Sick because of annual shots??

Yesterday my Zazou and Snoopy went to the vet for their annual shots. They both got a clean bill of health.
This morning Zazou is acting really weird. She cries when I pick her up, she is in her bed all the time, no eating and no drinking, she is so lethargic... :eek:
I phoned my vet and asked his advize. He said to keep a close eye on her and wait 24 hours. If she is still acting this way, then he wants to see her :rolleyes:

None of my cats ever reacted this way on their shots, so I am very worried. Please tell me that this is not abnormal????

Poor Zazou! Give her a cuddle from me.

Neither Cally or Brody reacted to any of their shots - I hope she improves during the day. If she is no better this afternoon I'd take her back to the vet so he can check her over

Lut...I always get scared when I hear about reactions like this after shots. If you remember we all thought the same thing about Lilith. It was the shots. But as you know it wasn't.

I hope and pray to God that is all it is.

Has she been tested for felv and fiv?

I don't want to scare you. But with what happened to Lilith it is usually my first thought when seeing this kind of thing.

Poor Zazou. Give her a big hug and kiss from me. My Belle did that before, scared me too but ended up being fine in a day or two. I don't remember what shots she got at that time, but she reacted pretty much the same. I will have little Zazou in my prayers for a quick recovery. ((((hugs))))

Every year I go through this with Vita. She does NOT like going to the vet, she does NOT like the carrier, she does NOT like being in the car, she does NOT approve of whatever shots she has to get . . . the list goes on and on. She gets so nerved up. Then we come home and she is out of sorts, won't eat, mostly sleeps for 2 or 3 days. It's how she reacts to the whole thing. But every time, I worry. My other cats have varying degrees of irritability with Crystal having NO effects what so ever. Nothing ever seems to phase Crystal. :rolleyes:

It is 3.30pm now, and 30 minutes ago, Zazou climbed out of her bed, stretched carefully, and walked to the kitchen. I followed her to see where she was heading for.... . It was to her foodbowl!! She ate half of the tuna I put in there, and then returned to the safety of her cosy bed :) . I think she is on the mend, because she did a short kitty-wash before she departed for "dreamland" :)

We've had reactions are our house. I asked our new vet about reactions to shots. What he does when annual shots are administered. He does give a steriod shot plus sends you home with baby bendryl (spell?). This helps/prevents reactions.
2 of my gang throws up. :(
Also bendryl, helps settle them down from the experience of being at the vets. Allot of times it's the stress of being there etc that brings on reactions.
Something I didnt know.

Yippee!!!! glad to see you are feline better Zazou!!

Both Halo and Pepper get sick if they receive more than 1 vaccination during a vet visit. Halo will get a bad fever and Pepper will get very angry, huddle in her bed and growl for a whole day! Our vet told us that there is a medicine they can give them before the vaccination that will minimize the reaction, but that's yet another shot! So, we've decided that they will only receive 1 vaccination a visit. If that means that we have to bring them back a week later for the next shot, that's fine. I would prefer to pay for another office visit than see them ill and hurting.

Our cats no longer get the distemper shot. Several of them had very violent reactions. I talk about this to our vet, and she said OK. Everyone still get rabies. Glad to hear there is improvement...

I'm very pleased to hear that Zazou is feeling more herself, that must have been a great relief to you.

I do what Lisa does, one vaccination per visit, even for my adult feral and it's nerve wracking getting him to a vet and coping with him while there. There are some cats who are fine with a bombardment of different vaccines into their immune systems and some who can't cope - even though they are perfectly healthy cats. Simka used to be unwell for a day, even with only one shot, and one of my cats was unable to cope with any vaccinations after the age of 7.

*PHEW* I am so happy to hear that Zazou is feeling better.

Give that beautiful girl a gentle hug and kiss for me, please. :)

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Originally Posted by kuhio98

Both Halo and Pepper get sick if they receive more than 1 vaccination during a vet visit. Halo will get a bad fever and Pepper will get very angry, huddle in her bed and growl for a whole day!

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The same thing happens with my Sophie. She gets a fever and extremely lethargic. The first time it happened, I really thought she was dying. I ran her to the animal ER here, and they said it was just the vaccinations.

Now when she gets them, she only gets one of them per visit. She still gets lethargic, but no where near as sick as she did the first time.

Thankfully, she's the only one who reacted that badly to the vaccinations.

I'm so glad that Zazou is feeling much better. She is acting more like herself. What a fighter!!! ;)

Once when Angel went to the vet and got shots, she wasn't herself either. Like she would eat, drink and all that kitty stuff, but she would walk around like she got drunk! :eek: When she was going to use her litter box (which was in the basement) she tripped down the stairs because she couldn't walk right. The poor girl :( Thank goodness Angel got better later that day! :)

I'm not a big fan of shots. Last time we got shots for our dog, she got a severe reaction. I don't believe in shots anymore and don't give them. Going on 10 yrs now and never had a sick dog. Seems they were always sick with those shots. :)

Some info on vaccinations:

Severe reactions to vaccinations usually happen within 12 hours.

Any vaccine may cause some animals to be 'sluggish' for a day or two afterwards, however may not affect some animals one bit.

More than 2 vaccinations given at the same time increase the likelihood of 'sluggishness'.

Vaccinating a sick animal is generally not advised. If your animal is sick don't wait until they are due for vaccinations to combine the trip, your pet probably won't be vaccinated then if it is sick.

Different name brands of vaccines may contribute to reactions or 'sluggishness'. (we changed brands of vaccines a year ago because of the number of 'sluggish' animal calls we were recieving not to mention the number of vaccine site bumps that persisted up to 4 weeks later. The brand of vaccine we are using now has almost completely stopped those worried owner calls we were getting.)

While no vaccine is a 100% guarantee, however not vaccinating increases your pets risk dramatically of getting a disease.

Just because you (or your parents, or uncle, or great, great aunt so-and-so) had a pet that never recieved vaccinations/heartworm preventative doesn't mean that those things aren't necessary, it just means you (or your parents, or uncle, or great, great aunt so-and-so) were just lucky to the benefit of your pet.

Sarcoma's (type of cancer) can come from ANY injection not just vaccines.

Sarcoma's (type of cancer) can come from ANY injection not just vaccines

:eek: My Cally died of a sarcoma - does these mean that the treatment she was having for a gum infection could have caused it :eek: LES :(

my cat gets sluggish' after her shots

Today Zazou is her usual self: a playful and loving sweetie!

I'm so glad to hear that Zazou is okay now.:) Sky has become ill 1-2 weeks after his distemper shot and Pearl also becomes very lethargic for a few days. I've now decided to only have the rabies shots given to them because they're all indoor cats and they don't go any where except to the vet. I've also read that some of these shots can contribute to IBD and I think that Starr may have this.

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Originally Posted by Brody's Mum

Sarcoma's (type of cancer) can come from ANY injection not just vaccines

:eek: My Cally died of a sarcoma - does these mean that the treatment she was having for a gum infection could have caused it :eek: LES :(

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I don't know if it could have been related or not. Studies have been done to show that sarcoma's can be caused by any type of needle poke, regardless of what's in the needle. However I believe sometimes sarcoma's just happen due to genetics or environmental factors.

I'm glad to hear that Zazou is feeling better!! Poor girl! To me, it sounds a lot like a reaction to shots.

Lily, who is usually always healthy, also seems to be under the weather the day after her shots, she's lethargic, sleepy and doesn't eat. It's easy to see that she's not well, but so far, it never lasted longer longer than one day.

Luna, on the other hand, never shows any reactions to vaccines.

Kirsten

We don't vacinnate in this house either only when they are puppies or kittens and that's it.

over vacinating has definitely been cited as the cause of reactions and cancers and death. Those vacines can last for many years and an annual vaccine is overkill which your vet will not tell you! It's what makes them their money as well as the kick back on prescription foods.

Do some serious research on vacines. It will shock you! Cats years ago never needed them and never got sick like our cats do today.

sorry if I step on toes, which I don't mean to do, just trying to help you save your pets from overkill.

Hugs
Lucy

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Originally Posted by lovemycats

over vacinating has definitely been cited as the cause of reactions and cancers and death. Those vacines can last for many years and an annual vaccine is overkill which your vet will not tell you!

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Of course there can be vaccine reactions, whether cat, dog or humans. (do you not get imminizations for Tetnus, smallpox etc. because of possible reactions?) In most cases reactions are mild if present at all, and death or cancers are much more rare than the diseases they protect against, and some of the diseases are incurable and result in death as well. As I discussed earlier in this thread, the brand of vaccine a vet uses may affect the number and severity of reactions.

Annual vaccinations are a debate among veterinarians. There has been alot more research into length of immunity in dogs, but very little in cats in comparison. Some vaccines may last longer than others, and some longer than one year, but not all vaccines. Research is still being done on vaccines in cats.

My cat Dusty has been with us since 1995 and has recieved vaccinations for Feline Leukemia, Feline Distemper (CVR-C) annually, as well as her Rabies vaccination every 3 years. She has never had any type of reaction or cancer and she's 16 1/2 yrs old now. My other cats (ages 7, 2, two cats age 5, and three age 4 months) who also recieved and will recieve the same annual vaccinations and have never had any type of reaction/cancer.

I have worked at a vet hospital for almost 7 years, in that time I can't begin to count the number of cats we have vaccinated annually and have only about 2 a year with any type of reactions, mostly mild ones, and never have had an incidence of vaccine sarcomas or a death from vaccinations. However our incidence of finding Leukemia in cats that are unvaccinated are alot higher, and many of those end up being euthanasia's because of the progression of the diseases.

If you have a vet that won't discuss your concerns about vaccines, reactions and length of immunity, then you need to find a new vet.

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Originally Posted by lovemycats

It's what makes them their money as well as the kick back on prescription foods.

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A vet takes an oath (similar to a human doctor) that they will first 'do no harm'. Any ethical vet will NOT deliberately do anything harmful to an animal for the sake of getting $$ later from something he/she did.

A vet has to have a pharmacutical license to be able to carry and dispense medicine from their office. This is an extra cost, requires extra storage space and alot of money tied up in inventory, all for the sake of making it more convienet for their clients and to help animals feel better faster with the meds available right away. Yes they make some money from the sale of those drugs, however their sole purpose of having those drugs is NOT because of vaccinating annually.

There seem to be many vets that like to compete with the pet stores when it comes to the sale of foods, and carry just about as many kinds too. I don't happen to work for a vet like that, we only carry the prescription foods, and we ONLY prescribe them when it's medically necessary, not as a way to make $$$. Actually we make very little off the sale of those foods, and what we do make doesn't make up for the hassle of ordering/stocking, nor for the amount of space it takes up.

If you have a vet that is more interested in selling you many medications/prescription foods without explaining the reason he/she believes it is necessary for your pet, there again I'd find another vet.

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Originally Posted by lovemycats

Do some serious research on vacines. It will shock you! Cats years ago never needed them and never got sick like our cats do today.

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The testing was not available years ago to know cats were dying all over from Feline Leukemia and cats were not a common household pet that people took to the vet. Cat's just simply died and no one knew why. Kind of like for years people thought malaria (caused from bites from an infected mosquito) was caused by poisonous vapors from swamps! Today we have definite tests to explain why these cats were dying and what from. And cats are living longer lives than ever before, it's not uncommon at all for cats to live to be 16-20 years old, all due to vaccines, research, and new/better medicines.

The cat overpopulation increases every year, more people own cats than ever before, and people move all over the country every year. All of this contributes to an increase in unvaccinated cats contracting and spreading diseases such as Lukemia.

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Originally Posted by lovemycats

sorry if I step on toes, which I don't mean to do, just trying to help you save your pets from overkill.

Hugs
Lucy

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I understand that not all people are fortunate enough to have a vet that truely puts the animals first, and not all vets take the time to help their clients understand why they should do xyz for the health of thier pet. It's an absolute shame that the world has to be that way, same as in human medicine.

I understand you only mean to help. If you don't believe in vaccinations as a disease prevention that's your choice. If you don't feel like you can trust your vet in his/her care of your animals and the decisions of treatment/prevention, then I'd seriously consider finding a new vet that you feel you can trust.

I happen to believe in the necessity of vaccinations as a disease preventative, I work in a profession that does that on a daily basis with only a rare incident or two a year, and I have many times seen the suffering, and eventual death (whether euthanised or dying on it's own) from the diseases the vaccines are designed to protect against.

Nothing personal, however I felt the need to respond. We will have to agree to dissagree on this subject, as you are entitled to your opinon as much as I am entitled to mine. No hard feelings intended.

I was going to post a long answer but I will just post some links to reputable sites to read about the subjects I posted here. I only have your pets health at heart!

Celeste Yarnall PHD
Be sure you read this quote further down the page "Many of the world’s foremost holistic veterinarians, including Dr. Christina Chambreau, Dr. Russell Swift, Dr. Charles Loops, and Dr. Richard Pitcairn, agree that commercial pet food and excessive vaccination are behind the many chronic diseases being dealt with today in veterinary medicine, the likes of which were never seen before routine vaccinations and commercial pet food became the norm. "

free ebooks from an animal nutritionist highly respected, Pat McKay;

Pat McKay

Cat Nutrition etc

Lisa A. Pierson, DVM

Read with an open mind! Do your own research!

thank you for you for letting me post.

Lucy