This morning Ripple went to the vet to have his third round of the 5 in 1 vaccination. He had a slight reaction to the second round, ending up with a small golf ball size lump at the injection site. We kept an eye on that and it eventually went away. The 5 in 1 shot protects dogs against distemper, hepatitis, parainfluenza and parvovirus. It’s a necessary step in dog ownership.

Ripple got a great review from our vet, had his shot, a handful of treats and we were on our way. As we were making our way to the car, Ripple stopped and it looked like he had to pee. He looked to be squatting and his head was hanging low, as if he was sniffing a good spot to let loose. I brought him outside, and when we got on the grass, I saw that he most definitely wasn’t trying to pee. He looked wobbly and dizzy and suddenly looked very thin. It looked like he was trying to throw up but in hindsight, he may have been trying to breath.

I scooped him up and rushed him back in, Dr. Venezia gave him a shot of Benedyl and a good once over, and when Ripple’s tail started wagging, I breathed a sigh of relief. He was coming around. He had had a reaction to the shot. Thank God we were still there.

Had I been on the highway, on my way to work and not noticed what was happening,  there is no telling how differently this day could have gone. I spoke with Ripple’s breeder and she offered this simple yet incredibly important advice: After your dog receives any injection, wait 15 minutes in the waiting room to be sure he doesn’t have an anaphylactic reaction to it. They generally occur immediately and if it does happen, you are in the exact place you should be.

If your dog has shown reactions to any injection in the past, plan to wait 30 minutes. Next vaccination appointment, you’ll see me in the waiting room long after my appointment is over.

Thankfully Ripple is doing just fine, he was just playing with Trix through his ex-pen and has finally fallen asleep on top of his stuffed animal friend Sherman. Now if only they made thundershirts for people, I could use a little calming and comforting myself