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Rabies Vaccine reaction

Basenji Health Issues & Questions
  • Hello Basenji Form,
    My 4 year old got his 3 year rabies vaccine and developed a scab at the place of the injection that will not heal. Has anyone seen or experience that? He also had some swelling below the injection site. He seems normal and is eating fine but it's quite unusual this is our 5th basenji and none of the others had a reaction. I have a vet appointment Sunday but just curious if anyone has experience this. Thank you! ariadne scott

  • @bark
    Has the vet commented on this reaction? I’m curious to know what the vet said.

  • My boy had a reaction 2 months after his 3 year rabies at the same age. It was a almost fist size scabby area on his back a bit to the side of where he got the shot. The vet called it a hot spot and prescribed Quadritop Ointment. This cleared it up pretty quickly and his hair grew back where it had fallen out. At his most recent shot in August this year I was given a homeopathic medicine to give to him for five days after the shot and so far no reaction.

  • Can't help with that particular medication - this is a rabies free country - but after any injection my vet recommends rubbing the spot well to disperse fluids and prevent lumps forming.

  • @kembe The vet said it was most likely a reaction. It healed up finally after 1 month! There was swelling and a scab at the injection site. I used coconut oil on top of it and it seemed to help heal it and then the scab fell off. None of our other basenji's had any type of reaction to the rabies vaccine. I am just glad it healed up. Thanks for checking in.

    ariadne scott

  • @bark
    Glad to hear that your basenji recovered and is doing well.

  • @bark - I also before any shots give Benadryl pill about 2 hours before and then about 4 hours after

  • @tanza said in Rabies Vaccine reaction:

    @bark - I also before any shots give Benadryl pill about 2 hours before and then about 4 hours after

    I’ve not heard of this until now. Makes sense. A full people pill, child pill, or ???

  • @jengosmonkey - Regular people pill, 25mg. I have always done this as I did have one of my males that would have a reaction to rabies shots, this stopped it totally....

  • @kembe He is back to his same old crazy self! One thing the young tech worker told me is that most likely hit a blood vessel when they gave him the shot. Due to COVID we couldn't go with him inside the vet's office so I am sure he was a handful to keep calm. Surprisingly, the vet said he did well despite my thinking he would be hard to handle. Cheers--thanks to all of you for your comments. This Forum is so valuable!
    Miles says thank you too! ![alt text](0_1607986505640_Miles_holiday.jpg image url)

  • @bark
    OMG! He looks like he’s full of “piss and vinegar”! He’s got that mischievous look - lol. What a cutie! So glad to hear he’s doing well!❤️🐾👍🐕
    BTW - love his sweater!

  • That guy is COOL lookin'!! I've never seen one that looks like him. Yeah, I know, they all look different... not talking about that. He doesn't have any white on his head. I've never seen that. Like him. Like him a lot. :oncoming_fist: :smiling_face_with_heart-eyes: :thumbs_up:

  • My female always gets a swelling reaction to rabies - benadry before helps, warm compact afterwards, and no other vaccinations at the same time - we always wait at least two weeks. For some reason, that last seems to be key for her.

  • @wizard - Agree, no other vaccinations at the same time, always separate them by 3 weeks or so. That said, I do titers for any other vaccinations, my C-Me has not had to have any boosters since her 1yr booster and she is going to be 11 later this month. Franie did have to have a booster 3yrs ago but that was the first after her 1yr booster and she will be 11 in January

  • There are different types of rabies vaccine. The ones most likely to cause a reaction have thimerosal in them. A friend's dog (not a Basenji) had an anaphylactic reaction to a rabies shot, and she would have lost him had the vet not still been present and able to counter it with epinephrine. In the future they made sure the shots he got did not have thimerosal. Usually reactions aren't quite so dramatic, but something to keep in mind.

    I also used blood titers to avoid unnecessary vaccinations with my dogs. More expensive, but worth it!

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    @khanis: This has been this way for quite some time. There hasn't been a difference in the 1 and 3-yr vaccines for as long as I have paid attention to them… True, but so many pet owners are unaware of this fact.
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    @wizard: Makes you wonder what the vet schools are teaching too! Indeed it does!
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    The following link will take you to an informative vaccine article covering the 2010 Safer Pet Vaccination Seminar with Drs. Jean Dodds and Ronald Schultz entitled Shot in the Dark: What to Know about Pet Vaccination Programs by Kim Campbell Thornton http://www.petconnection.com/blog/2010/04/01/shot-in-the-dark-what-to-know-about-pet-vaccination-programs/ .
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    @tanza: Found this under Florida law on rabies (2) A dog or cat shall not be required to be vaccinated against rabies if a licensed veterinarian has examined the animal and has certified in writing that at such time vaccination would endanger the animal's health because of its age, infirmity, disability, illness, or other medical considerations. Such exempt animal shall be vaccinated against rabies as soon as its health permits. And it also seems in Florida, it can change from county to county on if required yearly or 3 yrs.. Good to know that about an animal with health issues - and yes, it does vary county to county. Hillsborough, where I live, requires it yearly.
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    renaultf1, I wish the state would also accept titers for rabies, but maybe in the future they will. There is an in-house titer kit available from Synbiotics in San Diego called "TiterChek" that vets can do at their office to check for adequate antibody levels on a pass/fail basis – it won't give you a specific antibody count the way a titer sent to a lab will, but it will let you know if your animal has enough to protect them. We have those done whenever we need to board our dogs rather than having boosters. Kris
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    I guess we have been lucky. Roo got his Rabies shot about 3 weeks ago and was fine. We also used Advantix on him with no issues. With the flooding we have had here recently, the Mosquitos have been terrible. We even stopped walking in the park because they are so bad and will swarm on Roo. Jason