Yes, puppies feel sore after shots. It’s the same as how we humans also feel sore after we get the shots.
The good news for you and your puppy is that this is a mild side effect that will usually be gone in just a few days.
Puppy shots are essential in developing immunity against life-threatening canine diseases like Distemper and Parvo.
Keep in mind that the benefits of these shots far outweigh the inconveniences and health risks that come with them.
In this article, we’ll discuss why soreness happens and how you can make your puppy more comfortable during this time.
Why Do Puppies Feel Sore After Shots?
Puppies usually feel sore after shots for a variety of reasons:
- The immune system in their body is appropriately responding to the vaccine. This is exactly what vaccines are for; to jumpstart the immune system.
- Soreness is an indicator that your puppy’s defense mechanism against dog diseases is actively engaging previously unknown matter that is getting inside the body.
- The spot where the needle has punctured has developed a sensitive bump that is sore. Puppies don't want to be touched or handled at this time.
What to Expect In Puppies After Shots
Expect these mild side effects to show up in your puppy after shots.
You will notice some unusual behaviors in your puppy that might be strange for you. Usually, it would take around a day to a couple of days later after the shots for these to show up:
Soreness
Your puppy might avoid you touching them at this point. This is because their tender puppy muscles might be a bit painful to touch.
Puppies will show signs of lethargy
You will notice that your puppy isn’t as active or playful as usual and would prefer to stay in one place and just stay there or sleep.
They develop a slight fever
When you hold your puppy, you may notice that it might feel warmer than usual. Chances are, your puppy has a slight fever. It’s a common reaction associated with the shots.
Loss of appetite
Your puppy might avoid eating for a while. No need to worry; it's only temporary.
Mild swellings
Mild skin allergic reactions can affect the face, ears, mouth, and some parts of the body.
Lumps
A small raised lump may appear on the spot where the needle pierced through the skin to deliver the vaccine.
How Long Can These Side Effects Last?
Symptoms of vaccination side effects won’t show immediately; your dog’s immune system at that point is still figuring out what happened and who to target.
After 24 hours, symptoms would now begin to show.
The symptoms associated with these side effects would normally last for about 48 hours in healthy puppies. If these symptoms last for more than 2 days, get in touch with your puppy’s vet.
4 Things to Do to Make Your Puppy Comfortable After Shots
After getting the shots, your puppy will need some pampering. These can help your puppy quickly recover after the shots:
1: Your puppy needs a place to rest and recuperate from the vaccine
Prepare a comfortable and warm spot where your puppy can rest without any disturbance.
It would also help if your puppy could easily see you from that spot; if ever it misses you, you are just a glance away.
2: Even if your puppy is showing signs of appetite loss, make sure that your puppy has easy access to its milk, water, and food.
You’ll never know; that little furball might suddenly get its appetite back!
3: As Much as you’d like to give your puppy a tight hug, kiss, or miss touching it, avoid it.
Your puppy needs the space for its recovery quickly come back.
And when that happens, your puppy will definitely let you know how it misses you so much.
4: Always check on your puppy regularly to see if everything’s all right.
Call your vet immediately if you notice vomiting or showing signs of diarrhea; your puppy might be having allergic reactions to the vaccine.
Tips To Prevent Vaccination-Related Side Effects
Adverse reactions to vaccination shots are prevented by following these simple tips.
Make sure that you inform your veterinarian about your pets’ past vaccination and allergic records. In doing this, your vet can determine what vaccine to give or not give your dog.
Tip #1:
After giving your pet a vaccination shot, don’t leave immediately and give some time to observe any reactions while at your vet.
Tip #2:
In any case, if a severe allergic reaction is triggered, your vet is there for immediate medical attention for your puppy.
A few minutes of stay can mean the difference in saving your dog’s life.
Tip #3:
Spread your pets’ vaccination schedule over time in intervals instead of having all the shots done all at once.
Give your dog’s immune system the chance to develop by letting it rest for a few months before subjecting it to another round of vaccine shots.
Your vet will determine the ideal time to have the succeeding needed shots.
Tip #4:
If your pet was acquired, as opposed to being born in your household, you must obtain a copy of its’ past medical, allergic, and vaccination records from its previous owner.
Tip #5:
Keep your pet healthy as much as you can. Make sure it gets to eat the proper food and gets the nutrition it needs. Always set a time to exercise your dog.
Exercising your dog, along with proper nutrition, boosts its immune system and makes sure your dog stays in tip-top shape!
Tip #6:
Overall wellness of your dog is never complete if you don’t include your dog’s mental health being. You see, your dog centers its universe on the person it loves most…you.
Mental health has a big impact on the immune system. An anxious or depressed dog is more susceptible to weak immune systems than a happy dog.
Be sure that you always set time aside to spend with your dog. There is nothing in a dog’s universe that can give it more happiness than spending time with you.
Paul has been creating content for the dog niche for many years. The information he shares comes his first hand experience growing up in dog lovers household and then owning multiple dog breeds of his own as an adult. Paul enjoys doing the hard research to collect, analyze and present our dogtemperament.com readers with the best answers to their questions.