Improper Vaccine Administration

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joy9865

New member
One our puppies, Golden Retriever, had his first vaccine. The vet gave the 5in1.

All other puppies are fine. But my largest and healthiest male of the litter has been limping for a month now. I took the puppy back to vet shortly after the vaccine.

The vet told me she thought he had parvo and of course it was negative.

Then even though he was showing no signs of injury or issues with range of motion wanted x-rays which I did. No problem. I want to make sure he is okay.

Then attempted to state she couldn’t see an injury on the x-ray but wanted to send it to a someone to read the x-rays for growth disorder. None of legs are different in length or size. Both parents had full DNA panels from Embark, and from UC David. Both parents were completely clear. Both parents had full OFA and tested good.

Limping is in hind leg.

The vet is refusing to acknowledge any wrong doing.

He clearly has nerve damage has even when I touch any area where a nerve is running connected to his leg he whelps.

I have another appointment set up with a different vet. And already took him to one other vet who stated she believed it was nerve damage and not a vaccine reaction. But what should I do?

What test should I do? What can I do to help him. His forever family is devastated by the news.

I told them it could just be bruised and may heal over time. He is doing better slowly. But there is a very real chance he may have permanent nerve damage. He has no obvious signs of injury or swelling. He has full range of motion etc.

I have also informed them I have two other males available to them that were going to be sent to service dog training to be donated to a veteran in need after receiving full health clearance with OFA & PennHip once they were old enough.

I also informed them if they decided to choose another puppy this one would have a very happy life here with me and my family. Which is true of course.

But whichever they decide is honestly besides the point. What are my options now to help him? I want him to hopefully have a full recovery but at the least I want him to recover the best he can.

I’m devastated.

Has anyone had this happen?
 
@joy9865 Why would you think it was the vet/shot that did it? Mother could have stepped on him or other pups might have injured him. At six weeks they are pretty rough and tumble, although clumsy. Puppy shots are subcutaneous, just under the skin and 5in1 is normal first shot for puppies. I would think it was an injury rather than a reaction from the shot.
 
@joy9865 I work in a rehab speciality clinic - which is where you should go for a second opinion (specifically one with a veterinarian who has a CCRP degree).

I don’t think it would’ve been a vaccine poke to cause limping. Sounds like your regularly veterinarian did nothing wrong. I have seen a vaccine cause mobility issues in a puppy once, but it was a one-in-a-billion vaccine reaction that caused almost total paresis, not a single leg that’s a lil sore. I think it is far more likely that he hurt himself in some other way. The trip to the vet being stressful, playing with his siblings, congenital deformity being aggravated, etc.

I think the recommendation to have the X-rays sent off is exactly what they should’ve recommended. Good on them! Rule out a bone/joint disorder and then start looking at soft tissue seems very reasonable. Puppy rads are incredibly difficult to read because the growth plates make them look very different from adult rads, sending them for a radiologist’s opinion is the safest bet as those people look at rads all day long. Depending on where you are, it’s also fairly cheap in the grand scheme of things (~$100-$150 where I am).

What nerve are you talking about? What neurological tests did the other veterinarian perform to check for nerve damage? Unless the correct tests were performed it’s really not possible to say it’s neuro vs soft tissue. Regardless of either, I would’ve expected to see improvement, even mild, in his limping at this time as puppies heal faster than any other age of dog.

Side note, OFAs being good doesn’t mean the pups are guaranteed to not have joint issues. OFAs look at only two joints, and even if the parents are non-dysplastic, they can still produce dysplastic puppies. And post history shows you had a dog receive OFA fair, which is the lowest passing score. Not saying pup has dysplasia, just saying it is always a risk even with health testing, just a lot less of a risk.
 
@preciousleslee His x-rays show no signs they were sent off. They vet and the people who sent it off can find nothing wrong. He was my healthiest and strongest puppy before he got vaccinated that day.
 
@joy9865 Healthy and strong doesn’t mean a dog can’t have orthopaedic issues. Plenty of dogs who look healthy and normal have lameness issues.

Puppy hips don’t look the same as regular adult hips due to the growth plates. That’s why we don’t officially evaluate hips or other joints until a dog is 2yo.

It’s not guaranteed something is wrong with his bones, I just think it’s a very good idea to send them off to radiologists to rule out that as a cause of lameness, and then move onto soft tissue concerns.

And again, even dogs who are OFA excellent are still at risk of having dysplastic puppies. It’s just much less of a risk
 
@joy9865 Vaccines are given subcutaneously.. there's no way it would have been given as a deep muscle injection to even be close to a nerve of the legs.. those are way down in there.. extremely doubtful a vaccine would cause this.

Remember genetics are fun. Sometimes's it doesn't matter what the parents tested for or tested negative for, their pups can still get the short end of the stick and end up with a congenital problem or injury.
 
@joy9865 Solo jec 5 way doesn't cover parvo type B. It could be whatever vaccine your dog got didn't cover a different form of parvo. It could be genetic. A heart defect or something. To really know you need a necocrapsy
 
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