vaccination before they are 9 weeks old, they are still protected by the mothers milk and the vaccinations just cancel out the antibodies. Something else most people don't think about...Did you know that the vaccine dosage for a 5lb dog is the same that is given to an 120lb dog? Scary, isn't it? An old or sick dog should not be vaccinated, it puts too much stress on the immune system. My first liter of puppies will soon be 3 yrs old, they were first vaccinated at 9 weeks old,with DISTEMPER+ PARVOVIRUS MLV (e.g. INTERVET PROGARD PUPPY DPV)
and had their one year boosters, and i don't plan to ever vaccinate them again with the exception of rabies. (it is required by law in my state) But I will avoid the rabies vaccine as long as I can!

I could go on and on about NOT over vaccinating our pets! they are only with us for a very short while, they give us so much joy! let's return the favor!!

***VACCINATION REFERENCE WEBSITE FOR VETERINARIANS

http://www.dvmvac.com/index.html

Lots of great information! I received the link to this web-site at the breeding seminar I attended.

I hope this information is helpful. Be sure to give your pets an extra belly rub today!! :)


Combination Vaccines
Posted by Shawndesse (NY, NY) on 03/07/2008

My Yorkshire Terrier her her 1st and 2nd combination Puppy shots (Distemper, adenovirus, Type2 Parainfluenza, Parvo Virus)after the first shot she was very shaky and seemed to be in pain and vommitted, after the second shot she was also very shaky (more so than the 1st time) and cried every time I touched her, I called the Vets emergency line and was told that this is a side effect of the vaccination. I was very worried about my puppy and she slept on my chest that night. Since then she has been very happy and playful, however she is due to get her rabies vaccination which I am dreading terribly.


Combination Vaccines
Posted by alicia (burke, virginia) on 03/06/2008

I am wondering if you have had anyone relate any problems with the dog's thyroid after immunizations. My dog has strange thyroid results. His age and the results discount autoimmune thyroid, and that is apparently 90 percent of cases. So, I am investigating what else could cause this. His other bloodwork is normal, and he is totally asymtomatic to the point of having a lot of characteristics opposite of what a thyroid deficient patient would have.


Combination Vaccines
Posted by Jackie (Traverse City, MI) on 03/05/2008

My 3 1/2 month old yorkie-poo puppy had her third series of shots two days ago (DA2PLCPV) and began vomiting yellow bile late that night. She was extremely lethargic the next day, and wouldn't eat. We brought her back to the vet and they injected her with Prilosec and gave her a water bolus for fluid. She has not eaten today, and will barely drink any water, resting her little head on the bowl. My vet is not in until tomorrow, and the oncall vet says to just bring her in in the morning. I am afraid that she will die during the night. Please pray for Jolie.


Combination Vaccines
Posted by Niki (Merced, Ca) on 03/05/2008

Jelli had Bordetella, DHLPP-C booster and Dexamethasone/Depo Medrol injection all in one visit to her vet on 2/25/08. Her appetite is great, her poop is normal, she does drink alot of water, but it's her behavior that has changed. She doen's want to play, or rough house with her pal, PoohBear the kitten. She's grouchy. And looks depressed. I just wonder if this will passs or if it's something else? She is about 5 years old, 13lbs.



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