[Deb M]

Can any of you trace the beginning of your dog’s colitis to a recent thimerosol-free rabies vaccination?

My 20 pound Havanese developed bloody diarrhea/vomiting one week after her shot. The day after her shot she had slight swelling around her face. Back to one week after the shot, she spent 2 days in hospital on fluids, flagyl, pain killers, pepcid for the bloody diarrhea. Her bloodwork showed very high lipase/amylase, slightly elevated liver enzymes and the vet was treating her for pancreatitis. I took her home after 2 days on all of the IV fluids, etc and then her skin turned bright pink from her gums all the way to her tail but no diarrhea. She had lost weight, was getting dehydrated, wouldn’t eat so I brought her to the emergency vet (it was a Sunday night). They felt she was slipping into shock and getting dehydrated so back on fluids, pantroprazole (a PPI) and pain killers but no antibiotics. Her bloodwork showed that her lipase/amylase were improving but her liver enzymes were still a little low and she was now slightly anemic. And her belly was bright red, as were her gums. She was in pain. They ran a highly specific blood test for pancreatitis and she did not have it. Then they did an ultrasound of her chest, abdomen and pelvis and it showed no evidence of pancreatitis, as well, but slightly enlarged lymph nodes near her colon. So they thought it was colitis. But, the skin issue led them to believe that it might be an immune reaction to the rabies vaccination. The reason is because, at the same time my dog was being evaluated, a Tibetan Mastiff was evaulated with bloody diarrhea and the bright pink skin — and he had had a rabies vaccination within the past week, as well. Same symptoms.

My dog is home now but has soft stool with some mucous in it and slight pain in the abdominal area. Her belly skin is only light pink but it looks like annular lesions of a slightly darker pink. I’ve opened a case at the vaccine manufacturer and the emergency vets will add to the report once they get the lot number of the Mastiff’s vaccine.

It’s been interesting to read the different diets each of you have been trying for your dogs and I will have to do an elimination diet for my dog since she is not back to her old self. She is now much more playful (she is 8 years old and was a dynamo before this vaccination) but does not keep her tail up except when running. And, her tummy is still sensitive to the touch at times, but not at other times. She is also wheezing now. BTW, she has been on thyroid medication for the past few years and I’ve read that she probably should not have been given any vaccinations due to this. I’m hoping that she has not triggered autoimmune colitis (crohn’s).

I’d be interested in knowing if any of you can trace your dog’s GI ailments to a rabies vaccination. Thanks.