City vet: Do not bath your dogs after anti-rabies jab
By Paulo DS. Papa
Naga City veterinarian Dr. Junios Elad Jr., warned dog lovers not to bath their pets after they received shots of anti-rabies vaccines.
Elad raised the warning amidst complaints from dog owners in Barangay Mabolo, Naga City, about the deaths of their pets after receiving shots of anti-rabies vaccines from personnel of the City Veterinarian’s Office (CVO).
The CVO based from interviews of the dog owners found out that the latter bathed their dogs immediately after vaccination.
Elad told Bicol Mail that it is important for every dog lover to know that it is not safe for their dogs to be bathed few hours or days after being jabbed with any kind of vaccine. He said it is advisable to wait for one to two weeks after vaccination to bath the dogs.
He explained that dogs may suffer canine parvovirus infection or canine distemper if given a bath as the dogs suffer from stress as a result of vaccination or transportation and handling during inoculation.
He said that if bathed while they are under stress, the dogs’ immune system will drop, thus parvo viral and parvo bacterial infection will occur.
This parvovirus infection will lead to diarrhea and internal hemorrhage in the stomach and intestines. The disease may cause swelling of the valves so dogs may die of shock or cardiac arrest, he said.
Elad issued the warning to raise awareness among dog owners to avoid misconception, which may affect the anti-rabies vaccination drive of the CVO.
He said among the symptoms of parvovirus disease and canine distemper are loss of appetite, inactivity, and continuous vomiting.
He said fluid therapy, soft diet and antibiotic consumption are the best treatment for dogs with such disease.
Besides low immune system and viral load in the air, parvovirus infection in dogs may take place after eating left overs of fellow animal carrying the virus.
Elad, when asked about parvo prevention, replied that lactating female dogs should have anti-parvovirus injection in order to produce antibodies for their puppies.
He also advised that as young as six weeks old, puppies should be inoculated using the same jab. He added, dogs should also be dewormed before vaccination to prevent worm infestation.
As of press time, the CVO inoculated some 12,000 dogs throughout the city.