I was a responsible pet owner and took my new kitties to have their shots. Well my one kitten has had a huge lump in her neck ever since (it’s been 24 days!) Right before the guy did the shots he warned it would burn and said there would be a lump for probably a couple weeks but not to worry (it won’t be a tumor.)
When we recently brought her in for her second set of shots, his reaction to seeing that the lump was still there was “hmm”… He took her in the other room and poked it and said “sometimes they get air in there”…
She used to be really affectionate and now she doesn’t really like anyone to touch her and it’s been weeks. I also don’t know if it’s related but it seems like she can’t purr anymore, she used to purr all the time. She’s still active and is eating alright, it’s just that the bump doesn’t seem normal. Does anyone have any helpful advice? I’m getting concerned since the guy who did the shots was an assistant, not the regular doctor… Please help!?
This happened to my cat but the lump did eventually go away. It took awhile though and I was in a panic. I read that the vets shouldn’t use that area for shots anymore because cats are getting tumors, sometimes cancerous ones from the vaccines going in that area. My cats lump did go away, maybe you can give it a little more time to see if it too goes away. I also think that sometimes they don’t feel well after the vaccine depending on which ones they got at the time. Trust your instinct though, if something doesn’t seem right, call the vet and let them know your concerns.
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Vaccines should never be given in the scruff of the neck. Because of the incidence of vaccine associated sarcomas (tumors), injections are given at the top of the leg - thus allowing amputation if a tumor does indeed form. I don’t know if this is a tumor or not, or if it’s a vaccine reaction - but I’d be seeing another vet for a second opinion. You can always go back to this vet if you are comfortable with him - but get the second opinion. Or if you have only seen the tech that gave the vaccine, insist on an appointment with the regular vet.