# Benadryl before Vaccinations?



## Bella's Momma (Jul 26, 2009)

Bella has a appt. at her new vet today. They're not holistic, I simply cannot afford the holistic ones in our new area. She needs a Bordatella shot b/c we're going out of town in a few weeks and the place she will stay requires it. She is also due for Rabies but I'm going to have them run the titers on that one since her months on end of digestive illness commenced 4 days after her first shot. 

The vet left a message suggesting we bring a bottle of children's benadryl to give her!?

Has anyone ever done this? A quick google tells me it seems to be a trend now, to avoid adverse vaccination reactions. Just wondering what you all think of this? 

In Bella's case, she didn't have an immediate negative reaction, so I don't know that this is something that would help her, and she's never reacted to the Bordatella before (this will be her third one).

Thanks.


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## neVar (Dec 25, 2009)

never heard of that before... huh


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## Karma'sACat (Jun 1, 2010)

We do for my Lola but that is because she has had a reaction before and has serious allergies.
Have you checked with your boarding facility to make sure they will take a rabies titer?


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## CelticKitti (Jul 1, 2010)

Kodi gets benadryl and a steroid before he gets his Distemper/Parvo shots but he has a history of vaccine reactions as a puppy. I titer now... but if he ever needs another one he'll be premedicated again.

However, I do not give it for the Bordatella nasal vaccine.


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## Bella's Momma (Jul 26, 2009)

Karma'sACat said:


> We do for my Lola but that is because she has had a reaction before and has serious allergies.
> Have you checked with your boarding facility to make sure they will take a rabies titer?


I did. Unfortunately her rabies "expired" yesterday and the titers take a month and she's being boarded next Friday. I'm hoping they either don't notice, or their lenient with us.

I'm wondering if the county will take it, though, to have her licensed. I can't get a person on the phone to find out!


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## Karma'sACat (Jun 1, 2010)

Honestly, I would call ahead of time and talk to them. Trying to let it breeze by could leave you finding out at the moment you are trying to drop her off that she can't stay. The daycare we use has a computer program that flags accounts with vaccines that are due and you can't come back until they are updated.
The reason rabies is important is because if she bites another dog or especially a person, she may have to go through quarantine and that is no fun. The facility can also be held liable if they knowingly let the dog in.
Things might be different (I only know NC laws) but I really recommend finding out ahead of time. When I worked at a vet's we had to turn boarding clients away when they showed up because they weren't up to date (and had told us they were) and didn't want to update their animals.


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## Bella's Momma (Jul 26, 2009)

Karma'sACat said:


> Honestly, I would call ahead of time and talk to them. Trying to let it breeze by could leave you finding out at the moment you are trying to drop her off that she can't stay. The daycare we use has a computer program that flags accounts with vaccines that are due and you can't come back until they are updated.
> The reason rabies is important is because if she bites another dog or especially a person, she may have to go through quarantine and that is no fun. The facility can also be held liable if they knowingly let the dog in.
> Things might be different (I only know NC laws) but I really recommend finding out ahead of time. When I worked at a vet's we had to turn boarding clients away when they showed up because they weren't up to date (and had told us they were) and didn't want to update their animals.


You're right. I am generally an avoider, but this stress would have built up for the next week anyway.  I just called them, wording it as Dh suggested: "She received her Rabies shot _last_ November, so if we are bringing her within November, that is fine, right?" And they said it was. Phew. Her Titers will take a month to come back so we wouldn't have them in time.

And in regards to the Benadryl, I bought it then reconsidered before I got there and they didn't even mention it anyway. The only vaccine she received was the Bordatella up the snout. And FWIW, I don't actually think they are more useful than a human Flu Vaccine (which I also do not get for my family) but I am crossing my fingers that it won't harm her and it gets her into a really happy place for when we go out of town. 

I forgot to ask the vet about TiterCHEK for the Parvo and Distemper, though. *headsmack* Next time. It was funny, when I told them I wanted her Titers run for Rabies they asked me were she was traveling to. :airplane: LOL. Apparentely it is a quite common test for people to have run here, when they are taking their dogs out of the country. Poor Bella, she only gets to go to the next town over.


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## Karma'sACat (Jun 1, 2010)

We titer Distemper/Parvo in place of the vaccine and our daycare accepts that.
Even Lola the allergy queen hasn't had any bad reaction to the Bordatella after we started giving her benadryl. Dixie has no problems with it.
I think most countries require rabies titers if you are bringing your pet there. So that is probably what they were expecting you to need it for.


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## grab (Jun 1, 2010)

The clinic I work at will give a Benedryl injection if an animal has had an allergic reaction before, but not just as a matter of course.

I don't do Bordetella unless I'm boarding the dogs. But Grimm always gets the injectable, rather than the intranasal. The last intranasal one he received set off a month of near constant reverse sneezing that no meds would help.


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## bigpoodleperson (Jul 14, 2009)

We frequently have vaccine reaction dogs come in on benadryl. Starting 3 days before, 3 times a day, the day of, and 3 days after. Has worked Extremely well with almost all of our vaccine reaction dogs! There is really No harm in starting the benadryl. Riley gets it for his vaccines.


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