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So, how do you deal with Rabies vaccines when/if your cat has a bad reaction to a previous vaccine?
My cat is indoor only, no other animals in the house. He's 12 now and he had his kitten shots except for Rabies vaccine. I squirmed my way out of the rabies vaccine when he was a kitten. But when he went in for surgery to remove a small cyst about 5 years ago, he had to stay overnight and the vet said he had to have a rabies vaccine (and one other, I can't remember which). At any rate, he didn't get sick but developed a mass at the injection site. It grew larger over the course of a few days, stayed the same for a week or so and then slowly decreased in size over the course of a few weeks. The vet saw him weekly, at no charge, to check on the mass until it was gone. But potential cancer was a concern. Thankfully, it turned out ok but it was a scary time.
Fast forward to today and the vet (different vet, same clinic) is pushing to give him another rabies vaccine. I informed him about my cats previous reaction to the vaccine (which should be in his chart) and he was understanding enough but informed me of the potential of quarantine and euthanasia if my cat bit someone and it was reported. He wasn't using the information as a scare tactic, just wanting me to be informed and understand the possibility. Needless to say that my cat left the clinic without another rabies vaccine (vet was "ok" with it).
So, how do you deal with Rabies vaccines when/if your cat has a bad reaction to a previous vaccine?
My cat is indoor only, no other animals in the house. He's 12 now and he had his kitten shots except for Rabies vaccine. I squirmed my way out of the rabies vaccine when he was a kitten. But when he went in for surgery to remove a small cyst about 5 years ago, he had to stay overnight and the vet said he had to have a rabies vaccine (and one other, I can't remember which). At any rate, he didn't get sick but developed a mass at the injection site. It grew larger over the course of a few days, stayed the same for a week or so and then slowly decreased in size over the course of a few weeks. The vet saw him weekly, at no charge, to check on the mass until it was gone. But potential cancer was a concern. Thankfully, it turned out ok but it was a scary time.
Fast forward to today and the vet (different vet, same clinic) is pushing to give him another rabies vaccine. I informed him about my cats previous reaction to the vaccine (which should be in his chart) and he was understanding enough but informed me of the potential of quarantine and euthanasia if my cat bit someone and it was reported. He wasn't using the information as a scare tactic, just wanting me to be informed and understand the possibility. Needless to say that my cat left the clinic without another rabies vaccine (vet was "ok" with it).
So, how do you deal with Rabies vaccines when/if your cat has a bad reaction to a previous vaccine?