I hesitated posting this out of concern of causing paranoia about
vaccination reactions, however I'm hoping to gain some insights from
any experiences other owners might have had with this.

Two months ago, I lost one of my two young boys to anaphylaxis
following his first annual distemper booster. Despite pre-treatment
with Benadryl and heroic efforts by the best vet ever, he was gone
within an hour of having the shot. I believe he had the newer vaccine,
Purevax. Zuni was 1 yr., 4 months old and in perfect health, and it
was a devastating loss.

I'm undecided at this point how I'll proceed on future vaccinations
with his brother Taos (they were from the same litter, and I'm not sure
if genetics come into play with allergic reactions?) I read somewhere
that some vets believe that having the juvenile series and the first
annual booster alone may provide lifetime protection. Either way, my
vet feels that he should be good for the next TWO years, so that buys
me some time to make this decision.

My more immediate concern, however, is a rescue I've recently adopted.
He is young, judging from his teeth probably under a year old, but we
know nothing about his medical history. He's neutered but has no ear
tattoos. So I don't even know for sure if he's had his juvenile series
of vaccinations... I guess I'll just defer to my vet as to how we
proceed. His first appointment is this Saturday.

Of course the whole things scares me, as it probably will for the rest
of my life. What used to be a routine annual visit will probably always
be a very scary thing for me now, unfortunately. I keep telling myself
that Zuni's tragedy was a very rare, freak accident, and I'm sure that
it was. I'm just curious, if any of you have experience with this, have
you continued to vaccinate? I read somewhere about the vaccine being
given in two half-doses, on the same visit, but with some time in
between incase a reaction occurs to the first dose, you've only got
half as much in their system - any experience with that? Or do any of
you not vaccinate at all? I am very aware of the dangers of distemper,
and even though my kids almost never go outside (except to go to the
sitters when I'm out of town), I know that it's an airborne virus, an
my neighbors have dogs, so..... Any suggestions or words of support
would be welcomed!

Thanks so much,
B.L.
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[Posted in FML 5482]