Death after Distemper-parvo Vaccine in cats

The FDA has received 26 reports of death in cats after Distemper-parvo Vaccine. That is 9.4% of all reports for this medicine, compared with 8.9% across reports for all cat medicines.

26Reports

100%Marked serious

0.0%Recovered

100%Died or euthanised

2 daysTypical onset

How soon it started

Same day

10 43%

1–2 days

3 13%

3–7 days

4 17%

1–4 weeks

4 17%

Over a month

2 8.7%

How the animals did

Died

11 42%

Euthanised

15 58%

Problems reported at the same time

Lethargy

10 38%

Loss of appetite

10 38%

Vomiting

8 31%

Cardiomyopathy

5 19%

Behaviour change

4 15%

Swelling

4 15%

Breathing problems

4 15%

Dehydration

3 12%

Age of the animals

Under 1 year

1–3 years

4–7 years

8–11 years

12+ years

About this medicine

Type: vaccine.

Mild, short-lived lethargy, soreness or a small lump at the injection site are the most commonly reported vaccine reactions.

Questions owners ask

Can Distemper-parvo Vaccine cause death in cats?: 26 reports link the two, but a report alone does not prove the medicine was the cause: other illnesses, other medicines or coincidence can be involved. Your vet can judge it for your animal.
How soon after a dose was it reported?: In half of the reports with dates, it started within 2 days of the first dose.
What should I do?: Don't give another dose until you've spoken to your vet, and keep the packaging so you can tell them the product and dose. Your vet can also report it to the FDA (or you can, through the manufacturer or FDA form 1932a).

Death with similar medicines

Death after Rabies Vaccine 345 reports · 13% of its reports
Death after Feline Core Vaccine 227 reports · 15% of its reports
Death after Feline Leukemia Vaccine 98 reports · 12% of its reports

All reported side effects of Distemper-parvo Vaccine in cats · Medicines most reported with death