Irene (Chandler, Az) on 11/23/2010

My 7 yr old cat got a 3-year rabies vaccination exactly one week ago today. Two days afterward she developed a fever, lost her appetite, and became extremely lethargic. We took her to the emergency vet. They suspected a reaction to the vaccine, gave her subcutaneous fluids and a Benedryl shot. The next day we took her back as she was no better after the Benedryl wore off. Her temp was 103.6. She had a Fever of Unknown Origin 5 years ago and needed to be hospitalized, so we knew it was important to IV fluids and nutrition into her, so we left her. Her fever went up to 105, but it broke the day after that and we were able to take her home. Her urine had tested for bacteria and high white cell count, so she was put on Clavamox (urinary track infection) and Metronidazole (diarrhea) and Pepcid (stomach upset for Clavamox). She is still not fine. Her little bottom is still sore from taking her temp so much. She does not tolerate the Clavamox and throws it up immediately, but the vet did tell me that the culture shows no UTI so we can discontinue the Clavamox. We did discontinue it immediately. In fact, we took her off all the meds because she needed to have food and water.

As of last night, she was still not eating except for 5 or 6 'crunchies'. This morning she finally ate some of her favorite 'treat' food: Fancy Feast Turkey with Gravy. It wasn't much but is an improvement. We were to take her back today if she hadn't started eating, and I'm not sure that a heaping teaspoon really qualifies as 'eating'. It is nowhere near her regular intake. I am hoping to see an increase later today as I'm sure she's still not feeling great. Her eyes are not the sparkly big round orbs they usually are, but I'm pretty sure she does not have a fever. I have read so much about renal failure and vaccines, tho, I am petrified. Her readings came back normal, but that was on the first day. Does the renal system continue to degrade? How will I know, and when should I check, and is there something that can be done to prevent/stop it if is degrading?

I can only hope for the best. She's got a bit more energy today, but just a bit. She's an indoor cat, so no more vaccines. We only got this one because we're going trailering in Canada next year and they won't let cats in without a rabies vaccine. If I had known, we'd have skipped Canada! We'll just have to wait and see.