I am writing this because our beloved one-year old, Reido, just died this morning, a week and a half after getting his distemper shot. We'd notice that he was much more lethargic than usual a couple of days after his shot, and not playing at all. His appetite was off, though he was eating some and drinking.
I called my vet. She said it was unusual for it to last more than a few days, so watch him and call her back.
Reido was simply been like an old man. Very slow to get up, very slow to lie down. He'd walk a few steps and then lie down again. No sounds. Just a sick cat, without any other visible sign other than his obviously low energy, low appetite.
I tried Bach Rescue Remedy, which seemed to work some to get him to look me in the eye. I comforted him, petted him. But otherwise, I hadn't even heard a purr from him in a week.
Last night, I saw him walk (ever so slowly and gingerly) over the toilet downstairs twice, each time to hang his head near the water and eventually lap some. Over the past week, he's vomited, albeit with little volume, twice or three times over the past week. Lethargic, legs under his body much of the time, unresponsive.
I can't really say he was acting at all like that before the vaccinations. And now that I research it just a bit, I find that he was acting like he had distemper.
Reido died this morning, around 7:30a. He crawled to spot close to where our beloved Sebastian died about 2 years ago, very quite, very warm.
It would be wonderful if these sorts of 'exceptions' were publicized -- if this is, indeed, one of those. At least to get the conversation going among vets. But given that there are seldom any official autopsies, they never rise beyond presumption, scientifically speaking. Honestly, there are LOTS of people telling the same kinds of stories, but not much in the official literature. Not surprising, but disheartening for those of us who want to make well informed decisions for ourselves and our animals.
Distemper (Cats)
My cat went in for her distemper shots yesterday afternoon. She was eleven weeks old. Today, the vet called us to see how she was. She would not walk, eat, or drink, and she could not stand up. She had to go to the emergency vet and went into cardiac arrest. The first vet told us that there was no possible way that it was an allergic reaction but the emergency vet said that it was very possible. I have never heard of a vet calling to check up on an animal. The kitten has died now, but it is still weird that no one can seem to find a reason for the sickness.
