Vet says wait.....should I???

[Guest Anonymous]

I have a mini dachshund that is 5 months old. He had his last shots including a rabies vaccination a couple of weeks ago and had no problems. He developed a hard knot about the size of a large marble on his shoulder blade in only a few hours. There's no scab or puncture mark so I don't think he was bitten by anything (he's also an inside dog). It doesn't seem to bother him and the vet said not to worry about it unless he gets a fever or starts acting like it bothers him. I'm not sure if I should take him in or not. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

[imported_Cassie]

Swelling at the site of where the injection was done is normal. Not all dogs and cats experience this...but, a good percentage does. Listen to your vet and the swelling should go down on its own...its caused by the body's over-reaction to the vaccine or the substances used in the vaccine. My Dobie had the same swelling when he received his shots...it went away in time.

[imported_Kat]

Hi there, what has happened is that the vet has not injected the dog properly. The correct procedure is to lift the skin and insert the needle, then drop the skin and inject. Some vets are too ram stam and in a hurry and dont drop the skin. Air accumulates and a depot results after a few days or week following the injection. Take the depot in between your finger and thumb and massage it vigorously, and this will hopefully disperse it. If your pup is otherwise healthy then keep doing this and it will eventually disperse. Its not an inflammation in the sense of an allergic reaction if you don't notice any other physical symptoms with your pup.