My dog had a vaccine reaction. Is a steroid shot safe for her?

A short course of predisone is unlikely to have any adverse effects in an otherwise healthy dog but may be of more risk if she has other, underlying health conditions? It may however reduce the efficacy of the vaccine and limit the protection this gives her against rabies. It would be worth telephoning the clinic to assess the risks and benefits of her particular case if she has a complicated medial history

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!

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.

A vaccine reaction is usually caused by an abnormal reaction of the immune system to the vaccine, these two medications suppress the immune system and by doing that they usually stop these reactions.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. The real answer is- it depends on why they were prescribed and for how long. If this is for an auto-immune disease, your pet’s life may depend on the steroids. Same for severe asthma or allergic reaction. If however, it is for itching or minor swelling/inflammation, or allergies, a shorter course or even a single injection may be safe. In general steroids do not tend to cause serious side effects unless they are used at high doses or for long courses of treatment. Long story short, it may be perfectly fine to skip the oral medication but definitely ask your doctor first.

Hello. This is a problem in some dogs. I would recommend discussing with your vet the possibility of bringing Nyla to the office on the morning of her next vaccination. Have them give a steroid injection called Dex SP and an injection of diphenhydramine & let them keep her all day. She may do OK with just this one booster vaccine. In a month, I would repeat this before giving rabies. In a year, do the same precautions & repeat rabies & distemper vaccines, again 1 month apart. Then, hopefully, all she will need is a rabies vaccination once every 3 years. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

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.