Dog vaccines help to keep your canine companion free from serious and potentially fatal diseases. Some dog owners, however, may be concerned about the kinds of side effects that come with dog vaccinations. While vaccines can make epileptic dogs more prone to seizures, the vast majority of dogs without this condition don't face the risk of seizures as the result of getting their shots.
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Definition
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Seizures are involuntary muscle responses to abnormal nerve signals from in the brain. They can range in severity from mild (petit mal) to severe (grand mal). Epilepsy is a neurological disorder that has as its main feature occasional seizures of varying degrees. Dogs can either inherit epilepsy from their parents or they can get it as the result of a wide variety of conditions, including degenerative or developmental illnesses, trauma or metabolic failure.
Vaccines
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Vaccinations can lower the seizure threshold of a dog with epilepsy, notes the Canine Epilepsy Resource Center. Every animal has a highly individualized seizure threshold, or point at which they are genetically predisposed to seizures. Seizures occur when that threshold is reached by misfiring nerves in the brain. Dogs with epilepsy have thresholds that are much lower than those of healthy animals. Additionally, many veterinarians now administer vaccines every three years that were previously administered annually.
Risk
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A dog without epilepsy still can experience a seizure as the result of a vaccination, but the chances are low. More than one in 10,000 dogs but fewer than 1 in 1,000 healthy dogs experience seizures as the result of vaccinations, according to Veterinarian Ron D. Schultz on the Dogs 4 Dogs website.
Solution
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The threat of seizure should not stop you from vaccinating your dog. A seizure may be distressing for both dog and dog owner, but it's a small risk to take in comparison to the more serious conditions your dog can contract as a result of not having his shots. To make sure that your dog has the appropriate vaccinations while also reducing the risk of seizure, your veterinarian may give shots separately instead of all at once. Vaccinations may be spaced at weekly or biweekly intervals.
Monitoring
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A seizure caused by vaccines may not occur right after the vaccines' administration; it may come hours or days afterward. It's important to monitor an epileptic dog carefully after vaccinations have been administered. Early on, changes in mood and behavior may be indicative of a coming seizure. These symptoms are usually followed by nervousness, whining, trembling, restlessness and salivation.
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