Coping With Animal Health Problems

When we vaccinate our felines it is to ensure their health and to be responsible pet owners. It was unthinkable to me that the vaccine given to prevent feline leukemia promoted a far more aggressive cancer in my pet but that’s exactly what happened. Following her routine vaccinations our cat Josie developed a rapidly growing tumor on her left hind leg. Our vet recommended the amputation of her leg to treat this fibrosarcoma as an attempt to save her life.

Josie’s leg was removed at the end of July and she is getting around pretty well as a tripod. We are hopeful that the cancer will not return but we are already able to feel in small lump in the area of her incision less than two months following her surgery. This type of cancer is so aggressive that it often returns after a complete amputation and it is one of the reasons that cats are no longer given their vaccinations in the scruff. Clearly this is a known complication and it saddens me that pet owners like myself are unaware of this problem until a beloved pet falls victim to this vaccine associated cancer.

I believe that this condition occurs more frequently than those in the veterinary field would like us to believe. Both the rabies shot (given in the right hind leg) and the leukemia shot (given in the left hind leg) have been shown to encourage the growth of soft tissue fibrosarcomas. The pathology report on Josie’s amputated limb confirms that her cancer has a high rate of reoccurence and that the tumor growth is directly related to a feline leukemia vaccine she has received. If/when her cancer returns, the treatment will likely include surgery to remove part of her pelvis. I’m not sure what we will do then but I’m not ready to say goodbye to my 8 year old companion.