Toy poodle displaying adverse effects after Lyme booster

[poodlenut]

Last Sunday (10/24/04), my wife and I took our toy-poodle, Bony, to get his Lyme booster. This was a follow-up to a series of vaccinations administered on 9/2/04 that included his initial Lyme vaccine, 3-year rabies, and distemper/parvo 5-in-1. We started him on RX Heartworm Preventative a couple days following, and following these initial vaccinations, all seemed fine.

In the past two days (starting Tuesday), he's been significantly lethargic, unable/unwilling to jump onto our bed or even walk down our front stoop to go to the bathroom. He seems to shake somewhat when he's sitting, and he yelps periodically when we pick him up. Overall he just doesn't seem his normal, playful self. I've tried looking on the internet to see if any of this is normal, and have succeeded only in becoming terrified that I may permanently damaged him by having admininistered to him a vaccination whose risks may outweigh its benefits. Can anyone here provide me with some assurance? He's a four-year old toy-poodle named "Bony"

Thanks in advance

[PicOlio]

Oh boy...

Hang in there poodlenut. I cried reading your post because I am VERY AWARE of what you are feeling right now. I recently lost a puppy -- NOT to Lyme disease OR the vaccine -- but that started to show signs like you describe four weeks after receiving the vaccine. I researched, as you have done, and found the same scary results that you have found. I paniced!!! Have I made things worse for my puppy???? etc etc

Let me assure you.... YOU HAVE DONE NOTHING WRONG!!!!!

As much as there are dogs who can experience problems from getting the vaccine, there are many that don't. Unfortunately you wont know until after it's done. But no matter what, do not feel guilty! If you chose not to give the vaccine, and your baby got Lyme disease you could just as easily blame yourself for that. In the end, no matter what you decide to do, as long as you are doing it because you love your baby then you've done NOTHING WRONG.

I would strongly recommend contacting your vet. PRINT OUT the articles you have read and print out a summary of everything you have observed. When did the symptoms start showing, which leg, how bad, how often etc etc. Sometimes we're so nervous about our pet we fail to give the vet a clear picture of what's happening. I've learned to write it all down at home and bring the doc a "fact sheet" so that s/he can easily understand our concerns even if I fail to express them in the short moments we have together in the office.

The doc will be able to look at everything and your additional information will help as well. It might be a reaction to the vaccine or something completely different. For my puppy it was something different and it just happened to be a coincidence that the vaccine was given around the same time frame. It's really hard to say.

Just stay calm.... help your poodle take it easy... consider icing the sore spots ... write down all of the facts...print out the articles that you feel "closely resemble" your situation and bring all of your data to the vet.

Let us know how things turn out. I'm sure it will all be ok...just snuggle with your baby.