# Pain after Rabies vaccination?



## RE823 (Feb 11, 2012)

Help Aunties!!

Bentley had his 3rd set of vaccinations today. This is our 2nd appointment with Dr. Meier, and never had a problem. But right now he is crying in pain with any movement. I did not go in the back when they took him, which I am regretting so much right now. Today he got his Rabies, DHPP #3, and Lepto #1. I did not see the actual injection. I can't really tell where the pain is coming from. It seems to be his right shoulder/arm. He is retracting his right paw like its broken. But I don't know when he could of broken his arm since after the appointment he walked to the car, walked into the house, even up the stairs, until we both took a nap. I know he was moving around the bed while I was asleep, but right now he doesn't even want to walk and cries in pain when I pick him up, which made me start crying too.

He did fine with his first sets of vaccinations, so this is puzzling to me. Do you think this is because of the Rabies or Lepto? Those are new. Can I give him anything for pain? or just let him rest?

oh my heart hurts seeing him hurt 
its worse because I am a nurse and can't help him!


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## Furbabies mom (Jul 25, 2011)

Laurel was a mess after her second rabies shot. She yelled if I tried to pick her up! I actually let her get in crate by herself, and then carried the crate and her in it upstairs to bed.She then had a lump at the vaccination site, that lasted for about a month. I took her back to the vet, when I first felt the lump, and he told me it was from the shot. The first set of shots , there was no problems. I was in the room when she got her shots, but it was a different vet , in the same practice that did the shots.


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## educ8m (May 19, 2010)

Oh, so sorry to hear Bentley is so sore. If he is crying in pain, I would call the vet and ask for pain meds. 

In the future, it is recommended that the rabies vaccine be given by itself. It should be given three to four weeks after a parvo/distemper booster. I also will only let my fur babies be given a rabies vaccine that is thimerosol free. Thimerosol is a preservative that contains mercury. My vet had to order it per my request, but now that is the only kind of rabies vaccine she gives in her practice. I would also discuss with your vet the necessity of the lepto vaccine. It is only recommended in areas with a high rate of lepto. Otherwise the risks outweigh the benefits.

Googling Dr. Jean Dodd's recommended vaccination schedule may help you for future shots.

Hope Bentley feels better soon.


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## babycake7 (Jan 30, 2012)

Poor Bentley! I hope he is feeling better soon! Our toy Aussie got lepto and rabies at the same time and he was in pain as well and we had to rush back to the vet. I did not get the lepto for Bella and I will no longer have my other dogs receive the lepto in the future. I think it's best to separate the shots.


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## Snowbody (Jan 3, 2009)

educ8m said:


> Oh, so sorry to hear Bentley is so sore. If he is crying in pain, I would call the vet and ask for pain meds.
> 
> In the future, it is recommended that the rabies vaccine be given by itself. It should be given three to four weeks after a parvo/distemper booster. I also will only let my fur babies be given a rabies vaccine that is thimerosol free. Thimerosol is a preservative that contains mercury. My vet had to order it per my request, but now that is the only kind of rabies vaccine she gives in her practice. I would also discuss with your vet the necessity of the lepto vaccine. It is only recommended in areas with a high rate of lepto. Otherwise the risks outweigh the benefits.
> 
> ...


:goodpost: I agree with everything in this post and I'm so sorry that Bentley is in pain. We don't get the Lepto vaccine but I know in certain areas of the country it's necessary. Let us know how he does.


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## RE823 (Feb 11, 2012)

thanks everyone for your response... I am so mad at myself, I should of asked to go back in the room with him, everything happened so fast. The girl at the front took him from my hands and quickly came back saying he did good and his current weight is 4 pounds. He doesn't want to eat kibble, drank a little water, and is just laying around with his paw extended, not crying, but whimpers when I move him. 

He is due for a 2nd lepto in 3 weeks but I am going to refuse. I am doing more research and some sites indicate only 3 series of the DHPP some say 4. any thoughts? 

I have the paper work from his first set of shots (from a different place) and it has aspirin and benadryl listed as part of the home care instructions. I know benadryl for allergic reaction symptoms, I am debating to give aspirin to help with the discomfort....

thanks again!


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## allheart (Oct 3, 2008)

RE823 said:


> thanks everyone for your response... I am so mad at myself, I should of asked to go back in the room with him, everything happened so fast. The girl at the front took him from my hands and quickly came back saying he did good and his current weight is 4 pounds. He doesn't want to eat kibble, drank a little water, and is just laying around with his paw extended, not crying, but whimpers when I move him.
> 
> He is due for a 2nd lepto in 3 weeks but I am going to refuse. I am doing more research and some sites indicate only 3 series of the DHPP some say 4. any thoughts?
> 
> ...


I am so sorry, for you and your baby that he was in so much pain. I agree with everyone, 3 weeks apart for shots. 

DO NOT beat yourself up, that they took her in the back, as yes, things happen so fast, while you are there, you have a million questions on your mind, you are concentrating on what the vet is saying, and poof, before you knew it, your baby was taken in the back.

My one baby OMG had a terrible time with the Lepto, just like your baby. Shaking in pain . I layed her on my belly, told my husband 'GIVE ME THAT PHONE". I called the vets, and they said, "bring her in, and we will give her another shot :w00t:. I thought NO WAY. She was already starting to relax. I just comforted her on my belly and within 5 to 10 minutes or even less, she stopped shaking. I also made calls to people who know about this. That was just one shot the lepto, and my baby was only 1.9 pds. Too small for the lepto, from what I understand she should be at least 2 pds. The reason I told them NO to the additional shot, as I was thinking you got to be kidding me. I am sure it would have been for pain, or for the reaction to the shot, if she had remained that way, we would have brought her right back in. But as I said, as I was laying on the couch, comforting her, she became more releaxed and more like herself.

When she got her rabbies shot, which was her last shot, she did fine.

They did say, next time, when we give the LEPTO again, we will give her benadryl before hand. Well I called her breeder and there was no need for an additional LEPTO. So, on the next visit I told them NOPE. 

The only time, they take my babies in the back, is when they are getting blood from their necks for bloodwork, that I can understand. But they do swoop them up so fast, explain what they are doing.

Hope your baby is feeling better today, and please don't blame yourself. There is so much information coming at you, you are conentrating, and a little nervous.

I am sure the combo of the shots, cetainly did not help. They always should be spread out 3 weeks a part until they are finished.

And I love my vets office, but that doesn't mean, I have blind trust.

Again, please don't blame yourself, these things happen and happen so quickly.

Hugs and I hope your baby is feeling better today. How is your baby today?


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## Maisy's Mom (Feb 13, 2012)

Maisy also had a reaction after her first lepto shot. My vet said he would not give it to her again. She had pain, heavy breathing and she wouldn't/couldn't sleep. Very scary since I had never had a "pet" before.


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## Ladysmom (Oct 19, 2004)

Oh, poor Bentley! He was really bombarded with vaccines, wasn't he?

I don't understand why some vets take pets to the back for shots, etc. Mine don't, thank heavens. And I double and triple check to make sure I know what Bailey is getting. When they first take me into the examining room and the tech comes in to weigh him I make sure she knows what shots he is there for. Then when the vet comes in I check again to make sure there is no lepto, corona, etc. I do everything but ask to see the bottle!

I took Bailey in every two weeks when he first came home so we could break up the shots. 

I got a specific list of what vaccinations Bailey had already had and the schedule to follow for his remaining vaccines from his breeder. I gave my vet a copy for his file.

As the others have said, it will be Thimerasol free rabies vaccines for him from now on.

http://www.dogs4dogs.com/blog/2010/09/23/rabies-vaccination-12-ways-to-vaccinate-more-safely/


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## educ8m (May 19, 2010)

True story: Years ago I went to my doctor for a tetanus booster. I must have said at least 4 times, "I'm here for a tetanus shot." Told the check-in person, the person who took me back to the room, the nurse, etc. When the nurse started to give me the shot in my forearm I said, "Is this new. Usually it's given in my upper arm?" She told me no and gave me the vaccine. Then she started to tell me, "If it turns red and raised,...." At that point I realized I had been given a tuburculosis shot!!!!!" I couldn't believe it. So now no matter how highly I think of the vet, I insist on being present for all shots, and yes, I DID ask to see the bottle for the thimerosol free rabies. There was a thread earlier about someone (sorry I forgot who) whose vet gave the intranasal bordetella as a shot instead of through the nose and her puppy got extremely ill.

But I agree with all the others about not beating yourself up. I'ved learned through the mistakes I made with my other dogs. Now that I'm older I'm also much more confident about questioning the doctors. I could NOT have done that when I was young. When I first requested a thimerosol free rabies shot, the vet, the receptionist, the vet tech all insisted that the one they gave was thimerosol free. I KNEW it wasn't and kept insisting they had the wrong information. The vet tech finally called the company and lo and behold they discovered that they were NOT giving the thimerosol free shot. They thought because it did not SAY it had thimerosol that it was free of it. Instead the one that doesn't have it says "thimerosol free" and must be purchased in individual vials. It was uncomfortable to keep insisting that they were not correct, but worth it in the end. They now only buy the thimerolsol free kind.

Is Bentley feeling any better today?


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## RE823 (Feb 11, 2012)

Just got home from work and ran strait to him, well more like he ran to me  
He is doing so much better. I could not call in to work and had my sister babysit him today and she said he woke around 9am (which is really late for him, he wakes up at 6 when I go in to work), stretched out, looked at her, and then all was well in the world again, he was back to being normal, playful Bentley. 

But let me tell you our night was not good. He tossed and turned, could not get comfortable, breathing hard, and occasionally whimpered until 3am. I called the on-call vets office for help, and she said there is nothing she can recommend over the phone, but it is very common to have pain at the injection site, but since I didn't really know where they gave it I was still worried. 

This morning I called my vets office, and the vet said if he is still uncomfortable give him 2cc of children's benadyl or bring him in. I asked if the Lepto was necessary and the tech said it is required in the state of Texas, never heard of this. (we live in San Antonio). But next time we can pre medicate him and if I wanted, we can separate the injections by a few days. 

I am so happy he is back to his normal self and I am so thankful for SM, its nice to know I can get help and advice from the real experts  

Here he is doing what he does best...being spoilded 

:ThankYou::ThankYou::ThankYou::ThankYou:


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## SammieMom (Nov 13, 2010)

So glad he is feeling better. :aktion033: I know you were so excited. Some fluffs have a much harder time with multiple shots, so I'm glad Bentley is better so soon. It is so hard to see these little ones in pain, esp when we don't know how to help them. 
I had a couple situations early on such as yours at the Vet. Then I decided I am Sammie's mom, so I will discuss what treatment plans I want with his Vet only. Not a lady at the front desk or a tech. I had a desk tech tell me I could not titer him for a certain vaccine and when I got in the room the Vet, he said yes we can. That is just not right IMO :angry:. Sometimes I take a list of ?'s with me and I wait for the VET to discuss them. This way the Vet hears it from me first, not the tech's slant. Most of the time he is in agreement with what I want to do, or we discuss options. 
I space his vaccines 2 weeks apart, not days apart. I would rather wait longer than a few days for them to process the vaccine. And I can tell what he is reacting to if something happens. I now do the titer testing as well for vaccines. At 2 yrs old he only needed a Rabies shot. I don't board him, so we don't do bordetella, and we dont need Lepto.

Good luck with your Bentley and keep us posted. He is such a doll. :wub:


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