Lump on shoulder after vaccination

[ravynnm]

Hi all,

My kitten Binx is 19 weeks old this week and on Nov. 25th he went in to get his first vaccines. First, I live in a low-income rural area with only 3 vet clinics and they all use the same vaccines and possibly protocols. He got the FVRCP (modified live)+ FeLV (killed) vaccine by Novibac and it was injected by his right shoulder blade.

Yesterday, about 3 weeks after vaccination, I noticed he had a lump on his right shoulder blade in the exact spot of the injection. It's about an inch long and I can pick it up with my fingers and it feels almost suspended under the skin, not attached to tissues. It doesn't seem to bother him or feel sensitive. It feels solid but after picking it up with my fingers feels kind of squishy.

He has a vet appt for next Wednesday to get another FVRCP (modified live)+ FeLV (killed) as well as his Rabies (killed). I wanted to make a post and ask if anyone else has dealt with this type of issue. This is my first cat i've owned by myself other than family cats and I am a little (okay, very) nervous about asking the vet to not do the injection in the shoulder area and do it in his leg instead.

What if the vet doesn't want to do it in the leg? I am also wondering if I should just ask for the FVRCP vaccine this time without FeLV and if I should get rabies or not. Is it okay if I request to only get certain vaccines? Will the vet refuse to only give one kind? In my province in Canada, only bats are known carriers but we haven't had known cases of rabies in a very, very long time. Binx is going to be strictly indoor and he is going to be an only cat.

I just want to get opinions from other cat owners. I'm quite anxious about this lump, especially after reading about ISS and with him getting a lump from his first vaccine, plus with the vets here obviously going by old-school standards.

Edit: Just wanted to include, I emailed another vet in the area and asked about vaccine location and the response I got was "the vet decides where to give the vaccine."

[ravynnm]

I've been massaging it for 20 minutes at a time, i've been trying to do it 2x a day. He doesn't care that I touch it. I haven't noticed it getting smaller (definitely not getting larger) but that might also be because i've been feeling it everyday and might not see any difference.

I don't think I mentioned but I did call the vet last week just because I was really anxious about it and at first the receptionist said it can be normal but it's been a while for it to be a reaction (~3 weeks) which didn't make me feel better but I have read things online saying it can take 3-4 weeks for an inflammation lump to form... then she said I could take him in that day so the vet can check it over but I mentioned I had an appt on Dec 23rd and she said oh, well you can wait until then.

I hope they don't give me grief if I don't get him anymore vaccines Wednesday since the lump will probably still be there and that's what the appt was originally for!

[Mollycat]

Did the vet massage the vaccination site immediately after giving the injection? They always used to do this but in recent years I've noticed many don't any more and I wonder if this has something to do with the increase in reported injection site lumps.

Just be aware that if you wait too long your entire vax schedule could be thrown out and have to start all over again. I thought initial injection courses were 3 weeks apart but already your second one was booked 4 weeks apart so I don't know, maybe it's a different vax or maybe things have changed.

I haven't commented before as I haven't had a vaccinated cat for 18 years and in the UK we don't have the same programme anyway - for one thing we are a rabies-free island so that vax is only needed for travel abroad, it's not given routinely.

All that said if you are certain your cat isn't ever going to go outdoors or be in contact with any other cat, unless certain vaccines are law then you don't have to, but bear in mind some catteries won't take them without vax certificates, hospital treatment could expose your cat to diseases, trips to the vets and any accidental escapes can all put your cat at risk. It's an individual decision, my two indoor and last 3 in/outs were not vaccinated at all. None of the in/outs died of anything contagious - one of old age, one of cancer, the third is 23 years old and healthy.

[ravynnm]

Did the vet massage the vaccination site immediately after giving the injection? They always used to do this but in recent years I've noticed many don't any more and I wonder if this has something to do with the increase in reported injection site lumps.

Just be aware that if you wait too long your entire vax schedule could be thrown out and have to start all over again. I thought initial injection courses were 3 weeks apart but already your second one was booked 4 weeks apart so I don't know, maybe it's a different vax or maybe things have changed.

I haven't commented before as I haven't had a vaccinated cat for 18 years and in the UK we don't have the same programme anyway - for one thing we are a rabies-free island so that vax is only needed for travel abroad, it's not given routinely.

All that said if you are certain your cat isn't ever going to go outdoors or be in contact with any other cat, unless certain vaccines are law then you don't have to, but bear in mind some catteries won't take them without vax certificates, hospital treatment could expose your cat to diseases, trips to the vets and any accidental escapes can all put your cat at risk. It's an individual decision, my two indoor and last 3 in/outs were not vaccinated at all. None of the in/outs died of anything contagious - one of old age, one of cancer, the third is 23 years old and healthy.

No, Binx was hunched down scared in a loaf position and the vet picked his skin up a little and injected him and didn't massage him. When making the next appointment they asked me if I wanted it in December or January, so I don't know what's up with the vaccine schedule.

I read a report online a few days ago saying that there is on average 4 cats a year in Canada that get rabies. Rabies is not required by law here, only when travelling to the US. He's not going to to be going outside, be in contact with any other cats, and we don't travel at all so would never have to be at a cattery.

I'm only considering not getting any more vaccines if for some strange reason he will only do the vaccines in the shoulder area and/or Binx still has the lump when we go. I'm more concerned with him getting the FVRCP (without the leukemia), I would like for him to at least get that on Wednesday but he would also be getting his first rabies shot but not if the vet is adamant about the shoulder area.

Thank you for taking the time to reply

[Mollycat]

Not sure the location is going to change the chances of a post injection lump but I see why you wouldn't want another injection while the lump is there.

[ravynnm]

Not sure the location is going to change the chances of a post injection lump but I see why you wouldn't want another injection while the lump is there.

Yes and no, more concerned about the risk of injection site sarcoma forming in the shoulder and the AAFP recommending all vaccines to be given in the leg in the case of a sarcoma, the leg can be amputated. I don't want to take the chance considering he's already gotten a lump on his shoulder. I also don't want to have even more inflammation going on in the area with getting 3 more shots in the same day.

[ravynnm]

He goes to the vet in 3 hours, i'm quite anxious about what the vet says about the lump. Wish us luck.

[Mollycat]

Good luck but as said before I'm certain the massage vets used to do for a minute or so after giving the injection helped to prevent lumps. If the vet doesn't do it, you could.

[ravynnm]

The vet wasn't worried about it, stating that it feels like an inflammation lump and he said it should start to go down in 2 weeks and if it's not gone by Valentine's day or if it gets bigger to call him. He said since Binx is lean it's easier to feel everything and he may have some scar tissue there in the future. Since he made me feel better about it I agreed to get the fvrcp/felv (it's combination) in his leg but that's it for vaccines for him. Now to worry about seeing it go down in 2 weeks!!

[ravynnm]

The lump on his shoulder has gone down quite a bit, I can no longer pick the lump up with my fingers, you can't see his fur separated by it, and you can only feel it if you really feel around for it. The vet said it would take 2 weeks to start to go down and that happened a few days after we were last there on Dec 23rd, so that makes me optimistic.

However, he got the 2nd vaccine on his left front leg and next to where he got injected -- kind of underneath his "armpit" area, it feels like there's 1 swollen lymph node, it moves around quite a bit but I can't pick it up like I did with the other lump which is why I think it's a node. It also feels like lymph nodes that i've been able to feel on myself.

Since it's right next to where he got vaccinated, I shouldn't worry about that right? The vet said I would probably be able to feel a lump where he got injected in his leg but I massaged it and I haven't been able to feel a lump like the one on his shoulder.

[Mollycat]

Words fail me that vets don't massage injection sites any more. It disperses the fluid, reduces the sting and helps prevent these lumps. You can continue a couple of times a day to give the area a few minutes massage, apparently it goes on helping. But why have vets stopped doing this?

[ravynnm]

Words fail me that vets don't massage injection sites any more. It disperses the fluid, reduces the sting and helps prevent these lumps. You can continue a couple of times a day to give the area a few minutes massage, apparently it goes on helping. But why have vets stopped doing this?

Seems like they are trying to be quick with everything, especially with COVID. I had a cat dying from heart failure for 6 months and whenever I called they never gave me the time of day and no one ever remembered anything to do with her. Even the day I called as an emergency to put her down, she died in the car on the way there and no one ever called back and I tried calling all day to tell them and it was busy.

At first I thought this lump next to the 2nd injection was the same kind of lump but it doesn't seem to be where he actually put the needle... just next to it. Should I still massage it regardless if it's a node or injection lump?

Edit: Also wanted to mention that massaging the one on the shoulder didn't do much but after I started putting a warm Magic Bag (oat bag/rice bag) on his shoulder I noticed it going down every day after doing that but it took a good 24-48hrs to feel it go down. Feels like there's scar tissue or something there now rather than swelling/adjuvant.

[Mollycat]

I've honestly no idea but I can't see it doing any harm if it's a gentle massage and cat is happy.

That's so awful and covid is no excuse for being insensitive.

[ravynnm]

I've honestly no idea but I can't see it doing any harm if it's a gentle massage and cat is happy.

That's so awful and covid is no excuse for being insensitive.

I will do it regardless then!

I agree, I see so many clinics say on social media that they are so busy etc etc but I just couldn't believe that they never called back after that. Even bringing my new kitten to the vet, they had asked which cat I think 3 times before they finally put her in the system as passed away... after telling them multiple time that she had died.