Vaccinations in the Tip of a Cat’s Tail
According to the authors of a study recently published in the Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery, giving vaccinations in the tip of a cat’s tail instead of
Mercy waiting for his check up
below the knee encourages more cat owners to have their cats treated for cancer if the disease develops at the injection site.
At present, injections are given below the knee joint of the leg, with the understanding that amputation is the most effective treatment for cancer near vaccination sites. But, many owners reject amputation because it is disfiguring, painful and expensive.
The study examined administering vaccinations in the tip of a cat’s tail and found that it appeared to be as effective as giving shots at traditional sites. Tail vaccination would make surgical treatment of cancer near vaccine sites much easier and less disfiguring, the researchers said.
“One to 10 cats out of every 10,000 vaccinated against infectious diseases develop cancer at the vaccine injection site. It’s still important to vaccinate because death from these infections is much more common than the cancer, but unfortunately this complication is one that does affect thousands of cats each year” -Julie Levy, a professor of shelter medicine at the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine.
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Wow, this is really interesting. I’d never heard of tail vaccinations. I’m sharing this post with my fans and my cat loving friends. It’s an interesting alternative and food for thought for sure.
I actually just had a discussion about this topic with my vet (the tail vaccinations, not the Hunger Games!). While tail vaccinations may be more painful than vaccinating in the leg, I still think it’s the right thing to do. 1 in 10,000 is a high incidence, and if it happens to your cat, a tail amputation is far less traumatic than a leg amputation.
What I find far more disturbing is that the veterinary community in general seems to accept that 1 in 10,000 cats is acceptable. Why isn’t there more research into why vaccines are causing these cancers, let alone, into why we are still vaccinating our cats far too frequently? If this were infants or children, the medical community would be in an uproar.
I kind of have mixed feeling about injections in the tails as my cats are very sensitive in their tails and I think they would holler out more. But; hard to tell until it would be done. The Hunger Games video is funny. How did they get the kitties to keep their heads in the holes?
Sue B