Dangers of Vaccinations

Working so long in the pet industry and owning pets myself, I have heard nearly every opinion there is about vaccines for dogs. Some vets push every vaccine out there. Some breeders rarely vaccinate. And many pet owners just go along with whatever their vet or breeder says.

So should we be afraid to vaccinate our dogs? Reese’s seizure certainly made me hesitant. Was it caused by her vaccinations? I’ll probably never know. But the only vaccine that I know I’ll be giving her is the rabies vaccine, because it’s the law. And same goes with Elsa.

But even the rabies vaccine gave me a scare the other day. Last Wednesday I took Elsa in to get her rabies shot. Then yesterday, 6 days later, I found a marble sized bump on her leg. Of course it scared me. But when I called my veterinarian hospital, they confirmed that the shot was given on the same leg. However, they also told me a bump would’ve come and gone by now, that it’s not likely caused by the shot and I should bring her in to be checked. That scared me even more. But after doing a sufficient amount of research online, I found forum after forum of people discussing the side effects of the rabies vaccine and to my relief, I read about many people finding lumps on their dogs at the vaccination site days and up to weeks after the shot was given. Some stayed for a couple of days, others lasted the lifetime of the dog. Was my vet unaware of this side effect? Were they trying to make more money by having me bring my dog back in for tests? Or were they just afraid to take the blame?

I was forwarded a video about the rabies vaccine from the breeder that I got Elsa and Reese from. I’m not sharing it to scare anyone, the likelihood of your dog having a bad reaction to the rabies vaccine is still rare. But education is key, and as more people realize the unnecessary amount of vaccinations our dogs receive, the more knowledgeable they’ll be next time they step into their veterinarian’s office.

Rabies Vaccine Video