Please give me some hope! Vaccination Lump

lovemahkitties

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My 2 year old kitty was vaccinated for rabies with an adjuvanted killed virus. Two weeks after, I discovered a small lump at the vaccination site (rear right leg). I'm aware of the dangers of VAS, but got enough feedback that said it will most likely go down on it's own in time, that we decided to just keep a close watch on it.

Now, here we are one month post-vaccination, and two weeks post-lump discovery, and there has been no change in size. We did see the vet last night and she said that, although it still has a good possibility of going away on it's own, personally she would suggest removing the lump surgically now to just eliminate the risk. Money is not an issue, but we really hesitate to involve anesthesia/surgery unless absolutely necessary. We have a very 'delicate' little guy. We've decided to wait one more week, and if there's no change, we'll choose the surgery (ugh!)

What I want to know is, have any of your kitties ever had a vaccination inflammation/lump that took this long to subside? I'll have more hope if so... The internet is full of worst case scenarios, so I'm worried sick. Help!
 

strange_wings

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My Tomas got one within a couple days of getting his vacs when he was a kitten. It was maybe nickel sized, no heat to suggest an abscess, and didn't seem to pain him at all. I think it was somewhere between 2 and 3 weeks before it completely went away - it's been a few years. I did rush him back to the vet when I discovered it, while she didn't say anything she did act like I was overly paranoid.


Talk to your vet again, they're your best guide for this. If you don't feel confident in your vet's opinion, seek another vet. Make sure to specifically ask your vet what makes them feel that this could be bad - maybe they're just being cautious or maybe they've seen this before and had it turn out to be cancerous.
 

mews2much

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My Coco got a lump from a shot and it took a month to go away but it was a Depo Medrol shot.
I hope the lump goes away.
My friends cat got cancer from the rabies shot.
Can the vet do abiopsy instead of surgery?
I also would not give that shot any more.
My sphynx get the Purvax Rabies shots because it does not have stuff added to it.
 

pookie-poo

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Cleo's first rabies shot produced a pea sized lump that took nearly 3 months to go away. Her lump was freely mobile, and seemed to be intradermal. I had scheduled her for a lumpectomy, but it finally resolved a week or so before the scheduled surgery date. I waited so long, because I was very hesitant to expose her to anesthetic agents, as she was newly diagnosed with renal failure. She is 9 1/2 years old now, and had her first rabies booster this past summer (I have been afraid of re-vaccinating her because of the initial reaction she had.) We didn't experience any problems this time. Good luck....your baby is in my prayers.
 

rang_27

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The first year Levi had his 3 year rabies, he had a lump you could see from across the room. I flipped out and called the vet. She said it was normal and to give it some time. I believe I was told to wait a month. I don't remember how long it lasted, but it did go down and he hasn't had that problem again (he's now 6).
 
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lovemahkitties

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Thank you all so much for your replies. Pookie, I too hesitate about the anesthesia because Marvin has epilepsy, and is just a very petite, highstrung little boy.... he developed his seizures disorder immediately following his neuter surgery, which is why I make the connection to anesthesia. He's not had a seizure in a whole year now (thank god!), and we are currently in the process of weaning him off of his phenobarbital. He's had so much to deal with thus far in his short little life, this lump issue is just another wrench in the midst of everything else.

My cats have never had anything but Purevax rabies vaccinations in the past. After extensive research, I decided years ago that I didn't want anything else for them. In this instance, the vet gave him the wrong injection, despite what all his records said. That makes this doubly upsetting... this shouldn't be happening at all. I know that any injection has risk, but personally I see enough connection between adjuvant and site inflammation and cancer to connect the dots.

I DO trust the vet we just took him too, it is not the one that gave him the vaccination. She said the lump is pretty small and mobile, it's up in the skin and not connected to any muscle or other tissue at this point. I think the most important factor here in why she'd like to remove it is the length of time it's persisting. That is my biggest worry too. Every day I get down in front of him, hold him by his little shoulders, and beg him to please make it go away today. ha. aww...if only.

Anyway, thank you all. The examples of lumps that have lasted for 3 weeks or longer before going away DO give me hope that this will go away. Keep 'em coming!
 

pookie-poo

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When Cleo had her lump, I discussed it with my vet (who is also a personal friend.) She explained that she wasn't worried because the lump was freely mobile (you could push it around and it moved freely, without seeming to be tethered to anything.) Cleo's lump was much like when you get a TB test....the toxin is injected intradermally, and raises a bleb. Obviously, that's not the way to give a cat a rabies shot, but it seems that must have been what happened in her case. I just kept watching it, feeling it every night. I probably would have gone ahead with the excision if it became attached or stuck to the underlying tissue. It did eventually go away, but the watched pot never boils, and the watched lump only s.l.o.w.l.y. disappears.

Give your sweet petite Marvin a smooch from me & the girls!
 
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lovemahkitties

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I hope I have a similar experience to yours... it's true, checking every day is maddening, because progress (if any), will probably be very slow. Yesterday I felt that it was smaller, and was happy all day. Today, I feel like it's bigger, and am in a funk again.

Anyway, unless I've totally botched my signature here (which is possible, I'm not very good at the whole image combining/editing thing!), you'll see Marvin below, along with my sweet girls, Lola and Spivey. All my babies!
 

andelawhi

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My Luna developed a lump on the back of her neck after her first round of vaccinations. We kind of watched it for a while and it just kept getting bigger. The vet suggested we remove it because of the possibility it had for becoming larger and possibly cancerous. When we had it removed it was a little smaller then a golf ball. It cyst came back noncancerous. The incision took a while to heal and it was hard to keep her from itching it with her back foot. We ended up having to make little sock sweaters for her to wear. If you have any specific questions feel free to ask!
 

cruisermaiden

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Mulder got a lump after his last set of kitten vaccinations which included his rabies, but I don't know which one it was. It took about a month before it started to shrink, then it went away very quickly. Good luck with your little guy I am sure you and your vet can make a good informed decision.
 
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lovemahkitties

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Just wanted to close out this thread by saying that, after 9 weeks, Marvin's injection site lump is completely GONE. Whew! Today is the first day (and I check it EVERY DAY) that I cannot locate or feel it at all.

Thanks to those of you that shared your similar stories (which kept me from worrying to death). I'm so happy that my baby isn't (at least currently) one of the truly sad VAS statistics.
 

mustanggoonie

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I discovered a lump on the right hind leg of my sweet Ninja kitten last night and ended up a sobbing mess of worry! She had her rabies shot 2-1/2 weeks ago and I'm definitely concerned about VAS.

Your post has given me some hope. I made an appointment to have the vet check it out. I'm praying that it will go away like your kitty's did.
 

cat princesses

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My Coco got a lump from a shot and it took a month to go away but it was a Depo Medrol sho]
Is the depo medrol shot given between the shoulder blades? My kitty got a depo medrol shot about 3 weeks ago and has a lump that feels rubbery much bigger than a cherry pit in size. I looked this up and seems that depo medrol causes a lump pretty frequently. I wonder how long it will be until it goes away?
 

jinnbrass

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Hey everyone, thanks for sharing your stories. Out little 2 year old Ffy has also developed a lump after a rabies shot, we are now trying to get an appointment. My husband and I are very wary because we've had some bad experiences with the long diagnosis chain with our last cat (RIP at 22 years). This gives us hope that all will be good.... Lot off positive energies to all you guys!!
 
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