Hi all, Thanks to everyone who responded last week. Your advice means a lot to me, as do your kind words of support. Most of my friends here are not pet owners, so hearing from folks who have been through the same thing makes me feel way less alone. So again, thank you.
At our last vet appointment, Sylvia's hematocrit was up to 31 from 28, which may be a good sign re: the anemia. I've switched the cats to EVO Herring and Salmon because that's the smelliest and seems to be Sylvia's favorite (she prefers it to A/D soft food). Her fever, unfortunately, has not responded to antibiotics. She's had a shot of Convenia, and I'm giving her antibiotics at home, too; we started with zeniquin, but it didn't seem to help, so the vet switched us onto doxycycline. She's eating enough on her own that the vet doesn't think we need to worry about assisted feeding or tube feeding, but she does have me giving subcutaneous fluids at home daily as long as Sylvia's fever is over 103 (she's been steady at 104 for over a week). We do have some new symptoms, too: her nose is extremely runny/stuffy, she's sneezing a lot and sniffling, and her eyes look very watery. The discharge is clear. Because she's not responding to antibiotics, the vet started her on steroids (prednisolone) today. She suspects that Sylvia has either an immune-mediated anemia or potentially FLV-related cancer, and thinks the steroids might help. I am under strict instructions to continue giving subcutaenous fluids and antibiotics along with the prednisolone. Sylvia seems to be feeling better than she was when I originally posted. She's not hiding under the bed, but has been sleeping out in the open on the couch and occasionally getting up to watch birds out the window on the armchair or hang out on the floor for a bit. She purred a little last night and seems quite happy to get attention/cuddles. She's still interested in treats, too. I'm trying to encourage her to eat as much as I can, and the vet says the steroids should help with that. Anything I need to look out for with the steroids? Have any of you had treatment go this route? I'm not at all clear on what the prognosis is for Sylvia right now, though I'd assume that if we're dealing with cancer that the steroids aren't a permanent fix. Any information you have that can help me figure out what to expect would be immensely helpful. Many thanks, and lots of luck to all of you and yours. Best, Anna, Sylvia, and Beatrice -- Anna E. Waltman PhD student & Teaching Associate Department of English and American Literature University of Massachusetts, Amherst <awalt...@english.umass.edu>
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