My dog accidentally got double vaccinated, what should I expect?
Are there any harmful effects of double vaccination on dogs?
My dog got vaccinated twice and I am worried about his health. Should I call my vet or wait and see?
Well, if you are looking for answers to these questions, keep reading this article. But first, let’s find out why vaccines are important for dogs.
Table of Contents
Why Dog Vaccination is Important?
Remember, vaccination is necessary for every dog (or we can say every pet) because these vaccines are specially designed for pets to prepare their immune systems against possible infections and pathogens (disease-causing agents).
Vaccines let the immune systems of dogs produce antibodies for the identification and destruction of pathogens or disease-causing agents. Dog vaccination help prevent many illnesses and diseases like distemper and rabies and help us avoid costly treatments for diseases.
What are the necessary dog vaccines?
The following vaccines are recommended for all dogs and you must NOT miss them at any cost.
- Rabies
- Parvovirus
- DHPP
- Distemper
- Kennel Cough
There may be other vaccines depending on the geographical location, environment, and lifestyle of the dog. Some of these vaccines are bordetella, leptospirosis, and parainfluenza.
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Double Vaccination of Dogs and its harms or effects:
Vaccines are preventive and are used to prevent many illnesses and diseases that may occur at any time in the future. But double vaccination or over-vaccination may be harmful and deadly sometimes, especially in smaller dogs such as English Toy Spaniels, French Bulldogs, or Chihuahuas.
If a dog gets vaccinated twice, it may show various symptoms, such as:
- Vomiting
- Tenderness
- Diarrhea
- Fever
- Decreased appetite
- Facial swelling
- Seizures
- Allergic reactions such as sneezing or coughing
- Kidney failure in severe cases
In some dogs, you may also notice behavioral changes and they may become aggressive. They may also become very hyper and may go out of control. Not only this but their behavior towards the owner and strangers may highly be strange. Some male dogs may experience erections and become very aggressive towards female dogs. In short, you should expect any of these behaviors if your pup has been vaccinated twice.
What to do if the Dog is Double Vaccinated?
If the vet is available and not far from you, the most recommended practice is to visit the vet asap. If you are in a remote area or the vet is not available due to the holiday, look for positive or negative reactions your dog may show.
Keep an eye on your dog for side effects that are mentioned above such as a fever, facial swelling, or seizures. You should expect to witness these systems after a couple of hours while some reactions may take 1-2 days to show up.
How to Avoid Double Vaccination of Dogs?
You can easily avoid double vaccination of your dog by doing the following.
Make a schedule – When you get a dog, make a schedule of all the vaccinations and stick to it. You can either do this by asking the breeder you are getting a dog from, the rescue group you are adopting a dog from, or the vet. Once you have all the vaccination dates confirmed, make reminders on your mobile and mark your calendar so there would be fewer chances that you miss it. Missing a vaccination may create confusion and may later result in double vaccination.
Keep a record – Your puppy would be vaccinated several times within the first year of its age. So, not only make a schedule for future vaccinations but keep a record of its vaccination history too. Take them with you every time you take your dog for a shot or a vet visit. You can get a record book here.
Titer Test – It is a blood test that calculates the number of antibodies in the dog’s blood. If the Titer test is positive, your dog has enough immunity, and if negative, the dog needs to be vaccinated. A Titer test is highly recommended if you have adopted or rescued the dog and you do not know whether the dog is already vaccinated or not.
Wrapping it up:
So, it’s obvious that a dog may be vaccinated twice accidentally, it can be avoided though. In the case of double vaccination, the dog may or may not show reactions or symptoms. So, the best practice is to vaccinate your dog as per the schedule and make a record of all the vaccinations. If vaccinated more than once, take them to the vet asap.
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