Lethargic after vaccinations

[Haley, Yeti, and Phin]

How long should you expect your puppy to be tired and kind of lethargic after getting shots?

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I'd say not more than a day or so.

[Haley, Yeti, and Phin]

Phin got shots last night around 6:30ish and had a bad reaction to them. Still seems overly sleepy and sad which makes for a worried mama.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Give it until tomorrow. If he's still lethargic or sleepy, maybe put in a call to the vet.
Question: what kind of shots did he get? And it was shots, multiple? 

[Haley, Yeti, and Phin]

He got bordetella (oral), rabies (3 year), CD-CA2-CP-CPV-L (1st adult). They also took a heart worm test which came up negative.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Okay, so I think that letter "L" at the end of  "CD-CA2-CP-CPV-L" is Leptospirosis vaccine, and if so, you don't want that again. I know what the others are: CD is canine distemper, CA2 is canine adenovirus, (covers hepatitis) and CP is canine parvovirus. Those are typically given in one shot. Next time, ask for the three year version of those.

Leptospirosis vaccine is the one most likely to cause a reaction, and the one that is optional; it is not required for daycare, groomers, boarding, etc as are the other vaccines. If an owner decides that they do want to vaccinate against lepto, (and depending on your dog's environment and life style, you might very well have good reasons for doing so), you want the newer vaccines which are not given as part of a vaccine cocktail like this, but are rather given spearately from any other shots. The newer lepto vaccines, which have fewer side effects and are safer, are given as a series of two shots about a month apart; this is why they can't be part of any other combo shot. 
Especially since Phin seems to be having a reaction, I would definitely be sure to remeber this for next year. You want only the 3 year DAP shot, and then the newer lepto vaccine given separately (assuming you want to give lepto vaccine at all. )

[Haley, Yeti, and Phin]

I’m screenshotting this and marking it on my calandra to reference this! Thank you so much. I lost so much sleep last night up worrying about him. He threw up twice, which could be a combo of the fact that they gave him so much PB and hot dogs at the vet while he got his shots, the shot itself, and he’s been uneasy lately due to the fact that we moved. Thank you so much for your insight Karen! 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Correction to the above: I think "CP" is canine parainfluenza and CPV is canine parvovirus. Regardless, you don;t want to give that same shot with the lepto vaccine next year, and you want a three year version of the DAP shot and the lepto vaccine that is done in two shots a month apart. The parainfluenza vaccine can be given intranasally with the bordatella vaccine on a yearly basis.  
Think about it....Phin got 7 different vaccines all at one time. The one shot contained 5 different vaccines, including one that is known to cause reactions. and then rabies and bordatella. It's not surprising that Phin isn't feeling well. 
I try never to give more than one vaccine at a time, except in the case of the DAP shot, which is given only once every three years. I make a separate vet visit for that, the rabies shot, and the bordatella. That may sound crazy, but in fact, it doesn;t cost any more doing it in three visits than it does in one, or at least, it shouldn't.  
And since you did a three year rabies, he won;t need that again next year. So next year, it will only be the DAP shot due. Don;t get anything else done that day. Go back a couple of weeks later for the bordatella, and then do the lepto separately if you decide to do it at all. 
I hope this makes sense. 

[J and Riley (and Luna)]

Interesting - never heard that about the lepto vaccine.

Riley got hers (along with the usual puppy stuff) we have a lot of wildlife in the area (raccoons, skunks, coyotes, squirrels...) so Luna always got hers too with her annual shots.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

One of Jasper's siblings from a previous litter had a life-threatening reaction to the old form of lepto vaccine given in that 5-in-one vaccine cocktail. It's known to cause some serious reactions in some dogs.
When you vaccinate, you stimulate the immune system to produce antibodies; overs-timulating the immune system is never a good idea, and giving 7 different vaccines at once is sure a lot of stimulation, lol.  There is a school of thought in the holistic community that this is the cause of the increase in autoimmune diseases in dogs. And whether we believe that or not, giving so many vaccines at the same time, and giving them all every year, is in opposition to the vaccine protocol that the American Veterinary Association has recommended for several years.
There is no question that the newer two-shot version of the lepto vaccine is safer than the one that is includedin the cocktail.
My vet does not charge me an office visit fee for a tech visit. The only one of these vaccines that requires a vet to administer it is rabies (at least here in my state). So while spacing the vaccines out does require a few extra trips to the vet's office, it should not cost any more than doing it all at once. I go in, a tech gives the vaccine, and I pay only for the vaccine, same price as if it had been included in the annual exam/office visit. 
I will never know if over-vaccinating before I adopted him was the cause of JD's allergies and IBD (both immune mediated), but I am not taking any chances. 

[J and Riley (and Luna)]

It's worth exploring for next year for sure - we're not super far away from vet (~20 mins) and they are pretty reasonable so far so probably would just charge for the shot as well if we did it separately.

[Dolly Dykhouse]

Correct me if I'm wrong Karen, but dogs that have allergies already have over stimulated immune systems and giving the 5 in 1 cocktail can trigger a bad reaction as well. Henry had a bad reaction (larger than a golfball swelling at the injection site, painful to touch) when he was just a puppy and this was more than a year before his official diagnosis of allergies (Atopic Dermatitis). Just like with JD, I will never know if this is a cause or was a trigger for his Atopy, but I am a much wiser doggie momma now and will never give the Lepto vaccine as there is no reason to in my area and I will always ask for the 3 year version of the other vaccines on our next dog. I'm also having blood titers done before any future vaccines other than the mandatory rabies.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I agree completely.