Reactions to vaccination varies from dog to dog. Some hints we long-time Maltese owners have learned are: 1) always give individual shots, not combo doses 2) separate the doses by 3 or 4 weeks 3) administer 1/4 tsp (average 4-5 lb dog) of children's Benadryl 1 hour prior to vaccination.
Another tip from me: Wait in the vet's office 30 minutes or so in the event your furbaby has a reaction. You can get her/him immediate attention in that event.
In Texas, rabies is required only every 3 years. That tells me that if your state requires yearly rabies vaccination and your dog has any kind of reaction, your vet can waive the yearly requirement. Pico had such a severe reaction to his 2nd booster of rabies when he was 2 that he went into shock! I was so thankful that my instinct to hang around the office was there because they immediately injected antihistamine and put him on pure oxygen, checking his vitals frequently. He recovered in about an hour but it was a hugely stressful event for all. My vet said "no more rabies for this guy". I get a notation on his travel certificates to that effect when we go to Florida or N.C.
Some vaccinations are valuable and some are possibly unneccessary depending upon where you live. I would never vaccinate against Lyme disease here where I live but other sections of the country may find this critical to their dog's health. I'm betting our Veterinarian-to-be on this forum, Doctor Cathy, can update us on the different vaccinations, what they are for and how necessary or unnecessary they can be.
