# Puppy Vaccination and Antibiotics



## buiscuitsm0m (Jan 28, 2014)

I just read the "Vaccines" sticky thread and thought it was very interesting and had more information than I have seen elsewhere in my google searches but I can't find an answer to a question I have about vaccinations and antibiotics.

I now understand that puppies are not supposed to receive a vaccination while on antibiotics, but my puppy had ONE antibiotic pill just ONCE while she had her second round of shots for parvo, distemper, hepatitis. I'm wondering if that has somehow damaged the immunity she should have received from that round of vaccinations?

The long back story: When we brought our puppy home when she was 10 weeks old, the breeder gave us some "Flagyl" pills (Metronidazole) to take for diarrhea for the first few days the puppy was with us. My husband and I, being first-time puppy owners, had a hard time getting her to swallow pills, so she only took one or two. I did not realize at the time that the pills the breeder had given us were antibiotics. (If I had, I would have (1) asked for more info about WHY she needed antibiotics and (2) been more insistent about her taking all the pills on time, as I know how important it is to finish a round of antibiotics.) 

At her first vet visit, at 11 weeks, I showed the pills (still in the package) to the vet tech and told her that I was having a hard time giving her the pills and wondered if she would show me how to do it. She did and gave our puppy one of the metronidazole pills, and she also gave our puppy her second round of shots (for parvo, distemper, hep, etc.). My husband and I still had problems giving the puppy her pills on our next few tries, so we just eventually gave up. She didn't have any more metronidazole pills at this time. 

Anyway, she was later placed on a second round of antibiotic treatment, under our vet's supervision, for diarrhea (I have since learned how to give her her pills and am now successful every time). During her second round of antibiotic treatment, however, I learned from the vet (not the vet tech) that our puppy could not get her leptospirosis vaccine until her course of antibiotics was finished. This antibiotic treatment (called "Stormogyl" here) also contains metronidazole. I recognized the name, found our Flagyl pills from the first (unsuccessful) antibiotics we tried to give our puppy, and was shocked to realize that she received her 11-week puppy booster vaccination on the same day she received an antibiotic (metronidazole) pill.

My question is this: Will one antibiotic pill, given at the same time as a puppy vaccination (her second round of vaccinations for parvo, distemper, and hepatitis) negate any benefits she received from the second round of vaccinations? She had no bad side effects from the vaccination, so I'm just wondering if she needs to have that round of vaccinations again? What is the relationship of antibiotics to vaccines for puppies? (Can't humans take antibiotics and get vaccines at the same time?)

For what it's worth, she is now 16 weeks old and she is healthy; she has since had her first leptospirosis shot and we're now waiting for the second shot. (We think the diarrhea she had was related to the food we were feeding her at the time, as she has always been energetic, gains weight, and eats well.)

Any help in understanding the puppy vaccine/antibiotic relationship would be much appreciated!


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## Rayneiac (Jun 18, 2012)

*NOT a vet, vet tech, or other medical professional of any sort*

It seems to me that antibiotics are supposed to kill bacteria etc.....and the vacs contain dead or somehow neutered bacteria/virus etc......would possibly cancel each other out somehow. Perhaps not fully, but even lessening the effects of the shots, or the antibiotic....could be bad.


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## Emmett (Feb 9, 2013)

As far as I know, vaccines are given in a "series" not because they build more and more immunity after each set, but because we can't be sure when an individual puppy's maternal antibodies will fade. In some puppies this happens early (8 weeks or earlier) and in others the immunity hangs around until much later (up to 16 weeks). Which is precisely why if a dog is "rescued" after the age of 4 months only one set of vaccines is recommended. Assuming you gave the customary "third set" at 14 or 16 weeks your puppy would be covered, even if the metro interfered with the 11 week set.


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## buiscuitsm0m (Jan 28, 2014)

Thanks for both answers. Yes, I had read about the reasons for "series" of vaccines too, but here the series seems to be different than in the states. It's one parvo/distemper/hep/leptospirosis at 8 weeks or so, another for just parvo/distemper/hep (but not leptospirosis) at 11 weeks or so, and the another leptospirosis at 14 weeks (which she had) and one last leptospirosis at 17 weeks, though I think there is a possibility that her 17-week shot will be one last parvo/distemper/hep/leptospirosis shot. If it is the combination shot, then you are probably right, Emmett, that it will cover the puppy. I hadn't thought about that. I will ask and hopefully that is what we will get!


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## [email protected] (Nov 18, 2013)

Antibiotics, per se, are not a problem when given in association with vaccinations. What is often a problem is the underlying problem for which you were giving antibiotics. Vaccines work by stimulating the immune system. This process doesn't work correctly if the pet doesn't have a normally functioning immune system. This can happen during periods of stress, illness, etc. There is no reason that the medication should interfere with your puppy's vaccinations, but the underlying problem that is producing diarrhea certainly may.


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## buiscuitsm0m (Jan 28, 2014)

Hi Vet, thank you so much for your incredibly helpful response. That all makes sense, and I will mention again the diarrhea and the timing of that shot to the vet when we go back for our final shot. The vet does know that she had diarrhea since we brought her home with us until two weeks ago (10 weeks to 15 1/2 weeks), and the vet now thinks her diarrhea was because of the (ironically, expensive) fancy puppy food we had been feeding her. We had ruled out worms, a bacterial infection, or other obstruction, and since she has been with us she has been happy, gaining weight, big appetite, energetic, no fever. After we gave her some type of fluid absorption pills and changed her food to a special puppy GI food two weeks ago, she has been much better. Perhaps she just has a sensitive stomach?

Thank you again *so much* for your response. It actually relieves my immediate fears and helps me to understand why vets are cautious generally about giving shots while a puppy is on antibiotics. And again, I will mention the diarrhea and the question about the efficacy of that shot (and thus whether we need to get another parvo, distemper, hep booster) at our next visit. Thank you!


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## doggiepop (Feb 27, 2014)

what does your vet have to say about giving your dog meds?


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