yesIt'saHemi Posted February 28, 2004 Posted February 28, 2004 Hemi is 11 weeks now and 35 pounds so we went to the vet for his next round of puppy shots yestrday at 5:30. At 9:45 last night he had the worst alergic reaction I have ever seen! Hemi's eyes were completly swollen shut, they were the size of golf balls! And his lips were a 1/2 an inch thick! After crying and waiting 15 minutes for the vet to call me back, we gave him some Benedril (sp) and he finally went to sleep and quit trying to take his own eyes out! I did not sleep at all least night I was afraid he would stop breathing, it is a good thing he is a snore monster, at least I knew he was breathing! I will not be going home from the next set of shots without meds to prevent this from happening again. I was so scared! Has anyone seen this before? I felt so helpless! I just had to share in the hopes it would make ME feel better about what happened! Thanks for listening. I have pictures I will post them under pictures as soon as I figure out how? Quote
mouseatthebusstop Posted February 28, 2004 Posted February 28, 2004 I will look forward to you posting photos of your puppy I have not know anyone whose puppy had a reaction like that. is he ok now? Quote
Guest Anonymous Posted February 28, 2004 Posted February 28, 2004 None of my dogs (or cats) have ever had a bad reaction to getting their shots. I can only imagine how scary it must I have. I hope Hemi is feeling better now. Quote
Guest Anonymous Posted February 28, 2004 Posted February 28, 2004 I have an ori-pei and he had the same reaction when he got his first set of shots - so now we get then one at a time. I know how you feel Quote
TDG Posted February 28, 2004 Posted February 28, 2004 just like humans, some dogs are allergic to certain medications. did the vet give a combo shot, or several shots? if i were you, i'd only have one vaccination given at a time, and not all of them on the same day. each one stresses the immune system. especially the rabies shot should not be given in combination with any others. i would also start giving him 500mg of vitamin C daily, in a highly absorbable form (e.g. ester C). it helps the body to rid itself of the toxins contained in the preservatives and carrier medium used for the vaccine. a 1-week course of milk thistle starting on the day of the vaccination is also a good idea. also, read up on what kind of vaccination your dog actually needs. you don't have to give all of them if your dog is not at risk. for example bordetella, lyme, corona, giardia and lepto. also, be careful down the road with annual boosters. many pets will try to tell you that they are required no matter what, but it's not true. the only exception is rabies, depending on the laws in your state. here in CA, a rabies shot is good for 3 years and i would not subject my dog to any more than that and he has never had any issues. with a dog like yours, who has shown a reaction, i'd be even more cautious. Quote
MajiesMom Posted February 28, 2004 Posted February 28, 2004 That is so scary! I am so glad he is okay. A dogs immune system is fully developed at 6 months of age and vaccines at that time provide immunity for life. Yearly vaccines (besides Rabies) are considered by many a big scam and not needed, they have little or no effect on the dogs immunity. Taken your dog is allergic to vaccines, I would have the remaining shots done seperately and discontinue vaccines all together except rabies of course which is required by law. Quote
ellieangel Posted February 28, 2004 Posted February 28, 2004 How frightening I hope he is ok now :wink: Quote
courtnek Posted February 29, 2004 Posted February 29, 2004 The symptoms you describe are exactly the same as people who are allergic to seafood....My X husband almost died one night after eating Chinese Pork that had shrimp sauce in it. He had to be taken to the hospital. The eyes puff up, the throat closes...etc. Giving Hemi benadryl was probably the best thing you could have done. I did that for the X too, and it kept him breathing til the ambulance got there....The fact that you recognized this as an allergic reation saved your dogs life...Good job!! I would be curious to know if the medicine the dog was given had some form of seafood (shrimp, crab, etc) combined with it. That particular reaction, in people, is usually associated with shellfish....I wonder if dogs can have that allergy too then? Quote
courtnek Posted February 29, 2004 Posted February 29, 2004 I just found this on the web: A food allergy that stimulates the immune system to cause a serious reaction such as: hives, itching or skin eczema swelling of the lips, face, tongue and throat, or other parts of the body wheezing, nasal congestion or trouble breathing dizziness, lightheadedness or fainting On the other hand, if you are truly allergic to a food such as: cow's milk eggs peanuts Wheat soybeans fish shellfish tree nuts even a small amount could give you a serious health reaction The above all cause the same reaction - I would be concerned about the eggs....It might be in your best interest to get Hemi allergy-tested... and find out if any of the above are combined with the shots. Good luck! Quote
courtnek Posted February 29, 2004 Posted February 29, 2004 also (are you sick of me posting yet? :) ) if the dog/person has a shellfish allergy, and you are boiling/steaming shellfish where the "smell" gets into the air, a reaction can also occur. When I made shrimp here I would give my X a benadryl, and then put a fan in the window to pull the moist steam outside the house so it wouldnt affect him. I am allergic to pork, although it only causes hives, so I would make pork for him and my son and I would have shrimp. As long as the steam was directed outside and he had a benadryl, the smell never set off a reaction. As long as I didnt eat any of the pork, I never had one. Creative cooking.... I'd be interested to hear what the vet has to say.... Lobster would have the same affect BTW.... Quote
yesIt'saHemi Posted March 2, 2004 Author Posted March 2, 2004 Sorry I am posting so late, I was out of town for a few days for work. Hemi did get a combination of shots, one being rabies, and bordetella. I am not sure what the third was? I will be very careful when getting shots for him from now on. According to the vet he only needs one more actual shot other than being heartwormed, and Lymes. Hemi is doing great now. Quote
TDG Posted March 2, 2004 Posted March 2, 2004 i would not recommend vaccinating for lyme disease, unless it's a very, very high risk in your area (80% of lyme disease cases in the U.S. are found in the nine new england states and wisconsin). why? because there's a risk of your pet developing arthritis as a side effect of the lyme disease vaccine (which is also a symptom of the actual disease itself by the way) and the vaccination does not protect your dog 100% from contracting lyme disease in the first place. over-vaccinating is a serious risk for your dog's health, so make sure you inform yourself before giving your vet the ok to pump all these chemicals into your dog. and please, whatever you decide to use as heartworm prevention, do NOT let the vet give the proheart 6 shot. more info at http://www.proheartinformation.com . Quote
yesIt'saHemi Posted March 3, 2004 Author Posted March 3, 2004 Funny you mention Lymes. I do live in WI, and we do plan on taking him to the lake with us every weekend. I think I have to be safe and get him the lymes. Anything I should watch for after he gets the vac.? Thanks again for all the advice! Quote
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.