Vaccines Can Be Scary… But So Is Parvo

ByKathryn

I’m going to talk about something today that I know can be really emotional.

Vaccines.

If you’ve ever spent more than five minutes on the internet looking up pet vaccines, you’ve probably walked away convinced that every decision you make is somehow the wrong one. 😅

As pet parents, we all want the same thing. We want our dogs to be healthy. We want to make the best decisions we possibly can for them.

Here in North Carolina, we’ve been seeing more cases of parvovirus, and honestly… parvo scares me a whole lot more than vaccines do.

If you’ve never seen a puppy with parvo, I hope you never do. It’s heartbreaking, and it’s exactly why we vaccinate.

That brings me to Rory.

This was one of the scariest moments I’ve had as a dog mom.

Rory the puppy with facial swelling after an allergic reaction to his DHPP vaccine before receiving veterinary treatment.

This picture was taken after Rory had a vaccine reaction following one of his DHPP vaccines.

Seeing your puppy’s face swell like this is absolutely terrifying. I remember staring at him thinking, “Please be okay.”

Thankfully, we got him to the veterinarian quickly, and they took amazing care of him.

Thankfully, this wasn’t the end of the story.

Rory's facial swelling beginning to improve after treatment for a vaccine reaction, showing his recovery.

This picture was taken after treatment, when the swelling had already started coming down.

It was such a relief to see his sweet little face looking more like… well… Rory again.

This is also the moment our veterinarian and I started talking about what future vaccines would look like.

Not if he would get vaccinated.

How we could vaccinate him as safely as possible.

Because those are two very different conversations.

Together we made a vaccine plan just for Rory.

Now he:

  • 🐾 Gets one vaccine at a time.
  • 🐾 Waits at least two weeks between vaccines.
  • 🐾 Gets Benadryl 45 minutes beforehand only because our veterinarian recommended it and told us the correct dose.
  • 🐾 Has appointments in the morning or early afternoon so the clinic is still open if we need them.
  • 🐾 Gets monitored closely at home for the rest of the day.

Please don’t give your dog Benadryl without talking to your veterinarian first. Dogs need the correct dose for their weight, and not every medication marketed alongside Benadryl is appropriate for dogs.

Fast forward to today…

Rory riding in his backpack on the way to a follow-up veterinary appointment as part of his individualized vaccine protocol.

Believe it or not… this picture was taken on the way to another vaccine appointment.

Does he know where he’s going?

Probably not. 😂

Do I know where we’re going?

Absolutely.

And while I still get nervous every single time, I also feel confident because we have a plan.

A reaction didn’t mean we stopped protecting him.

It meant we worked with our veterinarian to do it more safely.

There’s one more member of this story.

Wilbur.

Rory’s brother.

Wilbur enjoying a pup cup after his veterinary visit, following the same vaccine protocol recommended for his littermate Rory.

Wilbur has never had a vaccine reaction.

Not once.

But because he and Rory are littermates, our veterinarian recommended following the exact same vaccine protocol for Wilbur as a precaution.

And honestly…

I’m completely okay with that.

If a few extra precautions help keep both of my boys safe, that’s an easy decision.

(Also… every brave puppy deserves a pup cup afterwards. I don’t make the rules. 🍦😂)

One thing I hope people take away from our experience is this:

A vaccine reaction does not automatically mean your dog should never receive another vaccine.

Sometimes it simply means your veterinarian helps you make a different plan.

I know there’s a lot of fear online about vaccines and parasite prevention medications.

I understand why.

When you love your dogs this much, every decision feels enormous.

But please…

Talk to your veterinarian.

Ask questions.

Learn about parvo.

Learn about distemper.

Learn about rabies.

Learn what these vaccines are protecting your dog from.

The internet can give you opinions.

Your veterinarian knows your dog.

Our goal has never been to avoid veterinary care because something scary happened.

Our goal has always been to protect Rory and Wilbur in the safest way possible.

And thanks to an incredible veterinary team and a plan made together, both of my boys are vaccinated, healthy, happy…

…and still accepting payment in the form of pup cups. ❤️🐾

Has your dog ever had a vaccine reaction or a customized vaccine schedule? I’d love to hear your experience in the comments.

Similar Posts