Is this just a normal reaction or should we be concerned?

SheltieChe said:
if Justicemom will correct me but I have heard there is saying among vets that only dogs that get Lyme are those that are vaccinated...
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I can statistically disprove that within my own house. :smile2: I took three dogs to Massachusetts for a week a few years ago, two came home with Lyme. The third has never been tested (she lives in Hawaii, where they don't test for it, apparently).
 
SheltieChe said:
if Justicemom will correct me but I have heard there is saying among vets that only dogs that get Lyme are those that are vaccinated... anyway it is probably recommended at some places... ..
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Totally not true. The first versions of the vaccine did cause lyme like signs but the has not been true for many years. In MN, we have tons of Lyme. The vaccine does a very good job of preventing them from getting it but it is not 100%. I did a small heartworm clinic up north of the twin cities last year and used 4dx test, which includes Lyme. 25 tested 10 positive for Lyme, none of them vaccinated.

My friend Rachel, lives in this area and she vaccinates her dogs for Lyme. So far, no one has gotten it. She has heavily wooden property and her dogs are very outdoorsy. Her Dad live 2 miles away and her sister 5 miles between them 5 dogs ,all of them have had lyme at one point. None of them vaccinated.

It is certainly one of those vaccines that I only rec. based on risk of exposure. We discussed pro and cons and let the client decide. With my own personal dogs, Ember had a really bad vx reaction to Lyme, everyone else is vaccinated for it. I spend a great deal of time outdoors with my dogs and thwey are high risk for exposure. I have seen more issues with Lyme dz disease itself (acute and long term) than from the vaccine.

That being said, I do not give more than one 1 vaccine to my dogs at a time. Period. Not only does it not overwhelm their immune system but if they do have a reaction I know exactly which vx it was to. Clients don't always agreed and want everything on the same visit as they don't want to come back. I will do 2 but never 4. I left a practice over various policy issues, the subject of vaccines being one them so I do not take this subject lightly.

In response to Nellie's question. It does sound like a local vaccine reaction. Contact your vet and let them know. Most vet put vaccines in certain spots. Tell them which area hurts or take her in for an exam and they should be able to tell you which one caused the problem.
 
Our dog always gave a painful squeal when she received shots in the back of her neck. One vet said, "Yeah, shelties are wimps." He did not get to see her again, as I thought an explanation of where nerves were located would be more appropriate. Also never knew the tetanus is painful for them as well as us.
 
Thanks for all of your kind words& advice. Last night, Nellie fell asleep almost 2 hours before her normal bedtime. I slept next to her, just to make sure. This morning, she was up at 5:00 barking and liking my face.( I am not a morning person, BTW) She's always like that in the morning so we'll have to keep an eye on her throughout the day. thanks again!
 
I am late getting to this post but I don't have my two get all their shots at one time...well now that Maggie is older she does not need all of them any more but all her life I split them up and I do the same with Zak.
I have to agree with everyone that is to much for them to handle at one time. Once when Maggie was a puppy she got a knot in her shoulder area from a shot.
I would surely call the vet and let them know. How old is Nellie?
 
We had FOUR new cases of Lyme yesterday. None of them vaccinated.

No, its not a perfect vaccine. I have heard that it is about 85% effective, (this varies between manufacturers,) compared to the 99% plus of rabies or distemper. One problem is that of the two older manufacturers one was 'stronger' than the other and, being in competition, the 'weaker' one said the other was dangerous, the 'stronger' one said the other was ineffective. This naturally gave the anti-vac internet message boards plenty of ammo (and data) that the vaccine was both dangerous and useless.

The 85% sounds about right based on my experience. That means that in an area where Lyme isnt 'if' but 'when' about one vaccinated dog in 6 will still get the disease, hundreds per year, which makes for very unhappy clients. So it shouldn't be a 'core' vaccine, but it is probably of significant value if properly discussed with the client.

Just for what its worth. - Dr. Mac
 
RE: Lyme Vaccine

We do vaccinate Edan and CJ for Lyme because we have deer all over the place. They run through the woods directly below our house and even hang out in our yard. We also like to take walks in the woods with the dogs. As of the beginning of April, our vet's office had between 4 & 6 new Lyme cases in less than a month. (I don't remember if she said 4 or 6.) Just as an aside, we've already had to pull brown ticks off of CJ from a short hike this past Sunday.

CJ just recently received her first Lyme vaccine over the past two weeks; the initial shot and the booster since it is her first time getting this vaccine. She had no negative reaction to it.

My vet doesn't push vaccines on patients. If she doesn't believe a dog needs a vaccine (not in a high risk category) she'll tell you her honest opinion and let the owner make the decision based on that.


BUT - To pull this back on topic .... I hope Nells is feeling better today. If you feel there is a problem, call your vet. This isn't something to play around with. Our instincts about something being wrong tends to be on target more often than not.
 
I was glad to hear that you had an uneventful night, and things look pretty much normal this morning. Just remember, your pup will just have a few days of having his immune system being taxed, so he may be a little tired.

Take care.

Silaria said:
BUT - To pull this back on topic .... I hope Nells is feeling better today. If you feel there is a problem, call your vet. This isn't something to play around with. Our instincts about something being wrong tends to be on target more often than not.
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Thanks for pulling it back.
 
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