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Why is my adopted dog in pain after vet shots and tapeworm meds?

Updated on September 23, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed | Male | unneutered | 13 lbs

Hi, I found a stray dog and chose to adopt him. He is around one or two and I took him in today around 5 pm to get all his shots and am exam. He also had tapeworms and got a vaccine for that. Around 6:30 he started walking slowly and appears to have abdominal pain and cries when he moves a lot or when we tried to pick him up. I'm not sure what's wrong if it is the tapeworm passing or indegestion or anything else.

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

Veterinarian

Published on March 3, 2017

How lovely of you to take Joey in and give him a home! Great job taking him into a vet right away for all of his shots and an exam. That's excellent pet ownership, keep it up :-)

It could be that the tapeworms are passing and they are causing him some abdominal pain. That can happen if he has a lot of worms in his intestinal tract. Vaccines can also make a dog lethargic for a day or two afterwards, and this lethargy can be a common side effect of them. I would keep an eye on Joey overnight, and if it appears the pain is increasing, he starts vomiting, or has any other concerning signs, I would take him into a vet right away. Otherwise, should he still act painful in the morning, I feel it would be best for him to have a health check with a vet to be safe.
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