Adverse Vaccine Reactions

Re: Adverse Vaccine Reactions

patrick murphy — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 13:43:42 GMT

we biopsied one the other day, that was in that region, and was cofirmed as an agressive sarcoma, but it was the size of my fist, rock hard, and invading into the shoulder blade.

Re: Adverse Vaccine Reactions

Hannah Wynne Richards — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 10:43:03 GMT

Robin What brand of vaccine do you use ?Does it have an adjuvant ?

Wynne

Re: Adverse Vaccine Reactions

Julian Earl — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 22:54:56 GMT

[quote user="newgradvet"]

[quote user="Julian Earl"]I thought that IMHA is one condition where there is a definite link with vaccination?[/quote]

My understanding/teaching on IMHA was that if its primary it is not caused by anything and secondary can be initiated by any medication (Including vaccines but also antibiotics, nsaids etc) or illness, inflammatory process.

[/quote]

That was my understanding also; I did not mean to suggest that all cases were vaccine-associated, more that vaccines are in the list of definite associations.

Re: Adverse Vaccine Reactions

Utlendigur — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 15:36:28 GMT

[quote user="Stephen Courtney"]I might be behind the times...but I thought not. Still do in fact. There was a study that actually showed an INCREASED frequency of this in non-vaccinated dogs...go figure.[/quote]

That's interesting - I was just trying to remember the last few IMHA cases I'd seen and most were unvaccinated from what I remember.

Re: Adverse Vaccine Reactions

Thomas Johnson — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 15:25:32 GMT

I've just examined a kitten that was vaccinated 3 days ago, lethargic, not eating and pyrexic. I suspect an adverse reaction to the vaccine, but I can't prove it, and it's still much better than having cat 'flu like the unvaccinated 2 year old cat I saw in the previous consultation!

Re: Adverse Vaccine Reactions

Claire McConnell — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 13:53:50 GMT

We see very few vaccine related conditions in our practice, a few limping cats (calici) that resolves quite quickly with some NSAID and a few lumps that we monitor and go down v quickly.

[quote user="Julian Earl"]I thought that IMHA is one condition where there is a definite link with vaccination?[/quote]

Re: Adverse Vaccine Reactions

Stephen Courtney — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 13:29:39 GMT

[quote user="Julian Earl"]

[quote user="Stephen Courtney"]

I am NOT including conditions like immune mediated disease that may or may not be linked with vaccinations - I don't believe the connection is valid.

[/quote]

I thought that IMHA is one condition where there is a definite link with vaccination?

[/quote]

I might be behind the times...but I thought not. Still do in fact. There was a study that actually showed an INCREASED frequency of this in non-vaccinated dogs...go figure.

the real problem we had with people looking for vaccine induced injury/ illness all boiled down to the MMR scare that charlatan quack stirred up

Re: Adverse Vaccine Reactions

Bob Russell — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 09:24:42 GMT

[quote user="Robin Grimmer"]

[quote user="Martin Atkinson"]

one cat with a vaccine site fibro-sarcoma many years later.

[/quote]

Is that all? I've seen about one case per year for the last 3 years.

[/quote]

Is there a brand difference? We used Feligen/Leucogen for years - no particular issues. We have changed to Felocell/leucocell which seems less uncomfortable to inject in young kittens but we have a pyrexic kitten on the go which I suspect is vaccination related!

The only fibrosarcoma we have seen in ten years was at an atypical site and we think was post cat fight!

We had lots of miserable kittens with fevaxyn pentofel so stopped using it after a few weeks. The kittens did not come to any harm but it was a bit of a pain!

Re: Adverse Vaccine Reactions

Rob Loxley — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 23:23:57 GMT

[quote user="Stephen Courtney"]10 years ago the classic was lame cats with high fevers within a few hours of a vaccine[/quote]

We see lots of these but usually 2-5days post calici-vaccination; seems to settle with a jab of metacam.

Re: Adverse Vaccine Reactions

Julian Earl — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 22:52:36 GMT

[quote user="Stephen Courtney"]

I am NOT including conditions like immune mediated disease that may or may not be linked with vaccinations - I don't believe the connection is valid.

[/quote]

I thought that IMHA is one condition where there is a definite link with vaccination?

Re: Adverse Vaccine Reactions

Stephen Courtney — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 22:23:02 GMT

I am NOT including conditions like immune mediated disease that may or may not be linked with vaccinations - I don't believe the connection is valid.

Re: Adverse Vaccine Reactions

Stephen Courtney — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 22:21:54 GMT

I mean animals that are unwell directly after the vaccine. 10 years ago the classic was lame cats with high fevers within a few hours of a vaccine. i have seen 3 proper anaphylaxis reactions over the years (20...!) including the puppy that died - that was confirmed at post mortem as findings consistent with anaphylaxis.

I see several animals a year that are tender, possibly a little feverish after a vaccine, and these just get symptomatic treatment . I have seen one cat in the last year that came up with urticarial skin wheals straight after the vaccine - never going to vaccinate that cat again, last year she had a similar but milder reaction ans this year I switched brands for her and she reacted even worse! i have only seen about 3 interscapular vaccine related fibrosarcomas in cats over the years.

I do report all suspected and confirmed adverse reactions - including occasional excessive pain reactions after vaccinating. i think we are so used to vaccinating that we easily forget that these are powerful agents that act on the immune system, and that there is often more going on that we are aware of, I'm no Luddite and am myself vaccinated up to the eyeballs for everything that is appropriate - but we should never forget that things can go wrong. I have reported a couple of vaccine failures over the years - mainly relating to the intranasal kennel cough vaccines.

Re: Adverse Vaccine Reactions

Robin Grimmer — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 19:26:14 GMT

[quote user="Martin Atkinson"]

one cat with a vaccine site fibro-sarcoma many years later.

[/quote]

Is that all? I've seen about one case per year for the last 3 years.

Re: Adverse Vaccine Reactions

Martin Atkinson — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 18:52:17 GMT

Do you include vaccine failure in this or just being ill as the result of the vaccine? If only the latter I can honestly say that in 35 years I have never seen a serious reaction I could definitely attribute alone to a vaccine I've given and wasn't just circumstantial. I always warn the owners that Tiddles might be a bit off colour after his kitty jabs for 24 hrs. but that's it. I've seen one or two kittens go lame but so many seem to get 'polyarthritic-pyrexic' syndrome unrelated to vaccination its difficult to be sure. Other than that I've had one dog which got auto-immune thrombocytopaenia a short while after a booster vaccine and one cat with a vaccine site fibro-sarcoma many years later. I would not consider any of these to be my responsibility and although I might treat at reduced rates as a gesture of goodwill, if the client got uppety about it I would tell them to deal with the vaccine company so long as I had followed their protocol.

Re: Adverse Vaccine Reactions

Rob Davis — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 18:12:02 GMT

I agree with Evelyn - I would not expect the client to pay for treatment. The vaccine manufacturer should be informed via SARRS, and in my experience, they usually offer to cover costs of treatment if they agree that an adverse reaction has occurred.

Re: Adverse Vaccine Reactions

Evelyn Barbour-Hill — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 17:44:30 GMT

On those extremely rare occasions where it has happened, I have treated without charge but made it plain that this is from goodwill and not because I am liable. I have never asked a vaccine company to pay for treatment but they have paid without quibbling for all and any laboratory work (expecting in return to be kept fully informed).

Your point that you started out with a healthy animal is a good one. Never mind the legal liabilities, it would be really a little foolish to insist that the client should pay.