Preventing vaccine reaction ?

I was talking with my vet about this yesterday.  Twister has had localized site reactions to some vaccines.  My vet suggested the same thing as yours.  I will probably take her advice and do the pre-vaccine antihistimine and the steroid.  I'm not crazy about the steroid either but since it's a low dose, one time thing, I most likely will do both.

ETA My previous vet advised me to massage the injection site to help reduce the chance of an injection site reaction.

JackieG

I was talking with my vet about this yesterday.  Twister has had localized site reactions to some vaccines.  My vet suggested the same thing as yours.  I will probably take her advice and do the pre-vaccine antihistimine and the steroid.  I'm not crazy about the steroid either but since it's a low dose, one time thing, I most likely will do both.

ETA My previous vet advised me to massage the injection site to help reduce the chance of an injection site reaction.

Absolutely DITTO to everything Jackie said -- particularly about the massage at the injection site.  That sounds dumb but it's actually that the bump is often caused by that vaccine not being distributed away from that place on the muscle.

 The steroid is going to help the inflammation response so it honestly sensible.  Letting the vet calculate how much Benedryl to give prior is a really good idea, to so they can match that to the amount they're going to give at the time of the injection. 

 There are a couple of homeopathics you can use (ledum and thuja) at the time of the vaccine to help reduce problems as well.  When I had to booster Tink (she was a demodex dog -- vaccines will always be a cautions for her) the homeopathics kept our reaction to zero.  If that idea appeals to you give me a holler via email and I'll help you with how to dose that.  Ledum is pretty much a one time thing.

Thank you both for your insight.

Looks like Flem is going to get three pokes instead of one. I don't think she'll mind but I know she will love the massage at the injection site later. The more pets she gets, the happier she is. 

Last year, the bump appeared at least a week after the injection, grew some  over the first two months after that, was needle-aspirated twice without main concerns then finally taken out six months later at the same time a worrying mouth growth that had to come out was removed.

Callie, I'll keep the thuja and ledum idea in mind in case there is still a problem this year but I don't have those and have no opportunity to get them before tomorrow.

Shooter is a vaccine reactor.  He has vaccine site reactions with the rabies vaccine, as well as facial swelling, & hives when he gets his distemper vaccine.  I used to pre-dose him with benadryl, 30 minutes prior to our appointment time, but it only worked once.  Now, if his titers indicate that he needs to be vaccinated, he's given a combination of benadryl & dexamethasone IV.  We wait for 20 minutes, then vaccinate him.  Then, we wait another 30 minutes before we leave the clinic. 

I do use ledum with vaccines.  I usually start it 3 days prior to having the dog vaccinated.  I use if for 7 days total.  I'm not sure if it really helps, but it's not going to hurt them, & if there's an outside shot that it does help them handle the vaccines better, I'm willing to try it.

Fingers crossed for a non-eventful vaccination day!

BEVOLASVEGAS

Now, if his titers indicate that he needs to be vaccinated, he's given a combination of benadryl & dexamethasone IV.

Once a dog has had a high titer to a disease, a low titer means nothing except that the dog has not been recently exposed to the disease.  It does not mean that he needs to be vaccinated. 

A titer measures antibodies.  Antibodies eventually wear out, but that does not mean that the memory cells that would produce the antibodies (if necessary) are gone.  There is no test for that. 

Studies have shown that distemper and parvo vaccines are effective for at least 7 years - meaning that the memory cells last at least that long.  Some researchers believe the immunity is lifetime, but long enough studies have not been conducted to prove that. (Of course, manufacturers have no incentive to prove that you don't need to keep using their vaccines.)

The chances are extremely good that a previously vaccinated dog with a low titer (for diseases with MLV vaccines) gets nothing from additional vaccines (for those diseases) except an activation of the memory cells to produce antibodies.  In other words, a memory cell workout and not an increase in immunity.

To up your chances of a high titer, visit a dog park a few weeks before the titer.  That may provide a small disease exposure and result in a high titer. 

I really question the need for Shooter to ever get parvo or distemper vaccines again.  Rabies either for that matter, but a study to prove at least 7 years is ongoing for that disease. 

I hope your vet doesn't keep using the same vaccine from the same manufacturer.  Some dogs will react to ABC's vaccine, but not to XYZ's vaccine. The preservatives, for instance, can be the problem.  The preservative Thimerosal contains mercury, so you really want to avoid that one - reaction or no reaction. 

 Are you putting the vaccine vial labels in Shooter's records?  That may be your only record of exactly which vaccines Shooter receives. 

Amanda's probably using 30c ledum (the Boiron blue tubes you'd get at a health store) -- and the way she's dosing it is a really good idea.

Typically when Dr. Demers gives me ledum to have for a vaccination, he's probably giving me 100c which is a bigger dose (and with homeopathics 'stronger' sometimes means use it less times - all depends on what you're trying to do).

Honesty - with ANY shot-type vaccine - particularly one that goes into a muscle - you should always massage after to help distribute it.  And rabies goes into a muscle.

Dr. DiNatale (my other holistic vet) had me do this on one Billy got.   She had me literally "pluck" at the swollen area (usually a rabies vax reaction makes sort of a thumb-sized lump -- it's not round - it's typically the 'path' that the needle went in.  But she said to "pluck" it -- like you were plucking a string on a guitar (don't pinch hard -- but just kinda gently but firmly pinch the skin/bump lifting it and let it snap out of your fingers.  Do that 3-4 times a day if you can think of  it.

There was an injection site lump on Billy I was sure we were going to have to remove but nope -- that method got it to go down even like 4-6 months after he'd been given the shot.  That one took a while to come up and I didn't get to see *where* they put that shot that day.  But once I started doing that it went away darned quick. 

After almot losing my golden retriever, KayCee to her 2ed set of annual vax, i startedalways giving mine benadryl before any vax.  She is the only one that every had a reaction ot the usual vax (tho I did lose my golden boy, Hunter, to pProheart6 eight years ago lat month).

Within 45 minutes of her injections, KayCee was covered with huge hives, eyes swollen amost shut, lumps all over her face, and wroset of all, temp was almost 107.  We had been the last ones in that day, a Good Friday.  as soon as i sw aht was going on with Kase, I called my vet & got his service and they said they would contact him.  Meanwhile i gave  her 2 benadryl and wrapped her in wet towel and we were pouring cook (not cold) water over the towel.

Rickey called, we got her to the hospital (only a mile from our house) and he injected her with more benadryl or soething and we stayed til her fever went down to 102 I think it was.  but i had to keep close eye on her.  he was 99.99% sure it was the lepto, but decided the only vax she would get from there on out was law rewuired rabies.  our state (texa) says rabies every 3 years, but lets each town, county make their own rules and our town says every year.  however, rickey only gave her rabies vax every 3 years, bucking our city law.

and as i said, none of our others had or have had reations, but alwasy, i give them benadryl before any vax.  Oh, Honey gets it every day and has for 2 1/2 years since the removal of a mast cell tumor on her leg.