--
On Sun, 4 Feb 2001 11:39:07
AndyandMouse wrote:
>The two vaccine most commonly known to cause vaccination site sarcomas are
>rabies and Felv. This is because they contain adjuvants which are chemicals
>added to a vaccine in order to increase its effectiveness. The FVRCP combo
>(which the distemper vaccine is part of) is given between the shoulder
>blades. Felv should be given in the hind leg as should rabies. Those are
>the two areas you should watch the closest after vaccinating. To decrease
>the risk further, request single vaccines and not the combos, and then only
>give vaccines the cat really needs. For example, if I am ever down to a
>single cat household (yeah, right!) and the cat is indoor only (which it
>would be), then I would probably do one round of vaccines and not do yearly
>boosters at all except for rabies b/c it's the law.
>
>If you foster or take in strays AT ALL, you should keep your cats vaccinated
>against everything, in my opinion.
>
>Jamie
Jamie, one day when I get time, I want to do a survey of all my adopters. However, I
do know that no-one has called me to say their adopted kitty got what appeared to be a
vaccination site sarcoma. I asked one of my vets just last week how many he's seen -
he said in 11 yrs., only four and he couldn't say for sure 3 of them were from
vaccinations. One was - from rabies. He does not feel leuk is involved. I have done
my own shots for 10 yrs. I have had only two bumps from an FVRCP/leuk combo shot, one
on one of my own cats - it went away after about a month, and she has never had any
further problem - she's about 12 now, and this was 6 yrs. ago. The other kitty was
adopted; the adopter elected to have the cyst removed. She had more trouble from
doing that - the kitty busted the stitches open the night of the removal and she had
to pay $80 at Emergency Clinic to get it restitched! The kitty recovered and had no
further problem. Both these cysts came from the same batch !
of shots. My vet has almost always supplied me with Rhone-Merieux. We are now using
their Purevax - had it for several months. I have never had a shot reaction - have
done thousands of shots - only a few here and there (maybe a dozen at most) who ran
slight fever for 12-24 hrs. We have had quite a few kitties, however, who developed
pea to marble-sized cysts from their rabies shots. All went away eventually. One
adopted kitty got a rabies shot 2 yrs. ago in the leg from a vet other than the ones I
use, and it hit the nerve/muscle and a huge tumor developed, wrapping around the
nerves of the leg and causing lameness. The leg had to be amputated. The adopter
changed vets for that part. Kitty made an excellent recovery and now weighs 16 lb. I
have always used combo shots (FVRCP/leuk) because it is easier to give one than two,
and one less injection site. I wouldn't change my protocols, as I think experience
has shown the possibility/incidence of fibrosarcoma is relativ!
ely small.
>
Get your small business started at Lycos Small Business at
http://www.lycos.com/business/mail.html
