Puppy has a bad reaction to vaccine

QUESTION: I took my eightweek-old puppy to get his first vaccine. About 30 minutes after the vaccine injection, my puppy started to scratch his face excessively.

Then I noticed his whole face swell up, his ears got really red and he vomited twice. I was terrified, I rushed back to the vet office, they admitted him to the hospital and gave him some drugs which made him better.

They told me he had a vaccine reaction. Now my dog is back to normal, but I don’t know what to do with the next vaccines, should I switch to a different vet? Should I pass on giving him any more vaccines, or is there any way to avoid this reaction?

ANSWER: I am sorry to hear about your puppy’s bad experience. That is unfortunate and not a nice way to start his relationship with his health-care provider.

I have to stress though, that this vaccine reaction got nothing to do with your vet actions, nor his proficiency. Try to think about it in this way, if a child gets an allergic reaction to peanut butter, nobody blames the cashier who sold it to him, nor the factory that made the peanut butter.

An allergic reaction is an adverse effect of the body itself, and it is impossible to predict the reaction before it happens.

The purpose of vaccines in general is to protect against certain diseases. This is done by injecting the viruses or bacteria in a dead or weak form, triggering the body’s immune system to create antibodies so when the animal will get exposed to the real disease, it will be already protected by using the specific antibodies for the diseases.

Some animals are more sensitive than others, so their immune systems get out of control and they have a systemic reaction, like your dog had. The reaction is usually mild and treated easily, but in very rare cases they can be life threatening. Nobody can predict that this reaction will happen, but once it occurs, it is important to take safety measures to minimize it.

I believe vaccines are important. Your puppy is still very young, I certainly won’t advise you to avoid vaccinating him. Vaccines are crucial to build his immune system and protect him against potentially deadly diseases that occur in our area, such as Parvo virus.

I suggest you always inform your vet that your dog tends to react to the vaccine, also make sure it appears in his medical record.

Before injecting the vaccine, the vet can medicate the dog with a low dose of steroids. This drug will suppress the immune system reaction enough to prevent the adverse systemic reaction, but will not affect the desired effect of the vaccine.

When you take your dog to get vaccinated, plan on leaving him at the vet for few hours for monitoring.

QUESTION: I saw a writeup about a dog owner warning against giving ice water to dogs because it is causing “violent stomach muscle contractions and bloat.” Is that true? I got very alarmed because I do give my dog ice water and never had a problem before.

ANSWER: This topic has been raised few times and apparently this writeup has been going around for a couple of years now and alarming dog owners. There is no truth to it though. Giving ice water to your dog does not predispose him to stomach bloat. In fact, many canines in nature, such as wolf or coyotes, drink ice water without a problem.

The vet involved in this case was identified and he said that the owners misinterpreted his diagnosis.

The only risk in giving ice to dogs is the possibility that it will break a tooth. This can be easily avoided by offering crushed ice.

Dr. Noa Oz is a veterinarian at Rose Valley Veterinary Hospital.