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My dog was given a three year rabies vaccine without option of a one year, now she has mast cell cancer.
In hindsight, I suspect this is what brought on her cancer. I am very upset that the vet did not disclose options to me. Makes sense the three year dose is a mega dose and tougher on their immune system.
My dog was given a three year rabies vaccine without option of a one year, now she has mast cell cancer.
In hindsight, I suspect this is what brought on her cancer. I am very upset that the vet did not disclose options to me. Makes sense the three year dose is a mega dose and tougher on their immune system.
My sister is a vet and informed me that current research indicates that it is the act of the needle going into the skin that can cause the sarcomas, not the stuff in the vaccine as previously thought and thus, there is no real difference in risk with the 1 year or 3 year (or any other type of vaccine for that matter). However, she said that a good number of vets haven't re-educated themselves on the issue and continue to use purevax, which is only currently approved for 1 year, to be conservative (even if the state allows for 3 year vaccines). I haven't looked into the research myself yet, so take this all with a grain of salt; however, my sister is a younger practicing vet (i.e., educated more recently from Cornell vet school) who does tend to keep up with research and goes to conferences each year. Another vet informed me that although purevax is currently only approved for 1 year (and on back order right now at some places), the company is looking to get it approved for 3 years, which would make this issue a non-issue regardless.
EDIT: I found the research supporting what my sister indicated. See the review in the 2013 AAFP Feline Vaccination Advisory Panel Report (Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery, 15(9), 785-808): http://jfm.sagepub.com/content/15/9/785.full.pdf+html
It is free to download, so you can see page 12 of the pdf for the following excerpt (I have bolded certain parts for emphasis):
"Update on feline injection-site sarcomas (FISS)
Vaccine-associated sarcoma was first recognized as an issue in cats in the early 1990s. While initial studies suggested a risk of sarcoma development in around 2/10,000 doses of vaccine administered, which increased to 13–36/10,000 doses in other studies, current estimates based on larger epidemiologic studies (published between 2002 and 2007) suggest that the risk of sarcoma development following vaccination is actually very low (probably well below 1/10,000 doses of vaccine). Although initial reports linked development of sarcomas at vaccination sites with the use of inactivated rabies or FeLV vaccines, and aluminum-based adjuvants, more recent studies found no relationship between vaccine type, brand or use of inactivated versus modified-live vaccines and the risk of subsequent sarcoma formation.
The impact of using the canarypox-vectored rabies vaccine is still unclear. One retrospective study of histo pathology samples showed no reduction in the prevalence of FISS after the introduction of this vaccine; however, the types of vaccine used were not reported. In a recently published case control study it was suggested that there may be a lower risk of inducing sarcomas with this vaccine than with other rabies vaccines. Many of these studies have also clearly shown that injections other than vaccines also have the ability to induce sarcoma formation.
No studies have been published that define objective methods for reducing the risk of FISS in individual cats presented for routine vaccination. Based on our current understanding of this problem, it is likely that vaccines are not uniquely implicated in the development of injection site sarcomas in cats. FISS risk following vaccination likely results from a complex interaction of multiple extrinsic (eg,frequency and number of vaccines administered over time, composition of the injected product, etc) and intrinsic factors (eg, genetic predisposition, tissue response following injection, etc). The presumed relationship between types of vaccine, inflammation at the site of vacci nation and subsequent FISS development appears complex at best and, if involved, is likely only one among many factors that contribute to FISS development.
Table 5 provides a brief review of considerations and management options for the reduction of FISS risk, taken from current publications. None of these suggestions are known to prevent or cure FISS.
When considering vaccine type, the Advisory Panel recommends that the following be taken into consideration. Recent studies demonstrate that all vaccines carry some risk of inducing FISS, as do at least some other injectable products. Although current information as outlined above does not clearly show differences in risk of FISS development between modified-live and inactivated vaccines, some Advisory Panel members consider that, on balance, risk might be mitigated by the use of modified-live vaccines. There are also other factors that may influence the choice of live versus inactivated vaccines (see Table 6 and Appendix 1 [General FAQs], page 803). Overall, however, the Advisory Panel concluded that, at the current time, there is insufficient information to make definitive recommendations to use particular vaccine types to reduce the risk of FISS."
Hmmm...not sure that I agree with this. If it's the needle, then what about diabetic cats that receive insulin injections daily?
My sister is a vet and informed me that current research indicates that it is the act of the needle going into the skin that can cause the sarcomas, not the stuff in the vaccine as previously thought....."
Respectfully, because we all love our pets, you're trying to help, and I understand the conflicting information, but the above statement doesn't even make sense! If it's the "act of the needle going into the skin" that causes the sarcoma, then why wouldn't that act occuring annually instead of every three years pose an even greater risk?
2) yes, giving a 3 yr rabies vaccine to a cat carries with it a five-fold increase in risk of developing a vaccine-related sarcoma (cancer) at the vaccination site. however, this is NOT because it’s a 3yr vs 1yr vaccine! the difference is that all rabies vaccines approved for 3yrs are adjuvanted vaccines, meaning they contain an additive to stimulate inflammation -basically to help the vaccine be more effective. as of right now ALL 3yr rabies vaccines are adjuvanted. MOST 1yr rabies vaccines are also adjuvanted. as of right now there is only ONE rabies vaccine that is non-adjuvanted (merial’s purevax rabies). it is for cats only and it is currently only approved for 1 yr. so that 5-fold increase in cancer risk is actually comparing adjuvanted vaccines to non-adjuvanted vaccines in cats -NOT 1yr vs. 3yr. in fact, if you use an adjuvanted 1yr rabies vaccine (any brand other than purevax) annually, your cat will be at FIFTEEN times the risk of developing a sarcoma (5 times 3). and, yes, that increased cancer risk comes with all feline adjuvanted vaccines, not just rabies. so ask your veterinarian what they’re injecting into your cat.
My cat received a 3-year rabies vaccine last year. Normally, she gets the 1-year vaccine, but I went to a different vet last time- a so called "feline specialist" who only treats cats. She told me that she prefers to do the 3-year rabies vaccine which I thought was nice since my cat doesn't exactly enjoy shots. However, I vaguely remembered reading something about the 3-year vaccine having more side effects than the 1-year vaccine and I asked the vet about it and she assured me there was no problem.
So today, I Googled the 3-year vaccine and I was horrified to read that cats supposedly have five times the risk of developing a certain type of cancer from receiving this vaccine as opposed to the 1-year vaccine.
So my thoughts are:
a) Why would a vet who specializes in cats even be using this vaccine?
b) Why would she give me no warning before injecting my cat with this stuff?
Can someone tell me anything to put my mind at ease because I'm ready to sue!
HI. I just found your comment and was reading thru. I know this is years later but wonder if you could share where you found the info that 3 yrs rabies was a higher risk than 1 yrs. I debating and the last shot my guys got was the 3 yr as well and again, now it time again to get another rabies shot. Im just debating on which to use. of course I only use purvax but not sure if 1 or 3 yr. I hate getting the rabies shot for them. Thanks in advance.
HI. I just found your comment and was reading thru. I know this is years later but wonder if you could share where you found the info that 3 yrs rabies was a higher risk than 1 yrs. I debating and the last shot my guys got was the 3 yr as well and again, now it time again to get another rabies shot. Im just debating on which to use. of course I only use purvax but not sure if 1 or 3 yr. I hate getting the rabies shot for them. Thanks in advance.
It's different now from when this thread was started 7 years ago. Back then the only non-adjuvanted rabies vaccine was the PureVax one year vaccine.
PureVax now has a 3 year non-adjuvanted rabies vaccine so the issue really isn't an issue any more. Just make sure your vet uses PureVax.
I never heard of a rabbies vaccine causing tummors in cats. In Europe a one year vaccine is given once in every 3 years. Is it possible that maybe your vet did just that?
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