My dog has allergies to vaccinations?

kittenslingerie

kittenslingerie

O.G.
Aug 25, 2006
6,065
162
#1
I was hoping for advice or something. My boston terrier just made 4 yrs old. The first 2 yrs of her life she would get these terrible hives fairly often. Sometimes all over her back only, other times her face and eyes would swell up really bad(so bad she looked like she'd been punched in the face) The worst time her short nose swelled, and scared me that she would stop breathing. Each time I'd rush her to her vet and sometimes the emergency vet, but neither vet nor I could figure out the cause. They would shoot her up with steroids and benadryll. Eventually the emergency vet suggested in could be her annual vaccinations causing the allergy. That particular time the hives came within 10 days of her vaccinations.
So last yr we tried not getting her shots and guess what... no more hives ever since. So now my vet is suggesting that we give her the rabies shot anyway. If she were ever to bite someone, they could demand her euthanization to test her brain for rabies(since rabies shots are required yearly in Louisiana). The emergency vet on the other hand said that all vaccinations last 3 yrs, he wouldn't risk it more often than that. She has snapped at one person(air snapped) in her life, but usually likes everyone. It is a risk that she may bite, you just never know.
I don't know what to do. Has anyone had something like this happen with shots? Is it worth the risk to get the shot, because either way could be endangering her life...
 
#2
most places won't kill a dog just because it bit someone, and it didn't have it's rabies shots. normally, the dog would be quarantined for 10 days, or so, under rabies observation. you would have to pay quite a bit of $$$ in fines. why don't you talk to your local animal control to find out exactly what options you have? i don't think it's worth risking her life. what does the vet suggest? i wish you and your boston the best of luck!
 
#3
Vaccine reactions can definitely happen. And sometimes it will happen after more than one series. The body just say 'No more'! And it can be serious to a point that the dog/cat will go into anaphylaxis shock. I have seen many vaccine reaction from mild to death in my profession...
The veterinary community has really revamp this issue of vaccinating pets. I personally think we vaccinate more than we need to. There was a guideline announced couple years ago, and most vets will recommend every 3 year protocol once the pet has received their puppy/kitten series. And good vets will tailor the vaccine to each pet, deciding which one is necessary and which one is not. Dogs and cats do NOT need to get vaccinated for everything that is out in the market. Also, it depends on the manufacture of the vaccine whether it is a one year or three year.
Rabies vaccination is little tricky because it is required by law in most States. So technically you have to have it if you want to keep your dog's license, and yes, in case theere is a dog bite case, you want proof. There are ways you can get a Rabies vaccination waiver. Your veterinarian will have to write a letter/form and the county/city will decide if they will accept it or not. CA requires only every 3 yrs. Your dog may need to get a Rabies titer (Blood work that proves whether there are antibodies to Rabies in the body).
The best thing for you and your doggies is to discuss with your veterinarian and local animal control office, too. Rabies quanrantine procedure length depends on the State, too... Ask about Rabies titer and whether that is acceptable in your State or not.
By the way, your doggies are too cute!!!
 
#4
tiramisu said:
Vaccine reactions can definitely happen. And sometimes it will happen after more than one series. The body just say 'No more'! And it can be serious to a point that the dog/cat will go into anaphylaxis shock. I have seen many vaccine reaction from mild to death in my profession...
The veterinary community has really revamp this issue of vaccinating pets. I personally think we vaccinate more than we need to. There was a guideline announced couple years ago, and most vets will recommend every 3 year protocol once the pet has received their puppy/kitten series. And good vets will tailor the vaccine to each pet, deciding which one is necessary and which one is not. Dogs and cats do NOT need to get vaccinated for everything that is out in the market. Also, it depends on the manufacture of the vaccine whether it is a one year or three year.
Rabies vaccination is little tricky because it is required by law in most States. So technically you have to have it if you want to keep your dog's license, and yes, in case theere is a dog bite case, you want proof. There are ways you can get a Rabies vaccination waiver. Your veterinarian will have to write a letter/form and the county/city will decide if they will accept it or not. CA requires only every 3 yrs. Your dog may need to get a Rabies titer (Blood work that proves whether there are antibodies to Rabies in the body).
The best thing for you and your doggies is to discuss with your veterinarian and local animal control office, too. Rabies quanrantine procedure length depends on the State, too... Ask about Rabies titer and whether that is acceptable in your State or not.
By the way, your doggies are too cute!!!
Click to expand...
Thanks for all the info!:yes: I will check the rabies titer with my vet, maybe that would help. My only worry about calling animal control, is if they say I have to get it for her. I'm scared they will make me get her the shot and something bad will happen to her. I still may call them after I talk to the vet again.
 
#6
We started doing the titer test for our oldest beagle Booker after she had a lump develop at the site of her vaccinations one year... I would say she has only needed one vaccine or another every third or so year since - which makes you wonder why the normal frequency is every year. We do do rabies regardless, however - since it is the law here. I would ask your vet about the 1 and 3 year rabies options, though - I believe that the 3 year vaccine is stronger because it has to last longer and therefore could cause more problems...
 
#7
Like tiramisu said, it isn't uncommon for certain breeds of dogs to develop allergic reactions to vaccines. Your best bet would be to get your doggie's titers taken and then give the three year vaccine.
 
#8
My dog had her vaccinations about a month ago and she got so sick that she didn't eat for 3 days. She was running a very high fever so I had to take her back to the vet's office for some antibiotics. She was fine about a day after she started her medications but I was just uncomfortable with the whole scenario. She's never had such a bad reaction to her vaccinations but I'm going to look into not getting her vaccinated every year.
 
#10
Apart from not getting your dog vaccinated so often, the other thing you can do is to have a chat with your vet and see if you can vaccinate against less strains. For eg, in Australia, we commonly vaccinate for C5 or 5-in-1. There is an agent in the C5 that can cause allergic type reactions. If there is a known allergic reaction in a dog, we then vaccinate for less, ie the C3. An alternative is to admit your dog for pretreatment with an antihistamine before actually administering the vaccination. Not sure if US vets would do the same, no harm asking.
 
#11
kittenslingerie said:
Does anyone know how much blood is required from my dog for the titer test?
Click to expand...

I don't remember clearly, but usually they require 1cc of blood, which is not much.

Vaccinating pets was and maybe is still bit controversial among veterinarians, so don't be surprised if you hear both parties. If you kinda think of it this way, we only get vaccinated during childhood and hardly need to booster it, maybe once before college years, right? If dogs/cats only live around 20 years, and we give vaccines every year...? I know some manufactures only guarantee 1 year for effectiveness, but that is pretty much because they don't do research to find out how long. Vaccinations was a way for vets to get clients in, but more than vaccinating your pets, yearly or biannual exams with xrays and/or blood work is probably more beneficial to your pet. There are clear evidence that vaccine reaction occurs and can cause seriousl illness and death, so definitely talk to your veterinarian. They will weigh the benefits and risk according to your pet's lifestyle.

Just something to think about... For my dogs and cats, I only vaccinate what is necessary. My dogs board so they get Distemper now every 3 yrs because they are in their senior years, Bordetella intranasal, and Rabies every 3 yrs. My cats hardly get anything as there are scientific evidence that some vaccines cause cancer. My indoor only cats get the FVRCP (upper respiratory virus vaccine) every 3 years and that's it. They got Rabies and FeLV during kitten series, and that is it.
 
#12
tiramisu said:
I don't remember clearly, but usually they require 1cc of blood, which is not much.

Vaccinating pets was and maybe is still bit controversial among veterinarians, so don't be surprised if you hear both parties. If you kinda think of it this way, we only get vaccinated during childhood and hardly need to booster it, maybe once before college years, right? If dogs/cats only live around 20 years, and we give vaccines every year...? I know some manufactures only guarantee 1 year for effectiveness, but that is pretty much because they don't do research to find out how long. Vaccinations was a way for vets to get clients in, but more than vaccinating your pets, yearly or biannual exams with xrays and/or blood work is probably more beneficial to your pet. There are clear evidence that vaccine reaction occurs and can cause seriousl illness and death, so definitely talk to your veterinarian. They will weigh the benefits and risk according to your pet's lifestyle.

Just something to think about... For my dogs and cats, I only vaccinate what is necessary. My dogs board so they get Distemper now every 3 yrs because they are in their senior years, Bordetella intranasal, and Rabies every 3 yrs. My cats hardly get anything as there are scientific evidence that some vaccines cause cancer. My indoor only cats get the FVRCP (upper respiratory virus vaccine) every 3 years and that's it. They got Rabies and FeLV during kitten series, and that is it.
Click to expand...
Roxy did get her intranasal Bordatella last year and will definately get that again this year-she had no problems with it. I am most concerned with parvo, distemper, and rabies myself.
 
#13
My Chi had an allergic reaction to his rabies vaccination about 1 1/2 years ago. I noticed about 4 hours after he got the shot that he was crying and his face and eyes were swollen. I was so scared that his throat was going to close up on him. This happened at 9pm so I had to rush him to the emergency vet. They gave him steroids and benadryll and the swelling went down rather quickly. The next day I went to my regular vet and it was determined that he was allergic to a certain brand of rabies vaccinations, so now he can only get a certain brand so he doesn't have another allergic reaction. I don't have an option to not get him a rabies shot because it's illegal here. Cats and dogs must have rabies shots where I am.
 
#14
Maybe tiramisu can chime in here too, but I did notice when I was vet tech that vaccine reactions tend to be seen more in certain smaller breeds of dogs and Boxers. Although, I don't think much research has been done in this area. Usually pre-treating with Benadryl and not giving more than one vaccine at a time seemed to help. Good luck and keep us posted.
 
#15
^^
I have not read any studies of vaccine reactions and breeds, and I never really thought closely, but your observation may be true. Maybe there is some paper out there. I don't know if it has to do with size, too. We did see in mixed breeds, too. Boxers are so prone to get every disease on the planet. I don't know why!!! I saw lots of vaccine reactions in cats, too.
Every dog/cat owner should have Benadryl in their medicine cabinet. Children Benadryl will do.
aklien, I love your kitties...:love:
 
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