Vaccine related lumps on neck of two cats?

snowman2_2

Sooz00 wrote: »

However, I disagree that ‘the risk of a serious or fatal disease in an unvaccinated pet is much higher.’ This is generalization.

I was only commenting on those diseases covered by vaccination. I am well aware that heart failure etc is not affected by vaccination

Number of cats I have seen in the last 10 years with a vaccine related sarcoma = 0
Number of cats I have seen with a sarcoma related to non-vaccine injections = 1
Number of serious vaccine reactions seen in dogs = 0
Number of cats seen die because of FeLV = 50
Number of cats seriously affected by cat flu = 100
Number of dogs affected by parvo virus = 200

This will be geographically related but around here FeLV, cat flu, parvo are all common and we are in a good area with high vaccination rates. Other areas will see much more of these diseases.

I have seen a number of minor vaccine reactions but serious or fatal ones are rare. Your cat was very unlucky to get a sarcoma and it is good news that it seems to be under control. They get lots more sarcomas in the USA but their vaccines are different. Vaccination is still an important way of preventing disease

Sooz00

snowman2 wrote: »

I was only commenting on those diseases covered by vaccination. I am well aware that heart failure etc is not affected by vaccination

Number of cats I have seen in the last 10 years with a vaccine related sarcoma = 0
Number of cats I have seen with a sarcoma related to non-vaccine injections = 1
Number of serious vaccine reactions seen in dogs = 0
Number of cats seen die because of FeLV = 50
Number of cats seriously affected by cat flu = 100
Number of dogs affected by parvo virus = 200

This will be geographically related but around here FeLV, cat flu, parvo are all common and we are in a good area with high vaccination rates. Other areas will see much more of these diseases.

I have seen a number of minor vaccine reactions but serious or fatal ones are rare. Your cat was very unlucky to get a sarcoma and it is good news that it seems to be under control. They get lots more sarcomas in the USA but their vaccines are different. Vaccination is still an important way of preventing disease

Hi Snowman2 - I was only talking of those diseases too and didn't make any mention on anything such as heart failure...

I only come from the view point that my cats were at 0% risk of getting FeLV if the vet had carried out a risk/benefit assessment and truly considered their lifestyle (fully aware they were housecats) and the risk of a reaction to the vaccine (whether serious or otherwise) was higher.

I have said in both my posts that I am in agreement that vaccines play an important role in looking after our pets. My problem is that not all professionals follow the guidelines with regard to risk/benefit assessments nor disclose all risks. The AVMA link I posted really is one step closer to doing so, hopefully it will filter through to the UK.

It's good your practice has not seen any cases. I hope you never do. It's horribly aggressive. My current practice have seen 2 in the last few years (ours being one of them). I too hope my boy's cancer is under control however, I have to say I think it's unlikely to ever be cured. He's got a very good team of specialists and all I can do is fight for him as long as he wants me to. He's a special lad and deserves that much.

pigeonpie

Sooz00 - my cat had a possible fibrosarcoma from the rabies vaccine. Thankfully, although he had to have it removed, it proved benign. We were in France at the time. One of their best oncologists at Alfort (backed up by a top EU oncologist in Turin with whom I communicated) said to always do the risk benefit analysis and do not vaccinate against FelV unless they are outdoor cats. And always vaccinate in the leg, which many UK vets are reluctant to do or accuse the owner of being neurotic.
Having nursed my cat through palliative care following an unrelated illness and injury for 14 months from the floor in the lounge, only getting about 1 hour's sleep a night during that time, I am just so annoyed on your behalf that the PTS argument is being used. I take offence on your behalf! Only you can know what is right for your cat and to what extent there is suffering that can't be alleviated.

h.cowell - I hope the lumps disappear. Were they from the FelV virus or rabies or just the cat flu? I was told that the cat flu one can't cause cancer. I was also told to only measure the lump once a week and to note its dimensions.
I hope your cats will be fine. Sounds like they had the same batch of vaccine and its adjuvant has caused the reaction. Try not to worry x

tankgirl1

Sooz00 wrote: »

A little offence taken but it’s not something I didn’t hear from colleagues years ago when he was first diagnosed. My boy is a fighter and as long as he is, I will fight for him.

Thankyou Sooz for the reply - as I said, I meant no offence, and I truly believe that owners are best placed to know the extent of treatment that their pet can tolerate.

Sadly, sometimes I have seen owners pushing for further treatment in animals that are not suited for it - those that get stressed, agressive, anorexic etc whilst at the vets.

I am not suggesting you are one of those owners. I have also seen animals that tolerate a lot of treatment and hospitalisation extremely well, and I am guessing that your boy is one of those patients

I do however think that it is the responsibility of the vet nurse and vet to fully discuss with the owner, just how that animal in particular would respond to extreme treatment, and to advise accordingly. Given the expert advice you have been given, I am pleased that your boy is doing well - the fact he is being cheeky and 100% mobile speaks volumes :T

It isnt the right decision for every animal though

juliebunny

Thanks to all for the useful posts - 2 of my cats are due vaccs this month so I shall certainly have more of a discussion with my vet this time round.

I also heard that giving the Leukemia vaccination can lead a cat to actually test positive for the virus - enough for many vets and rescue shelters to put the animal to sleep, without another thought or any actual signs of illness! I asked our charity vet about this and she said 'it depends what type of test they use' - not very re-assuring in case any of my cats ever ends up in that awful situation (all micro chipped too.)

Big hugs to all you fellow animal lovers!

[Deleted User]

Thank you to everyone who has contributed to this thread - there is a lot of useful and important information being shared. I know that vaccination can sometimes divide opinion, but good information can only lead to a more informed choice .

I am happy to say that the lumps on the necks of our precious kitties seem to be going down at last . The cat I referred to in my original post still has a sizeable lump, but it is definitely smaller than at the time of posting... and the other cat (whose lump appeared very quickly after vaccination) has a very small lump remaining, that I'm confident will be gone soon. Can't tell you how happy I am about this! But I will be asking our vet some careful questions when vaccinations roll around again.

One thing I did want to comment on - one poster here mentioned that no reaction could possibly mean that the vaccine hadn't worked (I've paraphrased it). Well, I'm not sure that's really the case when it comes to lumps. Yes, I might expect some general malaise or 'off food' symptoms for a short while (which happened with the original vaccination) but a lump is a localised reaction that implies (to me) a hypersensitivity of some sort, over production of immune cells in the immediate area, or perhaps a reaction to the adjuvant that vaccine is carried in. Sometimes the lump can even indicate an infection. So I don't think it's safe to assume that the vaccine is 'working' just because a lump appears. Anyway, that's just my tuppence worth, and I really just really want to thank EVERYONE for making me think more carefully about it!