Are Distemper Shots Safe?

Since there have been no controlled studies, there can be no definitive answer to this issue. Because distemper comes under a combined viral booster, it is even more problematic. There is a persistent strain in the literature from 1990 on, however, and that points to the entire sensitizing mechanism of inflammatory response ... leading to oncogenesis--or the productive of a malignant neoplasm (new cells that are cancerous). Of course, rabies and leukemia have occupied most of the mass media--and the professional literature in part because these hideous cancers were unknown (or at least unremarked upon) until adjuvanted killed rabies and leukemia in the 1980s. Because rabies had been live (without ill effects) and because leukemia was a new vaccine (and was given annually), there is little sense of whether it is the adjuvant (pure and simple) or whether it was the combination--and therefore, over-vaccination that led to the disaster.

It should be mentioned that every oncologist that I have met with, spoken to, corresponded with has agreed that each generation of cats seems more prone to VAS because of hypersensitivity. There obviously needs to be real genetic and immunological work to answer these questions.

For a commonsense warning/advice re: inoculations: see Dr Mike's www.vetinfo4cats.com ... under vaccinations. Most of us are so old that we remember the deadly consequences of distemper ... but we never had cats dying of VAS from distemper shots. Check out the likely risk age for distemper and leukemia. I have lived on this site ...for a few years ... but regrettably, I went to each entry as things happened. How I wish I had reviewed his wise counsel re: vaccinations.

I do think that combination shots, repeated inoculations increase the risk ... This would seem to be borne out by the literature ... over time.