My dog's face is swollen after vaccine. Is it serious? What to do?

Swelling of the face and mouth/facial swelling are often initial symptoms of an anaphylactic/allergic reaction. These reactions can occur in dogs after vaccines, after exposure to a food or substance they are allergic to, or after a bite from an insect. As it is impossible to predict whether an anaphylactic reaction will remain localized or progress to trouble breathing, which can be life threatening, it is safest to contact a 24 hour vet for Bella at this time to have her seen. The ER may recommend a treatment plan including anti-histamines, corticosteroids +/- epinephrine and montitoring until the selling has gone down. They will also likely recommend an at home dose for Benadryl after establishing a valid patient/client relationship if this should occur again as it is uncertain at this point what Bella is allergic to. Wishing Bella a quick recovery!

Your dog should get an antihistamine before the vaccination. You should ask your vet about giving him a diphenhydramine , or chlorpheniramine injection about an hour before getting the vaccination. This should avoid the reaction or at least reduce the impact. Your veterinarian should have these injectables available.

Check for any injuries or sting marks. If there are puncture wounds that ooze blood this may be a snake bite and you need to take Rikke to a vet right away. If it is an allergic reaction and not a swollen face due to snake bite, or a tooth root abscess or injury in the mouth or obstructed salivary duct or swollen salivary gland, then you can try Benadryl. Unfortunately we are not in a position legally to give out dosages. In order to do legally so we would have to have a patient-veterinarian-owner relationship with you. However you can look up a description of Benadryl as a medication here: https://www.petcoach.co/canigive/dog/benadryl/ If you suspect anything else beside allergy, if your dog is lethargic, has breathing problems or starts to vomit or gets diarrhea, you will need to take Rikke to a pet emergency room for an exam and treatment.

Hello. I'm sorry to hear that Gizmo's face is swollen. Usually vaccine reactions occur within a couple hours of receiving the vaccine. It could be a delayed reaction or possibly a bug bite. You can try giving Gizmo 50 mg of Benadryl, but if this does not stop the swelling within and hour or two, he should visit your vet. Best to you and Gizmo.

A sudden swollen face is usuaally caused by some allergy, either an insect bite or an environmental allergy, or could also be a rattle snake bite. Check for oozing little wounds, there would be a little blood oozing but not coagulating. If you find those on the head, your dog likely was bitten by a snake and needs to be seen by a vet right away. If your dog has breathing problems, vomits or is lethargic, he should also be seen by a veterinarian right away. If he is happy, eats and drinks, you can observe the swelling and it should go down within 24 hours. Of course you can also take him to the vet if he is not in distress. The vet will give him an exam and likely an antihistamine and/or steroid injection.

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!

A swollen face, swollen lips, red eyes, severe itching or difficulty breathing may all be symptoms of a vaccine reaction. An antihistamine, such as diphenhydramine (Benadryl), can be given but only under the advice of your veterinary. Legally, we are prohibited from recommending you medicate her in the absence of a physical exam and a VPCR (veterinarian-patient-client relationship). If her symptoms persist or worsen, have her examined by your veterinarian or at the nearest veterinary ER.