Do normal people have this many problems?

We took the kittens to the vet today for their 10 week boosters of their FIV/FLV vaccinations, and we found out that two of them have large lumps on their back legs, at the site of their first injections.  It doesn’t necessarily mean anything serious, but we’ll have to keep an eye on the lumps and make sure they go away or they’ll need to be aspirated.  The lumps are so prominent that I can’t believe I didn’t notice either of them myself—it sort of makes me feel like a negligent parent.  I try to “massage” the kittens regularly, just so they’ll be used to being touched all over (especially their feet), but I guess I’ve been passing over their back legs.  We’ve got to keep an eye on the back leg lumps, and make sure no new lumps come up at their new injection sites.  The good news was that the kittens didn’t have that “malaise” which came over them after their first set of injections, so it was pretty much a normal evening for them.

While at the vet’s office and asking one of the techs a question about Rimadyl, I found out that Eli is supposed to have blood work done next week to check her liver function (a standard procedure for dogs starting Rimadyl, but one which no one told us about).  So, we made an appointment for her to go in on Monday for that.

Later in the evening, I was at my desk and I could hear one of the dogs downstairs doing some repetitive licking.  Eli’s stopped doing that since she started taking Rimadyl, so I knew it had to be Dante, but assumed he was licking an elbow abrasion (his elbows get scratched up quite frequently from lying in the yard, and I tend to just treat them with Bag Balm).  When I went downstairs to check it out, I could immediately see that Dante had been licking one of his front feet, as it was all wet and soggy-looking, blech.  I hoped it was just a sore paw pad (again, I drag out the Bag Balm), but in-between two of his toes, on the top of his foot, was a nasty looking red lump.  Crap.  It looks just like the histiocytoma we had removed from his ear last year (which was thankfully benign).  I washed his foot up with some soap and he was quite good about it, and then for lack of something better to put on it, I thought I’d try some hydrocortisone ointment.  I figured it could possibly be an insect bite of some sort, and knew the hydrocortisone would be helpful for that.  I checked on it again a couple of hours later and it didn’t look as if he’d bothered with it at all since I’d cleaned it up, and the lump had really gone down in size and wasn’t red and oozing like it had been previously.  I hope that’s a good sign, but if it’s still there in the morning he’s going to have to go to the vet, too.  He’s a bit older now (he’ll be 6 in July), and he’s a large dog, so any suspicious lumps are cause for concern.  The sooner we catch a problem, the less-expensive it will be to fix (I hope).

I feel I’m being punished by the gods of the retail pet industry for putting off buying a pet ramp to assist the big dogs in getting in the car.  After Eli’s last trip in the car I knew we needed one, but I’ve dawdled about ordering it.  It looks like I’ll have one, possibly two trips to the vet over the next few days to remind me of why getting one is so important.

Posted by Leigh-Ann on 02/22 at 09:53 PM

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  1. Lots of pets does seem to equal lots of vet visits.  It is just such a pain when everything happens at once.  I really hope all the furkids do ok with their lumps and bumps.

    Posted by Simply Coll  on  02/23  at  12:14 PM

  2. I hope your kids won’t get any medical complications.  Lumps sound scary (on a personal note, I have several lumps right now, because it took me too long to notice that my bathtowel was covered in ants)

    Posted by celine  on  02/24  at  04:08 AM

  3. Sorry! Here’s hoping all is fine and not too spendy.

    Posted by Diana  on  02/24  at  06:25 AM

  4. I hope that the visit to the vet went well.  We had a similar problem with our JRT.  She ended up with a lump at the site of her injection on her hind leg.  We had it removed in September and she has been fine ever since.  I am concerned about taking her in for her upcoming shots though.  :-S I sure don’t want it to happen again!

    Posted by Expat  on  02/24  at  07:52 AM

  5. Hmmmm, already reacting to the FeLV vaccine? Simple solution: don’t let the cat outside. I realize that this is often easier said than done. I’ve had cats that have refused to stay indoors, and have used their feline wiles to escape on a regular basis. Most of them eventually came to grief. As for the FIV vaccine, the American Association of Feline Practitioners recommends against it. If a cat who has been vaccinated against it gets tested, the test will show up positive and there will be no way to tell the difference between a vaccinated and an infected cat. Serious problem.
    As for lumps, with kittens it’s almost certainly not that, but the danger of vaccination-site sarcoma always looms….

    Arlo

    Posted by arlo muttrie  on  02/24  at  09:07 PM

  6. I actually don’t allow any of my cats outside.  The reason I thought they should be vaccinated for *everything* is because if someone adopts them, I want to make sure the cats are protected.  I wouldn’t want an adoptive family to allow the cat(s) outside, but once they leave my house, it’s sort of out of my hands.  I was trying to be thorough.  Also, I do bring in strays during the year, and even though I’ve always been able to keep the strays separated from my pets for the duration of their stay, I worry about possible contact.  I’d feel terrible if I took in stray and it accidentally infected one of my pets with something. 

    So, for those reasons, I have the cats vaccinated for everything.  If I just lived in an apartment with one cat I wouldn’t bother, but in a house with numerous cats, a doggie door, and the occasional feline houseguest, I figure I can’t be too careful.

    Posted by Leigh-Ann  on  02/24  at  09:24 PM

  7. The Beasts cost us a fortune also.  Jaxsun has been the most expensive, but I think that’s because his previous owners didn’t have the money—or desire—to take care of him.  Thus, he’s become a pooch with a delicate system and becomes ill a fair amount with hotspots (although, knock wood, we seem to have figured out what is causing them and eliminated the factors), ear infections, and the worst, numerous bladder infections due to crystals.

    I have never had the lump issue with any of my cats. We keep them all up to date with *everything* because we let two of them out (Caesar stays in due to a lack of front claws). I hope the kittens are ok!

    I microchipped all four of them, just in case and keep collars with tags on all The Beasts.

    Posted by Nio  on  02/25  at  09:06 AM

  8. Microchips good. *everything*? you might want to read around a bit. In particular, I’d google the name Ron Schultz. He’s a veterinary immunologist at University of Wisconsin’s vet school.

    Posted by arlo muttrie  on  02/26  at  04:08 PM

  9. I vaccinate all my pets for “everything” that my vet recommends.  We follow all the current protocol recommendations from the AVMA, i.e., we don’t vaccinate every year, but every three years (with the exception of bordatella, which we often skip entirely because our pets have no contact with other dogs, except when they visit the vet).  My vet doesn’t vaccinate my elderly German shepherd for anything except the legally required rabies vaccine, again, once every three years.  I trust my vet, and she’s always been wonderful with us when she takes the time to discuss all our options, the pros and cons of each, etc.  She also explained to us that many studies show that vaccines can offer immunity for up to seven years, but that the results seem to depend on the individual pet. 

    So, when I say I vaccinate for “everything”, I do it with the support of a vet who’s known us and our pets for the last 5 years.  My dogs live very isolated lives and never see another dog unless they’re at the vet’s office, but my cats are another story as we’re always bringing in strays and fosters.  I understand Dr. Schultz’s belief that a healthy adult cat is unlikely to ever be infected by FLV, for example, but most of my adult cats are elderly, and I have no way of knowing their healthcare history as they were seniors when I adopted them. 

    I guess my overall feeling is, I have to trust my vet.  I don’t trust blindly—I have varying degrees of trust in all the vets at the practice we patronize—but the one specific vet we try to see on a regular basis is informed and concerned, and I truly believe she’s doing what is best for our pets, and not what’s best for her practice’s bank account.

    Here’s a nice summary of the latest thinking regarding vaccinations:  http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8572826/

    P.S.  Microchips are great, but our city shelter is notorious for not checking for them.  I think it’s out of sheer laziness, but they’re no guarantee your pet will be returned to you here.  Our own vet lost a cat through her doggie door, it was chipped, but the shelter claimed they hadn’t picked up any cat with chips.  The vet went down to the shelter to check and lo and behold, there was her cat.  She made the shelter pull out their chip scanner and the chip showed up and was working fine.

    Posted by Leigh-Ann  on  02/26  at  04:43 PM

  10. I believe you about what you say about your veterinarian. I also believe that the vast majority of veterinarians are honest people whose primary concern is the health of their patients. I think that the science is changing, though, and I think we all need to stay aware. Alas, whatever we think now probably isn’t the last word. No doubt new findings will constantly challenge us.

    Posted by arlo muttrie  on  02/27  at  09:05 AM

  11. to Leigh_Ann:

    I would be curious to follow these cats, though, and see if the ones that have reactions as kits or as first time vaccinates are the ones that are prone to sarcomas. Also, did your cats receive an adjuvanted vaccine (not Purevax)?

    Posted by arlo  on  03/02  at  03:43 PM
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