Bordatella vaccine

[beenateacher4ever]

I just had my chihuahua get her Bordetella on Monday and I have noticed that she is doing some inverted sneezing or something like that. I am wondering if I should be concerned. I can see in her eyes that at times she doesnt feel well. Just wanted to know if this is usual, my lab has exhibited no symptoms. Is this normal or do I need to take her back to the vet?

[Brad Buckley, D.V.M.]

Some sneezing and snorting for a few days is not that uncommon following administration of the intra-nasal bordatella vaccine. You might recall that the chihuahua received the same volume of vaccine as the lab. I believe this is why some of our smaller patients tend to feel a little worse than the larger ones following administration. However, this is the recommended and approved protocol for the vaccine. Additionally, vaccines protect by stimulating an immune response and part of that response can lead to fever, malaise, etc. I think your chihuahua will be just fine but never hesitate to call your veterinarian and discuss this him/her personally if you feel that she is not improving. I deal with this situation often and typically these guys bounce back pretty quick.

Good luck and have a nice weekend.