# Puppy critically ill after vaccine



## 2mnyk9z (Oct 11, 2012)

One of the worst feelings as a dog owner is feeling you have contributed to the suffering of your little pal.
We brought our 8week old puppy in for his 3 day post ownership vet check and he was deemed healthy.(we deemed him sweet and smart and beautiful) He received 1 shot that day. It was leptospirosis4. He was warm that night and a bit tired but seemed ok. Four days later he was admitted to the veterinarians and then we transferred him to a 24 hour clinic. We really thought we might lose him. 
We noticed on the 4th day post shot that he wasn't himself , wanting to lay down, lethargic, and made the decision to take him in right away to be examined. He was running a fever at the clinic for days ranging in the 104's to 105's. Painful to touch, not eating, could not stand, symptoms kept appearing. He was supported with iv fluids and constant temp monitoring(cooling cloths, fans, etc to bring fever down) He had multiple antibiotics and nothing touched his fever.
Finally he was given steroids and he improved dramatically. Fever reducing then gone, appetite coming back, and most important-he doesn't look like he's going to expire at any minute. He still cannot support his weight(all of 9 pounds) as of last night, but we are hoping he may come home today if walking. 
His probable diagnosis is polyarthritis caused by his immune system being attacked from the vaccine.
If this story helps one little puppy I will be grateful- we are so glad ours is on the mend, and we will question the need of any vaccine for each of our dogs from now on, I think a blood titer is the way to go. 
No-one intentionally hurt our puppy but that is exactly what happened. He will never get Lepto again.


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## mswhipple (Mar 7, 2011)

I am so sorry to learn of the ordeal your sweet little guy has had to endure!! Hoping and praying for his continued improvement and a full recovery.


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## Ozkar (Jul 4, 2011)

Sure glad he's on the mend. You must have been beside yourself. Adverse reactions can occur occasionally, but not vaccinating can have very dire consequences. A mate just lost his Irish Wolfie to parvovirus due to not vaccinating. So while vaccinating has risks, not vaccinating can have greater risk.

Keep us posted and I hope pup is home with his family soon.


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## einspänner (Sep 8, 2012)

How scary for all of you! I'm so glad to hear he's improving. 

I completely agree about the value of titer testing, however for lepto, kennel cough, and other bacterial infections, it's pretty useless. The antibodies just don't remain in the system that long, so the test is unlikely to show a protective level. It's definitely worth testing for for everything else now that you know he's reacted poorly to one vaccine. Poor guy. 

If you haven't already added some kind of probiotic to his diet, I'd recommend it. It will help boost his immune system and replace the good gut flora that the antibiotics killed off. Yogurt, kefir, or a dog-specific product (I'm currently using Pet Kelp, but there are plenty out there) are good options you can mix right in with his food. If you do add one, do so in tiny tiny bits at first to see how he does with them.

I'm praying too. Keep us updated!! 

Edit-meant to include this link for very thorough info on vaccines. http://www.wsava.org/sites/default/files/VaccinationGuidelines2010.pdf


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## 2mnyk9z (Oct 11, 2012)

Thank you for your well wishes.
I am looking for all advice to help build his immune system and the probiotics sound like a great idea.
Will check into for sure.


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## dextersmom (Oct 29, 2013)

I am so sorry to hear about your pup :-[ I hope he keeps feeling better and recovers fully. Our pup's full sister (but a few years older) has had a reaction to the Lepto vaccine, as has other non-V pups we know. I'm still on the fence whether or not to booster our V with it this year. Definitely going to be discussing it a lot with our vet and weighing the pros and cons. I'm surprised that with all the adverse reactions to that particular vaccine, it can't be modified to be a bit safer. What a scary and heartbreaking story but thank you for sharing. Hope he gets well soon!!


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## Vizsla Baby (Nov 4, 2011)

Poor little cutie pie. :'( Praying for a complete recovery.


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## emilycn (Jul 30, 2013)

Lua also had a bad reaction to her first Lepto vaccine. At 13 weeks, she got her third combo, second flu, and first lepto vaccines. About 8 hours after her shots, she started vomiting, having diarrhea, and got red around the eyes, lips, nose, in her ears, and around her paw pads. of course, it was after hours, so after a visit to the e-vet, some steroids, two antihistamines, and some fluids, she's back home napping. The vet called it a "moderate" reaction, but it was kinda scary and certainly left my wallet a few hundred bucks lighter. here's the referral letter the e-vet sent to Lua's regular vet:

Dear Dr. Hunt,
This letter is in reference to Lua, the 13w old female Vizsla owned by Ms. Emily Nusbaum. Lua was presented on October 8, 2013, for Possible Vaccine Reaction. 

HISTORY: The owner reported that Lua had her vaccines this morning. This evening, she went to her puppy class after dinner (she ate well). Between 6 and 7pm, Lua vomited three times. She also had one episode of diarrhea. Lua's eyes, mouth, and paws appear to be red and slightly swollen. Lua had her flu vaccine, DHPP, and lepto this morning. This was the first time she had a lepto vaccine. This is Lua's third set of vaccines. She did have a small lump at the previous vaccine site that slowly went away. However, she had not had any other vaccine reactions. Lua was given Hydroxyzine 10mg - 2 tablets PO at 10am and 7pm as instructed by her rDVM. Lua has a history of Giardia diagnosed at 8.5 weeks old. Today, she had another positive giardia fecal. Lua is on Metronidazole 250mg - 3/4 tablet PO BID, Panacur (received 1 packet today at noon), and Strongid (received 1ml at 9am). Lua is UTD on HWP and has no known allergies. She has had no c/s or trouble breathing.

PHYSICAL EXAMINATION: Temperature 101.6, Heart Rate 160, Resp. Rate 40, MM/CRT pk, tacky, 2.0sec, Hydration ~5%, Attitude BAR. 

EENT: wnl. Pupils same size, normal PLRs direct and indirect OU. Mild tan debris and malodor AU. Mild angioedema periocular OU. No nasal or ocular discharge.
TEETH/ORAL: deciduous canines. Tacky MM. No other abnormalities appreciated. 
CV/L: no heart murmur audible. Lungs clear. Respiratory rate and effort normal. Femoral pulses wnl. 
GI/GU: no abnormalities palpated. Not painful on palpation. Not splinting abdomen. Rectal exam – mucosa wnl. Feces normal color but loose consistency. 
MUSK:BCS 4/9 wnl. ambulation normal. No lameness. Not painful with manipulation of joints or pressure on long bones. Not painful with downward pressure on vertebrae. Neck range of motion normal and not painful.
INTEG: wnl - no evident swelling or pain around vaccine sites. No urticaria or angioedema appreciated. 
PLN: wnl	
NEURO: wnl. No nystagmus or strabismus. No ataxia. CPs present and normal all four limbs

DIAGNOSIS/DIFFERENTIALS:
1) Vomiting, diarrhea, mild facial swelling - Ddx: vaccine reaction (though other causes cannot be completely ruled out at this time).
2) Giardia - previously diagnosed and treated.

PLAN: Recommended PCV/TS and treatment for allergic reaction. Recommended, in addition, anti-vomiting injection and short course of oral steroidal anti-inflammatories due to severity of reaction. The owner understood and agreed to the treatment plan.

Diphenhydramine 18mg IM.
Dexamethasone SP 4mg IV slow.
Ondansetron 2.4mg SQ.
SQ fluids - 200ml LRS.

PRESCRIPTIONS: Prednisolone Tablet 5mg - Give 1 tab orally every 12 hr for 3 days. Then, give 1 tab every 24 hr for 3 days. Then, give 1 tab every other day until gone. Steroid. START WED AM.

DIAGNOSTICS PERFORMED AND INTERPRETATION:
PCV = 37% / TS = 5.6

RELEASE NOTES: Lua had a moderate vaccine reaction. She was treated with injectable antihistamine and steroidal anti-inflammatory medications. She may be drowsy tonight from the antihistamine injection. Due to the vomiting, she was also given anti-vomitng injection and subcutaneous fluids under her skin to help hydrate her overnight and to help increase her fluid intake during this allergic reaction. Lua will absorb this fluid over the next 6-12 hours. Lua's symptoms were improving in response to treatment prior to discharge, but were not completely resolved. It may take 12-24 hours for Lua's symptoms to completely resolve. Please continue to monitor Lua at home. If the facial swelling returns, or if she develops vomiting or diarrhea, or trouble breathing, bring her back tonight for additional treatment and care. Otherwise, have her rechecked as needed by your regular veterinarian. Please discuss this vaccine reaction with your regular veterinarian prior to Lua's next vaccine boosters. To help reduce the risk of future vaccine reactions, your regular veterinarian will likely recommend pre-vaccine treatment with an antihistamine, selective vaccine administration, and separating the vaccines when administered. Since Lua had this allergic reaction, she should receive an antihistamine medication for the next 48 hours. Give the Hydroxazine as previously prescribed by your rDVM. Continue to give the other previously prescribed medications as well. Start this medication on Wednesday morning. This medication may cause drowsiness. Please call with any questions or concerns. Thank you for allowing us to care for Lua. She is such a sweet girl. We wish you the best in her continued recovery!


I think the Lepto vaccine in particular is a very reactive one. Good luck with recovery!


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## hotmischief (Mar 11, 2012)

I am so sorry to hear about your poor pup, you must be worried sick. I hope he makes a good recovery and that you can begin to enjoy his puppy life.

Yours is the second story I have heard this week about Vizslas being effected by vaccines. The other person I met has done a lot of research into Vizslas and vaccines and it is not good. Lepto in particular seems to cause a bad reaction. My boy had very swollen glands after having his Lepto booster last year. It was fine this year. This lady said to ask your vet when they last had a case of distemper, Lepto, etc? They are virtually unheard of in the UK, probably because of the vaccination program. I have decided that my 21/2yr old will not have any more vaccinations, his immune system has been damaged enough. 

Lepto vaccines only last a year do no point in having a titre test for it.


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## 2mnyk9z (Oct 11, 2012)

Spud the MAN! is home. He is not 100% and we will wait on him and do his walking for him until he can walk and run on his own. His spirit and drive is wonderful and he has captured many hearts. Lord willing, he will be our little ball of energy soon. He wants to play and he is eating great. Thank you all for the kind thoughts sent his and our way.


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## mswhipple (Mar 7, 2011)

So glad to read this!!!


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## 2mnyk9z (Oct 11, 2012)

Spud is feeling so much better. 
He is up to 12 pounds now and you would never know what he went through by looking at him.
Have a good one!


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