My dog is lethargic after shots. Is this normal? When to call vet?

Question

My dog got a lepto, lime, and bordetella shot Thurs night. We come home today, he is lame and lethargic. How long will his reaction last? Should I rush him back to vet? Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed | Male | neutered | 4 years and 8 months old | 17 lbs

Dr. Heidi DVM, CVA, CCRT, CVTP, CVSMT, CVCH · Accepted Answer

I'm so sorry that Buddy isn't feeling well after his vaccinations. I would certainly recommend calling your vet to discuss his side effects and decide if he needs to be seen or not. When we give a vaccination, the stimulation of the immune system can cause an inflammatory process that can result in some joint or muscle soreness. Some dogs will also be lethargic and can run a fever. These side effects will generally resolve within 1-2 days, but sometimes we will recommend giving medications to make the pets feel better in the meantime, so I would recommend discussing it with your vet. For the future, I generally will only give one vaccination at a time to dogs that have the potential to have vaccine reactions to minimize the potential for this to happen again. Good luck! I hope that was helpful and that Buddy feels better soon. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

My dog is lethargic after shots. Is this normal? When to call vet?

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