My Dog Is Possibily Reacting To Injections

[The Thai Whisperer]

WE have a young shitzu , who had clowding of one eye, along with some eye redness

We took her to a vet, and the vet diagnosed an infection of the eye, and gave the dog

some antibiotic and vitamin injections. The day after the visit to the vets, the eye seemed to

be clearing , but we started to notice that the dog now seems to be very quiet and not her playful

self, just lying there not wanting to move much, also ive noticed that she seems to have an

Increased shallow breathing rate, a bit more than normal. I am now wondering if these new symptoms

are the result of the dog receiving several injections, and the dog in some way is reacting

To receiving the injections of the antibiotic and vitamin doses …?

Has any one had experience of there dog reacting to injections in the same way ….?

Thank You ....

[Nienke]

WE have a young shitzu , who had clowding of one eye, along with some eye redness

We took her to a vet, and the vet diagnosed an infection of the eye, and gave the dog

some antibiotic and vitamin injections. The day after the visit to the vets, the eye seemed to

be clearing , but we started to notice that the dog now seems to be very quiet and not her playful

self, just lying there not wanting to move much, also ive noticed that she seems to have an

Increased shallow breathing rate, a bit more than normal. I am now wondering if these new symptoms

are the result of the dog receiving several injections, and the dog in some way is reacting

To receiving the injections of the antibiotic and vitamin doses …?

Has any one had experience of there dog reacting to injections in the same way ….?

Thank You ....

How long ago did you purchased dog? Where does the dog come from? How old is the dog? What jabs has been given? What vaccines has she received, how long ago, how many of each and how far apart from each other?

Yes, it is possible that the dog reacts to the jabs. It can be that the dog has a side-effect to the jabs or she got an overdose. Why did the vet give an injection for an eye infection, and not just antibiotic drops?

It is also possible the vet has misdiagnosed and it isn't just an eye infection, but your dog suffers another disease, such as distemper.

Next to the eye infection, impaired breathing and listlessness how is her appetite? Has she nasal discharge, watery or pus-like? Does she cough (sometimes in the beginning they cough only in the night or early morning. Therefore, better to have her sleep in your bedroom for you to be able to observe her better) Does she sneezes? How are her feces? Does she run a fever? (normal thermometer, little KY jelly on it and if you don't have it some soya or olive oil, then put it in her butt for about a minute, and don't let loose of the thermometer but hold it. Do it preferable with two people, so that one can restrain her. Normal temperature should be not higher than 102.5 F?). If you turn her over, are there pimples/postules on her abdomen visible?

All this are symptoms of distemper. And I truly hope, for your and your dog's sake, I'm overreacting here!

In any case, I would return to the vet.

Good luck!

Nienke

Edited June 28, 2007 by Nienke

[The Thai Whisperer]

Hi nienke , Thanks for your post , its appreciated

to try and answer your questions …

We have had the dog for 11 Months

The dog was bought from a pet shop

The dog is 14 months old

The last injection ( pre this eye infection one’s ) were for worming on the 20th of April 2007

The vet in fact gave us some ‘’Eye Ointment ‘’ ( Chloramphenicol )

But I forgot to include this in my original post

The Vet gave the dog 3 injections, and he told us they were

Antibiotic and vitamin jabs, I am not too sure if it was two jabs

For the vitamin and one for the antibiotic..?

Her appetite is what I would describe as a little below normal

But she is eating her normal food

theres no obvious signs of nasal discharge or watery pus like condition

No cough heard at all (ever)

No sneezing

Feces appears to be the same consistency and amount as normal

Assessing if she has a fever, at the moment we do not have

A thermometer, which I am going to buy tomorrow

After a close inspection of her abdomen we could not see

Any signs of pimples, postules or abnormal looking marks

Before we took her to the vets, she was very lively and

Playful and her eye condition did not seem to bother her

Too much, after the injections she seemed to change

Within hours, so just being logical it seem’s to appear

That the injections could be the cause of her change

In character (could it be that having 3 injections in a row

Could be considered an over dose) which her system

Could not handle..?.

I just hope its some sort of reaction to the amount

of injections given to her and she will get over it

in the next few day’s

Her eye condition seem’s to be getting better

And the cloudiness and redness seem’s to be reducing

Thank You

[BambinA]

CDV is a nasty piece of work indeed Nienke.

However, I will give the op some thoughtful.

1) The dog gets quiet after got shots coz she get stressed.

2) The exophthalmos breed as Shih Tzu prones to have eye's problem due to her long hair on her face.

3) The side-effect may be the cause of changing behaviour.

[The Thai Whisperer]

Thanks BambinA,

We did some research before getting this breed of dog,

And there were many comments about possible

Eye problems Etc, so we have been cutting the dogs hair around the eye’s

To try and stop any hairs from going into the eye and causing problems,

It does seem to me , that the cause of her changed behaviour may be due to

The amount of jab’s she received, If she starts to look like she’s retuning back to

Her normal self soon, ( only guessing on how long it may take ) then the side affects

Are showing that they are wearing off from the possible overdose of injections,

Would giving a dog 3 injections in a row at the same time possibly be

Considered normal..? I’m not too sure on that one ..?

Thank you

[Nienke]

Hi,

Ah, it seems I WAS overreacting here. It's just that CDV, or even the thought of it, makes me (very) nervous.

I still do not understand why your dog needed all these jabs for an eye infection. Why does a further healthy dog needs a vitamin jab? Too much vitamins isn't good!

The two other jabs, I assume are antibiotics and cortico-steroids. And again, in a further healthy dog, I don't think that does much good. The vet I use in CM would give for a minor eye infection antibiotic drops (conjuctivitis), a bit less minor infection AB drops with a corticosteroid. If the eye is very bluish blurred, maybe even with bloodvessels and some pigmentation in the eye, then an ointment. And if there is case of an ulcer, ointment and oral AB's.

If stress would cause the problem, then her behavior should spring back within an hour (or actually less much less than that). If not, than that's an indication the dog has a behavioral problem that should be addressed, as she suffers chronic stress, which is a disease that can cause other diseases! I do not pick this up from the OP's post.

So, yes, if before the jabs she was ok, but only a few hours after the jabs she showed all these symptoms, than most obviously it's the jabs that caused it. I do not know, just out of my head, which antibiotic the vet possibly has given. I suggest to find out, as it might be your dog is showing an allergic reaction to it. And this is important to know.

Some links on antibiotics and prednisone (corticosteroid) and their side-effects.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amoxicilline

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amoxicillin-clavulanate

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cephalosporin

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doxycycline

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clindamycin_hydrochloride

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prednisone

Nienke

Oh and as for hairs in the eyes. Shih Tzu's have bulky eyes. Cutting the hairs away certainly reduces the chance on irritation and infection, but still due to those bulky eyes they remain more prone to stuff going into and sticking in the eyes. It's just part of the breed that requires extra care and sometimes worry.

Edited June 29, 2007 by Nienke

[The Thai Whisperer]

Hi Nienke,

Thanks for the further information, well to day the dog seem's a little more livley

still not back to the 100% as before the visit to the vet , her eye seem's to be

getting better, but as you say this breed of dog with the protruding type of eye's

seem to be prone to many eye problems.

The dogs breathing also seems to be slowing down some what, and nearley

back to normal, As to why the vet gave the injections Etc, I am not too

sure , and will in the future question any requests by a vet to give an injection.

I will post any further devlopments , so many thanks to you and BambinA

for your help and comments...

Thank You

[Luckydog]

Vets here are very money orientated.

I had a Hospital Blood test at 450bht. My dog's cost 600!

Never taken her to the Vet without her getting an expensive jab for something or other......or tablets.

"Blood test (600bht) show parasite. Take tablets for three weeks (600bht). Blood test (another 600bht) show still have parasite. Take more tablets (600bht) for three weeks Then have another Blood Test"......Hey!

She's costing me more than my GF!!!

[Nienke]

Vets here are very money orientated.

I had a Hospital Blood test at 450bht. My dog's cost 600!

Never taken her to the Vet without her getting an expensive jab for something or other......or tablets.

"Blood test (600bht) show parasite. Take tablets for three weeks (600bht). Blood test (another 600bht) show still have parasite. Take more tablets (600bht) for three weeks Then have another Blood Test"......Hey!

She's costing me more than my GF!!!

I assume your dog has tick disease?

If your vet's tests the blood for antibodies against a particular (tick) bloodparasite through a special testkit, then another test a few weeks later is total bullocks as it will take months, almost a year, before the antibodies are gone from the blood.

Treatment with antibiotics against this disease is often given for 2 to 2 1/2 months. The antibiotics used (doxycycline) can give side-effects when used for longer periods of time. If that's the reason why your vet wants to test the blood again after three weeks, I only can say that's a very good thing to do.

However, 600 baht sounds to me quite a lot. The vet I use in CM charges 500 baht for the SNAP test and 350 baht for checking red- and white- bloodcells, platelets, kidney, liver and parasites.

Nienke

[The Thai Whisperer]

Well an up date on our dog, its been 4 days now since her visit to the vet’s

Her breathing seem’s to be back to normal, her eating pattern is a little less

than she would normally consume.

Her eye looks better and the cloudiness has reduced, but it is producing more than the normal

Amount of Tears, our main concern at the moment is she still seem’s to be less active and playful

Than before the vet’s visit, it seem’s at the moment all she wants to do is sleep.

Could this less playfulness and apparent sleepiness still be some thing to do with

The visit to the vet and injections..? . We are not too sure if the current problems

Are from the visit to the vet, how long should it be before she makes a full recovery

And return to her normal playful self..? .

Thank You

[The Thai Whisperer]

I though you may like to see a photo of our little friend ....

Thank You

[Nienke]

What a cute picture of her! It tells me she's quite a character!

If your dog is reacting to the jabs she has received is likely but not 100% sure. For the same price she DID pick up a bug. I understand from your post that you haven't been back to the vet or another vet to discuss this. I would do that because, if she was reacting to the (one of the) jabs, than you can keep a record of this so in future you can make sure the/a vet uses another med in stead (if the need arises).

That she sleeps much more than normal and her appetite and playfulness isn't returned to normal as well sounds to me she is still fighting some sort of illness, whether that's from the jabs or a bug. Have you taken her temperature? Does she run a fever?

And how long it takes before she recovers? I hope very soon!

Nienke

[bina]

could be reaction to the chlorephenicol as that does cause an allergic reaction in people (heart problems if i recall) although still given to pets;

could be the dose or type of antibiotic? if she got a cortisone jab it should have triggered her appetite (at least with people and goats it does)

could be she had an underlying conditon and the stress etc triggered it?

so why dont u just take the dog to a different vet, or back to the same one?? isntead of waiting...

look up your dog breed and see if theya re prone to heart problems, or other problems that may be showing up due to or coincidentally to getting antibiotics etc.

bina