Question:
I own a small beagle. In keeping with his health shots, I brought him to the vet for his distemper shot last April. I have had him for three years, and he is now 6 years old.
When we arrived home from the vet, he was fine for a short time. He then became excitable, running through rooms, jumping on furniture, and rubbing his face and head on the cushions. I called the vet, and he told me to bring him in for a shot to counteract the obvious allergic reaction. They gave him dexamethasone and Benadryl. He quieted immediately and remained calm that way until the next evening. His behavior became irritable again, running around and only resting for a few minutes at a time. His tongue got quite red; he panted and drank a lot of water.
I am concerned that he may have gotten a bad batch of serum. Is that possible? This is the first shot of that type since I first took him in.
G.P.T., Poughkeepsie, NY May 08, 2011
Answer:
Please follow up with your veterinarian to make sure that your dog's adverse reaction to this new type of distemper vaccine was reported to the manufacturers and to the FDA's Bureau of Veterinary Medicine.
If your dog had received a distemper vaccination between one and three years ago, this shot was probably not called for. I am deeply concerned about the cavalier attitude toward vaccinations because I receive many letters like yours. Acute anaphylactic/hypersensitive reactions, as with your dog, may or may not mean seizures, allergies, cancer and other health problems later in life.
Some grocery stores have flu-shot drugs for customers, just as the big-box pet stores have constant vaccination promotions for cats and dogs. Repeated, unwarranted and potentially hazardous vaccinations primarily benefit the manufacturers and distributors. In principle, I am not opposed to vaccinations, having seen as a child the devastating consequences of a distemper outbreak in dogs and more recently epidemics of parvovirus, especially in young dogs here in the United States. I have also faced rabies and foot-and-mouth disease outbreaks while working in India. Vaccinations play an important role in preventive medicine, but should not be relied upon as the only solution.
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