Re: Bad Vaccination Reaction

In Reply to: Bad Vaccination Reaction
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Posted by:  Patti Conway
Posted on:  May 10, 2003 at 23:03:16

: There have been 2 postings recently regarding bad reactions to vaccines. Our 15 month old JRT recently had his annual vaccines which included a combination of parvo/distemper, lyme and rabies. He became lethargic and about 4 hours later began to vomit to the point that we had to take him to the emergency clinic in the middle of the night for fluids and cortizone. He began to tremor and continued to vomit and went back to the vet for more treatment. It took over a week for him to fully recover. It was very scary!! I feel that I need to be much more educated regarding these vaccines prior to him receiving them next year. I value the advise given on this forum and wonder if any of you "space" out the vaccines -- maybe have lyme or rabies given several months apart? Is it even necessary to give all the vaccines every year? (My state only requires rabies every 3 years.) THANK YOU for ALL of your responses -- they enable us to be better "moms and dads" !!

Response:

Dear Patti,

The idea of "spacing out" vaccinations has been around for many years. It applies to not only rabies and lyme vaccines but also the diseases combined in the annual booster. As I understand the theory behind this idea, 2-3 weeks between shots gives the immune system time to recover from the stress of having to absorb, fight and eventually subdue the "intruder" AKA the vaccination for the disease.

I encourage you, and anyone else who has questions about yearly or optional vaccinations, to research the issue in order to make an informed decision about what is best for you and your pet.