Hello Basenji Form,
My 4 year old got his 3 year rabies vaccine and developed a scab at the place of the injection that will not heal. Has anyone seen or experience that? He also had some swelling below the injection site. He seems normal and is eating fine but it's quite unusual this is our 5th basenji and none of the others had a reaction. I have a vet appointment Sunday but just curious if anyone has experience this. Thank you! ariadne scott
@bark
Has the vet commented on this reaction? I’m curious to know what the vet said.
My boy had a reaction 2 months after his 3 year rabies at the same age. It was a almost fist size scabby area on his back a bit to the side of where he got the shot. The vet called it a hot spot and prescribed Quadritop Ointment. This cleared it up pretty quickly and his hair grew back where it had fallen out. At his most recent shot in August this year I was given a homeopathic medicine to give to him for five days after the shot and so far no reaction.
Can't help with that particular medication - this is a rabies free country - but after any injection my vet recommends rubbing the spot well to disperse fluids and prevent lumps forming.
@kembe The vet said it was most likely a reaction. It healed up finally after 1 month! There was swelling and a scab at the injection site. I used coconut oil on top of it and it seemed to help heal it and then the scab fell off. None of our other basenji's had any type of reaction to the rabies vaccine. I am just glad it healed up. Thanks for checking in.
ariadne scott
@bark
Glad to hear that your basenji recovered and is doing well.
@bark - I also before any shots give Benadryl pill about 2 hours before and then about 4 hours after
@tanza said in Rabies Vaccine reaction:
@bark - I also before any shots give Benadryl pill about 2 hours before and then about 4 hours after
I’ve not heard of this until now. Makes sense. A full people pill, child pill, or ???
@jengosmonkey - Regular people pill, 25mg. I have always done this as I did have one of my males that would have a reaction to rabies shots, this stopped it totally....
@kembe He is back to his same old crazy self! One thing the young tech worker told me is that most likely hit a blood vessel when they gave him the shot. Due to COVID we couldn't go with him inside the vet's office so I am sure he was a handful to keep calm. Surprisingly, the vet said he did well despite my thinking he would be hard to handle. Cheers--thanks to all of you for your comments. This Forum is so valuable!
Miles says thank you too! 
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@bark
OMG! He looks like he’s full of “piss and vinegar”! He’s got that mischievous look - lol. What a cutie! So glad to hear he’s doing well!
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BTW - love his sweater!
That guy is COOL lookin'!! I've never seen one that looks like him. Yeah, I know, they all look different... not talking about that. He doesn't have any white on his head. I've never seen that. Like him. Like him a lot. 
My female always gets a swelling reaction to rabies - benadry before helps, warm compact afterwards, and no other vaccinations at the same time - we always wait at least two weeks. For some reason, that last seems to be key for her.
@wizard - Agree, no other vaccinations at the same time, always separate them by 3 weeks or so. That said, I do titers for any other vaccinations, my C-Me has not had to have any boosters since her 1yr booster and she is going to be 11 later this month. Franie did have to have a booster 3yrs ago but that was the first after her 1yr booster and she will be 11 in January
There are different types of rabies vaccine. The ones most likely to cause a reaction have thimerosal in them. A friend's dog (not a Basenji) had an anaphylactic reaction to a rabies shot, and she would have lost him had the vet not still been present and able to counter it with epinephrine. In the future they made sure the shots he got did not have thimerosal. Usually reactions aren't quite so dramatic, but something to keep in mind.
I also used blood titers to avoid unnecessary vaccinations with my dogs. More expensive, but worth it!
