help! need expert vet advice! my puppy just had his anti-rabies vaccine and my bro gave him a bath!?

Question

hi. i have a 5-month old pug, and his name is terryl. he just had his anti-rabies shot and the problem is my brother, who didnt know that the dog had a vaccine shot, gave him a bath. now, terryl is weak, and not his usual playful self. i went to the vet to have him examined, and the doctor said he was stressed and had a slight fever. terryl had been injected a medicine to ease the fever. but then he had a terrible reaction from the medicine; his face swelled horribly. i brought my puppy back to the vet on that same day and the vet injected something to counter the allergic reaction. it has been a week, he still has an appetite, albeit weak. his medication included prednisone tablet, 5mg, half a tablet once a day up to four days and amoxicillin 1ml, 3 times a day.

i wonder if my baby terryl will ever be the same again. will you give me some advice? i'm really worried. am i giving him the right medicine? what should i have done, and what should i haven't?

Answer 1

Well, I am not a veterinarian, just a vet tech. I am assuming you mean the rabies vaccine. The rabies vaccine very rarely causes a reaction but I would assume it is possible. In all my years I haven't seen one from that particular vaccine. I do see a lot of the smaller dogs having reactions from getting their DHLPPC because or the Lepto in it.

If Terryl had all vaccines at once it would be wise in the future to separate his annual vaccines for safety sake and leave out the lepto unless your veterinarian states otherwise.

The prednisone should be adhered to as it is an anti inflammatory/steroid. This should help alleviate the symptoms. Do not stop Pred suddenly. That is why your vet has prescribed a tapering dose.
Without knowing what your vet gave I have no idea why he swelled up on the second visit. We generally give benedryl and I haven't seen a secondary reaction like that connected with benedry.

If this is a simple vaccine reaction your baby should return to normal shortly. If he is still displaying symptoms he needs to be seen by your vet again (symptoms lasting more than 24 hours) and by the way. The bath had nothing to do with what happened. It is ok to bath an animal after vaccinating

Hope this helps

Answer 2

Giving the dog a bath had absolutely nothing ot do with what is going on.
Rabies vaccinations can cause severe reaction in some dogs. Please follow exactly what your vet tells you..he knows your dog, he knows it's history, he is the doctor..he knows best.

In the future you may need to either forgo the rabies vacciantion or have the vet administer a medication before the vaccination is given to keep the dog from having such a severe reaction.

Answer 3

The length and timing of the window of susceptibility is different in every litter, and even between individuals in a litter. A study of a cross section of different puppies showed that the age at which they were able to respond to a vaccine and develop protection (become immunized) covered a wide period of time. At six weeks of age, 25% of the puppies could be immunized. At 9 weeks of age, 40% of the puppies were able to respond to the vaccine. The number increased to 60% by 16 weeks of age, and by 18 weeks, 95% of the puppies were protected by the vaccine. Almost all researchers agree that for puppies and kittens, we need to give at least three combination vaccinations and repeat these at one year of age. Consult with your veterinarian to determine which vaccinations your puppy should receive, and how often.

Answer 4

Maybe you should trust what the vet has said to you. He is the professional in this matter after all.

Answer 5

why would giving him an injection mean he cant have a bath.

Answer 6

if ur brother used shampoo it probaly got in the needle hole and got infected?? just go to the vet again , hope it gets better