[sscarew]

Ginger is having an allergic reaction to either her rabies shot or her DHLLP shot, which she got this morning at 10:30a.m. She started vomiting at 11:45. We went back to vet (who closes at noon at Saturday but they waited for us) and they gave her a shot of benadryl and some steroid thing. That was at 12:30. At 2:30 p.m., she started getting very restless, her face started swelling and she got hives all over her body. I called the emergency vet who said to watch her for another hour to give the benadryl she already received time to work.

I guess what I'm wondering is 1)anyone else here ever deal with allergic reactions ? and 2) if so, how long do they typically last????

Thanks!!

 

[Murphys Dad]

If Ginger is still reacting now at 3:30, I would take her to the emergency vet. Benedryl kicks in pretty quickly and it has been 3 hours since she got it. If the steroid was a shot, that would have kicked in quickly also. With a systemic reaction (which is what it sounds like Ginger is having), you need to be careful about any respiratory problems. I know from personal experience, not with Maggie.
Maggie has had reactions to shots but her reactions were limited to hind leg ataxia (paralysis). The only shot she gets now is her rabies and we only do the 1 year rabies since that is less of a dose than the 3 year. We do blood testing for all her other levels each year. In the last 6 years she has not needed any other shots.
Please continue to give us updates.

 

[Murphys Dad]

Jersey had a reaction to the last round of puppy shots she received. She was shaking like she was freezing. I took her in, they gave her something (I think a benedryl shot) and she was good. If Ginger is still reacting after 3 hours, I would take her to the emergency vet. As Judy has already said, it shouldn't take that long for a Benedryl to kick in. I hope all is OK! I'll be sending positive thoughts Ginger's way!

 

[jassy]

I don't know about dogs but I get severe allergic reactions and I know that if the antihistimine doesn't start working fairly quickly, I need to get to medical help. I would think it should work quickly in dogs also. Hope everything is Ok by now.

 

[Gingergoose]

How is Ginger doing?

~Denise

 

[Murphys Dad]

Bumping up ... looking for update on Ginger!

 

[sscarew]

Thanks for checking in on us. Ginger is much better today. The hives finally left around 5:30pm Saturday but she got sick again at 11:45pm that night. She didn't feel good all day yesterday and basically just stayed in her crate all day (she didn't want to come out). So ... the question now is WHAT was she allergic to??? The emergency vet told us to call our regular vet today and let them know what all happened so they could put notes in her chart. I sure do dread next year's shots!!!

It sure does stink to watch our babies feel so miserable!! I felt so helpless and she was looking at us like "do something please!!"

She seems back to normal today thank heavens!! Thanks again for the concern!

 

[Murphys Dad]

Maybe the vet can do some blood work and find out what she is allergic to.... that is interesting.
As long as she feels good now, you have a year to find the solution to the problem (if it will even exist next year).

:heart:

 

[jassy]

Glad she is better. One of my cats had a mild reaction to the leukemia vaccine and the next couple of years they kept her at the vet for the day to monitor. Be careful because the next time the reaction might be worse. At least if she is at the vet already they can administer whatever is needed and you don't have to worry so much.

 

[sscarew]

I called my vet this morning and they said that in the future, they will not give her the LEPTO part of the DHLPP, as that is what they are usually allergic to, but they will also give the shots at different times instead of all at once so they can determine what she is allergic to. They will also give her benadryl BEFORE giving her the vaccinations. What was weird is that even after having the benadryl, 2 hours later she reacted even worse with the facial swelling and hives. So, I would hate to have seen her reaction had she not had the benadryl. Also, next time they will keep her there for a while to see if there is a reaction. Anyway, this one is behind us thank heavens! Thanks again for the concern and thoughts!

 

[Murphys Dad]

Sherri -- so glad to hear that Ginger is doing better. Make certain that your vet does titers (via blood test) for all things not vaccinated against such as lepto. As I mentioned, Maggie now gets titers every year for everything usually vaccinated against, except rabies which is required by law. Unfortunately, titers are expensive. For the rabies shot, vet gives Maggie a benedryl shot and a cortisone shot 45 minutes before the rabies shot. Then I follow up with benedryl if any reaction at all. Reactions to shots not uncommon but had never heard of a dog getting hives until Ginger -- that's the kind of "special" you can do without!

 

[Murphys Dad]

Sherri, I'm very happy to hear that Ginger is OK. I was worried about her after reading your first post. As for future reactions, Jersey's vet gives her a Benedryl shot before she gets her other shots now. That way if she does have another allergic reaction, it will be countered immediately. It's probably the DHLLP vaccine. Jersey's vet said it wasn't uncommon for a dog to have a reaction to them.