This month I want to share information about Rita Heywoof, a 4-year-old red merle Australian Shepherd. She has been a patient at WVC since she was 4 months of age. She had her puppy vaccinations and the owners decided to do the Lyme and Bordetella vaccinations also. They spread out those immunizations to reduce how many vaccinations she would get at one time. She was fully immunized and spayed by the time she was 7 months of age. Rita Heywoof was protected from parasites with Proheart and Bravecto.
Since the breeder had done the Rabies vaccination, we updated that in October 2022 all by itself. When she retuned a month later in November we clustered her Bordetella, Lyme, and DHPPL vaccination on the same day. Two hours post vaccination they called that she was showing abnormal symptoms related to vaccinations.
What are vaccine reactions? How will I know if my pet is having a reaction? If it happens once, will it always happen? These are always good questions to discuss with your veterinarian even before the vaccines are given. The vaccine reactions are varied from case to case. I will discuss the less severe reactions first and end with the anaphylaxis reactions that are the most concerning.
No different than humans, our pets can have minor reactions after vaccinations.
- Injection site swelling
- Low grade fever/sleeping more
- Limping if injection given around a leg
- Crying/yelping at time of injection
All these symptoms are minor and will resolve within a few days. These symptoms indicate that your dog’s immune system is responding to the vaccine that was given. That is a good thing. If your dog does not show any sensitivity that is normal as well and does not mean they will not be properly protected. Dogs have different levels of pain tolerance just like their humans. There is no one size fits all when it comes to vaccine reactions.
Anaphylactic reactions are more intense reactions that can have dogs and cats showing different signs from above. These reactions usually begin within 4-6 hours after the vaccinations are given. There is no way to know if your dog will have a vaccine reaction. The reaction may be mild the first time but with subsequent vaccinations it can become more intense and life threatening. I have seen immediate vaccine reactions and delayed vaccine reactions. The immediate ones happen before the dog or cat even left the room. The delayed are usually later in the day.
Symptoms that are most common with anaphylactic reactions are:
- Swelling of lips. eyelids, ears, muzzle
- Hive like bumps on skin
- Breathing changes – wheezing
- Vomiting / diarrhea
- Shaking/collapse
- Seizures
As you can see these symptoms are much more concerning. If this happens to your pet after vaccinations, please contact your veterinarian. We cannot offer prevention if we are not aware that your pet reacted after vaccines were given. Sometimes the treatment is as simple as giving Benadryl to reduce the symptoms. We have clients that will return to the clinic for an epinephrine injection to reduce the severity of the vaccine reaction. This is also something that can be done in the future to prevent the vaccine reaction going forward. We also will often separate the vaccines in the future so we can determine which one caused the reaction. This will require more veterinary visits but can sometimes prevent the reactions from happening again. Some people give Benadryl before and after the vaccines are given to prevent vaccine reactions. Rarely do we need to stop giving the immunizations all together. Most animals can handle the vaccines if the above steps are put into place.
If you happen to have a critter that has severe reactions every time vaccines are given no matter what is done, speak with your veterinarian. I only know a handful of patients in my 38 years of practice that had complications with every vaccine all the time. The immunizations are important so please have a conversation with your veterinarian if you are seeing vaccine induced reactions.
Occasionally a delayed vaccine reaction can occur. This can happen days to weeks after a vaccination. The symptoms most often noticed with a delayed reaction is lethargy, fever, lump at vaccine site, vomiting or diarrhea. If a pet has these symptoms and vaccines were given within the last few weeks, please tell your veterinarian about these as well. Some of the same options can be implemented to reduce incidence of delayed reactions too. The delayed reaction we see most frequently is fever in cats a few weeks after the vaccine was given. Many time the fever is self-limited but on occasion a patient may need an anti-inflammatory to reduce the symptoms.
The importance of vaccinations outweighs the potential concerns for vaccine reactions. Statistics show 1.3 – 13 reactions per 10,000 doses given. Smaller dogs (less than 11 lbs) may have a higher sensitivity to vaccines. Therefore, consider not doing multiple vaccines at the same time. Spread them out to reduce incidence of reactions. Certain breeds may be predisposed to vaccine reactions so talk with breeders or your veterinarian prior to immunizations about your concerns. If a pet has had a previous vaccine reaction than it is important to consider pre-medicating prior to the vaccination with Benadryl or something similar. This often will prevent the reaction from occurring.
As fall is settling in be sure to continue your flea and tick prevention. I know I mentioned our new year long Bravecto Quantum. If your dog is due for a flea and tick treatment, consider doing this injection. It has been offered to dogs of all sizes and has had no negative responses at WVC. How nice to have one shot for the whole year and not have to think about giving another pill or topical for the life of your dog. Make your appointment today. Happy Halloween!
