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- May 16, 2014
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Have seen many of your posts on immediate (within a day) reactions to vaccines, but has anyone any experience with a severe DELAYED reaction? Pawnee (5 yrs old, spayed DSH) got a Felocel 4 FVRCP and an Imrab 3 rabies booster on April 30. She was totally, completely fine for 8 days. On Friday (a week ago today) she gobbled up her breakfast, seemed just fine, but got quieter and quieter through the day. Would not eat Fri eve or Saturday, Saturday eve temp at 104.5. Took her to emergency vet on Sunday - temp 105. CBC, basic blood panel and FeLV/FIV tests ALL normal. Got 250cc fluids subcu and Convenia. I asked vet about vaccine reaction and he said "very unlikely that far out." Regular vet (Best Vet in The Universe) saw her Monday and her first thought was vaccine reaction. Sure enough, Felocell 4 website says 1% of cats develop fever, lethargy, anorexia beginning 7-21 days AFTER vaccine was given, lasting an average of 12 days. She has spent the week on fluids (subcu and IV), prednisolone, and we've been coaxing her with every possible kind of food (incl KMR). She had one day of a normal temp (and she ate everything in sight), then it went back up, hovering between 103.5 and 104. She's still basically very lethargic, eats very little, feels like crap. Every blood test we've done has come in normal. We do really think this is vaccine-related, but if anyone has been through this, I'd be grateful for your input. It seems we just have to do supportive care, with fluids, steroids, and painkillers, and hang in there till it clears. But it's feeling like a very long haul, and it just kills us to see our tough, smart, active, healthy, opinionated, willful Pawnee in such straits... :-( She was a stray who adopted us, and has been allowed to continue life as an indoor/outdoor cat, and we do get bats in the house occasionally, so I thought I was being a good CatMom by getting her vaccines. I also made a mistake in getting the vaccines from the local vet where our vacation home is instead of from our usual home vet, who would not have stacked the vaccines. She had no difficulty with her first set of vaccines; this was her second vaccination since she's lived with us, and of course we have no clue what her previous history was. I'm beating myself up royally for all this, of course.
But if anyone has seen this happen and has any advice, we'd be so grateful...