My dog reacted to rabies vaccine. Is prednisolone safe? How long?

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Bella. I try to avoid chronic high doses of steroids in dogs whenever possible as there are side effects internally and externally. However, an injection to control a reaction is not something that concerns me if she is not taking other medications. Steroids can interfere with certain drugs. If her veterinarian deams it necessary after seeing her, then I would go ahead and have it administered. Great question!

Hi, thanks for using PetCoach! The Rabies vaccine is well tolerated and comes with minimal side effects. If Frankie has never had a vaccine reaction in the past I wouldn't expect him to have one this time. If you want to be cautious then give him an oral dose of benadryl a few hours before the appointment. I wish you the best! https://www.petcoach.co/canigive/dog/benadryl/

It sounds like she could have had a vaccine reaction as they typically happen soon after being administeted the vaccine. Your vet will likely want to give her injections or steroids and diphenhydramine, and may keep an eye on her to make sure the swelling goes down. In the future she may need pre-medication prior to being vaccinated to avoid another reaction.

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. If you have given Benadryl already, I would monitor Bella for now. If the symptom does not go away or worsens, then I would take her in to be seen if possible. Reactions are temporary and will eventually go away (either on their own or with the help of medication). Reactions can be quite severe sometimes so be on the lookout for severe facial swelling, hive development, extreme lethargy, vomiting, breathing difficulty, etc. and get her in to be seen by an emergency veterinarian as soon as possible. Otherwise, if she is normal right now with none of the above symptoms, I would just monitor her after giving the Benadryl and see how she does. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further. Please take the time to mark this question as helpful or not as it helps us to improve on the quality of our answers to other pet owners. Thank you kindly!

Treating an autoimmune disease should be the priority over vaccinations. The dose of prednisone that you mentioned, should not suppress his immune system or prevent the vaccination from working, however I would discuss this with your vet. In some types of autoimmune disease, I will delay all vaccinations at is can cause flares in the disease process.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I'm sorry Bruno had hives and other skin irritation. Prednisone can have an effect on the body if given long-term or at high doses; typically, a short course of a steroid can have some short-lived side effects (increase in hunger/urination, eating/drinking more), but tends to be otherwise well-tolerated. While any medication can have an adverse effect (and if you are seeing any concerning signs I would reach out to your regular veterinarian immediately), low doses of appropriately dispensed steroids should be processed fine unless there is another underlying medical condition. Again, if you are concerned or if Bruno is showing signs of being ill, I would have him evaluated by a veterinarian as soon as possible.

Unless the veterinarian administered an immunosuppressive dose of dexamethasone, it should not interfere with the immune response for the vaccinations that were administered. The dose that we give for preventing an allergic reaction is lower than the dose given to suppress the immune system. I hope this helps!