‘Dixie became so ill I thought I would lose her’ – Hertfordshire pet owner’s safety concerns over routine dog vaccine Nobivac Lepto 4

Sue Shearing believes a routine vaccine for her dog could have been fatal. (Image: Archant)

A pet owner is warning people about the dangers of a routine vaccine for dogs which is currently being monitored by the government, with her own dog coming close to death after having the drug.

Sue Shearing, from Aston, took her two-year-old rough collie Dixie for a booster injection of a vaccine called Nobivac Lepto 4.

The vaccine protects against leptospirosis – a life-threatening disease that can affect the liver and kidneys and is spread by mice and rats’ urine.

But what Sue didn’t realise, is that the vaccine itself can cause life-threatening illness.

She said: “Dixie was happy and healthy when she went for her vaccination, but the next day was vomiting and had diarrhoea. By the next day she was worse and had internal bleeding.

“I took her back to the vet and she was immediately admitted and put on a drip. She became so ill in the next few days I thought I would lose her. Her eyes were glazed and she didn’t recognise me.

“Thank goodness she gradually recovered and, after eight days in hospital, came home.

“The bill came to about £1,500, but it was hugely distressing.”

When Sue did some digging it became apparent that concern surrounding the vaccine is widespread, so she contacted the government’s Veterinary Medicines Directorate.

A spokesman said: “Since Nobivac L4 was authorised in 2012 we have received a number of adverse event reports and, based on these reports, the manufacturer was requested to add additional warnings to the SPC – summary of product characteristics – to enable vets to give owners a more informed choice when vaccinating dogs.

“These warnings related to immune-mediated reactions – where the body’s own immune system starts to attack itself – and these changes were agreed and implemented last month.

“We are continuing to work closely with the other European agencies to monitor all adverse event reports we receive for this vaccine.

“Additionally we have asked the manufacturer to carry out further analysis of their pharmacovigilance data and report back to us later this year.”

Sue added: “Vets do not warn us about the dangers, in fact they frighten us into getting the vaccinations.

“The slaughter and maiming of our dogs has to stop, but nothing will happen until we all make a fuss, do the research, and challenge our vets and the vaccine manufacturers.”

The vaccine is manufactured by MSD Animal Health, based in Milton Keynes.