“Bad” vaccine reaction or cancer? :(

[jamesthebackcat]

Hey everyone! I just found you guys and hope it’s ok to pop a question about my little babe.

So my 5 year old cat James got her rabies shot (Versiguard) about 2,5 weeks ago and the RCP vaccine 3,5 weeks ago, both in her right flank/upper thigh. She was a bit sensible to touch right after but perfectly fine otherwise.
2 days ago I noticed a pea sized lump in the area. It does not seem to hurt her. It had some sort of scab (about half a pinky fingernail). I tried to “clean” the area with some saline solution and the “scab” came off. She has no fever and eats, plays and sleeps just fine, she also lays on her thigh so I don’t think it hurts her. I took a couple of picture of it as well. You can see the “scab” and the wound itself after I cleaned it. It does look like there’s a small wound which I think is due to the needle.

I am obviously super worried about fibrosarcoma.

In January she got the Leocogen shot in the neck (could not do otherwise) and she developed a thumb nail big lump afterwards that disappeared about 3 weeks later. It was a bit bigger but it took less time to dissolve


Do you think she’s just more prone to “allergic” reactions to her shots? Should I be worried? My vets on holidays and I don’t want to go all crazy for now, ha ha.


Should it take so long for the jab lump to dissolve? I feel so bad cuz I should have been more attentive.

I also Thought it could be a tick bite but she’s an indoor cat so there’s that… Also, there was no tick


thanks everyone, so appreciated!



Love y’all, James and Hannah

 

[silent meowlook]

There is no way of telling without a biopsy. I would stick with only the absolutely necessary vaccines. Inflammation can lead to cancer.

 

[fionasmom]

My cat has a lump where a vaccine has been given - what do I do now?
Contact your veterinarian if the lump persists for more than three weeks or seems to be getting larger. A small, firm swelling under the skin may develop at the site of recent vaccination and should start to disappear within a couple of weeks.

Vaccines and sarcomas: A concern for cat owners.

The quote is from the American Veterinary Medical Association; I included the reference from which it comes.

My guess is that James might be prone to a vaccine reaction, but recovers. Having said that, it is worth talking to your vet about this since there might be a pattern and bringing up the subject of inflammation/subsequent vaccine reactions. We also can't tell you for sure that it is a vaccine related lump, although I don't think that you are facing an emergency.

 

[silent meowlook]

https://www.boehringer-ingelheim.com/animal-health/companion-animals-products/purevax
There is a vaccine called PureVax which is known to cause less reactions.