crispy Posted January 19, 2011 Share Posted January 19, 2011 I took my 13 year old border collie, Smudge in for her annual vaccine on Monday morning. She was old but healthy. After her shot she was quiet, sleepy & hardly moved all day. At 5.30 she got up to eat her tea, shortly after stood up looked disorientated and then threw up. I took her to an after hours vet, she had a temperature, abdominal swelling and was dehydrated. They took a blood test and found nothing of any concern. She was placed on a drip for hydration overnight. I took her home at 12 noon that day. The vet said it was a reaction to the shot. She had never had any reaction before. She wasn't interested in food but had a little & was drinking water. She was lethargic for another 2 days, then perked up was alert & started eating. The next morning I found she had passed away. My poor beautiful mate, I feel that because I took her to be vaccinated and contributed to her to her death. If I had done some research I would have decided against vaccination at her age. There are a lot of articles that discuss the pros & cons of vaccinating every 12 months & the risk that you take with an older dog. By the way I dropped into the vet's that vaccinated her & left a message with the secretary about the reaction, I can't believe that I have not heard back from them as to how Smudge is. I attended this vet practice for over 13 years. Please don't make the same mistake as I did, read all you can on the topic. Smudge would still be with us for a little bit longer. Thank to this forum I can discuss my grief. Miss my beautiful Smudgie. :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandra777 Posted January 19, 2011 Share Posted January 19, 2011 So sorry for your loss. I have lost a dog to vaccine reaction, a much younger dog and much less peacefully. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erny Posted January 19, 2011 Share Posted January 19, 2011 (edited) Oh dear, Crispy. I am so sorry for your very unexpected loss. Do not think for an instance that you contributed to Smudge's passing. Even if it was vaccination related, YOU FOLLOWED YOUR VET'S ADVICE AND RECOMMENDATION and it is the "Vets -vs- the bureaucracy of the manufacturers issue" who would be those who are at fault. Thank you for telling your tale though - I think it is worth the telling for someone else to read and think about. But in the meantime be kind to yourself. :D You love Smudge and Smudge knew that. RIP Smudge . Edited January 19, 2011 by Erny Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
harley Posted January 19, 2011 Share Posted January 19, 2011 How awful for you. :D You sound like a very caring owner, please don't be too harsh on yourself May Smudge RIP Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dogfan Posted January 19, 2011 Share Posted January 19, 2011 :D Don't be too harsh on yourself RIP Smudge Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted January 19, 2011 Share Posted January 19, 2011 Oh You thought you were doing the right thing for your girl.... not your fault at all.She died at home.. amongst familiar things ... R I P Smudge ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JackieW Posted January 19, 2011 Share Posted January 19, 2011 I'm so sorry to read this, my condolences to you. RIP Smudge I know it's all very raw at the moment, but when you can, could you check whether either vet has submitted an adverse reaction report. From the Australian Veterinary Association website "Any adverse event should be reported, identifying the product, animal and reaction involved, to the manufacturer and the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) Adverse Experience Reporting Program." http://www.ava.com.au/policy/67-vaccination-dogs-and-cats Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Staranais Posted January 19, 2011 Share Posted January 19, 2011 I'm very sorry for your loss. Please, do follow JackieW's advice & ask your vet to submit a report of the reaction. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pie Posted January 19, 2011 Share Posted January 19, 2011 I'm really sorry for your loss Crispy, I agree with the others, don't be too hard on yourself, you were only going on your vet's advice RIP Smudge Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crispy Posted January 19, 2011 Author Share Posted January 19, 2011 Oh dear, Crispy. I am so sorry for your very unexpected loss. Do not think for an instance that you contributed to Smudge's passing. Even if it was vaccination related, YOU FOLLOWED YOUR VET'S ADVICE AND RECOMMENDATION and it is the "Vets -vs- the bureaucracy of the manufacturers issue" who would be those who are at fault. Thank you for telling your tale though - I think it is worth the telling for someone else to read and think about. But in the meantime be kind to yourself. You love Smudge and Smudge knew that. RIP Smudge . Thank-you so much for your reassurance. It's times like this that you doubt yourself & think what if I????? I loved Smudge and yes she loved me. She knew that I only wanted to do my best for her. I know she entered heaven through the doggy door in the front gates :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crispy Posted January 19, 2011 Author Share Posted January 19, 2011 Oh You thought you were doing the right thing for your girl.... not your fault at all.She died at home.. amongst familiar things ...R I P Smudge ... Thanks persephone. That's right she passed away on the front lawn, her favourite viewing spot. We've laid her to rest in a lovely spot in the garden and I can visit her and look out at her from the window. I must be grateful for the 13 wonderful years we had together. :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crispy Posted January 19, 2011 Author Share Posted January 19, 2011 So sorry for your loss. I have lost a dog to vaccine reaction, a much younger dog and much less peacefully. Sorry to hear that Sandra777, I am grateful that I had 13 wonderful years with Smudge. Was that the first time your dog had a reaction and have you got another dog now and do you have it vaccinated? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crispy Posted January 19, 2011 Author Share Posted January 19, 2011 I'm so sorry to read this, my condolences to you. RIP SmudgeI know it's all very raw at the moment, but when you can, could you check whether either vet has submitted an adverse reaction report. From the Australian Veterinary Association website "Any adverse event should be reported, identifying the product, animal and reaction involved, to the manufacturer and the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) Adverse Experience Reporting Program." http://www.ava.com.au/policy/67-vaccination-dogs-and-cats Thanks for the advise Jackie I will find out if the vet actually reported all this information to the right people Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tlc Posted January 19, 2011 Share Posted January 19, 2011 So sorry for your loss, I can understand how devestated you must feel. My oldest dog had a severe reaction to his first Kennel cough vaccine and if I had not have been with him and noticed the reaction, his whole face swelled, nose throat he couldn't breath etc. We raced him back to the vet where they gave him a anti hystamine (sp) shot and within a minute or so he could breath better but it took ages for the swelling to go down. The vet said it is uncommon but does happen on occasion. We were just very lucky. RIP Smudge, Sounds like she had a beautiful and cherished life with you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crispy Posted January 19, 2011 Author Share Posted January 19, 2011 I'm so sorry to read this, my condolences to you. RIP SmudgeI know it's all very raw at the moment, but when you can, could you check whether either vet has submitted an adverse reaction report. From the Australian Veterinary Association website "Any adverse event should be reported, identifying the product, animal and reaction involved, to the manufacturer and the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) Adverse Experience Reporting Program." http://www.ava.com.au/policy/67-vaccination-dogs-and-cats Thanks for the advise Jackie I will find out if the vet actually reported all this information to the right people Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crispy Posted January 19, 2011 Author Share Posted January 19, 2011 So sorry for your loss, I can understand how devestated you must feel. My oldest dog had a severe reaction to his first Kennel cough vaccine and if I had not have been with him and noticed the reaction, his whole face swelled, nose throat he couldn't breath etc. We raced him back to the vet where they gave him a anti hystamine (sp) shot and within a minute or so he could breath better but it took ages for the swelling to go down. The vet said it is uncommon but does happen on occasion. We were just very lucky. RIP Smudge, Sounds like she had a beautiful and cherished life with you. Thanks, tlc, for sharing your experience. It must have been frightening. Sometimes luck is on your side. The photos of your dogs are beautiful Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stormie Posted January 19, 2011 Share Posted January 19, 2011 Crispy I'm so sorry for your loss. Don't blame yourself. It may be that it wasn't the actual vaccine, but that Smudge had an underlying problem that may have been worsened by the excitment of the trip to the vet. Did they rule out bloat as a possible cause too? I agree with others though, perhaps talk to your vet about completing the form. Again I'm very sorry. RIP Smudge Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Akay Posted January 19, 2011 Share Posted January 19, 2011 I'm so sorry Crispy. My dog had a bad reaction to Sentinel Spectrum, he was nearly 14 and he ended up having to be put to sleep. I found it so difficult to get over the fact that I had killed my dog. He was the most gentlest, kindest dog and I felt like a big ogre killing him. If you know in your heart that it was the vaccine, you have to find a way to get past that. What kind of helped me was to think that it was a rather quick & painless passing compared to the other multitude of ways that he could have died.... I dunno, it's so hard and I know exactly what you're going through. The irony of it all is that it happened because you loved your baby so much :-( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crispy Posted January 19, 2011 Author Share Posted January 19, 2011 I'm so sorry Crispy. My dog had a bad reaction to Sentinel Spectrum, he was nearly 14 and he ended up having to be put to sleep. I found it so difficult to get over the fact that I had killed my dog. He was the most gentlest, kindest dog and I felt like a big ogre killing him. If you know in your heart that it was the vaccine, you have to find a way to get past that. What kind of helped me was to think that it was a rather quick & painless passing compared to the other multitude of ways that he could have died.... I dunno, it's so hard and I know exactly what you're going through. The irony of it all is that it happened because you loved your baby so much :-( Thanks Akay for sharing your very, very sad story. It is so helpful to speak to people who have had to part with their beloved dog. You loved your dog so much, hard to over totally. Smudge was also gentle, kind and so trusting. I have the same feeling that I killed her and yes it happened because I cared for her so much. It is possible that she had an underlying condition that had not been diagnosed and the vaccine reaction even though she appeared to have semi recovered was just too much for body cope with. If I relive the past few days and with the knowledge that I have know, I would have not vaccinated. And yes I've thought about how her final days could have been a lot worse. I am grateful that she died at home. The night before she died, she greeted a visitor with a bark, sneaked in the house and stole some cat food, ate her steak and had along massage from me. I kissed her goodnight and told her I loved her. I know that time will help me heal, and I will always have wonderful memories of the time we spent together. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crispy Posted January 19, 2011 Author Share Posted January 19, 2011 Crispy I'm so sorry for your loss. Don't blame yourself. It may be that it wasn't the actual vaccine, but that Smudge had an underlying problem that may have been worsened by the excitment of the trip to the vet. Did they rule out bloat as a possible cause too? I agree with others though, perhaps talk to your vet about completing the form. Again I'm very sorry. RIP Smudge Stormy yes I've thought of that, quite possible, I just think at her age perhaps a vaccine was not necessary. Also she like many dogs hated the vets and would stress and become quite anxious. The vet didn't mention bloat at all, and I don't know much about it. They did say that the symptoms appeared to be a reaction to the vaccine. Thank-you for your condolences. I am finding it so helpful and comforting to share my thoughts with so many caring people. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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