Posted on 01/22/2014 5:45:56 PM PST by Danette
Vaccine injections have been linked to aggressive sarcomas in cats, leading to horrible limb amputations. That could end soon.
(excerpt-interesting reading at source)
(Excerpt) Read more at catster.com ...
Here are two links that will get you thinking about vaccinating your cat.
http://www.catinfo.org/?link=vaccines
http://www.medhelp.org/posts/Cats/fibrosarcoma/show/395079
(these posts are heartbreaking)
We do with no problems yet. But thanks for the info.
Kitty ping
My cat passed away 3 years ago at19 years old. Never taken to the vet, never had shots.
I would like to think that helped prolong her life.
I have a cat with fibrosarcoma. He has had 4 surgeries in 3 years. I just found the tumor has grown back, and we need to take him to the vet again.
I do not know how much longer we will have the little guy. He is almost 12 years old.
Vaccines for cats have been reformulated with a different adjuvant, since it seems the aluminum adjuvant was associated with a higher incidence of fibrosarcoma. It may be that the needle puncture itself—the tissue damage it causes—is a contributing factor.
I do have my cats vaccinated, and will continue to do so. The risk of the diseases that the vaccines protect against is higher than the risk of fibrosarcoma. Also, if you do not have your pet vaccinated against rabies and it bites someone, it will be killed for testing.
bkmk
Probably should do extended trials using the cat vaccines on Progressives before administering them to cats or humans.
There are a lot of vets out there saying that we over vaccinate our pets. The first link above is a good read (one of many) that gives good info on that subject. I believe a lot of vets push vaccines because it is their bread and butter. The new vet shot guidelines are out and they call for 3 year boosters for rabies and core shots. If your vet is still pushing annual they are going against their own association guidelines.
Sorry for you and your kitty.
So, does anyone know if the oral rabies vaccine is available on line, so I can treat the little raccoon family who has adopted me for night visits?
There is a growing number that have stopped vaccinating completely. I’m surprised. Mosi had her kitten series shots and some studies are pointing to that being enough for a your cats life.
She also had her rabies even though she’s an inside only cat and there are no laws for the vaccine in my county or city. She’s not getting another one.
Some cats are even getting cancer from sub q’s and IV needles. It’s terrifying.
There is no oral rabies vaccine.
BUT you’ll find this interesting.....
DSHS to airdrop rabies vaccinations for wildlife
The FVRCP is a 3 year shot, they don’t get FELV because they are strictly indoor cats, and the rabies is an annual shot. I think the frequency of rabies vaccinations is required by law.
Cancer is bad, but so is seeing your kitty die of an infectious disease. I’ve had that happen, too.
Yes, fvrcp is now a 3 year shot. The guidelines were changed in 2006 or 2010? There are vets that still push for annual...just read cat health forums. It amazes me how pet parents don’t educate themselves on basic core vaccines and just show up at their vet and let them do whatever they want.
If you could have a titer test done to prove that antibodies are still active for a particular shot would you still have the shot and risk sarcoma? I’m seeing this more and more on message boards. People are waking up to over vaccinating. The down side is that boarders and city laws aren’t accepting this proof that pets are still covered. It’s all fascinating to me since I still consider myself a newish cat parent. This is happening in the doggy world too.
I do vaccinate my moggies, because when I was a kid, we lost a number of cats to distemper. It was an ugly death for them and devastating for our family. The cats we have now live much longer, typically into their teens. However, I don’t have them vaccinated every year because I don’t think it’s necessary. Usually once every three years.
When I meet a new veterinarian I feel them out for their vaccination philosophy and tell them upfront that I want to get by with as little as possible.
The city of Everett demands rabies vax before licensing and my apt. Building demand licensing.
I don't because my cat is strictly indoors......
Having a titer done will not help if, as some suspect, it is the needle injury itself that causes the sarcoma. The actual vaccine is still perfectly safe—unless you have a cat who has had an autoimmunity disease. I had a cat who barely survived a devastating autoimmune disorder, and I never vaccinated her after that out of concern that it would trigger another autoimmune episode.
Between 1 in 1,000 to 1 in 10,000 cats develop fibrosarcoma as a result of needle punctures. Compared to the chance of getting some horrid infectious disease, that is still fairly low.
I have not checked animal vaccine development to see if nasal or other non-injected forms of the vaccines are being tested. It would be nice if they are; it certainly would make a lot of cat parents happy.
Having had a diabetic, with no other problems, I don't think I believe that a needle injury causes a sarcoma.
I injected my cat sometimes more than twice a day, using a sliding scale not unlike human diabetics use, to dose. He also got sub Q's for awhile. Never a problem.
On the other hand, I have never been big on vaccinations. My cats are all indoors only so all they ever got were the kitten vaccinations.
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