Vaccination reaction?

[Lindsey Holt]

Just had a terrifying experience with our little Jake. Took him in to have the 5 in 1 and they gave him his 1st Bordettella (I know that isn't spelled right) vaccine. About 45 minutes later he started shaking his head and rubbing his face and i notice that his right ear (same side as the Bordettella vaccine) is beat red.

Of course it is now just after 6 and our vet is closed so I rushed him to the emergency vet and by the time we get there both ears are beet red and swollen. He was now drooling buckets and his eyes were beginning to swell.

They gave him IV benadryl and an IV steroid and told me it was an allergic rxn. I just wish I knew for sure what? I'm sure it was a vaccine but was it the Bordettella that he had never had or anew rxn to the other set that he has already had? He is due for one more set in 3 weeks and then his rabies in a couple more weeks, what do I do in the future?

It was terrifying to be so helpless.

[Amy and Annabelle]

That is so scary. I hope Jake is feeling better. Regarding future vax's, this is something you need to discuss with your vet before his next dose.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

What were the 5 diseases vaccinated for in the 5-in-1. There are only 3 core vaccines, plus rabies: Parvo, Distemper, and Adenovirus. Here's a link to the protocol: http://www.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/vmth/small_animal/internal_medicine/n...

Did he get the Bordatella vaccine intranasally? 

[Lindsey Holt]

The 5 diseases are Distemper, Adenovirus, Parvo, Lepto, and Hepatitis.

The Bordatella vaccine he got was the shot version. (This was the only new vaccine)

I had never thought about Titers, I think I will push for this instead of more vaccines next time and try to delay the Rabies for awhile.

Do you all know how much Titers usually cost?

Do dogs need the Kennel Cough vaccine to go to the groomer?

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Lepto is not a core vaccine, and is controversial. My dog is 11 years old and has never had the lepto vaccine. 

The fewer vaccines they get at once, the better, IMO. I would discuss what is necessary and what is not with your vet.

Titers run about $150- $200 in my area. But you don't do them with puppies. Once you're done with the puppy shots, you can have three year versions of the core vaccines, and you can discuss whether or not to do the others with your vet.

I do intranasal bordatella rather than a shot. 

[F, Calla & Luca]

I would consult with your vet. But if he never had the Bordetella vaccine he could not be allergic to Bordetella per se although he still could be allergic to a component of it. I think your vet will pretreat your pup before future vaccinations.

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

I agree.....this is definitely a conversation you need to have with your vet before your next visit.  I know that my vet keeps dogs with her for the day if there is a possibility of a reaction based on past history.

[Ricki and Tara (doodle)]

I agree with Olga that he may not need anymore vaccinations at this point. Tara has only had one distemper and 3 parvo vaccinations in her lifetime as a puppy. She is now 7 years old and still has immunity to those diseases as evidenced by titer testing.  Also, the parvo and distemper vaccines can be given as individual shots and staggered over time so the body has time to adapt rather than giving 5 vaccines in one shot. It can be overwhelming for some puppies. I also agree about waiting on the rabies. I stalled as long as I could and Tara was over a year old before she got her first rabies shot.  

[Linda, Charlie Brown and Beau]

So sorry to hear your little Jake had a reaction. I do not know anything about 5 in 1 and my vet does not do this in her practice.  I hope he quickly returns to normal.

[Shawn and Darlene]

I am not a believer in annual shots.  I do 3 year shots with zeus and that is probably over vacinating
vacine article

another test to see if your dog needs  a vacination is a titers test . It is blood test that your vet can do in his office that test the current antibodies level. titers

every dog is different and needs different needs.

[Nancy & Echo]

I'm so sorry this happened to you.  I hope Jake is feeling better.  You must have been very scared.

To play 'devil's advocate',

This is what the CDC says about HUMAN vaccines, not canine vaccines.  I know that human vaccines are tested much more thoroughly than animal vaccines, so this may or may not apply:

Getting multiple vaccines at the same time has been shown to be safe.

Scientific data show that getting several vaccines at the same time does not cause any chronic health problems. A number of studies have been done to look at the effects of giving various combinations of vaccines, and when every new vaccine is licensed, it has been tested along with the vaccines already recommended for a particular aged child. The recommended vaccines have been shown to be as effective in combination as they are individually.  Sometimes, certain combinations of vaccines given together can cause fever, and occasionally febrile seizures; these are temporary and do not cause any lasting damage. Based on this information, both the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices and the American Academy of Pediatrics recommend getting all routine childhood vaccines on time.

http://www.cdc.gov/vaccinesafety/concerns/multiple-vaccines-immunit...

In this study in Japan, about 0.63% of dogs had adverse reactions, according to veterinary hospitals.  Of course, we don't know how many dogs had reactions that the owners didn't report to their hospital.

We found that of the 57,300, 359 dogs showed VAAEs <vaccine-associated adverse events>. Of the 359 dogs, death was observed in 1, anaphylaxis in 41, dermatological signs in 244, gastrointestinal signs in 160, and other signs in 106. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22264736

I'm so sorry Jake was among the unlucky that had an adverse reaction.  That must have been very scary.I hope he's feeling better now.

[Lindsey Holt]

He is feeling much better, I'm just scared about the next time.

[Nancy & Echo]

Of course you are!  Who wouldn't be?

As F., Calla & Luca suggested, maybe they can pretreat her.   I had a friend who would get throat swelling before some IV contrast material (before CT scans or something).  They gave her a whopping oral dose of prednisone before each subsequent test, and she did perfectly fine.  (I'm not saying that's what they should do for Jake.)

But I think a thorough discussion with your vet before her next vaccination is totally in order.  I'm so sorry you are going through this.