From NBC4 in Columbus, Ohio
By ANA JACKSON
Reporter
Published: May 15, 2009
COLUMBUS,Ohio—Charity Frazier took her 1-year-old bulldog mix puppy to the Franklin County Animal Shelter Friday for a rabies vaccination.
The shot was administered by medvet.
Charity says her dog vomitted and turned blue after the shot, but when she tried to bring the situation to someone’s attention, she says they brushed it off like nothing was wrong.
Charity took the dog to the Obetz Animal Hospital, where a veterinarian said the dog was suffocating and appeared to be going through shock. Attempts to save the dog were unsuccessful.
The Franklin County Dog Shelter says Charity did not tell a medvet veterinarian what happened while she was at the shelter, otherwise steps would have been taken to try and save the dog.
The shelter is very apologetic but says this is a very rare occurrence and has never happened there before.
The shelter workers vaccinated more than 800 dogs on Friday and no others became sick. The shelter assumes the death was a reaction to the vaccine but will not know until an autopsy is complete.
The maker of the vaccine is paying for the autopsy.
Anyone who administers the vaccine is not required to provide information about risks, but the shelter says it is considering doing this in the future.
The veterinarian from the Obetz Animal Hospital stresses this is a very rare occurrence and should not keep dog owners from getting their dogs vaccinated.
Her advice is to stay in close proximity to any veterinarian who administers the vaccine for at least 20 minutes after a dog is vaccinated. That way if it shows signs of a reaction, steps can be taken to try and save it.
Signs of a reaction include vomiting, swelling and hives.
It worries me that the pharmaceutical companies have used their political lobbying abilities to make profit at the expense of the health of animals – why should a dog need vaccinating every year – it appears to be excessive.
I'd love to hear what vets have to say on this…
It worries me that the pharmaceutical companies have used their political lobbying abilities to make profit at the expense of the health of animals – why should a dog need vaccinating every year – it appears to be excessive.
I'd love to hear what vets have to say on this…
After my healthy 8 y,.o, dog had a seizure, then became full blown epileptic after a rabies vax, I have never and WILL never again give any of my dogs vaccinations of any kind. All of my (show) dogs are raised on raw food only, no vax, and as holistically and naturally as possible, WITHOUT the use of chemical or flea/tick applications! These are the healhiest dogs I have ever owned with healthy natural immune systems!!!!
I had a similar experience, Maxi my Lhasa Apso reacted to a rabies shot when I got home noticed his head was the size of a big pumpkin rushed back to vet and they gave him an antihistomine shot, from then on he had the shot of antihistomine before the rabies shot and stayed for 1 hour where they watched him. Very scarey but it does happen.