15 month old dog died 30 minutes after vaccine

THE owners of a dog who died half an hour after being given a booster vaccine are campaigning for the jab to be banned.

Lilly, a 15-month-old English bulldog, was given the Novibac Lepto4 booster vaccine at Usk Vets in Caerleon on Thursday, August 25.

The vaccine is designed to reduce the risk of dogs developing the bacterial Leptospirosis disease.

Lilly died aged 15 months picture: Craig Oakley (Image: Craig Oakley)

Lilly died aged 15 months. Picture: Craig Oakley

But just half an hour later she collapsed and died in front of horrified owners Craig and Jeanette Oakley.

Mr Oakley said: “It was the instant death of our baby girl – it was so traumatic; I still haven’t recovered from it.

“I see it and I hear her; I was watching it all.

“We made a frantic pleading phone call to the vets that she was struggling to breathe, she was frothing at the mouth, her lips and gums had gone all blue and was in dire distress.

“Her lungs and heart collapsed; I went on the floor.

“She was the most beautiful, friendly dog.

“It’s the worst thing I’ve ever been through because it was such a shock.”

He added: “We retired at Christmas aged 60 and our plan was for me to retire, our garage was converted and insulated, we had pens built.

“We were going to register as breeders of English bull dogs but that’s all gone out of the window.

“We’re not getting another dog; we can’t go through that again.

“Our house is more or less a shrine; we had a nice service in the chapel for her.”

The body that oversees the medicine usage and licensing in the UK is the Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD).

A spokesperson for the VMD said: “Before a veterinary medicine, including a vaccine, can be placed on the UK market a large package of quality, safety and efficacy data undergoes a rigorous independent scientific assessment by the VMD.

“Where necessary an independent committee of leading experts, to ensure the product meets the required UK regulatory and safety standards.”

A happy Lilly picture: Craig Oakley (Image: Craig Oakley)

A happy Lilly picture: Craig Oakley

A spokesperson for Usk Veterinary Centre said: “The well-being of the animals we treat is at the centre of everything we do. 

"We take all claims seriously with all incidents being investigated thoroughly and any appropriate action necessary is taken.

"The latest figures from the VMD show that 0.055 per cent of dogs given the L4 vaccine develop some sort of adverse reaction.

“This is a very small risk and, in line with many other vaccines, and must be weighed against the risk of a disease where approximately 70 per cent of severe cases die.”

But Mr Oakley said: "The number of dogs who die from Leptospirosis disease is minimal compared to the damage the vaccine does."

The couple have since set up a petition calling for the vaccine to be banned, which has been signed by more than 780 people.

Mrs Oakley said: “We’re not the only ones.

“My tablet has been bombarded with people who have suffered – it’s been into the thousands.