Triple vaccine side-effects - follow-up

[Alex]

As a sequel to my post yesterday:

Khamun is much better this morning, eating and happier, but still quiet.
Sure he'll be fine later today - he's booked in for the second shot in a few
weeks, I'll raise this with the vet but I suppose 24 hours of feeling rough
is better than feline leukaemia etc. My fiancee was quite annoyed that the
vet didn't raise the possibility of side effects.

I wonder if the second combination shot will not have such a bad effect on
him, as I assume this one (his first ever) will really have shaken up his
immunity system but now the vaccine is in his system the second one won't do
as much 'damage' - any views on that?

Someone mentioned not having the second shot, or not having a combination
one as it seems to have had a bad reaction on him. What does the second
shot do?

Thanks for your comments and reassurance below.

[tsedinger@yahoo.com]

I don't have my cats vccinated against feline leukemia. Years ago,one
of my cats died within a month of receiving the shot. I have them
tested and since they are a closed population, I do not get them the
shots. Rabies and distemper, yes, but not the leukemia. when I add a
new kitten to the mix they are tested before they come into the house.
I had such a bad experience I am a little leery fo the leuk vaccine.

[Karen]

Sugar has bad reactions to vaccines, so this time, my vet gave her an
anti-inflamatory shot with her rabies (we do as few vaccines as possible
now. We only do rabies as it is required by law so if the Anti inflamatory
hadn't helped we wouldn't even do rabies anymore) It made a huge difference.
This is the first time she has ever acted completely normal after shots and
had no "down time".

"Alex" > wrote in message
...
> As a sequel to my post yesterday:
>
> Khamun is much better this morning, eating and happier, but still quiet.
> Sure he'll be fine later today - he's booked in for the second shot in a
few
> weeks, I'll raise this with the vet but I suppose 24 hours of feeling
rough
> is better than feline leukaemia etc. My fiancee was quite annoyed that the
> vet didn't raise the possibility of side effects.
>
> I wonder if the second combination shot will not have such a bad effect on
> him, as I assume this one (his first ever) will really have shaken up his
> immunity system but now the vaccine is in his system the second one won't
do
> as much 'damage' - any views on that?
>
> Someone mentioned not having the second shot, or not having a combination
> one as it seems to have had a bad reaction on him. What does the second
> shot do?
>
> Thanks for your comments and reassurance below.
>
>

[Alex]

"Karen" > wrote in message
...
> Sugar has bad reactions to vaccines, so this time, my vet gave her an
> anti-inflamatory shot with her rabies (we do as few vaccines as possible
> now. We only do rabies as it is required by law so if the Anti inflamatory
> hadn't helped we wouldn't even do rabies anymore) It made a huge
difference.
> This is the first time she has ever acted completely normal after shots
and
> had no "down time".

So do you think Khamun could have an anti-inflamatory shot before the
triple? I'll check with the vet anyway. He seems not too bad now.

[Janet]

The last time one of our kitties - who had bad reaction in the past - needed
his shots, we dropped him off in the morning, the vet gave him a benadryl
shot and then his other vaccines and monitored him for the day. They were
great in that they didn't charge for the day's boarding (they were more
concerned with watching any reactions), so try to negotiate that.
Now, my other cats have never had any problems....you never know how the cat
will react.
I would definitely follow up with the 2nd shot.


"Karen" > wrote in message
...
> Sugar has bad reactions to vaccines, so this time, my vet gave her an
> anti-inflamatory shot with her rabies (we do as few vaccines as possible
> now. We only do rabies as it is required by law so if the Anti inflamatory
> hadn't helped we wouldn't even do rabies anymore) It made a huge
difference.
> This is the first time she has ever acted completely normal after shots
and
> had no "down time".
>
> "Alex" > wrote in message
> ...
> > As a sequel to my post yesterday:
> >
> > Khamun is much better this morning, eating and happier, but still quiet.
> > Sure he'll be fine later today - he's booked in for the second shot in a
> few
> > weeks, I'll raise this with the vet but I suppose 24 hours of feeling
> rough
> > is better than feline leukaemia etc. My fiancee was quite annoyed that
the
> > vet didn't raise the possibility of side effects.
> >
> > I wonder if the second combination shot will not have such a bad effect
on
> > him, as I assume this one (his first ever) will really have shaken up
his
> > immunity system but now the vaccine is in his system the second one
won't
> do
> > as much 'damage' - any views on that?
> >
> > Someone mentioned not having the second shot, or not having a
combination
> > one as it seems to have had a bad reaction on him. What does the second
> > shot do?
> >
> > Thanks for your comments and reassurance below.
> >
> >
>
>

[Karen]

"Alex" > wrote in message
...
>
> "Karen" > wrote in message
> ...
> > Sugar has bad reactions to vaccines, so this time, my vet gave her an
> > anti-inflamatory shot with her rabies (we do as few vaccines as possible
> > now. We only do rabies as it is required by law so if the Anti
inflamatory
> > hadn't helped we wouldn't even do rabies anymore) It made a huge
> difference.
> > This is the first time she has ever acted completely normal after shots
> and
> > had no "down time".
>
> So do you think Khamun could have an anti-inflamatory shot before the
> triple? I'll check with the vet anyway. He seems not too bad now.
>
>
Well, the first time her reaction was pretty much like Khuman's. but the
second time she spent a couple of days in the hospital getting hydrated for
a high fever. SO we backed off for like 3 years. Finally, we decided to try
just the rabies and added the anti inflam. It did work so it's an option.

[PawsForThought]

Alex wrote:
> As a sequel to my post yesterday:
>
> Khamun is much better this morning, eating and happier, but still quiet.
> Sure he'll be fine later today - he's booked in for the second shot in a few
> weeks, I'll raise this with the vet but I suppose 24 hours of feeling rough
> is better than feline leukaemia etc. My fiancee was quite annoyed that the
> vet didn't raise the possibility of side effects.

Glad to hear your cat is feeling better. You might want to check out
this webpage that has some links at the bottom:
http://home.earthlink.net/~pawsreflect/vaccinosis.html

[violetvache@yahoo.com]

PawsForThought wrote:
>
> http://home.earthlink.net/~pawsreflect/vaccinosis.html

I read this article 'cause I'm in agony about vaccinating an old cat
(15) for rabies. She has been a feral and even though she's lived with
us for many years successfully, she *keeps her distance*. Even the vet
we trapped her for and took her to for initial vaccinations and
neutering said don't ever put her through vet trauma again if at all
possible. (I am not making this up, he really said "it's just not
worth it for anyone involved." And this guy has the reputation of
being THE most compassionate barn-vet in our region.)

But she has not had rabies vaccinations in a long time, and I'm very
worried about two things. I'm new to this group, so please don't come
down hard on me if I'm saying something wrong (!). First, we live in a
middle class development where everyone takes care of their pets (one
way or another). It's in the mountains, northeast US. What is the
likelihood of an old cat who just sits outside the door in the grass
getting rabies? Second, could a rabies vaccination ever be
administered by a layperson? Can you buy them over the Internet?

This is a former feral we've done our level best to offer a home to
despite her roaming for almost eight years (she was a neighborhood cat,
and we trapped her when we moved from one part of the mountain to the
other). She's just too old to train, believe me, we have tried harder
than you'd believe.

ANyway, thanks for this thread and for the link.

[Catnipped]

> wrote in message
ups.com...
> PawsForThought wrote:
> >
> > http://home.earthlink.net/~pawsreflect/vaccinosis.html
>
> I read this article 'cause I'm in agony about vaccinating an old cat
> (15) for rabies. She has been a feral and even though she's lived with
> us for many years successfully, she *keeps her distance*. Even the vet
> we trapped her for and took her to for initial vaccinations and
> neutering said don't ever put her through vet trauma again if at all
> possible. (I am not making this up, he really said "it's just not
> worth it for anyone involved." And this guy has the reputation of
> being THE most compassionate barn-vet in our region.)
>
> But she has not had rabies vaccinations in a long time, and I'm very
> worried about two things. I'm new to this group, so please don't come
> down hard on me if I'm saying something wrong (!). First, we live in a
> middle class development where everyone takes care of their pets (one
> way or another). It's in the mountains, northeast US. What is the
> likelihood of an old cat who just sits outside the door in the grass
> getting rabies? Second, could a rabies vaccination ever be
> administered by a layperson? Can you buy them over the Internet?
>
> This is a former feral we've done our level best to offer a home to
> despite her roaming for almost eight years (she was a neighborhood cat,
> and we trapped her when we moved from one part of the mountain to the
> other). She's just too old to train, believe me, we have tried harder
> than you'd believe.
>
> ANyway, thanks for this thread and for the link.

A cat can not get Rabies from just sitting outside in the grass. Rabies is
transmitted via the bite of another animal with Rabies. Where do you live?
I've heard that in the England Rabies has been totally eliminated (due to it
being an island instead of a continent and very strict quarantine of animals
coming into the country).

In the US, however, Rabies is still very much present (although it's more
prevalent in wild animals such as raccoons, bats, foxes, etc. than it is for
companion animals).

Yes, you can order vaccines and administer them yourself (my daughter does
for all her dogs). I don't know how she manages the licenses - if you'd
like I can ask her about that.

Hugs,

CatNipped

[sriddles@aol.com]

>
> But she has not had rabies vaccinations in a long time, and I'm very
> worried about two things. I'm new to this group, so please don't come
> down hard on me if I'm saying something wrong (!). First, we live in a
> middle class development where everyone takes care of their pets (one
> way or another). It's in the mountains, northeast US. What is the
> likelihood of an old cat who just sits outside the door in the grass
> getting rabies? Second, could a rabies vaccination ever be
> administered by a layperson? Can you buy them over the Internet?


You can buy them from the internet, or from Fosters & Smith catalogue.
IIRC, you can only buy the "killed" serum though, but it should still
protect her against rabies. It's very important though, that you know
how to administer the vaccination--do you know any vet techs who could
show you how the first time?
There are farmers here who self-vaccinate their barn cats. The
drawbacks are, you can't get a certificate, so if the cat bites
sometime he'd be under the same quarantine laws as a non-vaccinated
animal. And you can't board a pet (here) without a certificate. Both
scenarios probably wouldn't affect you.
Since she is an outdoor cat, IMO she needs a vaccination. You just
don't know when a skunk or raccoon, or bat, or whatever could come
right up into the yard.
Good luck. She sounds like a grand old cat. She must be pretty savvy to
have survived as a semi-feral to old age.
Sherry

[violetvache@yahoo.com]

wrote:
>
> Good luck. She sounds like a grand old cat. She must be pretty savvy to
> have survived as a semi-feral to old age.

Sherry and Catnipped, thank you *so* much for taking the time to answer
me. I was totally unaware--for two and a half years!--that you could
buy vaccines over the Internet. I don't even think the vet I talked
about knows, or I am sure he would have told me (he tells me about all
kinds of home remedy stuff over the phone, for free).

Anyway, I'd like to hear from you if you know of any adverse reactions
to the shots (I assume they're shots?). Are the administered
intramuscularly or in a vein? If they're in a vein, I certainly would
be able to manage this.

Anyway, thanks again, and have a great holiday!

Hilary

[Catnipped]

> wrote in message
oups.com...
> wrote:
> >
> > Good luck. She sounds like a grand old cat. She must be pretty savvy to
> > have survived as a semi-feral to old age.
>
> Sherry and Catnipped, thank you *so* much for taking the time to answer
> me. I was totally unaware--for two and a half years!--that you could
> buy vaccines over the Internet. I don't even think the vet I talked
> about knows, or I am sure he would have told me (he tells me about all
> kinds of home remedy stuff over the phone, for free).
>
> Anyway, I'd like to hear from you if you know of any adverse reactions
> to the shots (I assume they're shots?). Are the administered
> intramuscularly or in a vein? If they're in a vein, I certainly would
> be able to manage this.
>
> Anyway, thanks again, and have a great holiday!
>
> Hilary

From what I've seen of vets doing it, they take a bit of skin and pull it up
into a "tent" and inject the vaccination subcutaneously - but please don't
go by that alone - I'm *NOT* a vet or vet tech and have *NEVER* given my
cats shots (some here have had to give subcutaneous fluids though, so they
may know more). I agree with Sherry, I'd get a vet or vet tech to show me
how to do it before trying it on my own.

Hugs,

CatNipped

[sriddles@aol.com]

wrote:
> wrote:
> >
> > Good luck. She sounds like a grand old cat. She must be pretty savvy to
> > have survived as a semi-feral to old age.
>
> Sherry and Catnipped, thank you *so* much for taking the time to answer
> me. I was totally unaware--for two and a half years!--that you could
> buy vaccines over the Internet. I don't even think the vet I talked
> about knows, or I am sure he would have told me (he tells me about all
> kinds of home remedy stuff over the phone, for free).
>
> Anyway, I'd like to hear from you if you know of any adverse reactions
> to the shots (I assume they're shots?). Are the administered
> intramuscularly or in a vein? If they're in a vein, I certainly would
> be able to manage this.
>
> Anyway, thanks again, and have a great holiday!
>
> Hilary

The rabies vax is intramuscular and is given in the upper part of the
right hind leg. I'm sure you could learn to inject the cat, but if it
were me, I'd have to have someone show me how the first time. Good
luck.

Sherry

[violetvache@yahoo.com]

wrote:

> The rabies vax is intramuscular and is given in the upper part of the
> right hind leg. I'm sure you could learn to inject the cat, but if it
> were me, I'd have to have someone show me how the first time. Good
> luck.

Thanks again (and Catnipped). Whoa, I got light-headed just reading
your posts, so I'm definitely not going to attempt it. I *may* try to
order the vaccine online, though, and see if a student from a local vet
tech program could possibly help.

Thanks again!

[PawsForThought]

wrote:
> PawsForThought wrote:
> >
> > http://home.earthlink.net/~pawsreflect/vaccinosis.html
>
> I read this article 'cause I'm in agony about vaccinating an old cat
> (15) for rabies. She has been a feral and even though she's lived with
> us for many years successfully, she *keeps her distance*. Even the vet
> we trapped her for and took her to for initial vaccinations and
> neutering said don't ever put her through vet trauma again if at all
> possible. (I am not making this up, he really said "it's just not
> worth it for anyone involved." And this guy has the reputation of
> being THE most compassionate barn-vet in our region.)

I guess you need to weigh the benefits vs non-benefits of vaccinating
this cat. Some vets now believe that vaccines last much longer, and
possibly even provide life long immunity. Here's another article you
might find interesting.

"Dr. Ronald D. Schultz, Ph.D..- "Annual revaccination provides no
benefit and may increase the risk for adverse reactions. The percentage
of vaccinated animals (those vaccinated only as puppies) protected from
clinical disease after challenge with canine distemper virus, canine
parvovirus and canine adenovirus in the study was greater than 95%."
Current and Future Canine and Feline Vaccination Programs. Dr. Ronald
Schultz is a Professor and Chair of the Department of Pathobiological
Sciences at the School of Veterinary Medicine, UW-Madison. Schultz,
R.D. - Current & Future Canine & Feline Vaccination Programs. Vet Med
3: No. 3, 233-254, 1998 more. A chart provided in the report shows
immunity levels for all vaccines currently given to dogs lasting a
minimum of 5 years with most lasting 7-15 years!"

http://www.shirleys-wellness-cafe.com/petvacc.htm