Puppies are truly God’s gift to mankind. Watching them grow is exciting, but we’d all love them to remain small and cute forever. Taking care of puppies can be a challenging but necessary task. Sometimes they try to communicate their discomfort through subtle changes in behavior, while other times, they react quite drastically. Experienced dog parents don’t take much time to evaluate these symptoms, but for a new parent, it could be daunting.
If your puppy has been yelping or showing other symptoms after vaccination, this blog is meant for you. You need not panic as this is something very common among puppies. Yet there are a few things that you can do to ensure a comfortable vaccination experience. We have listed the top 6 methods that will help you in case your puppy is yelping after vaccination.
Why is Vaccination Important for a Puppy?
Like human babies, vaccination is really important for your newborn puppy, as it ensures a long and healthy life ahead. Several diseases are capable of affecting the health of your furry friend. Some of them are well-known, like rabies, hepatitis, and parvovirus. However, puppies are young and more vulnerable than grown-up dogs, and these diseases can more easily infect puppies than adult dogs and can prove fatal for them. Getting your pet vaccinated in time should therefore be your top priority.
Can There be Side Effects of Vaccination on My Puppy?
Like any vaccine administered to human beings, even the vaccines meant for puppies and dogs can have some side effects on their health. While some side effects may remain mild, some can get somehow serious.
To begin with, there can be swelling and pain in the area where your pup has been injected. This may also be complemented with discomfort, and your puppy may become sluggish, resulting in highly reduced physical activities.
In addition, your puppy is bound to yelp and cry after the vaccination, which can be heart-wrenching, but as a dog parent, it is important to remember that vaccination remains a life-saving gift for them. These symptoms are mild, and there is nothing to worry about, as these symptoms indicate that the vaccine virus is entering your pup’s immune system!
Also, your pup may have a mild fever in the form of a reaction. If it’s winter, mild shivering may also accompany, but nothing is still to worry about. Besides, some breeds have also been reported to be suffering from sneezing and runny nose. These mild reactions to vaccination will subside in a couple of days, and your pup will be restored to its normal health.
But, apart from these normal and common side-effects of vaccination, there can be a couple of serious side effects, which are subject of concern for a dog parent. These indicate that your pup is allergic to certain kinds of vaccinations. These symptoms include difficulty breathing, swelling and rashes on the face, vomiting, diarrhea, and skin irritation. Without wasting any time, you should instantly consult your dog’s vet and let them confirm the allergy.
Is it Possible to Avoid Vaccine Reactions?
In general terms, vaccination can have some mild effects on your puppies or dogs and prevent deadly diseases in your pets. But it is important to notice how your puppies or dogs react or respond to the vaccines.
Especially with puppies, it is important to notice if they are yelping in pain, as it indicates some kind of physical discomfort. If the problem persists, you should immediately contact your dog’s veterinarian in time. It should also be noted that dogs are as subjective as human beings, and they take time to cope with the vaccines that are administered to them. So, if they are administered a couple of vaccines within a short time period, they may suffer from the same adverse effects.
Your vet will keep a record and decide on all the subsequent doses of vaccines. However, your vet may recommend skipping a few of them to avoid vaccine reaction, as they can harm your puppy or dog. Besides, based on the advice of your vet, you may choose to get your puppy or dog vaccinated over a couple of weeks instead of getting them vaccinated within a short time period.
Puppy Vaccination Side Effects
While vaccination in puppies is a must, you should also be aware that vaccination has specific side effects. In this section, let us quickly go through the side effects of vaccination in puppies.
Soreness And Lethargy
In dogs, the most typical vaccination effects are lethargy and soreness. A low temperature, which further makes it more difficult sometimes accompanies these issues. This happens as the immune system of your furry friend reacts to vaccination injection.
Vaccination is used to stimulate a dog’s immune system. As a result, if a dog comes into touch with the pathogen again after the vaccination, its immune system will be able to respond promptly and efficiently, reducing the likelihood of serious disease.
Fortunately, most dogs return to normalcy within a day or two following immunization. But we recommend contacting your vet if it develops discomfort or lethargy.
Lumps In The Site Of The Injection
A tiny, hard bump (or swelling) may form when a vaccine is injected into a dog’s skin. While the bump is normal and happens in most cases of vaccination, it can be painful.
Please have a look in case if that the bump stays the same after a few days. It should not become watery or begin to leak as well. If the swelling continues after some days, your vet may recommend testing to rule out the likelihood of a vaccination granuloma.
If the lumps are ordinary, after a couple of weeks from the date of vaccination, they will get dissolved on their own. But if the bumps remain over time and do not get dissolved, this might indicate additional health issues with your dog. In this case, contact your vet.
Sneezing And Common Cough
Most of the time, vaccination is administered through injections, but there are times when vaccination is either given through drops or sprayed inside a dog’s nose. This is especially when the vaccination is against the parainfluenza virus.
Unfortunately, this type of nasal vaccination may also take a toll on your dog’s health. Dogs end up coughing and sneezing in most cases. Otherwise, they can also develop runny noses after administering an intranasal vaccine.
While these symptoms and reactions are pretty common and nothing is alarming, if the symptoms persist for long, contact the vet who most probably administered the vaccine in the first place.
In addition to the above-mentioned side effects of vaccination, there are some instances where dogs have been observed to have suffered from some serious complications as well. Let us quickly go through the same.
Anaphylaxis
This is a dangerous allergic reaction and can prove fatal to your puppy. If any dog experiences this reaction within a few hours after the vaccination, it will develop itchiness, vomiting, swelling, diarrhea, and difficulty breathing.
Infection or Abscess
Furthermore, some injections can cause abscesses or infections, in which germs can enter the skin and reach the underlying tissues. If that is the case with your dog, it will clearly show symptoms like red-colored skin, drainage, pain, and swelling.
Why is My Puppy Yelping?
There are some reasons why your puppy might be yelping after a vaccination. Let’s quickly go through those important reasons.
1. Pain From the Injection
To begin with, any injection is painful, be it for humans or dogs. Your pup has just received the shot and is yelping from the pain of the injection. The pain is even more intense if the vaccine has been pushed into the muscles. Unfortunately, the physical pain of the injection is something that they will have to bear.
2. Feeling Uncomfortable
The body’s changes and the resultant reaction for young puppies are something they can’t understand. Their body begins reacting after the vaccine is injected, and they are often confused about the same.
3. Trying to Communicate
After the vaccination, your pup may be trying to communicate with you and probably tell you about the horrible experience that he/she has just gone through. Your puppy wants your total attention, and as a way of seeking this attention, he/she may yelp.
4. Fearful and Scared
Often, puppies tend to remember the feeling of pain, and they get scared of the whole experience. It has also been widely believed that even when they are back home after the vaccination, they can’t forget about the same, and as a result, they tend to yelp!
6 Methods that Will Help You to Take Care of Your Puppy Who has Just Been Vaccinated
You must have understood by now that vaccination is important for a puppy, and it may cause some side effects. But how to deal with a vaccinated pup?
1. Handle them Carefully
The area where your puppy has received the injection is bound to be sore, and there can be inflammation in that area. Be extra careful while picking up your newly vaccinated puppy and ensure that you do not touch that area, or it may yelp in pain. Ask your vet, and they may suggest you something to give to your pup to soothe the pain in that area.
2. Go for Medication
Although rare, some puppies tend to feel more pain than others, and they keep yelping and whining mournfully, even when they are back home. If they keep doing so persistently, consult your vet, and administer some painkiller that they may suggest for your pup. This will soothe the pain, and your pup will be able to deal with the physical pain much better.
3. Apply Ice
If you find redness and soreness where your puppy has been injected, after consulting with your vet, you can apply ice to that area to soothe the pain. Applying ice provides respite, and your puppy will be saved from pain killers, which may have their own side effects.
4. Try to Cheer Up Your Pup
You may be surprised to know that apart from the physical discomfort your puppy may experience due to the vaccine, it may also experience some emotional trauma. They may feel depressed and sad, and you have to be a careful and loving dog parent. Try to cheer them up by showering your love and attention on your puppy. You can pat them mildly, rub their bellies, give them their favorite treats, and talk to them lovingly. You can also try to cuddle with them, but ensure that you do not hurt or press the area where they have been injected.
5. Let them Rest
Puppies tend to be sluggish after being vaccinated. They may feel drowsy, and they tend to sleep extra after a vaccination. Therefore, it is important to let them recuperate at their own pace. Allow them to find comfort at their own pace, and let them sleep extra hours if that is what they need. Try not to wake them up frequently, and do not make much noise around them while they are sleeping.
6. Keep Food and Water Near Your Pup
You don’t want your puppy to struggle and move from place to place for its daily activities while dealing with the pain and soreness of the vaccination. You can keep the food and the water bowl near your pup’s bed to make it easier for them. This will ensure that your pup can have access to food and water easily, and they won’t have to move much, which will allow them to rest better and regain their health soon.
7. Avoid Any Strenuous Physical Activity For Your Dog
Vaccination can make your dog lethargic, and it may induce other kinds of discomfort in your dog as well. Therefore, it is important that they should get a good amount of rest after it is vaccinated.
Hence, we recommend that you should not allow or force your pup to engage in any physical activity, which can strain it.
8. Keep Your Dog On A Leash Inside The House
It is best to keep your puppy or adult dog separate from other dogs for at least a day. This is because other dogs may not be vaccinated and carry dangerous pathogens, and your newly vaccinated puppy needs to be away from them.
9. Have A Watchful Eye On The Vaccination Site
If your dog reacts to the vaccination, the injection spot may have some symptoms. Although not often, some dogs may respond to the vaccination. So, check often if there is any swelling, hair loss, or redness in the injection site.
Depending on the degree of reaction to the vaccine, swelling is the most common symptom, which can last for a couple of days or weeks. If any notable changes on the injection site worsen over time, consult a vet.
10. Take It To A Vet If There Are Further Complications
If your find that your dog’s health and behavior have changed after the vaccination. In addition to some physical checking, the vet may also suggest blood work to ensure your dog is fine.
FAQs
Yes, it is normal for a puppy to be in pain after shots. However, pain is one of the most common aftereffects in puppies, which can be mild or severe, depending on the type of vaccine and your puppy’s health.
Yes, whining is quite usual for dogs, especially when they have been vaccinated. However, most of the time, vaccination is painful for dogs, and they cry out in pain after the vaccine has been administered.
Dogs stop whining after about two days, but if they continue to whine even after 2 days, it is better to take them to a vet.
Shots hurt puppies for around 2 days. Within two days, most dogs start recovering from the immediate effects of vaccinations. But the soreness in the injection site remains for quite some time.
Since injections are painful, puppies whine during and after vaccination but gain their normal strength after two days.
Vaccination-related soreness stays for about three weeks in dogs. While your dog regains its energy level during this time and will begin to indulge in daily activities, the soreness takes time to decrease.
If the soreness persists after three weeks, we recommend you take your dog to a vet and let the vet check it.
To comfort your dog after it has received shots, follow these steps:
• Provide it with a warm bed to rest.
• Give it ample food and fresh water. Try to include the snacks it likes the most.
• They may wish to be alone, so don’t take them to the dog park or regular walk.
• Ensure that you do not end up scratching or patting them at the spot of the injections.
• Be kind and compassionate toward your dog. Give it time to recuperate.
After your puppy has received shots, you should be specifically attentive toward the point or the site where the injection has been administered.
While in most cases, puppies develop bumps, the bump should be gone within some time. However, if it persists or becomes bigger, contact the vet.
Additionally, the bump should not become sore or watery, as it can further cause infections.
Some common home remedies that can help your dog relieve pain are turmeric, CBD oil, ginger, fish oil, acupuncture, and cold and hot therapy. Most of these ingredients are readily available in your kitchen and can significantly help your dog if it is in pain.
Yes, puppies can have bad reactions to vaccines. Minutes to hours after vaccination, they can have allergic reactions, diarrhea, or continuous vomiting. These reactions can make them weak, and they may need medical help.
Final Verdict
Pets demand our utmost care and attention when they feel sick. Through this blog, we hope that next time your pet undergoes the trauma of a vaccination experience then, you will have some ways of helping them instead of feeling helpless. Physical pain is part and parcel of life, but we can help our pets by providing them with emotional assistance in situations like these.
At times, all they need is you to be around them to show you care. Some dogs appreciate being left alone in their own comfort zone. You may consider getting a dog crate to ensure that they have a haven to rest and feel safe in. While some dogs require medication to get rid of the severe symptoms that they experience. Each dog undergoes a different symptom, so the solutions also vary.
You need to maintain your calm throughout, or else you will scare your little pup as they can sense the energy around them. Post-vaccination symptoms may be tough on your pup initially, but in the end, the process will be worth it as it immunizes your dog against various diseases. In no time, your puppy will recover to being stronger and healthier.
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Dr. Lillian is a D.V.M. passionate about promoting awareness of dogs. She shares her expertise through her blogs on canineweekly.com and provides animal care services, including internal medicine, dermatology, and emergency care. Dr. Lillian is committed to contributing to animal welfare.