Our Chow-Sheppard mix Carson got his rabies vaccination six days ago and about three days after the shot he had a case of diarrhea for a day and the last few days he’s been eating grass and puking a couple of times a day. The puking had not been continuous so I don’t think it is what I would consider severe. Other than that he seems fine, eating, playing and acting normal.
Could this be a side effect of the rabies shot? He’s the years old and hasn’t shown any adverse reactions from previous vaccinations. We’re going to try and get an appointment at the Vet tomorrow, but of course we can’t help speculating as to the cause. It doesn’t appear to be anything major, but we are always concerned when a member if the family is ill.
It’s not likely related. An adverse reaction to a vaccine will happen within a few hours at most. Three days sounds just about right for a virus or bacteria infection to incubate, though. It’s not uncommon for pets to pick stuff up from the vet’s office waiting room, just like us picking up a cold from our doctors’ waiting room. It may be cleaned regularly, but that’s not going to stop patients from passing viruses and bacteria around.
Dogs and cats pass around “cold” (Upper Respiratory Infections or URI) and " stomach flu" (Gastroenteritis) type stuff that’s not life-threatening all the time. Just like similar illness in people, these are bacteria or viruses that mutate often, so developing vaccines is not possible. It’s detrimental when/if they don’t get supportive care simply because they can’t tell us when they’re getting dehydrated or getting other secondary illnesses, so the vet can step in with anti-emetics and antibiotics or other GI support to alleviate symptoms while the body fights off the illness.
Seconding SeaDragonTattoo. It’s not likely related, as the most common vaccine reactions are immediate, and in those that are a bit prolongued (or that the owner may not at first notice), by the time the owner do notice, the decline is fast and the dog way sicker than what you describe (and with other clinical signs/symptoms).
It is more likely an infection he got at the vet, or even outside of the vet, or something he ate that shouldn’t.
Just like we sometimes get upset stomachs that are not related to whether or not we got that flu vaccine last week.
