Zachary is sick after vaccinations.....
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| Fri, 08-26-2005 - 7:06am |
So I took Zachary in for his annual exam and he was healthy as a horse and the vet didn't hear his heart murmur this time. I guess heart murmurs are wierd as in my lifetime I've had two drs. tell me I have one and yet others don't hear it or mention it. So, that was good news! Well, Zachary had all his kitten vacs and then his next year booster but since 2002 I had been titer testing for the last couple of years. Since this was the third year and we are moving to a new home where they will be spending time on the screened porch I decided to get him his booster vacs. Distemper, rhino, calcivirus and his rabies all non adjuvant vacs. Now my poor baby is sick! He's very lethargic just sits all hunched up and won't eat! I know they can feel poorly much like kids I guess but it makes me sad and I do hope he's better by tonight. I will call the vet today just to let him know.
The thing is that I almost titered him again instead of vaccinating and now I'm doubting my decision.
Lynn


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That can happen, we see if often and we always warn clients that they might get sleepy or sore following vaccs.
Awww, I know that can be pretty common but I hope he's feeling better soon!
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Well, I called my vet and he said if he wasn't better and eating by this afternoon to bring him in. I got home from work and fed the boys and he did eat although not as much or robustly as usual. I let the vet know and he thinks he'll be fine but if he's not back to normal tomorrow to call again.
So now I'm doubting myself again as my plan was originally just to titer test them but since they are going to be on a screened porch and thus more exposure. Since I don't know what the stray cat population is at the new place I thought I would go ahead since this would fit in with the 3 year protocol on vaccinations. What I hadn't discovered in my research prior to Zach's vaccinations yesterday was that it's recommended that rabies be given separately from any other vaccines and I'm wondering if that's what put him over the edge. I will probably take Gabe but do them separately and then I'll have another 3 years before I have to decide about it again(well with the exception of the rabies which the non adjuvant form is yearly).
I just feel so sorry for my baby and hope there aren't any lasting effects.
Lynn
I hope Zachary is feeling better by now.
I know we all do want to do what's best for our kitties and it's hard to know with so much conflicting information these days on vaccinations. I have a great respect for my vet and we work as a team very well. Once again as we always do we had a very frank discussion yesterday about whether to titer or vaccinate since this was Zach's 3rd year. He thought whatever decision I made would be fine, titer or vaccinate since we were at the 3 year mark. He knows that I am of one mind not to vaccinate at all as I question the need for boosters.
Of course being in Kansas and moving across the state line soon to Missouri rabies is required so you can't get around that. Rabies and FELV are the two main culprits in the vaccine associated sarcoma's(cancerous tumors at injection sites). However, the research shows that the adjuvant(carrier which usually contains aluminum) is the suspected component in the vaccines that is the problem. Merial makes a rabies vaccine that does not contain any adjuvant but it's an annual shot. Now the thing with the vaccine induced sarcoma's is that you want to minimize the number of vaccinations as there is also school of thought that some kitties genetics are such that they are prone to sarcomas from any injection. Evidently they have found that there are certain parts of the country that despite using the same vaccines more cats have come down with sarcomas so they believe that genetics may be partially involved in some cases. Makes sense to a point if you rule out purebred cats that get shipped all over the country.
So of course my question was since they are a cat clinic, do they see many cases of vaccine associated sarcomas here? He said it's extremely rare in our area so I'm hoping the boys at least have good genes in that department(since they're local genes). :) Still have to be concerned though with the adjuvant in vaccines as that's they main suspect in general. So we discussed further and I asked him what rabies he gives his cats? The 3 year with adjuvant thinking you don't have to stick them only every 3 yrs or the annual without the adjuvant? He says all the new research is showing that the adjuvant is a real risk and that his cats will get the annual non adjuvanted(Purevax by Merial) as they too are due this year for their rabies.
Since my boys are strictly indoor cats they do not get the FELV as it is a non core vaccine and only recommended for cats at risk as it is real suspect in the vaccine associated sarcomas. However, there is now a transdermal FELV vaccine out for those kitties that are at risk and if I would ever have a cat that required this vaccine this is the only way I would give it. I've included a link regarding this new vaccine as well for those whose kitties do go outdoors and the current vaccination protocols.
http://www.pandecats.com/x/transdermal-vaccines.htm
http://maxshouse.com/vaccine_protocols.htm
The really exciting thing is that since they have this one vaccine as transdermal no doubt they will develop more of them who knows maybe even rabies as transdermal and thereby reduce the risk of sarcomas even further.
Sorry this was so long but I find this stuff not only interesting but invaluable in making my decisions on health care for the boys so I like to share.
Lynn
I am so sorry about Zachary not feeling well. I can really, really relate since I took my Misha in for her booster (3 in 1) a few weeks ago. She was just fine and then within 5 days she began sneezing and being very lethargic and sick. It made me feel so guilty as she'd suffered a terrible URI 5 days after her vaccination last summer (after I'd just adopted her). The vet said I should booster this year and then go 3 years before another. I didn't realize she'd get sick again! I didn't even give her the rabies yet as I wanted to give that separately on a different day. She unfortunately sneezed so much she spread the virus to my little Gracie, who'd fighting FIP. Now Gracie has a URI and an eye infection. All this from the vaccination! :-( My other 3 older cats have never had reactions like this to shots but Misha is especially sensitive. They used PureVax non-adjuvented vaccine but I guess being modified live virus was enought to cause illness in Misha....and as a result....poor Gracie. Thankfully Misha is getting better now. She's sneezing only rarely and I didn't need to take her in for antibiotics. Gracie, on the other hand, is on antibiotics now as well as eye ointment for the infection.
I will pray Zachary will recover soon. Please don't be hard on yourself. We both did what we thought would be best and had no way of knowing our kitties would get sick.
My vet tried to tell me titering is too expensive. Has it been easy for you to do in years past?
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