Please help! Bad vaccination reaction?!?!

Summer and Chevy both got both their rabies an fvrcp/ch combo vaccinations yesterday afternoon. They seemed okay right afterwards. Summer wanted to try Waltman's S/O sample the vet gave her. She did. A little while later, she threw up all over the hallway. Chevy had one nibblet of it. Chevy consistently threw up like a green water. They've both had all the ingredients in the food before.

Summer slept a lot, but is otherwise normal. She did this the last time she had a three year rabies too. I'm thinking she threw up because she was literally inhaling food! She wasn't chewing the pieces. She seems fine.

My main concern is Chevy. He has been CONSTANTLY itchy all over! He's become a majorly clingy, but I think it has to do with relief where it itches. He literally can't sit still! When he does, he seems to be twitching and he seems to be having spasms in his back legs. Even before giving the Walthams, he seemed this way! He's crazy itching! He also seems to have pain at both vaccination sites. I will call the vet ASAP in the AM, but has anyone else had this happen to them? What was done? Can the vet help?

He had his series of three of the distemper combo and a 1 yr rabies last year with no side effects.

I called the emergency vet....luckily they are close by too. However, she said it sounded as if he was having a bad reaction and it wasn't anything to be concerned about and to bring him in if I felt I should....I'll wait until my regular vet opens, but the is horrible!

How can I NOT be concerned??!?!?!

Sounds like you're doing what you can for Chevy, still, call your Vet like you plan to, and call the Emergency Vet if Chevy deteriorates or symptoms change. You're a wonderful meowmy by the sounds of it.. good luck for you both and best wishes

*hugs*

*you've got the names for the shots, maybe visit the websites for those companies? I've had a look around before on them (earlier this year), and there are usually lists or discussions/papers of known side-effects and treatments available.

Two things that come to my mind is that either they used a different brand of the rabies shot from his 1 yr rabies or he picked up some fleas somewhere.

Watch Summer to make sure that she doesn't start itching too.

They used the same brand of vaccinations as last year. He's lethargic now with the twitching and itching. It seems as if he's either doing that or going crazy! There's no in between! He seems to yelp when touched anywhere! He's an indoor only cat and also had his annual exam yesterday. The vet is very thorough and checks for that.

I've been up since 4 AM. Finally decided to get up then as Chevy kept crawling up and nudging me in the neck and rolling around on me like crazy!

Summer was a little tired (normal for when she's gotten her rabies in the past). However, this morning, she's completely normal. She's eating, drinking, purring, and as loving as usual since we came home.

The rabies company had a recall last year and advised veterinarians to tell their patients to re vaccinate due to ineffectiveness. It was AFDA approved, but proved to lose effectiveness (one dog contracted rabies despite being vaccinated......

I'm taking him to the vet. I'm going to drop him off for observation and a possible benedryl. I'll keep you all posted!

Thanks! I hate feeling so helpless!

I hope he gets sorted out soon. Blossom had a bad reaction to her 2nd kitten vac & it worried me too. Thank goodness she was her old self the next day.

I hope he's going to be ok.

2 of my cats have histories of reactions to vaccines. We get the Purevax Rabies vaccine only. They do really well with it--no reactions. And for their distemper shot, I always get them an antihistamine shot with it.

My Maggie had a reaction to the new Calici vaccine. It was 7 - 8 hours after she got the shot. Her leg was very sore & she had a fever of 104, both of which the vet said are normal, but the concern was that her breathing had changed. She was taking quick short breaths. The vet recommended that I give her some benedryl (it was almost 10 pms at night) and gave me the dosage. Then he said that I should give it to her before hand when she got her booster shot. I did and no problems with the booster. I would never have given her the meds other than the fact that my vet told me I could. I would say in the future it might be a good idea to have the vet give him a benedryl shot before hand.

Sending many prayers that your baby is ok

I'm praying for Chevy to be okay. It sounds very much like an allergic reaction, so hopefully a dose of Benadryl will help. I always get the Benadryl shot with my cats' rabies vaccines, after having one cat react a few years ago. It's so scary!

One of my cats (Butterbean) had a reaction to her shots too. Her kitten shots were fine (that got started at 6 months) but the next year, I had to take her to the emergency vet for what turned out to be antiphylactic (sp?) shock. Being a white cat, her skin turned hot pink and she was lethargic, sitting around in the loaf position, etc.
Now, she gets an antihistamine shot of some sort (can't remember which one, sorry) before her shots (all mine go at the same time, so she gets her pre-vaccine shot, then the others get their vaccines, then she gets her vaccines- about 15 minutes after the antihistamine). It has worked great everytime, and she is 11 this year .

I hope they get your kitty sorted out soon, and he can come home!

lots of vibes for Chevy to be ok!!! I can only imagine how petrified you must be

this is why I don't vaccinate my leukemia babies, I'm scared to death that they'll have a reaction and having no immune system it would surely be very bad.

I waited until the vet opened up and left promptly. He was so out of it on the way there. The vet tech at the front desk rolled her eyes at me when I told her what was wrong (not the same person I talked to on the phone). She was rude, citing he didn't have a reaction last year etc and how its normal for them to have some kind of reaction....then she went to the back and got confirmation of my call and then was a bit nicer. I signed him over to their care and any possible benedryl etc and she told me to remain available to answer my phone.

I was so upset I cried in my car in the parking lot. I hated leaving him. I contemplated not going to class. I decided to go as I would only make myself worry. I called after my classes got out at 12:15 PM. I went to go get him. They gave him a heavy dose of benedryl. She said he would be sleepy and it would probably be best not to let him operate any heavy machinery today

She said it happens in like 1 in 900 cats, so they should be good for awhile and he'll need a benedryl shot before his next shots.

I wonder how often it happens, from what I've read hear and heard other people tell me, it seems more often than that. I also talked to the lady that orders meds. She said she used the same company and they didn't have any of the recalled serial numbered vaccinations last year. Weird....

Afterwards though, I thought...well, I know a guy who became allergic to his horses after 30 years. Our vet actually became allergic to dogs and hay while in vet school. Anything is possible....


He's a little groggy now, but he ate a few bites and used the litterbox.


Thanks guys for your support! I WAS scared to death as I've never seen a cat that sick before! My craziness reactions to my cats is only fully understood among fellow cat people!

I'm glad your kitties are OK!

An allergic reaction to vaccines can develop at any time in a cat's life - it can happen even if a cat was fine with shots for many years. If your cat has ever had a reaction, it's important to discuss the risks vs. benefits of vaccination with your vet.

Here are two articles with information about vaccine reactions:
http://www.purinaone.com/catcare_con...ticleNumber=56

http://www.petplace.com/cats/allergi...ats/page1.aspx (This one will pop up a window asking for your email address, but you can just click 'close' without having to sign up if you don't want to.)

I'm so glad he's going to be ok.

Raven and Nabu both have allergic reactions to the Distemper shot. They have since they were about 2-3 years old. They are also littermates, which is probably why I have 2 cats with issues. Stimpy has no problems with his shots.

It happened to my Ginger, and because of that they have marked on her chart that she is to NEVER receive another vaccine. She had weird vomit - puked all over the house - so I rushed her back to the vet and they gave her sub-Q fluids, which helped, until she started having what looked like mini-seizures. Rushed her BACK to the vet. They fixed that with Benedryl - all within 3 hours of having given her the shot.

I'd be HIGHLY cautious about ever revaccinating your Chevy.

SO glad to know there was solution to his reaction hope he feels like his old self really soon

I'm glad they fixed him up and got him right home! Yea!

Thanks for the links! Looks like he had a moderate reaction. I look at him today, and I'm pretty sure he had hives. His face isn't as chubby. He also had red in the ears on the inside despite not scratching. He's back to his old self this morning! Yay!

Scott and I decided he will not get anymore shots! I wanted to talk to him about it first since he pays for half of all vet bills and we consider them our children.

I just hope they don't pressure me into getting them...with the benedryl shot beforehand. To me, its not worth it! He's an indoor only cat! I'm also questioning whether or not to get Summer vaccinated as she gets older....she's 6.