Hello. I am a pediatrician and my dog has developed a limp 3 days after a round of vacinations that included rabies and lepto (among others). 3 days after the shots, he developed a limp in his R front paw and only bears weight when severely distracted (such as cat outside).
We took him to the vet this evening and he has a fever of 104 and we decided to give him carprofen to see if he improves with this and bedrest alone. He also received a pain medication injection and since then, he appears to be in more pain.
The plan from this point is to give him a few days as long as he eats well, then if he doesn’t improve, tap his joint and do xrays?
If there are any vets out there, I was wondering if this is a common complication of vaccines? Also, does this treatment approach seem reasonable.
Thanks.
This is not common at all. The injections are SQ and should not cause any of these problems. Common vaccine reactions would be the same with babies: low grade fever, listlessness, decreased appetite, sometimes soreness at the injection site for 24-48 hours.
The Leptospirosis part of the DHLPPC vaccine can cause more severe reactions in some dogs that are sensitive to it; such as Dachunds. This would include: inflammation at the injection site, swelling of the lips, nose, eyelids. This is usually an anaphylactic reaction and is treated with Benadryl and sometimes steroids.
It is the right location. Most of the time vaccines are always given in the same location on the pet’s body so we can keep track of any vaccine reactions if they happen. For dogs: DHLPPC is in the right shoulder area, Rabies right hip, Bordatella given intranasal, all others (if any) usually given in the left shoulder, left hip area or scruff. Cats: R. shoulder= FVRCP, L. rear=FeLV, R. Rear= Rabies.
Haven’t heard of vaccines causing a limp. I would think maybe if it was given wrong, but the symptoms would also appear that day, not 3 days later.
For a reputable website written by veterinarians about vaccines go to: http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=524
You can also search for many other topics there.
Vets will usually check for injuries to the leg by starting at the paw and working their way up. Look carefully in between all the footpads and webbing. Palpate all the way up the leg untill you get a pain response from the dog.
This is a reasonable treatment of NSAIDs and bed rest.
Xrays are usually done next if it doesn’t resolve and joint taps last, since the joint taps hurt quite a bit too.
Info about pain medications for dogs and the benefits of doing bloodwork before you start on long term NSAID therapy:
http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=2508
If it does turn out to be an injury and he needs to be on pain meds. Our vets have had very good pain control with a combination of Dermaxx and Tramadol. They use this combo for their cancer patients and with ACL surgeries.
#1 by werdo1998 on November 28, 2009 - 7:34 am
You do know that they use mercury in vacines. Even the ones that people get. There is a lot of documentation on this. Just do a google search.
References :
#2 by qrtrhorse2000 on November 28, 2009 - 7:45 am
The only vaccine that would be most likely causing the reaction would be the lepto vaccine. 8 out of 10 animals will react to the vaccine. Reactions are more like swelling around the eyes and being febrile. This sounds more like something else. The process that they are following sounds like a good one. I would monitor the fever more closely, the carprofen probably wasn’t the best pain med idea though. A joint tap would definately be the next step. We currently have a dog in our hospital with the exact same symptoms and the neurologist is thinking meningitis. I would hospitalize ASAP and have that arthrocentesis soon as well. It may also be polyarthritis. I’m not a vet but I am a certified vet tech at one of the nations top hospitals. And i work with a lot of specialists. Good luck with your dog.
References :
Certified Veterinary Technician for 9 years
#3 by Nekai on November 28, 2009 - 8:33 am
I’m not a vet, but am a Tech. I hope you don’t mind my 2 cents worth here.
As I have seen many vaccines rx, I have never seen a limp that developed three days after the vx.
The anti-inflammatory inj is a good first choice but what my concern would be (and I’m sure would be that of my vet) is the fever. Do you know if his temp has gone down since the inj?
Is it possible for you to seek a second opinion on this one? Something just doesn’t seem right. I’d be suspecting something far worse than a vx rx.
Good luck.
References :
#4 by sundaizie ♥ on November 28, 2009 - 8:58 am
Just a sugestion from a dog owner andlover…call another vet and ask him the same question you just posed here. That way you talk with a vet and soon. ♥ You know your dog…you know if there is something wrong with him. I’d take him to another vet (after you call and ask)
my dog Barney sends him a lick! ♥
References :
#5 by judgealcoholic on November 28, 2009 - 9:19 am
I don’t know if it’s normal, but my puppy had her vaccinations + lepto and for 3 days she was crooked meaning she was in pain if we picked her up because it appeared her left side was swollen or something, but when looking down on her she looked crooked and she yelped in pain anytime we touched her anywhere besides her head. She barely ate or went outside to potty, I suppose it’s because it was painful to walk for her. Hope this helps but at least it lets you know your puppy is not the only one that has side effects after shots.
References :
#6 by Karatekid on November 28, 2009 - 9:36 am
well id call your vet and ask him, or maybe a diff. one, but if its a small dog its probably nothing. they are known to act like that for whatever reason after a shot. (unless you drop a treat 10 feet away….then theyll run fast) LOL. if its a big dog…..somthing probably is wrong, and you REALLY need to call a vet.
References :
#7 by tzafed10 on November 28, 2009 - 9:53 am
I am sorry that I am not a vet. I hesitate to answer your question since I am not a vet. I am a veterinary technician…it is like a nurse for dogs and other animals.
I am sorry that your dog is ill. Limping and refusal to bear weight on a limb are not usually a common reaction to vaccinations. The only thing I can think of is sometimes dogs can have allergic reactions to vaccines that manifest themselves as strange symptoms. I used to have a Pekingese who would suffer epileptic seizures after receiving his vaccines. I have read that vaccines can cause a dog’s immune system to overreact and eventually attack the dog’s own tissues — similar to an autoimmune response. I don’t know what exactly is going on with your dog, but maybe you could investigate this avenue and see if you can find a vet who is willing to consider this on order to get your dog some help if the current treatment doesn’t seem to be helping.
Some dogs are unusually sensitive to vaccines and must not receive them as often as is usually suggested. There have been dogs who have had puzzling reactions to vaccines. There are many articles about this subject on the internet if you want to do your own research. I hope that you are able to get some relief for your dog soon. I have dogs myself and I know that you are worried about yours.
This probably wasn’t very helpful. I am sure that a veterinarian could give you much better advice. Sorry I couldn’t help more.
References :
I am a vet tech.
#8 by redd_rvt on November 28, 2009 - 10:29 am
This is not common at all. The injections are SQ and should not cause any of these problems. Common vaccine reactions would be the same with babies: low grade fever, listlessness, decreased appetite, sometimes soreness at the injection site for 24-48 hours.
The Leptospirosis part of the DHLPPC vaccine can cause more severe reactions in some dogs that are sensitive to it; such as Dachunds. This would include: inflammation at the injection site, swelling of the lips, nose, eyelids. This is usually an anaphylactic reaction and is treated with Benadryl and sometimes steroids.
It is the right location. Most of the time vaccines are always given in the same location on the pet’s body so we can keep track of any vaccine reactions if they happen. For dogs: DHLPPC is in the right shoulder area, Rabies right hip, Bordatella given intranasal, all others (if any) usually given in the left shoulder, left hip area or scruff. Cats: R. shoulder= FVRCP, L. rear=FeLV, R. Rear= Rabies.
Haven’t heard of vaccines causing a limp. I would think maybe if it was given wrong, but the symptoms would also appear that day, not 3 days later.
For a reputable website written by veterinarians about vaccines go to: http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=524
You can also search for many other topics there.
Vets will usually check for injuries to the leg by starting at the paw and working their way up. Look carefully in between all the footpads and webbing. Palpate all the way up the leg untill you get a pain response from the dog.
This is a reasonable treatment of NSAIDs and bed rest.
Xrays are usually done next if it doesn’t resolve and joint taps last, since the joint taps hurt quite a bit too.
Info about pain medications for dogs and the benefits of doing bloodwork before you start on long term NSAID therapy:
http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=2508
If it does turn out to be an injury and he needs to be on pain meds. Our vets have had very good pain control with a combination of Dermaxx and Tramadol. They use this combo for their cancer patients and with ACL surgeries.
References :
Registered Veterinary Technician. State of California.