Hate Kitten Shot Side Effects

[Roxane0470]

My poor baby 12 week old kitten Oreo had her 1st kitten and shot appointment . She barely ate or drank all weekend and even limped a bit. Now its like it never happened. Any ideas on how to reduce these side effects I hate when my babies don't feel well.

 

[white shadow]

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Hi Roxane0470.

I have read some peoples' suggestions for dealing with 'minor' vaccination side effects with some 'natural'/holistic means.....I suspect you'll get some of those suggestions.

You might also be interested in what a well-respected Veterinarian recommends for a kitten vaccination protocol, given the valid concerns about over-vaccinating cats these days:

Kittens:

Vaccinate kittens with FVRCP twice starting at 8-9 weeks of age with the second, and final kitten vaccine, administered when the kitten is no younger than 16 weeks of age.

The AAFP guidelines state that you can start this vaccine when the kitten is as young as 6 weeks of age but, unless there is a very high index of risk, I would definitely not vaccinate a kitten this young.

We wait until the kitten is at least 16 weeks old to receive his last kitten shot because the antibodies he got from nursing on his mother will have decreased to a low enough level that his own body can respond to the vaccine in order to make his own antibodies. (Maternal antibodies within the kitten can ‘tie up’ the vaccine before his body has a chance to respond to it.)

The AAFP guidelines suggest giving the FVRCP every 3-4 weeks until the kitten is 16 weeks of age. This is done in an attempt to vaccinate the kitten the minute his maternal antibody level wanes to a low enough level to allow him to respond to the vaccine. That way, there will be a minimal gap between the time his mother’s antibodies stop protecting him and the time when he can start making his own antibodies.

That said, I would rather not give this many vaccines to a kitten. Unless there is a high index of risk, I prefer to limit it to 2 vaccines total for the kitten series.

If you read the AAFP guidelines, there is the potential for administering 4-5 vaccines in the kitten series. Given the fact that the FVRCP vaccine has been proven to cause kidney inflammation (nephritis), I am not comfortable following their suggestions.

See Membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis associated with over-vaccination in a cocker spaniel puppy at the bottom of this webpage.

The above case involved an owner who, without veterinary supervision, vaccinated his puppy 7 times – 1 time per month. The puppy died at 7 months of age from kidney failure due to kidney inflammation. The two most striking facts/comments in this case report are:

"In addition, antigens in the complexes were similar to the vaccine antigens in the DHLPP vaccine, suggesting that the glomerulonephropathy in this puppy was secondary to frequent and unnecessary vaccination.”​

and….

"Further studies are required at this time to determine the role, if any, that recent past and current vaccine protocols play in the development of protein-losing nephropathies.”
​

The last statement is very important considering the fact that chronic kidney disease is the most common subject that I consult on and that 2/3 of the kidney cells must be non-functioning before we see any elevation in blood markers such as BUN and creatinine. Therefore, we certainly may be damaging kitten kidneys by giving them 4 vaccines by the time they are 4 months old but not be aware of it.

Put another way – if 7 vaccines in 7 months resulted in the death of a puppy, then I am not comfortable with 4 vaccines within 10 weeks for a kitten.

link: Vaccines for Cats - We Need to Stop Overvaccinating - Lisa A Pierson DVM​

Now, that's just an excerpt from the full article which has important info on which types of vaccines to avoid (pay special attention to the warnings against "adjuvanted" vaccines) - while this is not a quick read, it can be a valuable investment in your kitty's long term health.

Hope that helps!
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[LTS3]

How many vaccinations were given? If it was the FCVRP one and rabies, then it's pretty common for a cat to be a little lethargic for a day or two afterwards. The body is naturally reacting to both vaccinations. You can ask the vet to not give both injections at the same appointment.

 

[Roxane0470]

How many vaccinations were given? If it was the FCVRP one and rabies, then it's pretty common for a cat to be a little lethargic for a day or two afterwards. The body is naturally reacting to both vaccinations. You can ask the vet to not give both injections at the same appointment.

It was one with panleukopenia, rhinotrachetis, Calicivirus mixture.

 

[Daisy6]

It was one with panleukopenia, rhinotrachetis, Calicivirus mixture.

That one is the FVRCP (not FVPRC) and often causes problems in kittens, but also is more important for them than the rabies vaccine and must be repeated. If your vet knows about this and determines that vaccine caused the symptoms, maybe a booster can be reduced to one of the three viruses.

 

[stephanietx]

Make sure you contact your vet with the symptoms so they can document it.

 

[Roxane0470]

Will definitely contact before I take her back in 3 weeks.

 

[stephanietx]

You might also talk about doing the shots at different times (spread out a little bit more) or waiting until Oreo is older. Might even consider not doing them at all with all the reactions she has experienced. (I normally don't recommend skipping kitten shots, but in this case, it might be best. Discuss it with your vet.)

 

[Roxane0470]

You might also talk about doing the shots at different times (spread out a little bit more) or waiting until Oreo is older. Might even consider not doing them at all with all the reactions she has experienced. (I normally don't recommend skipping kitten shots, but in this case, it might be best. Discuss it with your vet.)

I will definitely talk to the vet. I might at least wait 5 or 6 weeks. She is completely indoor anyways so she isn't in immediate danger. What worried me the most was limping and not even wanting her temptation treats. The vet did say she would possibly have a less appetite but she wasn't eating anything all Sunday. I did also give her dewormer given to me by my vet and gave it to her as instructed by my vet. Don't know if that could have also been a factor.

 

[Daisy6]

Indoor cats do need the FVRCP vaccine. There have been arguments it should not be given every year, but this is not the same as kittens skipping boosters.