Side effects of a rabies shot?

Question

I took my year and a half old Dachshund Chihuahua mix dog to have her rabies shot yesterday and today she is in so much pain she can't walk. She is normally very active and loves to cuddle with me, today if I even touch her she cries like I have hit her or something. I called the vet and they said she seems to be over reacting to the pain of the shot?
Is this normal? Do rabies shots really cause side effects like this? If so how long shoudl I expect it to last?

Answer 1

Sometimes pups are sore after vaccines. It is always the smaller breeds who seem to be most affected and are the most sore after injections. It isn't the Rabies vaccine that made your baby sore.. it is the actual needle/injection itself.

I am surprised your vet didn't suggest a little benedryl to ease her pain? Poor thing! I would call your vet back and let them know that she is still very sore, crying, and is having trouble walking. They need to atleast have you give her some benedryl. There is no reason she should be so uncomfortable. Tomorrow she should be much better, every day you should see an improvement.

Keep me posted on how she is doing and let me know if I can be more of a help. Give her a smooch for me!!

Answer 2

My Chihuahua pup got a really big lump on his back after the Rabies shot. I took him back to the vet and was told this sometimes happens. It seems there are more problems with the Rabies shot than others. 4 weeks later he still has a little bump.

Hope your baby will feel better by the morning.

Answer 3

With her being a mix of dachshund and chihuahua...the chihuahua usually does not have adverse reactions to shots but the dachshund on the other hand can have some serious side effects to vaccines. Anything from their face swelling to shock to pain from the vaccine. I give 1 cc of children's liquid benadryl to my dachshunds before every vaccine to make sure there are no reactions. When they are adults I give 1/2 tablet of benadryl. Give her 1/2 of a baby Bayer aspirin tonight see if that helps. Take her in tomorrow if she is still sore. They may have hit a vain and she has some bruising.

Answer 4

Some dogs are very sensitive therefore it hurts them more then the average dog. It is normal and she should be back to her cuddly self in no longer then a week. If she starts having difficulty walking or seems even more lethargic (tired) to you then you need to call the vet and let them know that she is getting worse instead of better. Some dogs can have bad reactions to the vaccination and it's best to keep in contact with your vet if things continue and persist longer then a week. I hope that your dog starts feeling better soon. Good luck

Answer 5

My chihuahua is always sore after a shot. Give it a few days if she does not seem to be feeling better take her back to the vet.

Answer 6

It is not unusual at all for toy dogs to have a reaction to any vaccine not just rabies.
Most toy dogs are rather dramatic when it comes to pain...she should be just fine within an other day.

Answer 7

If the pain doesn't subside by tomorrow, I'd take her back to the vet. Usually the pain can last for 24 hours or so....and is usually noticible in small breeds like yours...if at all.

Answer 8

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8572826/


This is an article I found about vaccinating your pets...

Keep an eye on your dog, and call your vet (and get the maker/company information) to report the side effects. Reporting side effects is very important. If no one reports them, then there will be no data for others in your situation in the future.

Good luck.