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Puppy Gets Vaccinated Twice! Here’s What You Need To Do

Owning a puppy means you have to take all of the proper measures to keeping your puppy safe. That includes getting them their routine vaccinations that work to prevent diseases. It is extremely important and essential to make sure your pets get their immunizations, but what happens if there is a goof and your puppy gets vaccinated twice?

What Happens If a Puppy Gets Vaccinated Twice?

If there is an incident where your puppy gets vaccinated twice, there might not be any side effects right away. However, it is not ideal for puppies to get the same vaccination twice. If puppies get too many vaccines, they can experience an allergic reaction, behavioral changes, autoimmune diseases, and death in the worst case.

Allergic Reactions

There have been studies conducted that show young adult dogs that received multiple vaccines per visit were higher at risk to have an allergic reaction within three days of the visit. The reaction should clear up and go away within a day or two, but some cases can be more severe.

There are certain types of reactions that your puppy might have that should take them back to the vet to get checked out for. The first is any type of reaction at the site of injection. These symptoms include swelling, pain, redness, or irritation at the site. Also be on the lookout for an abscess or pus.

You also need to be on the lookout for signs of anaphylaxis. These symptoms include vomiting, drowsiness, diarrhea, a weak pulse that is quick, swelling of the face, and possible seizures. While anaphylaxis is rare, it can be extremely fatal sometimes resulting in respiratory or cardiac failure, shock, or death.

The pup might also experience a loss of appetite. This will usually happen a day or two after the vaccine was received. There may also be a fever along with this. 

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Immune System Problems

A puppy’s immune system has two main classes: complementary and interdependent. Complementary consists of cellular immunity and works as the primary immune defense. Interdependent is humoral immunity and it produces antibodies that are antigen specific as a secondary defense.

If the complementary class shuts down, vaccines will sneak past the cellular immune system to stimulate the humoral defense system instead. The humoral will then try to assert dominance over the complementary system. This will literally reverse how the immune system functions.

Behavioral Changes

Vaccines are made up of two elements. The first element is the actual virus that creates the immune response inside of your pup’s body. The second is an immune adjuvant that works to boost the immune response. Adjuvants usually include things like aluminum, mercury, and MSG.

The vaccine adjuvants will create a prolonged activation, which in some cases can cause inflammation in the brain. This is where the behavioral changes will come from if you are noticing them. Some dogs might become aggressive to humans and other animals if they experience a double vaccination.

Some of the things you need to be on the lookout for when dealing with over-vaccination include:

  • Coughing, choking, and gagging when swallowing
  • Violent and aggressive behavior
  • Hypersensitivity
  • Sudden attacks
  • Excessive licking
  • Obsessive biting or chasing
  • Involuntary urination
  • Wandering or vocalizing with no purpose

How to Avoid Over-Vaccination

Vaccines are essential and great for your pets when they are administered properly. To ensure that your pets are getting the proper dosages, you need to make sure you have all of the information possible about puppy vaccines. This will give you the best idea of what is and what isn’t supposed to happen at your vet visits.

There are some things that you need to keep in mind when preparing to take your puppy to the vet for vaccines.

Vaccine Basics

Puppies receive their core vaccinations between eight and sixteen weeks old. This is because they will have a higher chance of being protected from any life-threatening diseases they might encounter. Some of these diseases are canine parvovirus, distemper, and adenovirus. The rabies vaccine is also extremely crucial, and it is administered between twelve and sixteen weeks.

Vaccination History

While your vet typically has your pet’s vaccine history in their system, it is best to keep a copy of those records just in case you need it. If you need to switch vets for any reason, having a copy will make it extra easy to be sure your pet is not getting any vaccines they’ve already received.

This will also help a different vet know when your pet got their last round of vaccines so they can accurately set up a vaccine schedule. Vaccine history is crucial to have on hand to make sure all of the necessary information is transferred.

Request Titer Test

This is a way to avoid double vaccinations if you don’t have your pet’s vaccination records handy. A titer test is an antibody test that will determine if a vaccine is still working to protect your pup’s immune system. If the vaccine is still producing antibodies, the vet will know that vaccine does not need administered again.

Why Vaccines are Important for Pets

Vaccines are important for pets because viruses and bacteria can create adverse effects and infections. This is because your pup’s body is vulnerable to these infections and they are not automatically protected from them. If your dog gets a virus or any other disease, it will become sick very quickly. 

Vaccines work to boost your pet’s immune system in order to allow it to produce the necessary antibodies that can fight against diseases. The antibodies developed will stay in your pet’s body and will quickly recognize the virus it is meant to protect. 

Vaccinations are full of antigens that will trigger a mild disease in the body of your pet by emulating the disease. Your dog’s body will start producing antibodies after identifying the specific pathogens and will work to protect their body from the disease.

Types of Vaccines for Puppies

There are two types of vaccines administered to puppies: core and noncore vaccines. Core vaccines are those that are required for the health of your puppy as they protect them from fatal diseases. Noncore vaccines are not mandatory but may be specific to certain regions.

Canine Parvovirus

Canine Parvovirus is extremely contagious and terribly fatal. It spreads through eating waste of an infected dog. It has a very high death rate of about 91%, mostly affecting young puppies. Unfortunately, there are no effective medications to treat parvo. The parvo vaccine will prevent your pup from catching this disease.

The Parvovirus vaccine is administered in a serious of four- or five-way shots commonly known as DHLPP. The vaccine protects your pet against Distemper, Hepatitis, Leptospira, Parainfluenza, and Parvovirus. The first dose is given under 6 weeks of age, and the other doses are given up to 16 weeks. There are also boosters for this shot.

Canine Hepatitis

Canine Hepatitis is another extremely deadly disease that is caused by Canine Adenovirus type 1. Dogs with this disease can have liver swelling and damage which can ultimately lead to death. It spreads through urine and waste of infected dogs. Some symptoms to watch for include fever, lack of appetite, and pale eye color.

The vaccine given to prevent Canine Hepatitis is the same vaccine that will treat Canine Adenovirus. There is a type 1 and a type 2 vaccine, and both will work to build your pups immunity against the two diseases. This vaccine is given in a series of five- or seven-way shots starting at 6 weeks and ending at 16 weeks. There is also a booster for this shot.

Rabies

Rabies is by far the most common disease found in many animals, not just dogs. The worst thing about rabies is that it can be transferred to humans through a bite or a scratch. When dogs have rabies, it can cause problems with their nervous system, which can lead to death.

Luckily, if you think your dog has been exposed to rabies, it can be treated with medication before symptoms appear. Your dog can start showing symptoms anywhere from 2 weeks to 12 weeks after exposure, possibly longer. Your dog might experience furious or paralytic rabies. 

Furious rabies makes a dog more likely to attack, paralytic rabies will mess with coordination. Your pet might show signs of lethargy or even become paralyzed by paralytic rabies. 

The rabies vaccine is only administered after 12 weeks of age. The next shots are given a year apart for the next three years.

Normal Side Effects

When your pet receives a vaccination, there will be some normal, but mild, side effects. Vaccines are beneficial to your pet’s health, but it is important to monitor their behavior after they receive a vaccine. Some of the most common side effects include drowsiness, slight fever, and swelling at the injection site.

More often than not, these side effects will be very mild and will go away after a day or two. If the symptoms last any longer than that, you will need to consult with your vet to make sure everything is okay. 

Conclusion

I hope that this article has been helpful, extremely informative, and has given you the necessary information needed if you think that your puppy gets vaccinated twice.

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