Vaccines and my vet.... is it true? (eating, vomiting, bite)
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He said most cats are now vaccinated in the leg or tail. Why can't safe vaccines be made?
When Jonas was vaccinated, he was always vaccinated as far down on the leg as possible for the reason quoted...so that if a sarcoma did develop, he still stood a chance of survival. The hope is that you can amputate the leg and save the cat, but the sarcoma can actually spread quite a bit. It doesn't tend to migrate to other tissues in the way some cancers do...like start in a bone in the leg and appear in the lungs. But it does send out tiny tendrils of cancer tissue away from the main mass, which means amputation isn't always curative. The other unique thing about this cancer is that it spreads faster if you mess with it, so doing a biopsy isn't recommended. Instead of removing a piece for testing, the recommendation for a suspected sarcoma is to remove the whole thing with wide margins...that way it's over and done with, and you aren't leaving cancer behind to grow faster while you're waiting for lab results. Of course you still want to test the mass after the entire thing is removed.
We came very close to sarcoma with Jonas and had to take him to an oncologist at Penn to have a vaccine-related mass removed. Luckily it was inflammatory tissue and not a sarcoma.
He said most cats are now vaccinated in the leg or tail. Why can't safe vaccines be made?
I'd guess it's mainly a problem of cats' immune systems being so reactive. For another example, look at heartworms. Rare as they are in cats, they are extremely dangerous. Some of this is because cats' vessels are so small so one little worm can cause a lot of damage. But the main reason is that when the worm dies and begins to break down, the immune system has a massive reaction that is usually fatal.
The inflammation caused by almost anything can, to my understanding, result in cancer. I've read that even shots that contain nothing more than saline can trigger it, as well as other irritations or traumas such as a broken bone or a cat fight abscess. And of course, with vaccinations you want the immune system to react. So it's kind of a catch-22.
For what it's worth (which is not much, being anectdotal ) in my 11 years as a vet tech I haven't seen one case of vaccine-related sarcoma but I have seen far too much suffering and death due to vaccine-preventable diseases. I'm sure others have a different experience, but that's mine.
We came very close to sarcoma with Jonas and had to take him to an oncologist at Penn to have a vaccine-related mass removed. Luckily it was inflammatory tissue and not a sarcoma.
I'm glad they got it out BEFORE it turned cancerous. The more I read up on these vaccines the more concerned I get. But what's the alternative? Rabies is by law and some of these other infections can kill cats horribly as anyone knows who have worked for a vet.
I'd guess it's mainly a problem of cats' immune systems being so reactive. For another example, look at heartworms. Rare as they are in cats, they are extremely dangerous. Some of this is because cats' vessels are so small so one little worm can cause a lot of damage. But the main reason is that when the worm dies and begins to break down, the immune system has a massive reaction that is usually fatal.
Yes, this is another concern of ours. HW in dogs is very common where I live. We don't have the cats on HW medication and they've never had the blood tests done for it. They are not on monthly Revolution to prevent HW either.
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The inflammation caused by almost anything can, to my understanding, result in cancer. I've read that even shots that contain nothing more than saline can trigger it, as well as other irritations or traumas such as a broken bone or a cat fight abscess. And of course, with vaccinations you want the immune system to react. So it's kind of a catch-22.
You got that right. Back in the 50s, 60s and 70s we didn't see all this cancer in cats. I'm wondering if it can be related to what cats are fed these days also, not just caused by vaccines and other types of inflammation.
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For what it's worth (which is not much, being anectdotal ) in my 11 years as a vet tech I haven't seen one case of vaccine-related sarcoma but I have seen far too much suffering and death due to vaccine-preventable diseases. I'm sure others have a different experience, but that's mine.
My experience matches yours. I never saw a case of it either in the years I worked in Animal Hospitals.
Yes, this is another concern of ours. HW in dogs is very common where I live. We don't have the cats on HW medication and they've never had the blood tests done for it. They are not on monthly Revolution to prevent HW either.
You got that right. Back in the 50s, 60s and 70s we didn't see all this cancer in cats. I'm wondering if it can be related to what cats are fed these days also, not just caused by vaccines and other types of inflammation.
My experience matches yours. I never saw a case of it either in the years I worked in Animal Hospitals.
You may know a lot more than me, but I can tell you that our cat died from a large mass in the abdomen around 1970. An MD radiologist friend of my parents examined him! I wonder if many cats died of cancer but we didn't know.
You may know a lot more than me, but I can tell you that our cat died from a large mass in the abdomen around 1970. An MD radiologist friend of my parents examined him! I wonder if many cats died of cancer but we didn't know.
That's possible Martha. Cancer in cats existed back then for sure. It probably always has, but nothing like what we hear about now.
You can use titers instead of vaccination if you are wary of the latter. (I am.) My first cat didn't have any vaccinations after about 3years of age, and she lived to be 19 1/2 years old - an indoor-outdoor cat - and died of feline kidney disease (which I blame myself for, bec. I let the landlord spray the aprt for roaches.)
My present cat - only got one vac - and that bec. I had to when I adopted her, and it almost killed her. Since then, she hadn't had any. She is also indoor-outdoor and at 13 healthy. Anecdotal to be sure, but that is my experience.
From what I read about vaccinations I would not vaccinate a cat. If I was worried about disease, I'd use titers.
My present cat - only got one vac - and that bec. I had to when I adopted her, and it almost killed her. Since then, she hadn't had any. She is also indoor-outdoor and at 13 healthy. Anecdotal to be sure, but that is my experience.
From what I read about vaccinations I would not vaccinate a cat. If I was worried about disease, I'd use titers.
Not all vets will do these titer tests. By law, here in TN, our cats must be vaccinated for rabies. As for the other shots, they wont get boosters beyond the kitten age.
Each leg is usually assigned a difference vaccine! That way the vet can pinpoint which vaccine was the culprit.
Geeze.... don't make safe vaccines, just cut their legs off if they get cancer from the shots. Doesn't this just make you fuming mad?
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) in my 11 years as a vet tech I haven't seen one case of vaccine-related sarcoma but I have seen far too much suffering and death due to vaccine-preventable diseases. I'm sure others have a different experience, but that's mine.
