Rage Syndrome in a German Shepherd Dog? - Page 3

POSSIBLE RABIES VACCINE SIDE EFFECTS The rabies vaccine is the only legally-required vaccine for companion animals in the United States. It’s administered primarily to protect humans from their pets should those pets be bitten by rabid bats, coyotes, raccoons, foxes or other animals. This is all well and good EXCEPT that the vaccine is known to cause serious side effects in cats and dogs, many of which are listed below: Immediately or up to 3 days after the shot: Vomiting Facial swelling Fever or lethargy Circulatory shock Loss of consciousness Death Days, weeks or months after the shot: Fibrosarcoma (cancer) at the injection site (See Zsazsa, right) Seizures and Epilepsy Allergies Autoimmune diseases, including organ disease, allergies and skin problems Chronic digestive problems Muscle weakness, especially lack of hind end coordination Chronic digestive disorders Skin diseases like Ischemic Dermatopathy / Cutaneous vasculitis Behavior problems: Aggressioan, destructive behaviors, separation anxiety and odd obsessive behaviors (like tail chasing and paw licking). Dr. Michael Dym (Peaches' vet, see below) says chronic symptoms of a reaction to the rabies vaccine sometimes mimic noninfectious symptoms of rabies and "include restlessness; viciousness; avoidance of company; unusual affection; desire to travel; inability to be restrained; self biting; strange cries and howls; inability to swallow resulting in gagging while eating/drinking; staring eyes; swallowing wood, stones, inedibles; destruction of blankets, clothing; convulsive seizures; throat spasms; increased sexual desires; disturbed heart function; excited and jerky breathing. HOW TO MAKE RABIES VACCINATION SAFER FOR YOUR DOG Thimersol (mercury) in vaccines has been linked to adverse reactions. Look for the TF on the label. Want to avoid thimersol? Merial now makes a one- and three-year thimersol-free rabies vaccine: IMRAB® 1 TF and IMRAB® 3 TF. Make sure you see the "TF" in the brand name.

What Kitkat flags up is one possibility, but I guess the OP might have made this connection him/herself if their dog had recently had a rabies jab not long prior to the attack happenng ?
It certainly cannot be the sole answer, as rabies vaccination isn't routine in the UK, (only now that dogs can travel abroad more frequently & freely is it used anything more than very rarely), but we've had more than our share of Rage in Cockers here, for decades.

Good point KitKat but you will NEVER convince the Vet's of rabies vaccine being remotely possible. They just run. Pieces OS. Nan

I want to thank everyone who responded to my post re. Rage Syndrome. A special thanks to you guys who shared your experiences. I'm glad that I posted here on the Database re. this issue. The information that was shared as well as the empathy has helped.

We took our boy back to the vet for more testing. As my husband was leading him towards the building. He started that deep guttural growling and my husband muzzled him immediately. He had never growled like that before. We could take him anywhere. Once in the vet's office, they felt he was going to escalate into a full fledged attack. Before this, he was always great at the vet's. Something really did just "snap" in him.

All the tests came back negative. Two days ago, we had no choice but to euthanize him. This dog was my constant companion and the love of my life. The household feels empty without him.

I guess we'll never really know what happened to him, but every professional who I consulted felt that it was indeed Rage Syndrome. After researching, I tentatively agree that Rage Syndrome could be an expression of a partial seizure. A horrible expression! I will never forget the way his eyes looked while he attacked me. My heart goes out to those who are experiencing or have experienced this awful thing.

Thanks again. You guys are the best.

So sorry to hear about your loss, but it was the most appropriate decision made by you in this situation.

I might have gone for an autopsy, but I'm not in your shoes, so will never truly understand what you are going through right now.

Maybe the vets should have requested you for an autopsy free of cost only for their academic interest.

It's really a hopeless situation when we can do nothing to save our pets, only because we have no idea what's really happening.

It will be more heartbreaking if one day we come to know that a simple dose of medicine or a surgery was all we had needed.

So sorry you had to deal with this. RIP your boy, hope if there's a doggy afterlife he is now running free & untroubled by this problem.

Very sad but best for the safety of your family and the public and hard to believe even the safety of your dog . One thing is for sure by what u have said u have a lot of very good memories to block out the negative one's at the end . You have proven yourself a responsible owner to have taken the action that wad need hold your head up and do not doubt your decision . Best of luck in your future

🌹My sincere condolences go out to you. It was a difficult decision that you made for all the right reasons. Feeling his emptiness in the home is always the saddest part of all. 

Saddened by your news and yes I understand that emptiness, I truly feel for you, not an easy decision.

WAGSDS I am so sorry you have come to this grief. The fact that it was the only right thing to do doesn't make it hurt any less.

The two rage syndrome cases I knew had to be euthanized and had autopsies done that showed nothing which was no surprise. It's a brain chemistry thing, a seizure disorder, and nothing will show up unless there's a brain tumor causing it. Brain tumors can be found on MRIs and CTs but almost none of these can be fixed.

And no you didn't cause this by having your dog vaccinated against rabies.

Both of the rage syndrome dog owners I know felt guilty for a while even though someone for sure would have been badly hurt or killed if they had not done right by euthanizing their dogs.

One of the dogs suddenly went right for the owner's throat and might have killed her if she hadn't slammed a door in his face and gotten away from him. He was euthanized the same day.

I hope you don't feel guilty about this. It's hard because the dog was young and happy. But this was an unfixable medical problem that would have ended tragically for him. He would have seriously hurt someone, animal control would have dragged him off and slammed him in a cage in a horrible place, breaking his heart, and then strangers would have killed him after a week or two. You took the terrible responsibility to do right for him so he crossed over while he was with the people he loves and who love him.

Not that it helps now but you will see him again. You may be one of the lucky ones who can sense his presence before you cross over yourselves. If you hear his toenails clicking at night or catch a glimpse of him you're not going nuts. He's there with you and always will be, finally free of this terrible disease.