The dog feels bad after vaccination - symptoms, causes, actions of the owner

Content

1. Variants of side effects: 2. What causes complications? 3. Cases of immediate contact with veterinarians 4. Recommendations for caring for a puppy after injection 5. Conclusion

Vaccinations for puppies are mandatory. Whatever the “yard specialists” say, these injections make it possible to form the correct immunity and develop resistance to serious diseases, such as animal distemper. However, the dog may become ill after vaccination.

It is important to understand that in this situation there is no need to panic, but it is also unacceptable to let the process take its course. Initially, it is worth knowing that with vaccination, virus cells are introduced into the puppy’s body, albeit in a non-functional format. Naturally, the immune system begins an active fight against them. As a result, it weakens and is less resistant to other infections. Therefore, your pet may experience some complications after the injection.

What is rabies in dogs

Rabies is an acute disease caused by the Rabies virus and characterized by severe damage to the nervous system. Previously, dogs were the main spreaders of rabies. However, widespread vaccination and orderly maintenance through the opening of shelters for homeless animals have reduced their role in the spread of the disease. Currently, its main source is considered to be wild foxes, wolves, wild boars, and stray cats.

The virus is released from the body of an infected animal mainly through saliva. Therefore, most often infection occurs during a bite, less often - through slobbering on the skin or mucous membranes that have mechanical damage.

Important! Isolation of the rabies pathogen begins 5-10 days before the appearance of the first clinical signs. Therefore, if an animal or person is bitten by a pet, it is isolated and its behavior is observed for 10 days. If the attack is carried out by a wild animal, it is killed and the brain is sent to the laboratory for research.

Owners of hunting dogs, as well as residents of areas adjacent to a forest zone unfavorable for rabies, vaccinate their pets (including cats, small and cattle) without fail due to the high level of possibility of infection. But one should not think that city residents are insured against this mortal danger, since the risk of being attacked by infected stray animals exists even in the center of a metropolis.

Important! Do not forget that the source of infection can be rats and bats living near human habitation.

Having penetrated the dog’s body, the virus penetrates the nerve fibers into the brain and spinal cord. As it multiplies, it provokes irreversible changes in tissues, multiple hemorrhages and swelling.

Side effect options:

Diarrhea	Loose stools occur quite often. But if you observe this process once or twice, and then everything falls into place, then there is nothing to worry about at all.
Vomit	One-off incidents should not cause alarm either. However, there are some pitfalls that are important to keep in mind. In particular, diarrhea and vomiting can cause dehydration, which complicates the situation. This means that after vaccination and in case of vomiting, you should give your pet more fluids.
Lost appetite	It happens that a puppy even refuses his favorite food. This is not scary, because after vaccination the body is sluggish and apathetic. Make sure that the so-called hunger strike does not last more than one day, otherwise you need to sound the alarm.
Lump at the injection site	It is important to ensure that this seal does not cause pain to the dog or any other discomfort. Sometimes the lump takes quite a long time to resolve – up to a month.

Preparing your dog for rabies vaccination

Experts recommend the first vaccination against rabies for puppies before the start of the change of baby teeth, from 2.5 to 3 months, with repeated vaccination after 2-3 weeks. If this procedure is carried out after three months of age, then revaccination will be required only after a year.

Important! Experienced dog breeders have noticed that vaccinations carried out during the change of baby teeth negatively affect the color of the enamel.

If the owners plan to take part in exhibitions in the future, then this aspect should be paid attention to and wait until the age of 3 months to six months. But if the dogs are in an unfavorable area, and there is a threat of real infection, then it is not worth taking risks and delaying the introduction of the vaccine.

What causes complications?

In most cases, dogs tolerate vaccinations quite adequately and normally. For their immune system in particular, and the body as a whole, this is not the most serious stress. However, complications do occur. Their reasons most often are as follows:

inattention or ignorance of the owners (there is a quarantine regime that must be observed; violations are fraught with serious trouble);
poor-quality composition of the injection mixture (in particular, expired vaccine, ask your veterinarian about this before the injection, use the services of proven and reliable clinics);
introducing the composition to an already sick animal (this happens when the veterinarian has not conducted a preliminary examination, or the vaccination is generally done by a person far from veterinary medicine);
unfortunately, it is rare, but there are cases of individual intolerance to individual components that make up the vaccine.

What are the dangers of rabies vaccination?

Often owners are very afraid of rabies vaccination. Many people have heard about “forty injections in the stomach” when a person is vaccinated, or about severe complications after such a vaccination. However, the rabies vaccination for dogs and humans is different. Humans are not carnivores, the development of the virus occurs through slightly different mechanisms, and although the disease is as lethal as for dogs, humans, for example, will not be contagious to other people. Therefore, vaccination works differently and is tolerated differently by the human body.

For dogs, the list of possible side effects is small - there may be individual intolerance to any component of the vaccine (an allergic reaction), which occurs extremely rarely and requires symptomatic treatment. There may also be a lump at the injection site that does not require additional treatment (sometimes you can put a collar on your dog for a while if he tries to lick the injection site).

In this regard, vaccination against rabies is strictly necessary; possible complications are rare and much less dangerous than the disease itself.

Cases of immediate contact with veterinarians

There are, albeit infrequently, situations when immediate assistance from a veterinarian is required.

Firstly	Deterioration in health, vomiting and diarrhea for a couple of days, refusal to eat for the same period, high temperature and the appearance of convulsions clearly indicate serious problems and the need to consult a specialist.
Secondly	Manifestation of abscess processes in the injection area. The lump increases in size, turns red, and in some cases purulent formations are released from it. Do not try to open the tumor yourself; just like in humans, this is fraught with infection, including blood, with all the ensuing consequences; take your pet to the doctor. In this case, a house call is impractical, since surgical intervention requires sterile clinic conditions.
Third	Anaphylactic shock. This is perhaps the most serious and life-threatening condition, when the help of a doctor is required immediately, and we are talking about hours. Allergies are rare, but they do happen, and you need to be prepared for such a turn of events. As a matter of fact, due to possible allergic reactions, it is best to do vaccinations in a clinic under the supervision of a doctor, and not by making a house call, when the injection was given and left.

How to properly vaccinate dogs against rabies

The first rabies vaccination is given to puppies at the age of 3 months. Unlike a complex vaccine, vaccination of puppies with rabies vaccine is carried out once.

It is imperative to vaccinate your puppy at this age, and with a full dose of vaccine, regardless of its breed and weight! If the vaccination schedule is violated, immunity will not be formed.

Next, the dog must be revaccinated annually. If the dog is found as an adult and there is no information about previous vaccinations, it must also be vaccinated against rabies.

In our veterinary center, Nobivak Rabies, Rabizin, or complex vaccines with the leptospirosis strain Eurikan RL and Nobivak RL are used for rabies vaccination.

Vaccination is carried out subcutaneously, at the withers. Before vaccination, the doctor must conduct an examination and measure the temperature - the dog must be clinically healthy. All rabies vaccinations must be registered with the SBBZH. A clinic that has the right to conduct vaccinations is given a set of unique numbers that are assigned for each vaccination; these numbers are entered into the register and stored for 10 years. When contacting the SBBZh for a certificate of vaccination of a pet, the service checks whether vaccination was actually carried out in the clinic indicated in the veterinary passport. The passport must be stamped and signed by a doctor. Without the seal, information about rabies vaccination is invalid.

Video of dog rabies vaccination:

Recommendations for caring for your puppy after injection

To prevent your dog from getting sick after vaccination, you must follow certain rules:

Complete quarantine without street walks to prevent any infection. Even a common cold viral infection can have unpredictable consequences.
In fact, you yourself can become the cause of a third-party infection. For this reason, do not forget about hygiene, clean your house or apartment; wet cleaning, even, if possible, with bleach, is mandatory.
Do not forget to wash your hands not only after contact with your pet, but also before.
Try to provide your four-legged friend with complete peace and absence of any forms of stress, in particular, refuse to receive guests.
You should not experiment with new ingredients in your diet for the first couple of days.
Completely avoid any water procedures for a week after vaccination.

When is a rabies vaccination necessary for dogs?

As mentioned above, all domestic carnivores must be vaccinated against rabies. Proof of vaccination will definitely be useful in the following cases:

when traveling abroad;
for a number of public events, including exhibitions, competitions and so on;
if your dog was bitten by another animal;
if your dog has bitten a person or other animal;
When visiting a clinic with symptoms similar to rabies, the doctor has the right to refuse admission if there is no information about the vaccination or if the vaccination is expired.

In the event of a dog attacking a person, if the dog does not have a veterinary passport with up-to-date information about rabies vaccination, the dog, according to the law, is taken to the SBBZh for a two-week quarantine, which is equally difficult for both the dog and its owner (or home quarantine is issued). The same actions can be achieved when attacking another dog. And of course, proper and timely vaccination will save your nervous system in the event of an attack on your pet by a stray dog - infected saliva only needs to get into the blood (from a bite) or onto the mucous membrane - for example, a splash of saliva that gets on the eyes or gums can be enough for infection .

(c) Veterinary center for the treatment and rehabilitation of animals “Zoostatus”. Varshavskoe highway, 125 building 1. tel. 8 (499) 372-27-37

Basic rules for vaccinations for dogs

The basic rule for vaccinating dogs is strict adherence to the schedule according to the calendar. Maintaining the required level of antibodies in a pet’s body is the key to its health. With irregular vaccinations, immunity to diseases has a weak effect and cannot be done correctly, and is not able to protect the animal from viruses coming from the environment.

Adult dogs are vaccinated every 12 months; a shift of more than two weeks is not advisable.

When planning vaccination, contraindications for its use should be taken into account:

puppies age up to 2 months. Newborn puppies have immunity to diseases, which was passed on from the mother (if she was vaccinated), so they do not need to be vaccinated;

dog illness. On a weakened body, the use of vaccination is prohibited, since an injection during illness can cause a deterioration in the condition of an unwell animal;

It is prohibited to vaccinate your pet less than three months before mating, because you can provoke the appearance of flat spots in the offspring;

lack of deworming in the dog. It is prohibited to vaccinate animals with helminthic infestations;

It is not advisable to vaccinate during the period of teeth change, as it can cause darkening of the enamel.

After the dog reaches eight years of age, vaccine injections are given based on the pet’s health and well-being.

After the animal has been vaccinated, it needs to be observed for a couple of days.

Pay attention to the dog's allergic status. If the dog is prone to allergies, or has had a reaction to a previous one, an antihistamine should be given an hour before vaccination.

All injections performed must be recorded in the veterinary passport.

This information is intended for veterinarians and veterinary control when crossing the border of the country of residence.