Side Effects of Pet Vaccines: A Closer Look

Combination Vaccines

Posted by Debbie (Spring Valley, CA) on 04/20/2009
0 out of 5 stars

I took my cat yesterday to the Vaccination Clinic to update immunizations. He is my baby and they said since he is simese he should not have all shots at once as he may have a reaction. He seemed unusually quiet coming home...He won't eat he has no energy neither like him. He seems to be alittle dizzy. Not running around stepping slower than usual. I told them to just give him one vac. at a time, looks like he got two. the Rhinotrachllis-calci-Panleukopenia and Chlamydia Psittaci Vaccine. Have others seen this reaction and if so did it pass with pet returning to good health and normal behavior? Thought you should keep your pet vaccinated now I am questioning if I did the right thing.

Combination Vaccines

Posted by Cathie (Navarre, FL, Santa Rosa County) on 04/18/2009
0 out of 5 stars

i took my 9 month cat to the vet, they said she needed her injection for a upper respiratory booster with 1 more in 3 wks. we got her home ,she was tired acting, but next morning we had to RUSH her to the vet with a 105.9 tempature, they gave fluids by i. v. ,then we took her home. she was fine for a few hours, we had to give her 1/2 of a baby aspirin, and 1/2 tsp benerdryl , then her fever went up to 107.3 and we were told to use achol to rub her down, it did bring down the temp....for a little bit, but it went back up called vet again supposed to go at 7am in morning for antibotics. i dont think she'll be getting that second booster!!!

Combination Vaccines

Posted by Angel (Atlanta, Georgia) on 04/17/2009
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My Rottie has a golf ball size lump on the back of her neck from getting vaccinations. It has gotten larger and not smaller. It has never gone away, only gotten larger over the last 2 years. I don't know what to do due because there is not a lot of money for treatment. I have decided not to vaccinate her this year. The lump is large and mushy. I would like to find a Holistic Vet. This is so horrible what they do to our pets. She was being vaccinated and the place where you have the store and clinic combined.

Angel

Combination Vaccines

Posted by Anna (Yonkers, New York) on 04/17/2009

I just wanted to add a few words on the danger of too much vaccinations. My 11 year old Golden Retriever had to have his rabies shot in order to get licensed. I am sorry to say I wanted to save some money, so we brought him to a clinic. He received all vaccinations at once, including a 3 year rabie vaccine. A few months later he developed cancerous tumors. He died about 6 months later. In trying to help him after his diagnosis, I found out how too many vaccinations at one time can be deadly. Too late for him, but not for others. If you must vaccinate, try spreading the vaccinations over months so not to overload your pet.

Distemper (Dogs)

Posted by Trish (Arnold, Missouri) on 04/14/2009
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We adopted a pit mix 4 month old puppy from the humane society. Her first shots were given there 2 weeks prior to us adopting her. We took her to our vet for her follow up Distemper/DHHLP?? last Saturday. By early Sunday morning she had large welts all over her body, scratching, crying, eyes swollen shut and lips and mouth area swollen, vomitting, diarreah. We took her to the emergency animal hospital early on Sunday morning. They gave her 2 injections of benadryl and a script for prednisone. They said it was a severe reaction to the vaccine and her next step would . I would have thought the humane society would have mentioned this to us prior to adoption. We are worried now that she has to get her 3rd dose on May 2nd. There has to be another way. This is torture on the animals and on the owners.

Combination Vaccines

Posted by Ramona (Lafayette, LA) on 04/12/2009
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My Miniature Schnauzer, Spike, who is now 9 years old had an immediate reaction to booster shots when he was only 3 months old. He was given the DHLP, CPV, and CCV shots. He went under the bed and it sounded as if he was having extreme difficulty breathing. He growled at me when I tried to get him to come out. I was so scared because I thought he was dying.

Combination Vaccines

Posted by Debra (Tulsa, Ok) on 04/11/2009

I just had to put my dog down yesterday because of what I truely believe are the results from either the distemper,rabies, or bordetella shots he received on the 13th of March. Levi would have been 10 the 3rd of May, he was a shephard mix, 103lbs, I helped deliver him and he had been with me ever since, like you I had to help him up and down the stairs just so he could go pee, he quit eating monday, he started having difficulty with the stairs tuesday, he fell while peeing wednesday and his front legs both swelled up, and I noticed he had jaundice wednesday. When I took him to the vet they said he was going down hill fast. He wasn't getting enough protein they said, his liver shut down. He was fine before, so full of life, and then this .... I put him down thursday, I couldn't watch him suffer like this.

Combination Vaccines

Posted by Duane (Cleveland, OH/United States) on 04/11/2009
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My dog was stolen and was was reported found three days later at an animal hospital not to far away. He was givin shots before he left, my mother did not know what he had so she agreed to get him some. 3 year rabbie, distemper, and parvo. He has not eaten nor can he hold down much water since and it has been over a week. The vets have done blood work and say that he may have liver problems now and something is wrong with his sugar. before he was stolen he was in the best of health and now he is turning to skin and bones. Please what can I do to help and are the shots what is wrong?

Combination Vaccines

Posted by Nicole (Henderson, Nevada USA) on 04/11/2009
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I have 2 cats that are 16+yrs old. My female received her booster shots many years ago I think she was 5, the male had his at the same time and was fine. The female fell extrememly ill having hemorhaggic gastroenteritis. Had to have a scope for diagnosis and went on a special diet when she came home after several days of IV hydration. About 7 years later I brought the two cats in for teeth cleaning and got talked into boosters again. Once again, the male(Buster) was fine and the female(Jazz) got sick again, this time I was quick on the rehydrarion draw and she was fine and connected the dots and from that time on, we did not have to go to the vet. They're indoor cats and were very healthy. Recently, Buster got out the dog door and was missing for 6 weeks when some hero found him and turned him into the shelter. In order to be released from the shelter, he had to have a rabies booster and I figured since he never had any problems...Well in his weakened and starved state it must have gotten him. He was eating small amounts when we brought him home for about 2 1/2 days and then began to refuse to eat. He'd smell it and walk away. Last night, he gagged after smelling food and vomited water. We took him to the vet this morning and are still awaiting word of lab results. I suspect the rabies booster.

Combination Vaccines

Posted by Melanie (King, NC) on 04/08/2009

We took our 4 year old boxer, Rocky, to the vet for shots. We got him when he was 3 from a family member. He had never been to a vet before so they told us that he would need Rabies, Parvo, etc. They also told us that he had Hookworms and gave us medicine to give him for three days. They told us to watch for swelling in the face, vomiting or diahhrea. They never mentioned anything about itching or swelling at the injection site. That was on Friday; on Tuesday he was gone. The vet said that he had probably gotten in to some poison. There was no evidence of poisoning, we firmly believe that he died as a result of the vaccinations. Of course, they would not say that. I wish that we had read up on the side effects before we took him in. The shot records say that he was in perfect health, with the exception of the Hookworm, and we have lost our family member. Our next dog with have their rabies shot but we certainly won't be taking them back to that vet for any other shots!

Combination Vaccines

Posted by Ginny (Canton, NC) on 04/07/2009
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We have an incredible German Shepherd who is 8 years old. Our Shepherd has had allergies most of his life. We had destroyed the immune system of our beloved friend with his annual vaccines. His immune system was so over stimulated that it crashed. It is called Vaccinosis.

"Health Hazard of Routine Vaccination: placing our animals at risk

Most pet owners aren't aware of the dangers in animal vaccinations that have been discovered in recent years. The major veterinary associations now agree that vaccinations can trigger all sorts of maladies, from allergies to cancer - but most pet caretakers (and many veterinarians, it seems) haven't gotten the word. "With vaccines that are repeated year after year, the frequency and severity of these side-effects in our pets has increased dramatically. Most of the problems involve the immune system. After all, the immune system is what vaccines are designed to stimulate. But they do so in a very unnatural way that can overwhelm and confuse the immune system."

Dr. Donna Starita Mehan DVM (Credit to Shirley's Wellness Cafe, Holistic Healthcare for People and Animals).

I continue my search to help my friend. To that end, has anyone tried Turmeric on dogs? I am trying to find a natural anti-inflammatory (for allergy flare ups) that will not tear up his liver and kidneys. The fact that it kills Staph (scratching/chewing at skin) and is a blood purifier sounds like it might be beneficial all around. Thanks so much!

EC: We have a new page for pets & turmeric -- https://www.earthclinic.com/pets/turmeric.html

Combination Vaccines

Posted by Doug (Mansfield, MA) on 03/30/2009
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My name is Doug and I am young man with a new family. I have always been a dog lover and couldn't wait to adopt my own first pet. My 2 year old daughter is just as passionate about dogs as myself, maybe more. Cali is our 4 month old, female Irish Jack Russell Terrier. We got her young from a breeder who had strict requierments for adopting her dogs. We had to get all the vaccines and feed her a specific food or our guarantee would not be valid on her temperment. No human food allowed. I followed her rules and stuck to the plan. After her 1st and 2nd series of shots, her personality and demeanor changed everytime. The next few days she would not want to eat, drink, and her behavior had changed enough for my whole family to reconize it. She pulled out of it after her first set of shots. But, she still is not the same, maybe even worse, after she just had her 2nd. It has been almost 5 days, and i am tad bit worried about her. Not so much her health, but her personality. I understand Jacks very well and know alot about the breed. This seems to closly related to these vaccines. She will not touch her food and almost seems repulsed by it. And she seems skittish and partially confused at times. I dont know if theese are symptoms to this breed or to the individual but I plan on researching as much as i can. I hope this note my help others in my same situation and may futher research to this delemma. My quest will not end untill answers are found.

Combination Vaccines

Posted by Tara (Pasadena, CA) on 03/17/2009

I am so sorry to hear about your dog. Do you have a holistic vet in your area preferably one who does acupuncture? I think there are some suggestions on Earth Clinic for some homeopathic remedies to give to your dog.

Combination Vaccines

Posted by Missy (Glenolden, PA) on 03/17/2009
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Side effect from rabies & distemperment shots:

We took our 10 year mixed dog to vet about 2 months ago because he was snapping, we thought we should catch him up on his shots just in case he bit someone. Well we come to find out he had a ear infection, after getting his shots, antibotic and ear wash we went home and he has been down hill since then. We had made a another appointment for three weeks for a check up and xrays for his arthritis. While at home he lost his balance (because of ear effection) his eyes starting glaring over and he just wasn't himself. When we went back to vet we had blod work done and it all came back negative,showed nothing...we did not have xrays done because we already knew he had arthritis we di find out that his effection moved throughtout his body, the vet sent us home with more antibotic and something for hi attitude. He no longer has effection but my dog can hardly walk, Now something the vet gave us did this to him. I am going to have to put dog down because I have to carry him (65 pounds) down the steps to go to the bathroom because he is afraid to go down steps. I know one of those medicines did this to my dog and I need to know if this has happened to anyone else out there. Looking for advice!

Advice for Vaccination Side Effects

Posted by Elizabeth (Adelaide, Australia) on 03/13/2009

People who are concerned about the health of their pets should read the latest international guidelines for dog and cat vaccination.

In 2007 the World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA) published Dog and Cat Vaccination Guidelines (built on the US AAHA (Canine) and AAFP (Feline) guidelines) for global application. Ref: http://www.wsava.org/PDF/Misc/VGG_09_2007.pdf

The WSAVA guidelines include a number of significant statements:

- We should aim to vaccinate every animal, and to vaccinate each individual less frequently. (p. 2)

- we should aim to reduce the 'vaccine load' on individual animals in order to minimise the potential for adverse reactions to vaccine products. (p. 3)

- Vaccines should not be given needlessly. Core vaccines should not be given any more frequently than every three years after the 12 month booster injection following the puppy/kitten series. (p. 2)

- In the case of dogs, the Fact Sheets of the WSAVA guidelines note that duration of immunity after vaccination with MLV vaccines is 7 years or longer, based on challenge and serological studies, for Canine Parvovirus Type 2 (CPV-2), Canine Adenovirus (CAV-2) and Canine Distemper Virus (CDV) vaccines. (pp. 15-17)

In regards to duration of immunity, Professor Ronald Schultz, an expert in immunology and a member of the WSAVA Vaccination Guidelines Group, notes:

"I believe that dogs and cats vaccinated as puppies and kittens should be revaccinated at 1 year of age with the vaccines used earlier. After that I do not believe there is an immunologic need to revaccinate annually with CDV, CPV-2, CAV-2..." (Ref: Current and future canine and feline vaccination programs. Veterinary Medicine, March 1998, pp. 233-254).

In an article published in August 1995 (nearly 14 years ago!), Professor Schultz stated:

"I don't think there is a need to vaccinate adult dogs, since early vaccination will be sufficient to stimulate memory cells." (Ref: Are we vaccinating too much? JAVMA, Vol 207, No. 4, August 15, 1995).

If your vet sends you an annual reminder to have your adult dog revaccinated with the core MLV vaccines for parvovirus, adenovirus and distemper, challenge him. The latest scientifically based guidelines state that it is not necessary for adult dogs to have these vaccinations every year of their life. It is of no benefit and actually puts the dog needlessly at risk of an adverse reaction.

I learned this the hard way when my dog (Sasha - an eight year old Maltese x Silky terrier) became very sick with what was diagnosed as "haemorrhagic gastroenteritis" eight days after her last unnecessary revaccination with core MLV vaccines (C5 booster). My dog had six annual boosters during her life, most of which were unnecessary, and needlessly put her at risk of an adverse reaction. Sasha is now dead, put to sleep four days after the visible onset of her illness. The veterinarian who vaccinated her refused to consider her illness (and subsequent death) might have been caused or influenced by the vaccination. I am now in the process of preparing my own "adverse event" report.

I have been researching this subject since Sasha's death last September and I am shocked by what I have discovered. Australia is way behind on this issue. A culture of unnecessary and possibly harmful over-vaccination with core MLV vaccines has become entrenched. The whole system is weighted against acknowledging and reporting delayed reactions that might have been caused by vaccination. I am currently trying to fight this system.

According to a paper by an expert in this area, Dr Jean Dodds, vaccination reactions can occur up to 45 days later, or even longer. (Ref: Vaccination Protocols for Dogs Predisposed to Vaccine Reactions. Journal of the American Animal Hospital Association, May/June 2001, Vol 37, pp 211-214.)

Who knows how many other people's pets have gotten sick or died a week, a month or even longer after a revaccination and they haven't made the connection that the revaccination could have been at fault? The veterinarians aren't likely to mention it are they? The WSAVA guidelines make the point that adverse events are grossly under-reported.(p. 8). So dogs and cats can end up with chronic illnesses, or even die, and the pet owners would never know that over-vaccination may have been the cause - a case of veterinarians "burying their mistakes". If I hadn't decided to do some research after Sasha died, I wouldn't have found out about this. Sasha would have been just another unknown and uncared for statistic.

As more and more people discover that there are veterinarians who are actually putting their beloved pets needlessly at risk with unnecessary over-vaccination with core MLV vaccines, there is likely to be a significant backlash against the veterinary profession.

Those veterinarians who value the integrity of their profession need to address this untenable situation and work to ensure that the practice of unnecessary over-vaccination is ceased immediately. This has been going on for years and important scientifically based information has been withheld from pet owners.

I am trying to have this situation addressed by the Australian Veterinary Association (AVA), the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) and Australian Veterinary Schools. So far it is proving very difficult to get effective action to address this serious problem...

Read the WSAVA Dog and Cat Vaccination Guidelines and decide for yourself.

People should be informed before they make the decision to revaccinate their pets. There are serious - and unnecessary - risks involved with over-vaccination.

Combination Vaccines

Posted by Sandi (Schwenksville, PA) on 03/11/2009
0 out of 5 stars

My 15 year old cat received her Rabies and FVRCP on February 20th and I notice she began to lose weight. I have to admit she was a few years out of date for her shots. She was eating but slept more than normal. I took her back to the vet and they did blood work which turned out fine. The cat initially would not give any blood up through the neck so they tried her hind leg also with no avail.The again tried the neck and finally got blood there. When I got her home she started limping and dragging the hind leg. I again called the vet and they did give me METacam. I think they may have aggravated some athritis since she is 15 years old. I administered the first dose last night. I am now giving her wet food at least twice a day and she is gaining weight.

Combination Vaccines

Posted by Penny (Jackson, Mi) on 03/07/2009
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I have a Vizsla. He grew a lump on his neck that tested positive for cancer. My vet said that the corona shot could be the problem. I knew who had the bitch and contacted them. They said the bitch had to have a tumor removed also but didn't know what caused it. Since their dog was in the breeding program for a guide dog school they ccntacted the school. Seems like a few other dogs had the same problem....who knew?