There are many steps that can be taken to prevent allergic vaccine reactions in dogs known to have had reactions in the past:
- AVOID LYME DISEASE, LEPTOSPIROSIS, AND PERIODONTAL VACCINE The leptospirosis portion of the DHLPP (distemper) vaccine for dogs has a reputation for being the most likely portion to cause vaccine reactions. This is largely because of the size of the organism. (Most vaccine is directed against viruses which are barely bigger than complicated molecules. The leptospirosis organism is a bacterium, meaning it is enormous and more complicated than any virus. The more complicated the organism, the more likely the reaction. That said, in the aforementioned study of over one million dogs, the leptospirosis vaccine was not found to be more likely cause a reaction. This may be because of improved vaccine technology and using only portions of the organism rather than the entire bacterium. Other leptospirosis vaccine may not be as well produced as the one that happened to be used in this study so, as a precaution,you can request that this portion be left out of your dog's vaccine.) The Lyme Disease organism is also a bacterium as is the Periodontal vaccine (the Porphyromonas vaccine). Again, larger vaccine organisms tend to produce more reactions.
- AVOID GIVING SEVERAL VACCINATIONS AT ONE TIME Keep in mind that vaccines given within two weeks of each other can interfere with each other so you do not want to separate vaccines by less than a two week period but separating vaccine can mean your pet has less stimulation to deal with at one time. Breaking up vaccines also helps determine which vaccine is the culprit.
- DO NOT HAVE YOUR PET VACCINATED AT A VACCINE CLINIC Vaccination clinics are designed to provide streamlined service for healthy pets in need of their regular immunizations. These clinics are generally not prepared for the individual attention required by a pet who has a history of vaccination reaction. A pet with a vaccine reaction history should receive some special attention in the form of observation in the hospital and/or pre-treatment with anti-inflammatory medication.
- BE SURE YOUR VETERINARIAN IS AWARE OF YOUR PET'S HISTORY OF VACCINE REACTION This sounds very obvious but I have seen many people at vaccination clinics wait until after the animal has been vaccinated before informing the veterinarian that the pet has a history of reactions.
- BE PREPARED TO PAY FOR EXTRA PRE-MEDICATIONS AND/OR OBSERVATION IN THE HOSPITAL Medications can be used to "head off" allergic reactions before they happen and with the use of these medications it is possible that a reacting pet can be vaccinated normally. To be safe, it is frequently recommended that the pet be observed for the rest of the day following vaccination, despite the medication. Consult your veterinarian regarding his/her recommendation. If a pet has suffered a severe or life-threatening reaction in the past, it is not worth continuing to expose the pet to the same allergen again.