How to know the signs your dog's had a bad reaction to vaccines
PORTLAND, Ore. – Anyone who's had a dog has learned that vaccinations are the best way to protect them from diseases ranging from distemper to rabies.
But what if that vaccination or series of vaccinations caused a life-changing condition in your pet?
KATU News reporter Mary Loos' dog, Lucy, went in for a routine vaccination but wound up with a permanent illness. So Loos looked into the issue and found what you should know in order to protect your own pet.
"You can see lethargy and slight fevers within 24 to 36 hours afterward, but it usually only lasts about a day," said veterinary specialist Dr. Robert Franklin. "But I tell them that you watch – watch for any type of swellings that may occur. Watch for any type of bumps on the skin (and) watch, obviously, for breathing."
He says that watching your pet can be key to saving its life, especially when it comes to some of the more severe allergic reactions.
Believe it or not, there are specialists that handle these extreme cases.
Lucy was one of those extreme cases, developing a condition called vasculitis, which caused the hair on her ears to fall out.
Veterinary dermatologist Dr. Terese DeManuelle treated her and says there is a way to find out if the dog is protected.
"What we talk about is to perform blood vaccine titers," she said. "There are those available for distemper and parvo and rabies, and they're fairly accurate. And if those don't show that Lucy is protected, then it is dangerous not to vaccinate them."
Vaccinations for the most part are safe and extreme cases are rare. But the most important thing is to have an open conversation with your vet about what's best for your pet.
Vets KATU News spoke with Thursday agreed on one main thing: Keep vaccinations separate. Don't do rabies and distemper all in one day, especially with a puppy or smaller dog.
And if you're worried, ask, don't be afraid to have a conversation with your vet and work with them to find the best solution for your pet's long-term health.
vets agree that pets shouldn't get their vaccines all at once but good luck convincing your MD of the same for your child.
The Top 9 signs that your dog has a bad reaction to vaccines...
9. It dies.
8. It takes off running, never to be seen again.
7. It starts speaking in tongues.
6. It starts thinking Rosie OâDonnell is pretty.
5. It misses Mayor Sam Adams.
4. It starting thinking Pres O is doing a good job in office.
3. Starts meowing.
2. Flames start shooting out of its arse.
And the number one sign that your dog has a bad reaction to vaccinesâ¦.
1.It starts humping the cat.
A vet gave my 10 yr old dachshund all of the shots at once. The dog died 2 weeks later of an auto immune disease. Research I did afterwards showed this happens much too often. I confronted the vet who said he was aware of the research and no longer vaccinated his older dog. I believe vaccinations after puppyhood are done just for the money. We have to wake up. There is too much vaccination of our pets and kids (I believe the reason for so much autism today). Why did we all survive with just a polio vaccination?
Too bad "extremely rare" doesn't have any numbers attached. Great scare article for something that occurs less than one in ten-thousand vaccinations.
My  young healthy adult dog had a terrible reaction to his last vaccinations about 3 years ago when he was about 3 yrs of age and which were only two vaccines and yet, it took weeks and some vet care to get him back to a healthy state. His vet has now made him exempt for vaccinations forever. We did do a rabies titre last year and it was still very high so his immunity will last a long, long time for that.