On February 27th, 2012 Flower had her right front leg amputated due to an aggressive tumor around her shoulder. Flower had started showing signs of discomfort in the middle of January, and we attributed it to a pin in her left front leg from a fracture she had as a kitten. Upon closer inspection we found it was her right leg that was painful. Her first round of x-rays did not reveal anything unusual. We treated her with anti-inflammatory medications and she continued to worsen. In the middle of February we were able to palpate a mass over her right shoulder, and took xrays again. This time there was evidence of bony changes in the scapula(shoulder blade). We checked her lungs for metastasis, and found them to be clear. So the leg was removed, and Flower began her recovery process. She is doing well now, and learning to get around on three legs. She is not painful anymore, and much happier and more loving.
The tumor results came back as an aggressive soft tissue sarcoma. When we were shaving Flower for the surgery, we noticed a scar on the right shoulder. Oftentimes these sarcomas are associated with some type of trauma or injection site reaction. Flower's scar was likely from when she was a kitten, before we knew her, as we were not aware of any wound which would result in a scar like that in the 15 years we have had her.
Cats are somewhat unique in their handling of tissue reactions, and are the only documented species that develops injection site sarcomas. This has been a concern in recent years, and vaccine manufacturers have moved away from irritating adjuvants in feline vaccines to try and reduce the incidence of these tumors. We give vaccines in different locations on cats to try to identify which vaccines may cause problems or reactions, and also to make surgical resection easier if it is necessary. So when you bring your cat in for shots, this is the reasoning behind our choice of injection sites. Your cat's risk of developing an injection site sarcoma is much lower than their risk of catching one of the diseases we vaccinate for, so don't be alarmed and think you should not have your cat vaccinated. However, we do not advocate giving shots your cat does not need, and assess risk individually for each patient. Also, any type of penetrating wound can cause the same type of problem, as evidenced by Flower and her scar.
The tumor results came back as an aggressive soft tissue sarcoma. When we were shaving Flower for the surgery, we noticed a scar on the right shoulder. Oftentimes these sarcomas are associated with some type of trauma or injection site reaction. Flower's scar was likely from when she was a kitten, before we knew her, as we were not aware of any wound which would result in a scar like that in the 15 years we have had her.
Cats are somewhat unique in their handling of tissue reactions, and are the only documented species that develops injection site sarcomas. This has been a concern in recent years, and vaccine manufacturers have moved away from irritating adjuvants in feline vaccines to try and reduce the incidence of these tumors. We give vaccines in different locations on cats to try to identify which vaccines may cause problems or reactions, and also to make surgical resection easier if it is necessary. So when you bring your cat in for shots, this is the reasoning behind our choice of injection sites. Your cat's risk of developing an injection site sarcoma is much lower than their risk of catching one of the diseases we vaccinate for, so don't be alarmed and think you should not have your cat vaccinated. However, we do not advocate giving shots your cat does not need, and assess risk individually for each patient. Also, any type of penetrating wound can cause the same type of problem, as evidenced by Flower and her scar.
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