Bad Reaction to Shot?

[Trace]

Jasmine had her first Vaccination against Rabies yesterday and she doesn't seem to be feeling well at all. I noticed last night that her ears and neck seemed warmer than usual and her breath was hot as well. She was slightly lethargic and ignored me most of the night which I chalked up to her being mad at me as she is definitely a sulker. This morning her ears/neck/breath are much cooler but still warm and she had a loose bowel movement which is not typical of her.

Is this a normal reaction to her shot or should I be concerned?

[brunie's mom]

No..it is not a normal reaction. You should tell your vet.
Rabies vaccinations are known to cause reactions, and the next one may be worse for her. It should be noted on her charts.
Around here..they give a 3 year rabies vaccine. If your dog has a reaction again, you can get a exemption from her having the shot.

Gina

[Trace]

Thank you so much for answering. I didn't recall our first girl having any reaction but she was the kind who would rather die than let on that shes ill so I wasn't sure. She seems much better but I am going to call the vet, right now in fact.

[Lola B Marie]

I just wanted to mention that you can always titer your dog after the first round of shots are given. This is a blood test to determine how much of the previous vaccine is still in their system. If it meets a high enough level, the dog is said to be protected and the new shots do not need to be given. Lola had a fierce reaction to her shots.She was titered and still has close to the original amout of protection. The test is more expensive than a shot but I found it very much worth the money. She has a medical rabies exemption as well.

[Trace]

Thanks for the advice. I have been reading about titers and plan to speak with the vet about our options at our next visit because I can't see putting my poor girl through this or worse again.

[spidey]

She was slightly lethargic and ignored me most of the night which I chalked up to her being mad at me as she is definitely a sulker

Dogs don't get "mad at" people the way you seem to be implying here.

[Trace]

Well when I make her do something that she finds less than pleasant she has a tendency to be standoffish with ONLY me for a while. I don't know what the correct term is for it so for lack of a better word I say she's mad at me.