Vaccine reactions: what to watch for

Possible vaccination reactions, and what to watch for:
Adverse Reactions to Vaccination by Holly Frisby, DVM, MS

If you know the danger signs, you'll know if your cat has a reaction and needs to return to the vet or go to an emergency clinic for treatment.

I'm not trying to scare anyone out of vaccinating their pets - vaccines can prevent terrible diseases, and reactions are rare. It's just important to be aware of potential dangers - for safety's sake, try to schedule your cat's vaccinations at a time when you can be home to observe your cat afterwards, to make sure everything is OK. This saved my own cat's life when he suffered an anaphylactic reaction to his vaccines a couple of years ago.

It's a good idea to talk to your vet about what vaccinations he or she recommends, and about the risks vs. benefits of those vaccinations - vaccine and vaccination schedule recommendations vary depending on your own cat's risk of exposure, and your vet can help you decided what's best for your cat.

Thank you for re-posting this thread. The article that is quoted provided me with some extremely timely information just this week after I had taken two of my cats in for their vaccinations.

When Lion started to throw up I thought at first it was just the stress of the travel and the vet visit - it was extremely annoyed and hissed the whole time he was there. I was familiar with other types of reactions - the lethargy, the swellings and the flushed, hot dryness of nose and ears and pads - but never the vomiting. One of my other cats no longer receives the leukemia vaccine because of the above reactions. I had already decided not to vaccinate them this year for leukemia as they are strictly indoors and their existing vaccinations should still provide some coverage. I did not know about the vomiting and the swelling face and itchy skin - all of which Lion was exhibiting. A quick trip to the vet for antihistimine and steroids soon set him straight but it was the timely receipt of the above information that brought the possibility of an allergic reaction of this nature to my attention. I am fairly knowledgeable about my animals' health, but I had never seen this type of reaction discussed before, so I am very pleased that the information was available here, and pointed out to me. So, thank you again.

Kathryn

:bump:

Thanks, Kathryn

just a :bump: for anyone who hasn't seen this.

Thanks so much, Tux!