Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Cat developed injection site tumor after meloxicam shot
By Munday, John S et al.·Published in Journal of feline medicine and surgery·2011·Department of Pathobiology·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Development of an injection site sarcoma shortly after meloxicam injection in an unvaccinated cat.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A 12.5-year-old unvaccinated cat developed a swelling at the site of a meloxicam injection, which is a common pain relief medication. Six weeks after the injection, the swelling turned into a 5 cm mass, and the cat underwent surgery to remove it six months later. The mass was diagnosed as an injection site sarcoma, a type of tumor that can develop at injection sites. This case highlights the importance of minimizing injections in cats, especially those that are not vaccinated, to reduce the risk of such tumors forming.
People also search for: cat injection site tumor · meloxicam side effects in cats · cat swelling after injection
Abstract
A single dose of a rapidly-absorbed non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) was injected into the subcutaneous tissue of the interscapular region of a 12.5-year-old cat. A mild swelling was noticed at the injection site 6 weeks later. This progressed into a 5 cm diameter mass which was removed 6 months after the injection had been given. An injection site sarcoma (ISS) was diagnosed histologically. As the cat had not been vaccinated for at least 12 years, the previous NSAID injection was considered to be a possible cause of the ISS. Inflammation is thought to be important in the development of ISS. If injection of a rapidly-absorbed NSAID can stimulate sufficient inflammation to promote the development of an ISS, other non-vaccine injections may also have the potential to influence ISS development. This suggests that injection of both vaccines and non-vaccine medications should be minimised to reduce the risk of ISS development.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21880528/