Reaction To Routine Vaccination

[2Chiwawa]

Graci and I had quite a scare yesterday. I took her in for her annual check up and vaccinations after work. She had her shots at about 6:30 p.m. The vet asked me if she had ever had a reaction to her vaccinations and I said no. She never had a problem. Well wouldn't you know it, but my Mom called me at a neighbors house around 8:15 p.m. to tell me to come right home, that something was wrong with Gracie. I was only in another apartment in my building and came right home. Gracie was rubbing her head all around on her dog bed and when I picked her up her eyes were all swollen and very red. Her entire head was swelling up. I called the vet and took her right back. We live 10 min. away and they were open until 9:00 p.m. thank God. They shot her full of steroids and gave me pills to give her for 3 days.

When I got her home she was very hot and restless. I sat with her on the couch with the air conditioner on. She began to calm down and the med worked very fast. But until it began to work I could see hives all over her little belly and her little armpits were bright red. I had run out of the house with her so fast that I didn't even see this until we came home again.

All her head swelling began to subside but I kept a close eye on her. She finally concked out and slept for about a half hour. Then she woke up and drank twice. She knew something big had happened and sat right near me the rest of the night.

Gracie was fine and back to normal by 12 midnight but I hate to think what would have happened if she had been alone at home after the vet visit or if the vet had not still been open. The nearest emergency vet is over a half hour away.

A note of caution for everyone! Stay home with your pet after they get any shots. Any pet can have a reaction at any time even if they never have had one in the past.

Gracie was such a good girl today. She let my mother and I shove this great big pill right down her throat. She also stayed right by my mother all day. She seemed to need the reassurance though she is back to normal in every other way.

[Romans Mom]

Oh, Sorry you had to go through this! It sounds identical to what happened to Roman in his middle of the night emergency.

So since Elle is his sister, we were aware this could happen to her as well. Lys, had given some great information, and I saved it for future reference. I'm not sure what they thought caused Graci's reaction, but Roman's was determined to be caused from the Lepto vaccine. We requested not to give it to Elle, and the vet complied.

I'm glad Graci is better. I thought I'd mention this...Did the vet check her eyes? They need to be checked due to the swelling that can cause damage from the head swelling, and it does happen. Roman was lucky; his were fine.

Hugs to Graci, and throw one in for Sammi :wub: :wub:

[Romans Mom]

I had saved this from the old Club Chi board...Lys had posted it.

Here's a great, easy to understand article from the University of Wisconsin-Madison that is right along the current findings and new vaccine protecols that many vets are starting to follow:

Schultz: Dog vaccines may not be necessary
By Emily Carlson

Once a year, Ronald Schultz checks the antibody levels in his dogs' blood. Why? He says for proof that most annual vaccines are unnecessary.
Schultz, professor and chair of pathobiological sciences at School of Veterinary Medicine, has been studying the effectiveness of canine vaccines since the 1970s; he's learned that immunity can last as long as a dog's lifetime, which suggests that our "best friends" are being over-vaccinated.

Based on his findings, a community of canine vaccine experts has developed new veterinary recommendations that could eliminate a dog's need for annual shots. The guidelines appear in the March/April issue of Trends, the journal of the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA).

Every year, when we take our dogs to the veterinarian's office, they could receive up to 16 different vaccines, many of which are combined into a single shot. Four of these products protect against life-threatening diseases, including rabies, canine parvovirus type 2 (CPV-2), canine distemper virus (CDV) and canine adenovirus type 2 (CAV-2); the rest protect against milder diseases to which only some dogs are exposed, including Lyme disease.

But, as many veterinarians are realizing, over-vaccination can actually jeopardize a dog's health and even life. Side effects can cause skin problems, allergic reactions and autoimmune disease. Though the case in cats, not dogs, tumors have been reported at the site of vaccine injections.

"These adverse reactions have caused many veterinarians to rethink the issue of vaccination," says Schultz. "The idea that unnecessary vaccines can cause serious side effects is in direct conflict with sound medical practices."

For 30 years, Schultz has been examining the need to vaccinate animals so often and for so many diseases. "In the 1970s, I started thinking about our immune response to pathogens and how similar it is in other animals," says Schultz. "That's when I started to question veterinary vaccination practices."

Just like ours, a canine's immune system fires up when a pathogen, like a virus, enters the body. The pathogen releases a protein called an antigen, which calls into action the immune system's special disease-fighting cells. Called B and T lymphocytes, these cells not only destroy the virus, but they remember what it looked like so they can fend it off in the future.

It's this immunological memory that enables vaccines, which purposely contain live, weakened or dead pathogens, to protect against future disease.

But, as Schultz points out, vaccines can keep people immune for a lifetime: we're usually inoculated for measles, mumps and rubella as children but never as adults. So, can dogs be vaccinated as pups and then never again?

While evidence from Schultz's studies on both his own dogs and many other dogs from controlled studies suggests the answer is yes, Schultz recommends a more conservative plan based on duration of immunity and individual risk.

Schultz says that core vaccines, or the ones that protect against life-threatening disease, are essential for all dogs, yet he does not recommend dogs receive these shots yearly. "With the exception of rabies, the vaccines for CDV, CPV-2 and CAV trigger an immunological memory of at least seven years," he explains. (Studies testing the duration of immunity for rabies shots show it lasts about three years.)

For these reasons, Schultz suggests that dogs receive rabies shots every three years (as is required by law in most states) and the other core vaccines no more frequently than every three years.

Some non-core vaccines, on the other hand, have a much shorter duration of immunity, lasting around one year. But, as Schultz points out, not every dog should get these types of vaccines, because not every dog is at risk for exposure.

Today, many vaccinated dogs receive a shot for Lyme disease. However, Schultz says that the ticks carrying the Lyme disease pathogen can be found in only a few regions of the United States. More importantly, Schultz adds, "The vaccine can cause adverse effects such as mild arthritis, allergy or other immune diseases. Like all vaccines, it should only be used when the animal is at significant risk." He notes that the Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital at the UW-Madison School of Veterinary Medicine rarely administers the Lyme disease vaccine.

Another common vaccine that Schultz says is unnecessary protects against "kennel cough," an often mild and transient disease contracted during boarding or dog shows. "Most pet dogs that do not live in breeding kennels, are not boarded, do not go to dog shows and have only occasional contact with dogs outside their immediate family," Schultz recommends, "rarely need to be vaccinated or re-vaccinated for kennel cough."

Schultz says that it's important for veterinarians to recognize an individual dog's risk for developing a particular disease when considering the benefits of a vaccine. "Vaccines have many exceptional benefits, but, like any drug, they also have the potential to cause significant harm." Giving a vaccine that's not needed, he explains, creates an unnecessary risk to the animal.

Recommending that dogs receive fewer vaccines, Schultz admits, may spark controversy, especially when veterinarians rely on annual vaccines to bring in clients, along with income.

But, as he mentions, annual visits are important for many reasons other than shots.

"Checking for heartworm, tumors, dermatological problems and tooth decay should be done on a yearly basis," he says. "Plus, some dogs, depending on their risk, may need certain vaccines annually." Rather than vaccinating on each visit, veterinarians can use a recently developed test which checks dogs' immunity against certain diseases.

Schultz adds that veterinarians who have switched to the three-year, instead of annual, vaccination program have found no increase in the number of dogs with vaccine-preventable diseases.

"Everyday, more and more people in the profession are embracing the change," notes Schultz. And, that the new vaccination guidelines supported by the AAHA, along with the task force members representing the American Colleges of Veterinary Internal Medicine, Veterinary Microbiology and the American Association of Veterinary Immunologists, is evidence of just that.


Posted by: Roman's Mom Nov 11 2003, 06:14 PM
Thanks Alyssa, Great Information. I've pinned it since this shouldn't be missed! ~Barb~

Posted by: Roman's Mom Nov 11 2003, 08:06 PM
When Roman had his almost deadly reaction to the Lepto. shot, the ER vet said they didn't need the vaccine. But we are in a county with lots of cattle, so that's why our vet gave it to Roman. We thought never again, since he almost died and his head was so swollen. Now, for the next pup, we will get one of these days, I don't know what to do because just last week Roman was one foot away from lots of cow pies while we were RVing. So how do I know what to do? My friend with 3 Chis has to bring home shots for "just in case" when her pups get anaphylatic reaction. So how do I know what to do? We are around cattle. Thanks.

Posted by: Heuser's mom Nov 12 2003, 12:59 AM
QUOTE (Roman's Mom @ Nov 11 2003, 08:06 PM)
When Roman had his almost deadly reaction to the Lepto. shot, the ER vet said they didn't need the vaccine. But we are in a county with lots of cattle, so that's why our vet gave it to Roman. We thought never again, since he almost died and his head was so swollen. So how do I know what to do? We are around cattle. Thanks.


Barb-

Lepto can actually be carried in a variety of species including horses, cows, swine, rats, cats, and even humans...BUT IS EXTREMELY RARE. If you think about it, hundreds of thousands of dogs come into contact with these animals on a daily basis (farm/working dogs, herding dogs, etc.) and are never effected, nor is the disease seen on a regular basis.

Dogs become infected by leptospires (a bacteria)when abraded skin comes into contact with the URINE of an infected host or is consumed in food or water (like stagnent puddles).

Lepto is a life-threatening disease but responds well to Penicillin and IV treatments if caught early on.

The species "Leptospira interrogans" has been classified under subtypes called "SEROVARS" of which there are over 200. Like all bacterium, it has developed resistance to the long-time used Lepto vaccine and many of the most recent outbreaks have been serovars for which vaccinations do not exhist.
continued...

[Romans Mom]

continued...this post was too long for one post.


Four of this serovars are most commonly seen in canines and yet only two are in the shot. Another thing is that the Lepto shot only lasts between 6-8months so it doesn't protect your dog from annual to annual visit.

Most vets and recent medical literature agree that it is best to leave the Lepto out of the DHLPP combo vaccine if there is any history of reaction with the dog (like poor Roman ) or if it is a small breed, especially closely bred small dogs, who are at greater risk of vaccine reactions than large breeds and outcrossed dogs.

Common protecol among veterinarians is to exclude the Lepto (L) part of the combo vaccine in the first round of puppy shots (given at 6-8 weeks) and then use it for the next 2 rounds (if in a high-risk area). But for toy breeds like chihuahuas, it is recommended that IF the vaccine is given, to wait until the dog is over 1 year of age (this is what Heuser's breeder recommends as well since there is such a high occurence of allergic reaction in Chihuahuas).

I hope this helps! Let me know if I missed something...Lys

Posted by: Roman's Mom Nov 12 2003, 01:25 AM
Thank you so much, Alyssa. This info answers all my questions, plus! I thought it was a one-time-vaccine! I'm going to make sure it's not given to him again.

[2Chiwawa]

Thank you Barb for the update. I will call the vet on Monday to see if I should bring Gracie back for him to check her eyes. We did catch everything very quickly and she seems fine. I will definitely have a long discussion with him before she gets any shots next year.

[Amaze]

Sorry I missed this, I am glad to hear that Gracie is doing better after that scary reaction! It sounds like a scary time and it was a good thing you were around to take her to the vet right away. I hope all that lepto info was helpful and speaking with the vet should give you a better idea as to what she reacted too.

One more helpful tip: my dogs get their rabies (combination) booster (once every 3 years) and distemper since its required by law and my vet gives them on opposite sides of their necks. That way, if swelling/reactions occur, he can often tell from which vaccine it came from.

[Hercules Momma]

Oh No!!! I'm so glad you were able to catch this and get her to the vet in time!
Hope she continues to feel well! Puppy kisses from Hercules and Hummer!

[Romans Mom]

I requested that the Lepto V. was skipped for Elle. That was fine with the vet. :)

[2Chiwawa]

Hi All, Thank you so much for your good wishes. Gracie is doing fine. I will be sure to leave out the Lepto and to have the other shots on seperate sides of her neck next year. She had also gained back the one lb. she lost so she is not getting anymore snacks from my Mom. She is eating her regular dog food like a real dog.

[Amaze]

Hi All, Thank you so much for your good wishes. Gracie is doing fine. I will be sure to leave out the Lepto and to have the other shots on seperate sides of her neck next year. She had also gained back the one lb. she lost so she is not getting anymore snacks from my Mom. She is eating her regular dog food like a real dog.

That's good to hear!

HA! "Eating her regular dog food like a real dog"!!! That is SO true!!! When we first got Tally, she chowed down at feeding time and all she got was dry kibble...Now, between table food and 3 Dog treats, she's figured out there is MUCH better tasting things then dog food and barely touches her canned/kibble food mix-even with good stuff like cottage cheese and veggies mixed in-Spoiled!!!
Lys