Re: [Felvtalk] My 11.50 year old cat Kitty diagnosed with FeLV......

[Shelley Theye]

Hi Jason,

In our rescue group here in NC, anytime a cat tests positive we always have the 
vet clinic rerun the test.
Occasionally there can be user error, either due to the way the test is run or 
using the parts of the test incorrectly, 
the way the kits were stored, temperature-wise or expired, etc. 

Also, there are IFA and PCR tests that can confirm a positive result.

Shelley



> On Jan 2, 2022, at 4:58 PM, LORRAINE JOHNSTON  
> wrote:
> 
> Dear Jason,
> 
> It might comfort you to know that some cats who contract FeLV late in life 
> can suppress it. This is what appears to have happened to my cousin’s cat. 
> She contracted felv from a bite at about age 12. My cousin had had one felv 
> vaccine administered about a year prior, but forgot to get her booster. Then 
> came the bite, after which she tested positive. But we’ve had her viral load 
> checked annually by a company called Scanelis (Colomiers, France), and they 
> report a very low circulating viral load consistent with her immune system 
> suppressing the virus. This phenomenon has been reported in the scientific 
> literature on felv. If you’d like more details, feel free to contact me 
> privately at johnston1110 at Comcast.net. 
> 
> Cheers,
> 
> - Lorraine 
> 
> “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.”  
> -Theodore Parker
>> On 01/02/2022 3:06 PM Amani Oakley  wrote:
>> 
>> 
>> No problem, Jason. Please let us know how things work out.
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> Amani
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> From: Felvtalk  On Behalf Of JASON VOGT
>> Sent: January 2, 2022 10:27 AM
>> To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org
>> Subject: [Felvtalk] My 11.50 year old cat Kitty diagnosed with FeLV..
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> Thank you very much for your detailed response Amani.  You obviously have a 
>> lot of experience treating both FeLV+ cats and kittens.  He (Kitty) will be 
>> 12 years old this coming Spring or Summer.  Thank you also Kat.  I remember 
>> taking him (Kitty) in from outside when he was one year old.  I am positive 
>> the Vet. did a FeLV test on him then and it was negative at one year old.  
>> It surprised me him (Kitty) being diagnosed this old with FeLV.  
>> 
>>  
>> I had an 11.50 year old cat (Mork - indoor only who I got from a shelter as 
>> a kitten) who died in 2014 of FIP (also diagnosed with it very late at age 
>> 11).  I am not sure how these 2 older cats of mine contracted these diseases 
>> and how Mork died from it late in life.  Does an older cat's immune system 
>> get much weaker as they age?  
>> 
>>  
>> The 11.50 female  indoor only cat (Snow White) appears just fine.  I took 
>> her in from outside the same time as Kitty at one year old.  She tested 
>> negative for FeLV at one year old also.   
>> 
>>  
>> Thank you very much again, 
>> 
>>  
>> Jason
>> 
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Re: [Felvtalk] Batman Felv Positive Having Neurological issues.

[Shelley Theye]

Thanks Amani.  I agree with you.  

Shelley 


> On Oct 18, 2018, at 6:34 PM, Amani Oakley  wrote:
> 
> Hi Shelley. Thanks for clarifying. I really didn’t know that prednisolone 
> could have negative effects on the heart. However, I have had the experience 
> of a cat with a heart murmur. Eventually, after we had looked after her for a 
> while, the heart murmur disappeared.
>  
> However, if your cat pants after playing for a while, you are right that one 
> of the reasons may well be heart issues.
>  
> You obviously have a terrific heart to take in a feral like that and keep him 
> when you found he was positive. What a nice person.
>  
> Thanks for the info. Unfortunately, though, again, I kinda feel that in some 
> circumstances like FeLV, whether there are potential side-effects from some 
> of the meds, there are few choices and I would probably take the risk if my 
> cat was doing poorly (as mine was). Thank you though for that information, 
> which I definitely did not know. I will have to keep it in mind.
>  
> Amani
>  
> From: Felvtalk  On Behalf Of Shelley 
> Theye
> Sent: October 18, 2018 6:27 PM
> To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org
> Subject: Re: [Felvtalk] Batman Felv Positive Having Neurological issues.
>  
> Hi Amani,
>  
> I was speaking about corticosteroids- Prednisone or Prednisolone.  Sorry for 
> any confusion.
> I have a cat, Jack, with heart disease who also has IBD so he cannot have 
> steroids.
> I believe there is one, which is called Budesonide?  that might act more 
> locally in the intestines so 
> it could be a bit safer if a cat has heart disease.  
>  
> My FeLV positive cat Leo, who became sick quickly back in 2014, was diagnosed 
> with both Lymphoma and 
> leukemia, his WBC count was through the roof, in the 150,000’s??  I would 
> have to go back and look at the notes.
> He was @ 5 years old. I trapped him in a neighbor’s yard to TNR, but 
> he tested positive so I kept him. Anyway, after the vet visit, for mainly 
> inappetence, he went downhill
> very quickly and I thought the stress of the visit, x-rays, fluids, and pred. 
> might have sent him into heart failure too.
> That was a guess on my part.  He was an adult feral that I tamed once he 
> tested positive for FeLV, and he was so afraid 
> out of his environment that I never took him to get an echo.  I only 
> suspected it as a possibility because he 
> had a murmur when he was neutered, though not later, and would pant when 
> playing too much with feather toy.
> Something I will never know and it has always eaten away at me.
>  
> I am not in this group much anymore, but read the messages, and just wanted 
> to mention to Katy, just in case.
> Hopefully not that.
>  
> Shelley 
>  
>  
>  
>  
>  
>  
> 
> 
> 
> On Oct 18, 2018, at 4:59 PM, Amani Oakley  <mailto:aoak...@oakleylegal.com>> wrote:
>  
> Sorry Shelley – my email below should have read IT ISN”T prednisolone. . . 
>  
> Amani
>  
> From: Felvtalk  <mailto:felvtalk-boun...@felineleukemia.org>> On Behalf Of Amani Oakley
> Sent: October 18, 2018 4:57 PM
> To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org <mailto:felvtalk@felineleukemia.org>
> Subject: Re: [Felvtalk] Batman Felv Positive Having Neurological issues.
>  
> Hi Shelley. Are you speaking about anabolic steroids or corticosteroids? And 
> what type in particular? I think that there may be a particular steroid which 
> has been linked with heart issues sometimes but it is prednisolone (which is 
> a corticosteroid) and it isn’t Winstrol (which is an anabolic steroid).
>  
> Amani
>  
> From: Felvtalk  <mailto:felvtalk-boun...@felineleukemia.org>> On Behalf Of Shelley Theye
> Sent: October 18, 2018 4:29 PM
> To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org <mailto:felvtalk@felineleukemia.org>
> Subject: Re: [Felvtalk] Batman Felv Positive Having Neurological issues.
>  
> Hi Katy,
>  
> So sorry that Batman is going through this!
>  
> Did they look at Batman’s heart while he was at the vet hospital?  
> Specifically did they do an echocardiogram?  I am guessing that they had no 
> reason to with his initial symptoms so they probably didn’t?
>  
> Maybe he has heart disease that the steroids have exacerbated... Young cats 
> can have it and not have any outward symptoms.  Steroids are contraindicated 
> with heart problems.  I think there is one type that can be used, but it is 
> not usually given first.  
>  
> Just throwing this out there just in case.  Steroids could hurt his heart if 
> he has undiagnosed heart problem and maybe cause him to act like.
> Not to scare you, just to get him treated for it if it is that.
>  
> Shelley   
>  
>  
>  
&

Re: [Felvtalk] Batman Felv Positive Having Neurological issues.

[Shelley Theye]

Hi Amani,

I was speaking about corticosteroids- Prednisone or Prednisolone.  Sorry for 
any confusion.
I have a cat, Jack, with heart disease who also has IBD so he cannot have 
steroids.
I believe there is one, which is called Budesonide?  that might act more 
locally in the intestines so 
it could be a bit safer if a cat has heart disease.  

My FeLV positive cat Leo, who became sick quickly back in 2014, was diagnosed 
with both Lymphoma and 
leukemia, his WBC count was through the roof, in the 150,000’s??  I would have 
to go back and look at the notes.
He was @ 5 years old. I trapped him in a neighbor’s yard to TNR, but 
he tested positive so I kept him. Anyway, after the vet visit, for mainly 
inappetence, he went downhill
very quickly and I thought the stress of the visit, x-rays, fluids, and pred. 
might have sent him into heart failure too.
That was a guess on my part.  He was an adult feral that I tamed once he tested 
positive for FeLV, and he was so afraid 
out of his environment that I never took him to get an echo.  I only suspected 
it as a possibility because he 
had a murmur when he was neutered, though not later, and would pant when 
playing too much with feather toy.
Something I will never know and it has always eaten away at me.

I am not in this group much anymore, but read the messages, and just wanted to 
mention to Katy, just in case.
Hopefully not that.

Shelley 








> On Oct 18, 2018, at 4:59 PM, Amani Oakley  wrote:
> 
> Sorry Shelley – my email below should have read IT ISN”T prednisolone. . . 
>  
> Amani
>  
> From: Felvtalk  <mailto:felvtalk-boun...@felineleukemia.org>> On Behalf Of Amani Oakley
> Sent: October 18, 2018 4:57 PM
> To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org <mailto:felvtalk@felineleukemia.org>
> Subject: Re: [Felvtalk] Batman Felv Positive Having Neurological issues.
>  
> Hi Shelley. Are you speaking about anabolic steroids or corticosteroids? And 
> what type in particular? I think that there may be a particular steroid which 
> has been linked with heart issues sometimes but it is prednisolone (which is 
> a corticosteroid) and it isn’t Winstrol (which is an anabolic steroid).
>  
> Amani
>  
> From: Felvtalk  <mailto:felvtalk-boun...@felineleukemia.org>> On Behalf Of Shelley Theye
> Sent: October 18, 2018 4:29 PM
> To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org <mailto:felvtalk@felineleukemia.org>
> Subject: Re: [Felvtalk] Batman Felv Positive Having Neurological issues.
>  
> Hi Katy,
>  
> So sorry that Batman is going through this!
>  
> Did they look at Batman’s heart while he was at the vet hospital?  
> Specifically did they do an echocardiogram?  I am guessing that they had no 
> reason to with his initial symptoms so they probably didn’t?
>  
> Maybe he has heart disease that the steroids have exacerbated... Young cats 
> can have it and not have any outward symptoms.  Steroids are contraindicated 
> with heart problems.  I think there is one type that can be used, but it is 
> not usually given first.  
>  
> Just throwing this out there just in case.  Steroids could hurt his heart if 
> he has undiagnosed heart problem and maybe cause him to act like.
> Not to scare you, just to get him treated for it if it is that.
>  
> Shelley   
>  
>  
>  
> 
> On Oct 18, 2018, at 3:27 PM, Katy Brown  <mailto:ktbrow...@gmail.com>> wrote:
>  
> Amani,
> That is very insightful. I’m not convinced he has lymphoma because his 
> decline was so rapid. Within hours he went from walking to having completely 
> rigid legs. And today he is starting to decline. I’m wondering if there is 
> something else I can give him besides the 5 mg of Prednisolone and the 
> Clindamycin.
> The vet said he he keeps declining we could do another form of Chemo which is 
> very aggressive and has other side affects and would be a Hail Mary to buy 
> him another few days? 
> I’m just not convinced he has cancer. Even though he is FeLV positive he is 
> young to develop a cancer? 
> Sent from my iPhone
> 
> On Oct 18, 2018, at 12:54 PM, Amani Oakley  <mailto:aoakley@oakleylegalcom>> wrote:
> 
> I actually had a few similar experiences. Once it involved two very young 
> kittens. Once it involved a cat about a year old. In my opinion, the two 
> different experiences had two different causative agents, and at the risk of 
> boring you silly, I will try to explain both. Neither, by the way, was well 
> understood by the vets, leading me again to the inevitable conclusion that 
> cat health is very poorly studied (no where near dog health) and because cats 
> respond different to disease and medication, (whereas dogs respond very much 
> like people), then science and medicine is way behind in understanding cats.
>  
> With respect to the kittens, 

Re: [Felvtalk] Batman Felv Positive Having Neurological issues.

[Shelley Theye]

Hi Katy,

So sorry that Batman is going through this!

Did they look at Batman’s heart while he was at the vet hospital?  Specifically 
did they do an echocardiogram?  I am guessing that they had no reason to with 
his initial symptoms so they probably didn’t?

Maybe he has heart disease that the steroids have exacerbated... Young cats can 
have it and not have any outward symptoms.  Steroids are contraindicated with 
heart problems.  I think there is one type that can be used, but it is not 
usually given first.  

Just throwing this out there just in case.  Steroids could hurt his heart if he 
has undiagnosed heart problem and maybe cause him to act like.
Not to scare you, just to get him treated for it if it is that.

Shelley   



> On Oct 18, 2018, at 3:27 PM, Katy Brown  wrote:
> 
> Amani,
> That is very insightful. I’m not convinced he has lymphoma because his 
> decline was so rapid. Within hours he went from walking to having completely 
> rigid legs. And today he is starting to decline. I’m wondering if there is 
> something else I can give him besides the 5 mg of Prednisolone and the 
> Clindamycin.
> The vet said he he keeps declining we could do another form of Chemo which is 
> very aggressive and has other side affects and would be a Hail Mary to buy 
> him another few days? 
> I’m just not convinced he has cancer. Even though he is FeLV positive he is 
> young to develop a cancer? 
> Sent from my iPhone
> 
> On Oct 18, 2018, at 12:54 PM, Amani Oakley  > wrote:
> 
>> I actually had a few similar experiences. Once it involved two very young 
>> kittens. Once it involved a cat about a year old. In my opinion, the two 
>> different experiences had two different causative agents, and at the risk of 
>> boring you silly, I will try to explain both. Neither, by the way, was well 
>> understood by the vets, leading me again to the inevitable conclusion that 
>> cat health is very poorly studied (no where near dog health) and because 
>> cats respond different to disease and medication, (whereas dogs respond very 
>> much like people), then science and medicine is way behind in understanding 
>> cats.
>>  
>> With respect to the kittens, it was my view that they actually had (and one 
>> of them still has) Lyme disease. The area I picked them up was one very 
>> well-known to be endemic for Lyme disease. They had an alternating lameness 
>> – once picking up one paw which seemed very swollen and sore – and then next 
>> day, picking up the other paw. I looked this up and saw that this 
>> alternating lameness was described in dogs with Lyme disease. However, my 
>> vet believed that it might be calici virus. I didn’t agree with her, but let 
>> her treat for calici virus (including vaccination). The acute phase of the 
>> response seemed to be limited in time, and both kittens seemed to get better 
>> on their own. However, their brother lapsed into a coma – was literally 
>> unresponsive for hours while I sat up with him. I didn’t know what to do, 
>> and my view was that either there was inflammation of the meninges (sac 
>> surrounding the brain) or an inflammation of the brain itself, causing 
>> increased intracranial pressure which might also result in loss of 
>> consciousness. I superdosed him with transdermal prednisone, took him to bed 
>> with me and kept checking him for hours. Then, suddenly, at about 4 in the 
>> morning, he just bounded awake, and began playing and galavanting all over 
>> the bed. Meanwhile, though, one of his two sisters has never been the same. 
>> She lost HUGE amounts of weight, and even now, as a 2+ year old cat, she 
>> weighs less than many kittens and she is all bones. I have been treating her 
>> with a combination of Winstrol, Doxycycline, high prednisone doses and 
>> magnesium (her muscles don’t work right – like they are constantly spastic, 
>> and she walks in a funny tip toe way, and has poor coordination jumping on 
>> things and going up stairs, etc.) Anyhow, she is starting to get better, 
>> starting to put on weight and starting to walk better. I am convinced this 
>> was and is Lyme disease, though scientists and vets say that cats don’t get 
>> it. I don’t know how they know this, because they DO NOT TEST cats for it.
>>  
>> Story number two involves a kitten I got who was described as a “wobbly” 
>> kitten and it was assumed that his mom had suffered a viral infection when 
>> he was in utero, which can result in this type of neurological damage (and 
>> it can be much worse). However, when he was very little, he suddenly and 
>> without warning, decided to squat and pee right in the middle of our bed, 
>> and he had never done this before. He was looking straight at me and I felt 
>> that he didn’t know why he was doing what he was doing. Not too long after 
>> (a few weeks or maybe a month), he started showing some very alarming 
>> neurological symptoms, including a loss of muscle control in the back end. 
>> 

Re: [Felvtalk] Wonderful, helpful answers,

[Shelley Theye]

Hi again Theresa,

I am not understanding the circumstances.  Was the cat left at a vet clinic?
Is your daughter’s friend adopting him?  If so, send the toys along with him to 
his home.
If he seems OK health-wise, other than testing positive, he could live for 
years and be happy and a wonderful companion.
Also, sometimes there are false positives on tests, so usually a second test if 
done or a different type of test, like an IFA test.

I guess to clarify, for the virus to be transmitted through the cats sharing 
food or mutually grooming,
it would be after a long period of time where the cats are in direct contact 
with each other.
And even then, the chances are on the lower side.  As Amani said, her cats have 
lived together for 
years with no transmission.

I think keeping him separate since he will be with you for just the week, and 
doing the basic hand washing, etc like i mentioned,
should suffice.  I tend to be a worrier regarding germs, viruses, so am 
probably more cautious in general.

Shelley 



> On Nov 22, 2017, at 4:34 PM, Theresa O'Rourke  
> wrote:
> 
> I am still going to give the poor kitty a lot of love while he is here, it is 
> so sad,
> He was a stray someone has adopted brought to the vet! What a hard life these 
> poor cats have.
> My three cats are spoiled
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPad
> 
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Re: [Felvtalk] Question

[Shelley Theye]

Actually, Feline Leukemia can also be transmitted through ‘friendly’ contact.  
Sharing food/water and grooming each other over a period of time.
The virus only lives for a few hours in the environment, so really just 
cleaning out the food/water bowls and litter box after the cat leaves 
should suffice, and check to see if any wet spots on floor,  etc. from water or 
urine and disinfect just to be on the safe side.

You might want to have different shoes on too?  and clothes, if you will be 
playing with and handling the cat a lot, in case drools on you…but that might 
be 
going overboard.  Definitely wash hands after handling...

Shelley 


> On Nov 22, 2017, at 11:03 AM, kresch...@mchsi.com wrote:
> 
> My take on this disease is that FeL is transmitted by direct contact with 
> blood or saliva from the infected cat. The FeLV is transmitted primarily 
> through a bite.
> - Original Message -
> From: Theresa O'Rourke 
> To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org
> Sent: Wed, 22 Nov 2017 10:14:29 -0500 (EST)
> Subject: [Felvtalk] Question
> 
> I have three cats, and take care of other people’s cats.
> My daughter’s friend has a FeLV positive cat, can I keep her in a separate 
> room for a week, do I have to wash all the linens and clean the room, after 
> the cat goes back home?  It’s because I take care of other  friend’s cats 
> also and want to know if they can catch
> The disease. 
> 
> Sent from my iPad
> 
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Re: [Felvtalk] Life Gold and Nu-Pet Feline Antioxidant

[Shelley Theye]

Hi Sandy,

I think that it is the old FIV vaccine that you are thinking of.  It is no 
longer on the market.
Once cats were vaccinated with it they would test positive on a SNAP test.

Cats vaccinated with the FeLV vaccine will not test positive afterwards, at 
least that I have ever heard.


Shelley 








> On Jun 19, 2017, at 11:08 AM, Sandy  wrote:
> 
> Thank you Amani - I knew you would be able to be concise and to the point - 
> and with FeLV time can not be wasted. One thing though - would it be wise to 
> retest??  
> 
> Thank you,
> 
> Sandy W
> 
> From: "Amani Oakley" 
> To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org
> Sent: Monday, June 19, 2017 1:00:17 AM
> Subject: Re: [Felvtalk] Life Gold and Nu-Pet Feline Antioxidant
> 
> Marilyn
>  
> Sandy is referring to the combination of drugs which I’ve named Zander’s 
> Protocol in honour of my sweet Zander who had FeLV. The combination of 
> Doxycycline, Prednisolone and Winstrol (Stanazolol) pulled him out of a very 
> serious downward spiral when nothing else had worked (including blood 
> transfusion, LTCI and interferon). With all due respect, I would be doubtful 
> that any anti-oxidants or natural remedies can do anything significant 
> against this nasty virus and you don’t have time to waste.
>  
> Zander’s Protocol: Doxycycline: 25 to 50 mg every 12 hours
>  
> Prednisolone:2.5 mg every 12 hours
>  
> Winstrol:   1-2 mg every 12 hours
>  
> Before starting the protocol, I suggest a complete blood panel, including 
> haematology and biochemistry panels. If money is tight, focus on the 
> haematology panel, but ask also for a reticulocyte count. If there are 
> concerning results in red cell numbers, haematocrit, reticulocyte counts, 
> etc., and depending and HOW concerning the results are, use 2 mg Winstrol 
> every 12 hours to start. If the results aren’t too bad, 1 mg every 12 hours 
> should be enough.
>  
> Keep track of the haematology results. I ran bloodwork every week, but if you 
> don’t want to do that, or can’t, consider every other week or at least once a 
> month. I don’t recommend once a month at the outset You need to assess how 
> well the protocol is working at the start. You also need to be able to assess 
> the results by comparing them week to week, if possible, so that the meds can 
> be modified if necessary.
>  
> If the cat is also having trouble keeping food down and/or getting food to 
> pass well through the intestinal tract, also add 1/5 tablet of metoclopramide 
> before meals. That helps to speed up the emptying of the stomach and increase 
> peristaltic action to move food through the intestinal tract.   
>  
> From: Felvtalk [mailto:felvtalk-boun...@felineleukemia.org] On Behalf Of Sandy
> Sent: June-18-17 8:45 PM
> To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org; thyme2s...@gmail.com
> Subject: Re: [Felvtalk] Life Gold and Nu-Pet Feline Antioxidant
>  
> Pam Doore Ask Amani (on this felvtalk)  about Zander's Protocol - consists of 
> doxycycline, Prednisolone and most important is Winstrol.  IMPORTANT to get 
> your kitty on this ASAP.
> It is my understanding that a cat given the vaccine and then booster may test 
> positive for FeLV - a bummer. 
>  
> Sandy W
>  
> From: "Pam Doore" >
> To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org 
> Sent: Sunday, June 18, 2017 8:17:21 PM
> Subject: Re: [Felvtalk] Life Gold and Nu-Pet Feline Antioxidant
>  
> Hi Marilyn,  I have been using lysine gel to help my Mozart who has herpes 
> virus on top of the FeLu. 
> There was a powdered supplement that a FeLu rescue outside of Boston gives to 
> all of their cats to help build up immune system. I don't remember what the 
> name of that was.  It was originally given to humans with HIV. 
>  
> What kind of infection is Destiny fighting?
> 
>  
> ~~@~@~@~@~@
> 
> Christ beside me, Christ before me, Christ behind me, Christ within me, 
> Christ beneath me, Christ above me. — St. Patrick
>  
>  
> On Sun, Jun 18, 2017 at 6:18 PM, Marilyn Knapp Litt  > wrote:
> 
> Has anyone used these for FeLV?
>  
> My kitty, Destiny,  is battling a bad infection.  We were shocked to find she 
> had FeLV.  She had had the shot and a booster.  The vet was treating her and 
> the infection was getting worse and then we found out the terrible truth.  I 
> am feeding her food with a syringe and keeping her comfortable.  She is on an 
> antibiotic.  I am giving her Essiac tea.  No idea if it is effective.
>  
> I am going to get DMG because friends have suggested that for FeLV.
>  
> I also am looking at Life Gold and Nu-Pet Feline Antioxidant, but find info 
> on using them with cancer, not FeLV.  Anyone have a suggestion about boosting 
> her immune system and fighting this 

Re: [Felvtalk] Blood in Stool

[Shelley Theye]

Bob, in case this might help Yogi…
My non-FeLV positive cat Frodo, had terrible, liquid, smelly stools with mucous 
for a number of years.
Started at about 1.5 years of age.  Tried metronidazole, all of the dewormers 
and treated for coccidia too, was sure he must 
have had IBD or colitis, etc.
Finally what helped him was a restricted protein diet, to rule out a food 
sensitivity.  We had to stick with the diet for months, longer than the 
recommended time, with a few metronidazole weeks interspersed, almost gave up 
when he got a mild bout of loose stool again, gave metronidazole 
one last time, a few days past when I was supposed to stop it, and glad I did, 
because his stools firmed up and became normal, and have been normal ever since!
I have read that cats have food sensitivities more than actual food allergies. 
I am not sure to what ingredient he is sensitive to, and hesitate to try to 
figure it out, because after so many years of terrible stools, now
he is symptom free and has been for a number of years.  He eats Royal Canin 
rabbit and green pea.  Not what I would like to feed, but
in his case it was the answer.
In case this might help.
Shelley

Shelley Theye
ve...@bellsouth.net



> On Aug 13, 2016, at 5:03 PM, Lorrie <felineres...@frontier.com> wrote:
> 
> Bob, I assume you've checked Yogi for parasites.  The fact that he
> is losing weight and having soft bloody mucus could indicate IBD
> Inflammatory Bowel Disease, I have a cat with this.  My cat, Sooty,
> was on Metronidazole for two weeks, and now has to take prednisolone
> every other day (transdermally) to keep this under control. He also
> gets B-12 shots once a week.  I hope Yogi does not have this, as it
> is not curable, only managable.  Sooty still enjoys life, but cannot
> gain weight no matter how much he eats.
> 
> Lorrie 
> 
> 
> assume you've
> had him checked for paras
> 
> On 08-12, ROBERT CHAPEL wrote:
>>   My 1 yr old ( Yogi) whose life has been one problem after another is
>>   now showing bloody mucus in his stool which is now becoming soft as
>>   well Had him to the Vet and he just completed a 10 day round of
>>   Flagyl...
>>   I'm already spending a fair amount with the Prednisolone Acetate he
>>   needs to keep his Uveitis at bay and 300 bucks later ( with an Xray) it
>>   does not look at though he has any blockages...  Anyone have any
>>   experience with this ??   Any relatively benign possible reasons (
>>   really hoping it is not severe autoimmune bowel disorder)   This
>>   poor little guy has a lot going on for a young cat also losing
>>   weight BUT...acting energetic, appetite is good and he's even
>>   playing a bit despite being half blind..
>>   thanks,
>>   Bob in Warwick NY
> 
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Re: [Felvtalk] Felvtalk Digest, Vol 5, Issue 6

[Shelley Theye]

Maya,
I am so so sorry to hear this sad news about your cat.  I can understand why 
you would be so nervous about ever vaccinating again.
Thank you for sharing this.
Shelley


On Aug 14, 2014, at 3:20 PM, Maya D'Alessio mde...@gmail.com wrote:

 I know this is anecdotal, and not properly tested evidence, but my cat went 
 from completely healthy on Monday, got her vaccinations (including for FeLV 
 because we didn't know she had it).  By Thursday evening she was gravely ill, 
 and we had to put her down Saturday morning.
 
 I 100% believe that the immunization caused her to have an intense immune 
 reaction, which depleted all of her remaining immune system.  She would have 
 passed away eventually, she was ill.  But her response was so immediate and 
 so intense.  I am very wary to give my other FeLV+ cat any immunizations 
 other than rabies which I view as very necessary.
 
 


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Re: [Felvtalk] Felvtalk Digest, Vol 5, Issue 6

[Shelley Theye]

Hi Jen,

I know this is a super difficult time for you, please don't apologize...

thank you for finding out the FVRCP vaccine brand, I'll check it out.

Hope Brynn's fatty area turns out to be nothing, hugs to you all.

Shelley


On Aug 15, 2014, at 12:09 AM, Jennifer Lewis blonded...@mac.com wrote:

 Shelley,
 
 I'm sorry I've been out of touch. These past weeks have been very hard for 
 us. 
 
 Smoosh's FVRCP was from Pfizer called FELOCELL. She had no reaction to the 
 shots, and I got them through one of my rescues. Again, we did not do rabies 
 as she wasn't going anywhere once she came to us, but Brynn had hers as she 
 was originally supposed to go to a sanctuary and the law required it.
 
 Brynn has started to develop a fatty something on her side( I don't think 
 it's a vac site) . We are monitoring it closely. She is so lonely without 
 Smoosh. I'm really not sure who misses her the most, although I suspect it 
 might be me.
 
 Jen
 On Aug 14, 2014, at 12:04 PM, Shelley Theye wrote:
 
 Hi Kat,
 
 Thanks so much for your reply. 
 
 Do you have any references or a website that covers the vaccination issue 
 with pos. cats 
 or are you speaking from personal experience, if so, can you share?
 
 Also, can you explain about the 'antbody problem that pos. cats have? 
 
 Leo actually had to be quarantined for rabies when I first got him, long 
 story, but I was having him retested for FeLV after his first pos.
 test, and the tech handled him roughly (he was still semi-feral at that 
 point) and as she was chasing him around 
 and trying to grab him with a towel he bit her, so she filed that with the 
 local animal control and he had to be quarantined 
 for 10 days, which was so upsetting in a number of ways.  He had received 
 his first Rabies vacc. less than 10 days prior to this
 so they said it wouldn't be effective yetI was worried that if he had a 
 chance to throw the virus off he 
 would lose that chance with the stress of quarantine.  He now is very sweet 
 but still afraid of anything new, so I guess I 
 am just paranoid about the whole rabies thing, not so much that he will get 
 rabies, but never want him to have to be 
 quarantined again!  
 
 Thanks so much! 
 Shelley
 
 
 On Aug 14, 2014, at 1:22 PM, Kat Parker korruptaki...@gmail.com wrote:
 
 Why do the rabies? I would do the fvrcp before the rabies and i won't so 
 either one. If your cat is not outside at all, which especially with being 
 positive i think not, and you don't have rabid animals around, again, 
 probably not the case, why on earth would you give a rabies shot to a 
 positive cat?  The law is ot going to be enforced in your home  it's not a 
 big deal, but over vaccinating a positive cat is a big deal. They have that 
 antibody problem of course and rabies vaccines are done to develop 
 antibodies. 
 
 On Thursday, August 14, 2014, felvtalk-requ...@felineleukemia.org wrote:
 Send Felvtalk mailing list submissions to
   felvtalk@felineleukemia.org
 
 To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit
   http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
 
 or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to
   felvtalk-requ...@felineleukemia.org
 
 You can reach the person managing the list at
   felvtalk-ow...@felineleukemia.org
 
 When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific
 than Re: Contents of Felvtalk digest...
 
 
 Today's Topics:
 
  1. Re: fvrcp vaccines- yes or no? (Shelley Theye)
  2. Re: New  have question (dlg...@windstream.net)
  3. Re: FELV contagious (dlg...@windstream.net)
 
 
 --
 
 Message: 1
 Date: Wed, 13 Aug 2014 13:44:06 -0400
 From: Shelley Theye ve...@bellsouth.net
 To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org
 Subject: Re: [Felvtalk] fvrcp vaccines- yes or no?
 Message-ID: 79d7a665-5346-488d-90a8-62c6c5664...@bellsouth.net
 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=windows-1252
 
 Hi Lance,
 
 I am not sure!  I will ask her.  She is pretty great.  Didn't even consider 
 euth. when he tested positive.  Went ahead and neutered Leo and told me the 
 news later that day.
 
 I just keep thinking about what the folks on this list said last year when 
 I asked, that their cats became sick after vaccinating.
 
 Thanks for letting me know that Ember did OK without vaccines at the vet 
 clinic.  I don't know if they make a purevax FVRCP.
 
 We will do the Rabies, and vet said to wait at least 2 weeks between 
 vaccines if do the FVRCP.  I thought that was good of her
 to suggest too, because it is better not to do them all at once.  I never 
 realized that until a few years ago.
 
 I'll let you all know if I find out anything on this,  will probably just 
 do the rabies though for now.
 
 Shelley
 
 
 On Aug 11, 2014, at 10:45 PM, Lance lini...@fastmail.fm wrote:
 
 I wish I had an answer for you. Would your vet be willing to log onto 
 Vetinfo to see what other vets

Re: [Felvtalk] Felvtalk Digest, Vol 5, Issue 6

[Shelley Theye]

Hi Kat,

Thanks so much for your reply. 
 
Do you have any references or a website that covers the vaccination issue with 
pos. cats 
or are you speaking from personal experience, if so, can you share?

Also, can you explain about the 'antbody problem that pos. cats have? 

Leo actually had to be quarantined for rabies when I first got him, long story, 
but I was having him retested for FeLV after his first pos.
test, and the tech handled him roughly (he was still semi-feral at that point) 
and as she was chasing him around 
and trying to grab him with a towel he bit her, so she filed that with the 
local animal control and he had to be quarantined 
for 10 days, which was so upsetting in a number of ways.  He had received his 
first Rabies vacc. less than 10 days prior to this
so they said it wouldn't be effective yetI was worried that if he had a 
chance to throw the virus off he 
would lose that chance with the stress of quarantine.  He now is very sweet but 
still afraid of anything new, so I guess I 
am just paranoid about the whole rabies thing, not so much that he will get 
rabies, but never want him to have to be 
quarantined again!  

Thanks so much! 
Shelley


On Aug 14, 2014, at 1:22 PM, Kat Parker korruptaki...@gmail.com wrote:

 Why do the rabies? I would do the fvrcp before the rabies and i won't so 
 either one. If your cat is not outside at all, which especially with being 
 positive i think not, and you don't have rabid animals around, again, 
 probably not the case, why on earth would you give a rabies shot to a 
 positive cat?  The law is ot going to be enforced in your home  it's not a 
 big deal, but over vaccinating a positive cat is a big deal. They have that 
 antibody problem of course and rabies vaccines are done to develop 
 antibodies. 
 
 On Thursday, August 14, 2014, felvtalk-requ...@felineleukemia.org wrote:
 Send Felvtalk mailing list submissions to
 felvtalk@felineleukemia.org
 
 To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit
 http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
 
 or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to
 felvtalk-requ...@felineleukemia.org
 
 You can reach the person managing the list at
 felvtalk-ow...@felineleukemia.org
 
 When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific
 than Re: Contents of Felvtalk digest...
 
 
 Today's Topics:
 
1. Re: fvrcp vaccines- yes or no? (Shelley Theye)
2. Re: New  have question (dlg...@windstream.net)
3. Re: FELV contagious (dlg...@windstream.net)
 
 
 --
 
 Message: 1
 Date: Wed, 13 Aug 2014 13:44:06 -0400
 From: Shelley Theye ve...@bellsouth.net
 To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org
 Subject: Re: [Felvtalk] fvrcp vaccines- yes or no?
 Message-ID: 79d7a665-5346-488d-90a8-62c6c5664...@bellsouth.net
 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=windows-1252
 
 Hi Lance,
 
 I am not sure!  I will ask her.  She is pretty great.  Didn't even consider 
 euth. when he tested positive.  Went ahead and neutered Leo and told me the 
 news later that day.
 
 I just keep thinking about what the folks on this list said last year when I 
 asked, that their cats became sick after vaccinating.
 
 Thanks for letting me know that Ember did OK without vaccines at the vet 
 clinic.  I don't know if they make a purevax FVRCP.
 
 We will do the Rabies, and vet said to wait at least 2 weeks between vaccines 
 if do the FVRCP.  I thought that was good of her
 to suggest too, because it is better not to do them all at once.  I never 
 realized that until a few years ago.
 
 I'll let you all know if I find out anything on this,  will probably just do 
 the rabies though for now.
 
 Shelley
 
 
 On Aug 11, 2014, at 10:45 PM, Lance lini...@fastmail.fm wrote:
 
  I wish I had an answer for you. Would your vet be willing to log onto 
  Vetinfo to see what other vets are recommending for FeLV cats? I seem to 
  recall that Ember?s vet recommended that she be vaccinated, but we never 
  did that. Despite her low white count, she never picked anything up at the 
  vet?s office as far as I know. Even the dentals didn?t weaken her enough.
 
  If Purevax makes an FVRCP vaccine, that might be the better one to go with. 
  It is supposed to have less possibility of causing a fibrosarcoma (we used 
  to call them vax site sarcomas).
 
  Also, you?re not overthinking this. You?re being a good and protective cat 
  parent.
 
  Best wishes for you and Leo,
 
  Lance
 
  On Aug 11, 2014, at 8:47 AM, Shelley Theye ve...@bellsouth.net wrote:
 
  Hi All,
 
  I asked last year when Leo was due for his yearly check-up, about how 
  everyone feels about vaccinating
  their Leukemia pos. cats in general.
 
  The replies I received cautioned not to vaccinate for FVRCP, that is 
  caused cats to become ill afterwards.
 
  I have to get Leo vacc. for rabies since it is the law, will do the 
  Purevax like I

Re: [Felvtalk] fvrcp vaccines- yes or no?

[Shelley Theye]

Hi Lance,

I am not sure!  I will ask her.  She is pretty great.  Didn't even consider 
euth. when he tested positive.  Went ahead and neutered Leo and told me the 
news later that day.

I just keep thinking about what the folks on this list said last year when I 
asked, that their cats became sick after vaccinating.

Thanks for letting me know that Ember did OK without vaccines at the vet 
clinic.  I don't know if they make a purevax FVRCP.

We will do the Rabies, and vet said to wait at least 2 weeks between vaccines 
if do the FVRCP.  I thought that was good of her
to suggest too, because it is better not to do them all at once.  I never 
realized that until a few years ago.

I'll let you all know if I find out anything on this,  will probably just do 
the rabies though for now.

Shelley


On Aug 11, 2014, at 10:45 PM, Lance lini...@fastmail.fm wrote:

 I wish I had an answer for you. Would your vet be willing to log onto Vetinfo 
 to see what other vets are recommending for FeLV cats? I seem to recall that 
 Ember’s vet recommended that she be vaccinated, but we never did that. 
 Despite her low white count, she never picked anything up at the vet’s office 
 as far as I know. Even the dentals didn’t weaken her enough. 
 
 If Purevax makes an FVRCP vaccine, that might be the better one to go with. 
 It is supposed to have less possibility of causing a fibrosarcoma (we used to 
 call them vax site sarcomas).
 
 Also, you’re not overthinking this. You’re being a good and protective cat 
 parent. 
 
 Best wishes for you and Leo,
 
 Lance
 
 On Aug 11, 2014, at 8:47 AM, Shelley Theye ve...@bellsouth.net wrote:
 
 Hi All,
 
 I asked last year when Leo was due for his yearly check-up, about how 
 everyone feels about vaccinating
 their Leukemia pos. cats in general.
 
 The replies I received cautioned not to vaccinate for FVRCP, that is caused 
 cats to become ill afterwards.
 
 I have to get Leo vacc. for rabies since it is the law, will do the Purevax 
 like I did last year, but he 
 has only received one FVRCP vacc. back in summer 2012, when I first got him 
 and he was neutered and 
 I wasn't told about his FeLV status until afterwards.  At the time I thought 
 he was a feral cat, he actually was, 
 but has since become quite tame.  
 
 Last year, in 2013, I opted not to do the FVRCP, because of the cautionary 
 emails on the subject.
 I guess my only worry is that he will be more susceptible in a vet clinic 
 when he goes in for a check up for 
 for treatment if he doesn't have that vaccine, so just would like to throw 
 this out there again for thoughts on 
 this subject.  Also, is there a certain type of FVRCP that might be less 
 dangerous, etc?  
 
 I have done some reading on Dr. Lisa Pierson's website, and sounds like he 
 should maybe have at least 2 vaccines
 as an adult and then can stop.  Am I overthinking this?
 
 Thanks for any advice.  So far, knock on wood, he is doing great, though he 
 is lonely, but I think since he was initially
 semi-feral, the quiet lifestyle suits him.  we built him a nice mini 
 screened porch/large window box which he really enjoys
 and spend time with him daily.
 
 Best,
 Shelley
 
 
 
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[Felvtalk] fvrcp vaccines- yes or no?

[Shelley Theye]

Hi All,

I asked last year when Leo was due for his yearly check-up, about how everyone 
feels about vaccinating
their Leukemia pos. cats in general.

The replies I received cautioned not to vaccinate for FVRCP, that is caused 
cats to become ill afterwards.

I have to get Leo vacc. for rabies since it is the law, will do the Purevax 
like I did last year, but he 
has only received one FVRCP vacc. back in summer 2012, when I first got him and 
he was neutered and 
I wasn't told about his FeLV status until afterwards.  At the time I thought he 
was a feral cat, he actually was, 
but has since become quite tame.  

Last year, in 2013, I opted not to do the FVRCP, because of the cautionary 
emails on the subject.
I guess my only worry is that he will be more susceptible in a vet clinic when 
he goes in for a check up for 
for treatment if he doesn't have that vaccine, so just would like to throw this 
out there again for thoughts on 
this subject.  Also, is there a certain type of FVRCP that might be less 
dangerous, etc?  

I have done some reading on Dr. Lisa Pierson's website, and sounds like he 
should maybe have at least 2 vaccines
as an adult and then can stop.  Am I overthinking this?

Thanks for any advice.  So far, knock on wood, he is doing great, though he is 
lonely, but I think since he was initially
semi-feral, the quiet lifestyle suits him.  we built him a nice mini screened 
porch/large window box which he really enjoys
and spend time with him daily.

Best,
Shelley



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Re: [Felvtalk] Suzy's Zoo in SC

[Shelley Theye]

Maybe the person (second chance meows) who mentioned this rescue having a 
website and facebook page could post the links since others have never heard of 
them?

I definitely agree with Beth and would want to know a lot more and err on the 
side of caution.  I was thinking that for some cats, this type of environment 
(crowded, etc.) could provide to be stressful, which is the last thing you 
would want for a leukemia pos. cat.

Shelley


On Jan 5, 2014, at 4:39 PM, Beth wrote:

 it sounds like she has taken quite a few cats just from people you are 
 associated with. That would be a concern to me. Maybe taking too many. These 
 places really need secondary people overseeing finances  day to day 
 operations. There is one well known rescue I know of that has a fb page  was 
 featured on the Halo Pets site,. I have a friend who drove 10 hrs to take a 
 dog there. She returned home with the dog. She said there was no way she 
 could leave it there. Lesson learned. Be really carefil  always make sure 
 you visit the place in person. She may be great, but you really can't tell 
 unless you go there.
 
 Beth
 
 Sent from Yahoo Mail on Android
 
 
 From: Heather furrygi...@gmail.com; 
 To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org felvtalk@felineleukemia.org; 
 Subject: Re: [Felvtalk] Suzy's Zoo in SC 
 Sent: Sun, Jan 5, 2014 8:13:17 PM 
 
 Thank you Susan! And Lorrie. They have taken a few cats from our local 
 shelter, and I know some who are taking one there tomorrow. A close friend 
 has one pending retest this week who will otherwise be euthanized and we've 
 since heard Suzy's will take, so I will pass this on. Susan, if you know 
 where I can find direct feedback can you let me know, so I may share with 
 those sending or considering sending cats there? I understand if you can't or 
 don't have this information. Thanks so much for your input!!
 
 Heather
 
 Sent from my iPhone
 
 On Jan 5, 2014, at 10:39 AM, Susan Saunders a4kat...@yahoo.com wrote:
 
  I checked into last summer - got good and not so good comments so I passed 
  on them
  
  Sent from my iPhone
  
  On Jan 5, 2014, at 9:10 AM, Lorrie felineres...@frontier.com wrote:
  
  Never heard of it and I've been researching sanctuarys for years.
  Do they have a website?  Make sure they are legitimate and also
  charge at least $1,000 UP  (mostly up) per cat as the ones who 
  charge to little for the lifetime care of a cat will usually end
  up with too many cats and get shut down.
  
  Lorrie
  
  On 01-04, Heather wrote:
  Hello, wondering if anyone has been to or has experience with this 
  sanctuary? A friend may contact them about a kitty she rescued.
  
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Re: [Felvtalk] Prayers needed for Bear

[Shelley Theye]

Michelle, 
I am sending prayers and positive healing thoughts to Bear, hope he starts to 
feel better soon.
Sounds like you are a wonderful mom.
Shelley

On Dec 24, 2013, at 7:15 PM, lernermiche...@aol.com wrote:

 Turns out it does not look like FIP, looks like hemolytic anemia, where he is 
 killing off his own red blood cells, and the vet simply did not keep him on a 
 high enough dose of immune-suppressants so he crashed again. Now he is really 
 bad. I don't know what his chances are at this point, but I do not think they 
 are good, though the vets say he can turn around. He just got a transfusion 
 and they are starting him on cyclosporine, a stronger immune suppressant. And 
 doxycycline.
  
 Please send him prayers. He is FIV+, not FeLV+, though he has had as many 
 issues as my FeLV cats did. I got back on this list looking for feline 
 interferon, which I don't need, but one thing I know this list is good for is 
 prayers. Please pray it's a good Christmas for Bear and he responds well to 
 the transfusion and the cyclosporine.
  
 thank you,
 Michelle
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Re: [Felvtalk] Topical Flea Control

[Shelley Theye]

I would worry that if it is on their fur, they would ingest when they groom.  
Isn't it described to be like tiny pieces of broken glass to insects?  
Shelley

Shelley Theye
ve...@bellsouth.net



On Nov 27, 2013, at 9:53 AM, Beth wrote:

 I would definitely use it cautiously. I used it as directed on my floors  
 had a bad reaction to it. I was having problems breathing  I was wearing a 
 good quality fine particle mask. I worry that it I had that reaction, if I 
 spread it on my cats, they would have problems, too. If you are rubbing it 
 into their fur they would have to inhale some of it.  I haven't used the rest 
 of it.
 
  Beth
 Don't Litter, Fix Your Critter! www.Furkids.org
  
 
 From: Lee Evans moonsiste...@yahoo.com
 To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org felvtalk@felineleukemia.org 
 Sent: Tuesday, November 26, 2013 4:41 PM
 Subject: Re: [Felvtalk] Topical Flea Control
 
 I would cautiously use diatomaceous earth, food grade type, rubbing it into 
 her fur. It's basically a calcium supplement for cattle but it kills fleas 
 instantly by drying out their soft underside. I would also spread it in 
 carpets, her bedding, and sweep it over all floors where she has access. You 
 can vacuum it up if you like but I usually simply leave a thin layer on. But 
 DO comb it out of her fur after you leave it there about 10 minutes so her 
 skin won't get dry.  I stopped a zillion fleas dead in their tracks in my 
 small cat sanctuary (large shed with outside enclosure) by spreading this 
 over the floors. Nothing else helped and I was polka dot fleas from ankle to 
 waist every time I went in there even though I had treated the cats with 
 Frontline Plus. Along came a friend and brought me 12 pounds of the 
 Diatom-Earth and bye-bye fleas overnight. Be careful not to get it into her 
 eyes or up her nose and don't you inhale it either. It's a very fine powder 
 and NEVER use the regular 
 type of diatomaceous earth. Only use the food grade and don't fluff it around. 
Spread it gently and thinly.
 
 
 
 On Tuesday, November 26, 2013 2:49 PM, Tracey Shrout dtshr...@gmail.com 
 wrote:
 I use program suspension, and have used it for many years with excellent 
 results. They do not make it here in the US anymore, it comes from the UK, 
 and I get it from amazon.  It is one of the least toxic flea treatments 
 available, and that's why I use it.  It's a creamy substance that you mix in 
 their food.  I have 6 cats, and they eat it willingly...no problems. I've 
 heard they shut down the plant here in the US because of cleanliness.  I 
 would never put a topical on a felv+ cat.  Be sure to change bedding daily or 
 at least every other day and vacuum like crazy.  You could also look into the 
 food grade diatomaceous earth...it takes some time and effort to work though. 
  Good luck...Tracey
 
 
 On Tue, Nov 26, 2013 at 2:26 PM, Michelle B teals...@hotmail.com wrote:
 I am having a crazy hard time keeping fleas off of my FeLV foster. I do flea 
 comb at least once a day and keep everything very clean but they won't go 
 away. I hate the thought of putting a topical on her because her nodes are 
 huge and her immune sytem is already compromised but I know these fleas are 
 no good either. I have no idea how they can still be on her because I have 
 been so aggressive.
 
 Has anyone researched topicals for + cats? Like are there any that are 
 'safer' than others? I was thinking of trying Revolution on herthat way 
 it it will keep away fleas, ticks, earmites, etc. Thoughts? She is 7 months 
 old and healthy considering.
 
 
 
 -- Have YOU Heard About It Yet???
   www.JonahsPlace.org
 
 
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Re: [Felvtalk] research on feline interferon alpha

[Shelley Theye]

Thanks Lance.  I'll look into DMG.

Shelley 

On Nov 12, 2013, at 11:59 AM, Lance wrote:

 LTCI is an American-made product and is *not* an interferon. I’m referring to 
 feline recombinant interferon omega that has the trade name of Virbagen 
 Omega, originally manufactured by Virbac. Glad to hear that LTCI may have 
 helped your cat, Katherine.
 
 Shelley: You might consider supplementing with DMG. Vetri Science makes a 
 liquid and a chewable. The chewable also contains lysine. Ember likes the 
 chewable, but the liquid is easy to give via eyedropper (we used that for 
 many years). I don’t think it has any taste. Ember doesn’t seem to care. 
 Either form is fairly cheap, and certainly less expensive per dose than even 
 the human interferon. Amazon has both for sale.
 
 On Nov 12, 2013, at 10:51 AM, Shelley Theye ve...@bellsouth.net wrote:
 
 Thanks, I'll check out the link and archives.
 
 Shelley
 
 
 On Nov 12, 2013, at 11:05 AM, Katherine K. wrote:
 
 No, I don't think so but honestly can't remember the difference without 
 looking it all up again. Try searching the listserv archives. You can find 
 out more about LTCI at http://tcyte.com/.
 
 
 On Tue, Nov 12, 2013 at 10:58 AM, Shelley Theye ve...@bellsouth.net wrote:
 Thanks Katherine.  So LTCI is the same thing Lance is referring to as  
 feline recombinant interferon omega ?
 Shelley
 
 
 On Nov 12, 2013, at 9:34 AM, Katherine K. wrote:
 
 Hi Shelley and Jennifer,
 
 When my 10 yr old cat was first diagnosed in July, I found this forum to 
 be helpful in learning about LTCI: 
 http://910pets.com/forum/topics/feline-leukemia?xg_source=activityid=2127871.
  It's not very active now, but it's a good resource and folks will still 
 respond to you if you post there.
 
 My cat was running a fever, had gone from 13 lbs to 11.5, wasn't eating 
 and was lethargic when he was first diagnosed. I don't remember his RBC 
 count at the moment. We ordered LTCI for him and gave him 3 injections in 
 the first week, then went to once a week for 2 weeks, then once every 2 
 weeks for a few weeks, and now he gets it once a month. He has returned to 
 his normal self. He was also on a low dose of prednisone for a month. I 
 don't know which medicine helped pull him out of the woods but I'm glad to 
 keep trying the LTCI if it keeps him healthy. It costs me about $50 per 
 injection though so it's not something I'm financially able to try on my 4 
 positive kittens.
 
 Katherine
 
 
 On Tue, Nov 12, 2013 at 8:04 AM, Shelley Theye ve...@bellsouth.net wrote:
 Lance,
 Thanks so much for explaining the difference between the 2 interferons.  I 
 did not realize that there were 2 types.  I had asked Leo's new vet about 
 using it as a preventative, and  since she could easily get interferon, 
 now I know that it was  the human one.  Anyway, he is not symptomatic 
 right now, so the only thing I give him occasionally is Lysine.
 Shelley
 
 Shelley Theye
 ve...@bellsouth.net
 
 
 
 On Nov 11, 2013, at 8:50 PM, Lance wrote:
 
 I think the de Mari feline recombinant interferon omega study was done 
 with symptomatic FeLV+ cats. I think. If I already had interferon omega 
 and Ember was symptomatic, I would definitely try it. I know very little 
 about what is suggested with LTCI (symptomatic vs. asymptomatic for 
 treatment). Their website should mention this.
 
 To clarify, there are two types of interferon given for FeLV+ cats: 1) 
 interferon alpha (a product for humans that has anecdotally shown 
 promise, but studies have failed to verify this) and 2) feline 
 recombinant interferon omega (anecdotal evidence AND studies have shown 
 promise).
 
 It’s easy to get #1 from pretty much any vet. They can write a 
 prescription and have it filled by Roadrunner or another pharmacy that 
 does drugs/compounding for pets. It’s also cheap. I think it’s ~$40 for a 
 month and a half supply using the 5 days on/5 days off protocol.
 
 It’s somewhat difficult and expensive to get #2.Your vet has to go 
 through an FDA program that used to be called Compassionate Use. This 
 allows your vet clearance to import feline recombinant interferon omega, 
 which they need, as it’s not sold in the US. There’s paperwork involved, 
 though I don’t think it’s horrible. A dedicated, compassionate vet will 
 do this for you. You then have to pay (through your vet) Abbeyvet In 
 England for the drug and the overnight shipping—overnight from England. 
 When I last priced this, it was ~$1300 for the drug and the shipping. I 
 believe this is for something like 15 doses, but that’s all you give in a 
 year, according to the established protocol. At least with feline 
 recombinant interferon omega, you know you have something that has been 
 proven to work, unlike other drugs I could mention. Will it produce 
 results for a particular FeLV+ cat? Maybe?
 
 If Pookie is doing well, then I agree: don’t rock the boat. You might 
 still look into what it would take to get feline recombinant interferon

Re: [Felvtalk] research on feline interferon alpha

[Shelley Theye]

Thank you for the recommendation.  I'll check it out.

Shelley 


On Nov 12, 2013, at 12:13 PM, trustinhi...@charter.net wrote:

 Shelley, I have mentioned this before but I give my Pookie Wei Qi 
 recommended by my holistic vet for immune support. I give him (and the other 
 cats) one tea (tiny) pill a day for immune health. It is resonable in cost 
 and there are 200 pills in the bottle, so it lasts a lot. It is an Eastern 
 herb. Just a thought if you want to get some from a holistic vet.
 
 
 On Tue, Nov 12, 2013 at 7:04 AM, Shelley Theye wrote:
 
 Lance,
 Thanks so much for explaining the difference between the 2 interferons.  I 
 did not realize that there were 2 types.  I had asked Leo's new vet about 
 using it as a preventative, and  since she could easily get interferon, now 
 I know that it was  the human one.  Anyway, he is not symptomatic right now, 
 so the only thing I give him occasionally is Lysine.  Shelley
 Shelley Theye
 ve...@bellsouth.net
 
 
 
 On Nov 11, 2013, at 8:50 PM, Lance wrote:
 
 I think the de Mari feline recombinant interferon omega study was done with 
 symptomatic FeLV+ cats. I think. If I already had interferon omega and 
 Ember was symptomatic, I would definitely try it. I know very little about 
 what is suggested with LTCI (symptomatic vs. asymptomatic for treatment). 
 Their website should mention this.
 
 To clarify, there are two types of interferon given for FeLV+ cats: 1) 
 interferon alpha (a product for humans that has anecdotally shown promise, 
 but studies have failed to verify this) and 2) feline recombinant 
 interferon omega (anecdotal evidence AND studies have shown promise).
 
 It’s easy to get #1 from pretty much any vet. They can write a prescription 
 and have it filled by Roadrunner or another pharmacy that does 
 drugs/compounding for pets. It’s also cheap. I think it’s ~$40 for a month 
 and a half supply using the 5 days on/5 days off protocol.
 
 It’s somewhat difficult and expensive to get #2.Your vet has to go through 
 an FDA program that used to be called Compassionate Use. This allows your 
 vet clearance to import feline recombinant interferon omega, which they 
 need, as it’s not sold in the US. There’s paperwork involved, though I 
 don’t think it’s horrible. A dedicated, compassionate vet will do this for 
 you. You then have to pay (through your vet) Abbeyvet In England for the 
 drug and the overnight shipping—overnight from England. When I last priced 
 this, it was ~$1300 for the drug and the shipping. I believe this is for 
 something like 15 doses, but that’s all you give in a year, according to 
 the established protocol. At least with feline recombinant interferon 
 omega, you know you have something that has been proven to work, unlike 
 other drugs I could mention. Will it produce results for a particular FeLV+ 
 cat? Maybe?
 If Pookie is doing well, then I agree: don’t rock the boat. You might still 
 look into what it would take to get feline recombinant interferon omega 
 imported. Your vet might never have heard of it, and it might be useful to 
 ask them to look into it. If you decide to do it down the road, you have 
 that much less work to do to get it here.
 
 On Nov 11, 2013, at 6:48 PM, trustinhi...@charter.net wrote:
 
 I took Pookie to the one of four vets in Wisconsin who has done LTCI 
 injections, but Pookie was sick, running a temp, and not eating when he 
 was seen. So he wasn't a candidate for the injection. Do the FELV+ kitties 
 need to be symptom free before they administer this? Also is this the same 
 with the interferon shots? And does anyone know who administers interferon 
 in Wisconsin? My inclination is if it isn't broken don't fix it...If 
 Pookie is doing well, I don't want to mess with him. And he is doing great 
 now since he had acupuncture. Seems so hit or miss with all this??
 
 
 On Mon, Nov 11, 2013 at 4:08 PM, Jennifer Lewis wrote:
 
 Has anyone tried any other the other meds out there, like Lymphocyte 
 T-Cell Immunomodulator (LTCI)?
 
 Jennifer L, Munchkin and Brynn
 
 
 
 On Nov 11, 2013, at 12:54 PM, MaryChristine wrote:
 
 http://goo.gl/uT6Evb
 
 not new to most of us, but always good to see things get the official 
 recognition. tho it does end as most research articles do, more 
 research is needed.
 
 MC
 --
 Spay  Neuter Your Neighbors!
 Maybe That'll Make The Difference
 MaryChristine
 
 ___
 Felvtalk mailing list
 Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org
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   --
 
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Re: [Felvtalk] research on feline interferon alpha

[Shelley Theye]

Lance,
Thanks so much for explaining the difference between the 2 interferons.  I did 
not realize that there were 2 types.  I had asked Leo's new vet about using it 
as a preventative, and  since she could easily get interferon, now I know that 
it was  the human one.  Anyway, he is not symptomatic right now, so the only 
thing I give him occasionally is Lysine.  
Shelley 

Shelley Theye
ve...@bellsouth.net



On Nov 11, 2013, at 8:50 PM, Lance wrote:

 I think the de Mari feline recombinant interferon omega study was done with 
 symptomatic FeLV+ cats. I think. If I already had interferon omega and Ember 
 was symptomatic, I would definitely try it. I know very little about what is 
 suggested with LTCI (symptomatic vs. asymptomatic for treatment). Their 
 website should mention this.
 
 To clarify, there are two types of interferon given for FeLV+ cats: 1) 
 interferon alpha (a product for humans that has anecdotally shown promise, 
 but studies have failed to verify this) and 2) feline recombinant interferon 
 omega (anecdotal evidence AND studies have shown promise).
 
 It’s easy to get #1 from pretty much any vet. They can write a prescription 
 and have it filled by Roadrunner or another pharmacy that does 
 drugs/compounding for pets. It’s also cheap. I think it’s ~$40 for a month 
 and a half supply using the 5 days on/5 days off protocol.
 
 It’s somewhat difficult and expensive to get #2.Your vet has to go through an 
 FDA program that used to be called Compassionate Use. This allows your vet 
 clearance to import feline recombinant interferon omega, which they need, as 
 it’s not sold in the US. There’s paperwork involved, though I don’t think 
 it’s horrible. A dedicated, compassionate vet will do this for you. You then 
 have to pay (through your vet) Abbeyvet In England for the drug and the 
 overnight shipping—overnight from England. When I last priced this, it was 
 ~$1300 for the drug and the shipping. I believe this is for something like 15 
 doses, but that’s all you give in a year, according to the established 
 protocol. At least with feline recombinant interferon omega, you know you 
 have something that has been proven to work, unlike other drugs I could 
 mention. Will it produce results for a particular FeLV+ cat? Maybe? 
 
 If Pookie is doing well, then I agree: don’t rock the boat. You might still 
 look into what it would take to get feline recombinant interferon omega 
 imported. Your vet might never have heard of it, and it might be useful to 
 ask them to look into it. If you decide to do it down the road, you have that 
 much less work to do to get it here.
 
 On Nov 11, 2013, at 6:48 PM, trustinhi...@charter.net wrote:
 
 I took Pookie to the one of four vets in Wisconsin who has done LTCI 
 injections, but Pookie was sick, running a temp, and not eating when he was 
 seen. So he wasn't a candidate for the injection. Do the FELV+ kitties need 
 to be symptom free before they administer this? Also is this the same with 
 the interferon shots? And does anyone know who administers interferon in 
 Wisconsin? My inclination is if it isn't broken don't fix it...If Pookie is 
 doing well, I don't want to mess with him. And he is doing great now since 
 he had acupuncture. Seems so hit or miss with all this??
 
 
 On Mon, Nov 11, 2013 at 4:08 PM, Jennifer Lewis wrote:
 
 Has anyone tried any other the other meds out there, like Lymphocyte T-Cell 
 Immunomodulator (LTCI)?
 
 Jennifer L, Munchkin and Brynn
 
 
 
 On Nov 11, 2013, at 12:54 PM, MaryChristine wrote:
 
 http://goo.gl/uT6Evb
 
 not new to most of us, but always good to see things get the official 
 recognition. tho it does end as most research articles do, more research 
 is needed.
 
 MC
 --
 Spay  Neuter Your Neighbors!
 Maybe That'll Make The Difference
 MaryChristine
 
 ___
 Felvtalk mailing list
 Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org
 http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
 
 
 
--
 
 ___
 Felvtalk mailing list
 Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org
 http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
 
 ___
 Felvtalk mailing list
 Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org
 http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
 
 
 ___
 Felvtalk mailing list
 Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org
 http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org


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Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org
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Re: [Felvtalk] research on feline interferon alpha

[Shelley Theye]

Thanks Katherine.  So LTCI is the same thing Lance is referring to as  feline 
recombinant interferon omega ?
Shelley


On Nov 12, 2013, at 9:34 AM, Katherine K. wrote:

 Hi Shelley and Jennifer,
 
 When my 10 yr old cat was first diagnosed in July, I found this forum to be 
 helpful in learning about LTCI: 
 http://910pets.com/forum/topics/feline-leukemia?xg_source=activityid=2127871.
  It's not very active now, but it's a good resource and folks will still 
 respond to you if you post there. 
 
 My cat was running a fever, had gone from 13 lbs to 11.5, wasn't eating and 
 was lethargic when he was first diagnosed. I don't remember his RBC count at 
 the moment. We ordered LTCI for him and gave him 3 injections in the first 
 week, then went to once a week for 2 weeks, then once every 2 weeks for a few 
 weeks, and now he gets it once a month. He has returned to his normal self. 
 He was also on a low dose of prednisone for a month. I don't know which 
 medicine helped pull him out of the woods but I'm glad to keep trying the 
 LTCI if it keeps him healthy. It costs me about $50 per injection though so 
 it's not something I'm financially able to try on my 4 positive kittens.
 
 Katherine
 
 
 On Tue, Nov 12, 2013 at 8:04 AM, Shelley Theye ve...@bellsouth.net wrote:
 Lance,
 Thanks so much for explaining the difference between the 2 interferons.  I 
 did not realize that there were 2 types.  I had asked Leo's new vet about 
 using it as a preventative, and  since she could easily get interferon, now I 
 know that it was  the human one.  Anyway, he is not symptomatic right now, so 
 the only thing I give him occasionally is Lysine.
 Shelley
 
 Shelley Theye
 ve...@bellsouth.net
 
 
 
 On Nov 11, 2013, at 8:50 PM, Lance wrote:
 
  I think the de Mari feline recombinant interferon omega study was done with 
  symptomatic FeLV+ cats. I think. If I already had interferon omega and 
  Ember was symptomatic, I would definitely try it. I know very little about 
  what is suggested with LTCI (symptomatic vs. asymptomatic for treatment). 
  Their website should mention this.
 
  To clarify, there are two types of interferon given for FeLV+ cats: 1) 
  interferon alpha (a product for humans that has anecdotally shown promise, 
  but studies have failed to verify this) and 2) feline recombinant 
  interferon omega (anecdotal evidence AND studies have shown promise).
 
  It’s easy to get #1 from pretty much any vet. They can write a prescription 
  and have it filled by Roadrunner or another pharmacy that does 
  drugs/compounding for pets. It’s also cheap. I think it’s ~$40 for a month 
  and a half supply using the 5 days on/5 days off protocol.
 
  It’s somewhat difficult and expensive to get #2.Your vet has to go through 
  an FDA program that used to be called Compassionate Use. This allows your 
  vet clearance to import feline recombinant interferon omega, which they 
  need, as it’s not sold in the US. There’s paperwork involved, though I 
  don’t think it’s horrible. A dedicated, compassionate vet will do this for 
  you. You then have to pay (through your vet) Abbeyvet In England for the 
  drug and the overnight shipping—overnight from England. When I last priced 
  this, it was ~$1300 for the drug and the shipping. I believe this is for 
  something like 15 doses, but that’s all you give in a year, according to 
  the established protocol. At least with feline recombinant interferon 
  omega, you know you have something that has been proven to work, unlike 
  other drugs I could mention. Will it produce results for a particular FeLV+ 
  cat? Maybe?
 
  If Pookie is doing well, then I agree: don’t rock the boat. You might still 
  look into what it would take to get feline recombinant interferon omega 
  imported. Your vet might never have heard of it, and it might be useful to 
  ask them to look into it. If you decide to do it down the road, you have 
  that much less work to do to get it here.
 
  On Nov 11, 2013, at 6:48 PM, trustinhi...@charter.net wrote:
 
  I took Pookie to the one of four vets in Wisconsin who has done LTCI 
  injections, but Pookie was sick, running a temp, and not eating when he 
  was seen. So he wasn't a candidate for the injection. Do the FELV+ kitties 
  need to be symptom free before they administer this? Also is this the same 
  with the interferon shots? And does anyone know who administers interferon 
  in Wisconsin? My inclination is if it isn't broken don't fix it...If 
  Pookie is doing well, I don't want to mess with him. And he is doing great 
  now since he had acupuncture. Seems so hit or miss with all this??
 
 
  On Mon, Nov 11, 2013 at 4:08 PM, Jennifer Lewis wrote:
 
  Has anyone tried any other the other meds out there, like Lymphocyte 
  T-Cell Immunomodulator (LTCI)?
 
  Jennifer L, Munchkin and Brynn
 
 
 
  On Nov 11, 2013, at 12:54 PM, MaryChristine wrote:
 
  http://goo.gl/uT6Evb
 
  not new to most of us, but always good to see things get the official

Re: [Felvtalk] research on feline interferon alpha

[Shelley Theye]

Thanks, I'll check out the link and archives.

Shelley


On Nov 12, 2013, at 11:05 AM, Katherine K. wrote:

 No, I don't think so but honestly can't remember the difference without 
 looking it all up again. Try searching the listserv archives. You can find 
 out more about LTCI at http://tcyte.com/.
 
 
 On Tue, Nov 12, 2013 at 10:58 AM, Shelley Theye ve...@bellsouth.net wrote:
 Thanks Katherine.  So LTCI is the same thing Lance is referring to as  feline 
 recombinant interferon omega ?
 Shelley
 
 
 On Nov 12, 2013, at 9:34 AM, Katherine K. wrote:
 
  Hi Shelley and Jennifer,
 
  When my 10 yr old cat was first diagnosed in July, I found this forum to be 
  helpful in learning about LTCI: 
  http://910pets.com/forum/topics/feline-leukemia?xg_source=activityid=2127871.
   It's not very active now, but it's a good resource and folks will still 
  respond to you if you post there.
 
  My cat was running a fever, had gone from 13 lbs to 11.5, wasn't eating and 
  was lethargic when he was first diagnosed. I don't remember his RBC count 
  at the moment. We ordered LTCI for him and gave him 3 injections in the 
  first week, then went to once a week for 2 weeks, then once every 2 weeks 
  for a few weeks, and now he gets it once a month. He has returned to his 
  normal self. He was also on a low dose of prednisone for a month. I don't 
  know which medicine helped pull him out of the woods but I'm glad to keep 
  trying the LTCI if it keeps him healthy. It costs me about $50 per 
  injection though so it's not something I'm financially able to try on my 4 
  positive kittens.
 
  Katherine
 
 
  On Tue, Nov 12, 2013 at 8:04 AM, Shelley Theye ve...@bellsouth.net wrote:
  Lance,
  Thanks so much for explaining the difference between the 2 interferons.  I 
  did not realize that there were 2 types.  I had asked Leo's new vet about 
  using it as a preventative, and  since she could easily get interferon, now 
  I know that it was  the human one.  Anyway, he is not symptomatic right 
  now, so the only thing I give him occasionally is Lysine.
  Shelley
 
  Shelley Theye
  ve...@bellsouth.net
 
 
 
  On Nov 11, 2013, at 8:50 PM, Lance wrote:
 
   I think the de Mari feline recombinant interferon omega study was done 
   with symptomatic FeLV+ cats. I think. If I already had interferon omega 
   and Ember was symptomatic, I would definitely try it. I know very little 
   about what is suggested with LTCI (symptomatic vs. asymptomatic for 
   treatment). Their website should mention this.
  
   To clarify, there are two types of interferon given for FeLV+ cats: 1) 
   interferon alpha (a product for humans that has anecdotally shown 
   promise, but studies have failed to verify this) and 2) feline 
   recombinant interferon omega (anecdotal evidence AND studies have shown 
   promise).
  
   It’s easy to get #1 from pretty much any vet. They can write a 
   prescription and have it filled by Roadrunner or another pharmacy that 
   does drugs/compounding for pets. It’s also cheap. I think it’s ~$40 for a 
   month and a half supply using the 5 days on/5 days off protocol.
  
   It’s somewhat difficult and expensive to get #2.Your vet has to go 
   through an FDA program that used to be called Compassionate Use. This 
   allows your vet clearance to import feline recombinant interferon omega, 
   which they need, as it’s not sold in the US. There’s paperwork involved, 
   though I don’t think it’s horrible. A dedicated, compassionate vet will 
   do this for you. You then have to pay (through your vet) Abbeyvet In 
   England for the drug and the overnight shipping—overnight from England. 
   When I last priced this, it was ~$1300 for the drug and the shipping. I 
   believe this is for something like 15 doses, but that’s all you give in a 
   year, according to the established protocol. At least with feline 
   recombinant interferon omega, you know you have something that has been 
   proven to work, unlike other drugs I could mention. Will it produce 
   results for a particular FeLV+ cat? Maybe?
  
   If Pookie is doing well, then I agree: don’t rock the boat. You might 
   still look into what it would take to get feline recombinant interferon 
   omega imported. Your vet might never have heard of it, and it might be 
   useful to ask them to look into it. If you decide to do it down the road, 
   you have that much less work to do to get it here.
  
   On Nov 11, 2013, at 6:48 PM, trustinhi...@charter.net wrote:
  
   I took Pookie to the one of four vets in Wisconsin who has done LTCI 
   injections, but Pookie was sick, running a temp, and not eating when he 
   was seen. So he wasn't a candidate for the injection. Do the FELV+ 
   kitties need to be symptom free before they administer this? Also is 
   this the same with the interferon shots? And does anyone know who 
   administers interferon in Wisconsin? My inclination is if it isn't 
   broken don't fix it...If Pookie is doing well, I don't want

Re: [Felvtalk] Best litter for FeLV?

[Shelley Theye]

Hi Tina,

In addition to checking for asthma, you should make sure that Darwin doesn't 
have a heart problem.
I guess vet should really do a more thorough work up or try a diff. vet?
If she said it was pleural effusion, shouldn't she being doing a further 
workup??
Chest x-rays?  at least do his heart and lungs sound OK?
If coughing from heart problem, you would want to get that addressed pretty 
quickly.
Steroids should not be used in cats with heart problems, so vet would need to 
rule that out.
Does he seem to be breathing normally, without effort, watching his sides at 
rest?

Maybe the foreign object idea should be looked into more, hairball, etc.
Also, I guess FIP since it causes fluid and maybe coughing? 

Litter-  I guess I'm in the minority, I like Swheatscoop and the Blue Buffalo 
Walnut litter.
I used the walnut litter before blue buffalo bought that company, and I find 
now that it doesn't 
clump very well, so I tried their multi-cat formula and it works a lot better, 
still same simple ground 
walnuts, but the grind is diff. and it clumps better.
I found the Worlds Best cat litter (corn) to be terribly dusty, worse than 
anything else.
I can't stand the strong smell of the pine.
No lid on box would be best, so he isn't standing in a contained cloud of dust.

I had a previous cat that began coughing all of a sudden, and it turned out 
that he had a lot of 
fluid in his chest that the vet gave him lasix for.  She thought FIP which 
thank goodness if wasn't,
so we never found out what caused the fluid.  I guessed that it might have been 
related to a dose of 
ivermectin he received for ear mites, because this happened a few weeks 
afterwards.  I wondered 
if he had a heart worm that was killed by the ivermectin, and that it broke 
apart and caused the fluid??
Anyway, that was a long time ago, was a mystery, and he lived many more years...

Hope it is something easy to fix and that he feels better soon,
Shelley



Shelley Theye
ve...@bellsouth.net



On Nov 10, 2013, at 1:25 PM, Michelle B wrote:

 Did vet do xrays to check for asthma? My cat did the same thing and it was 
 seasonal asthma and he got better with an oral tapering dose of prednisolone. 
 NEVER do depo medrol injections for asthma or allergies please...do your own 
 research on the side effects of depomedr ol in case that comes up. Also, its 
 not a good idea to give antibiotics to 'blanket', especially in immune 
 compromised cats. It doesnt sound like your cat has a bacterial URI and if 
 it's viral the antibiotics wont help. A lot of vets throw antibiotics at cats 
 when they don't know what else to do and that has its own plethora of issues. 
 I know you can't do anything about it now but for future reference. I had to 
 learn the hard way to question my vet and do my own homework. I also opt for 
 homeo/allopathic treatments as much as possible and I notice a huge 
 difference with my animals.
 
 
 -Original Message- 
 From: Tina Smith 
 Sent: 11/10/2013 2:56:46 PM 
 To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org 
 Subject: [Felvtalk] Best litter for FeLV? 
 Hi all,
 
 I have an FeLV+ kitty.  He has been mostly healthy but is currently going 
 through something that is causing a lot of coughing.  We have noticed that he 
 seems sensitive to the drier air of winter and perhaps has some environmental 
 allergies.  In addition to other things we are doing I am trying to find a 
 dust-free cat litter for him.  Last night I spent a small fortune on 
 SWheatScoop litter and was appalled to see all of the dust that went flying 
 when we put it in his litter pan.  So much for dust-free.  Has anyone here 
 had luck finding a litter that is good to use for our FeLV+ sweeties?
 
 I'll also tell you a little more about what he's going through in case 
 anybody has some insight into what might be causing it.  The vet wasn't 
 helpful.  Just gave him a Convenia antibiotic injection but couldn't say what 
 the problem might be except possibly pleural effusion.  Darwin is coughing a 
 lot - a little like the hairball cough but not exactly.  He seems to be 
 breathing mostly okay through his nose, although I have noticed occasionally 
 that there does seem to be a little congestion.  There has been no open-mouth 
 breathing.  He had a bout of diarrhea for a couple of days this past week but 
 seemed to get over that.  Now I think he might actually be constipated.  When 
 he coughs nothing comes out but he does swallow as if he has coughed a little 
 something up and then swallows it. I have almost wondered if he might have an 
 obstruction but it does seem to be affecting his breathing some.  I haven't 
 been able to pinpoint any triggers.  He has coughed after drinking water, he 
 has 
 coughed when the heat was on, he has coughed right after using the litter box. 
 But he has also coughed when he's just resting on the bed and nothing is going 
on.
 
 Any insight would be so welcome.
 
 Thank you,
 Tina Smith

Re: [Felvtalk] dermatitis, steroids, and FeLV+ cats

[Shelley Theye]

Hi Lance,

Sorry about Ember's skin problems.  How old is she?

I would try to think back to before this started, and see if there were any 
changes at all, new cat bed, new food/treats, fabrics, laundry detergents on 
bedding in rooms she is in, etc.  Have you used anything on your hands- 
lotions/soaps that may transfer
to her fur and irritate her when petting?
Maybe there is something in her environment that she is sensitive to in that 
respect?  

My non FeLV long term foster cat that I have to keep separate from my fear 
aggressive cat recently licked a lot of fur off near 
the base of his tail, definitely not flea related.  I realized that it was most 
likely from a homeopathic remedy I was putting on him.
It had some alcohol as preservative in it, from Jackson Galaxy store.  I was 
trying it to see if it might help me 
integrate him with my others.  He has a very sensitive stomach, so didn't 
tolerate a few drops in food, so I started putting 
about 4-5 drops on top of his head/ears/shoulder blade area, and then seemed to 
still be on my hands after I spread it out, so the 
remainder I put towards his lower back.  I am thinking it must have bothered 
him so he began licking that area since
he could reach there.  

Could it be a type of OCD behavior, maybe boredom?  Not sure where you live, 
but maybe if you have started using heat
due to temps getting chillier, dryness from that?

Has the vet done any blood work, etc?  Not sure how old Ember is, but there is 
a whole list on a google search of various
things that can cause lesions and hair loss.  Hyperthyroidism can cause these 
symptoms.  Here are just a few of the 
websites that I found with info.

http://manhattancats.com/Articles/hair_loss_in_cats.html
http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/cat-care/skin-problems
http://www.mustlovecats.net/Cat-Hair-Loss.html

Shelley

Shelley Theye
ve...@bellsouth.net



On Nov 5, 2013, at 8:34 PM, Lance wrote:

 Hi all,
 
 My Ember has had dermatitis for about two months now. A month ago, the vet 
 gave her a Convenia shot, and that didn’t seem to change things much. I gave 
 her 2mg of chlor trimeton twice a day for five days, and that hasn’t changed 
 anything substantially. She has lesions on her neck and shoulders, and there 
 also must be some near her backside, as she’s licked some hair off her legs, 
 lower tail, and stomach. 
 
 I should note that I’m 99.9% certain this has nothing to do with fleas. Ember 
 has no exposure to other animals or the outside (she’s isolated in a set of 
 rooms on the second floor of this house), I have seen no fleas on her, and I 
 haven’t had any jump on me. The vet found none on her when she went in a 
 month ago.
 
 I spoke to the vet today, and she mentioned that they usually give cats with 
 this type of dermatitis a steroid injection, but that she worries about doing 
 that to Ember, given her FeLV+ status. The vet did say that, rather than an 
 injection, we could try tablets. That would at least allow us to control how 
 much exposure Ember gets. Right now, this doesn’t seem to be 
 life-threatening. I’m wondering what others have done in this situation. 
 
 Thanks,
 
 Lance
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Re: [Felvtalk] Question about FeLV/FIV testing

[Shelley Theye]

Thanks for sharing!  I have 2 cats and a foster cat who is pretty much mine 
too, and Leo, a neighborhood feral who 
I trapped last summer to neuter, and he tested FeLV positive, so he is mine too 
now, and he ended up becoming tame after many months...

I have never had my cats vaccinated for FeLV because they are strictly indoors, 
and I had always heard that the leukiemia vaccine was the worst of the bunch, 
but I might get everyone vaccinated before I attempt to mix.  I do have a cat 
with very bad fear aggression, and
that is another worry, because I don't want any fighting!

Shelley 


On Sep 24, 2013, at 2:22 PM, trustinhi...@charter.net wrote:

 Shelley..
 
 I lost a cat to FL in the 90's. After that I panicked and faithfully 
 vaccinated my next five cats every year. Then I rescued another FL cat. 
 Separated him from the others while he was symptomatic. He threw off the 
 virus. As fate would have it, other rescues came to my door. I couldn't 
 afford to have them all tested and vaccinated. (13).  All my cats mingle 
 together and non gets sick. I don't even bother to have my rescues tested 
 because I know that I would never put them down anyway. I was encouraged by a 
 women I met years ago who mixed negatives and positves with good results. 
 When my one FL cat has had symptoms (only twice in 4 years) I isolate and 
 treat him until he gets better. I am fastidious about clean bowls and water. 
 God is taking care of them and me. If you have the money and you have only a 
 few, get what ever treatment/tests are available. But I wouldn't stress over 
 the testing. My Pookie will always test positive because he carries the 
 disease in his system. But he is h
 ealthy as can be otherwise. I finally decided when my Lucy was 13 (she's 17 
now). to stop vaccinating her. If they don't have enough antibodies built up by 
then, they never will!  Maybe I am lucky, or just stupid, but I couldn't let an 
animal die form a lack of a home.
 
 On Tue, Sep 24, 2013 at 1:03 PM, Shelley Theye wrote:
 
 Hi Lee,
 
 Thanks for explaining.  Not sure if there is hope for Leo to still turn 
 negative.  He tested positive last July, when trapped and neutered, and then 
 again in Nov.  I haven't retested yet, and am thinking of doing the IFA too. 
  Does the woman who has Taffy have all of her other cats vaccinated for FeLV?
 
 Do most people on this list who mix positive and negatives have their 
 negatives vaccinated for FeLV?
 
 Shelley
 
 
 
 On Sep 24, 2013, at 1:00 PM, Lee Evans wrote:
 
 Hi Shelley - I'm not sure as to when they were exposed. These were cats 
 rescued from different places at different times. One, a male who I have 
 had not for about 6 to 7 years, was rescued when he was not neutered, 
 around age 2, street cat, but tame. Since I was going to get him adopted 
 after neutering, I had him tested before I took him into my own house. He 
 tested negative for FIV but positive for FeLv. I tested again at another 
 vet. Still positive, but that vet suggested that I keep him for two months 
 and then re-test. This guy was on top of the latest literature in vet 
 medicine. So I did so, took Moses (cats name) back and he had turned 
 negative. Not to say that I did not believe the test but too, Moses for yet 
 another test and he was again negative. He's still with me.
 
 Bunny (Buns for short) is a female, abandoned at an apartment complex 
 (notorious for abandoned, feral and stray cats). She was less than a year 
 old when she was brought to me on Easter Morning. Thus her name, Bunny. I 
 put her in a separate room, then took to vet to be tested. She tested 
 positive for FeLv. Kept her isolated, did not spay, re-tested in about 3 
 months, she tested negative. Tested again to be sure. Negative again so got 
 her spayed.
 However, my luck did not hold very well. Recently had a rescued kitten 
 brought to me. I took Taffy to a local Humane Society in Bulverde Texas. 
 They tested her prior to putting her up for adoption. When they tested her, 
 she tested positive for FeLv. I took her back, found her a foster home with 
 a wonderful foster mom, who kept her isolated for 3 months but Taffy still 
 tested positive at the end of the isolation period. Fortunately, Foster mom 
 loves her and although Taffy doesn't mix in to the community of 7 cats that 
 Foster Mom has, Taffy lives with Foster Mom's dog in a spare bedroom and 
 gets to socialize with the cats except during feeding time. Taffy is 
 perfectly happy with the arrangement. So is the dog.
 
 The adults probably contracted FeLv during mating behavior. I suspect that 
 Taffy got it from her birth mother but was not able to fight off the virus 
 as a kitten because she did not have very good care and ended up as a 
 little street stray.
 
 
 From: Shelley Theye ve...@bellsouth.net
 To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Sent: Tuesday, September 24, 2013 10:49 AM
 Subject: Re: [Felvtalk] Question about FeLV/FIV testing
 
 Lee,
 
 Can you explain more

Re: [Felvtalk] Question about FeLV/FIV testing

[Shelley Theye]

Thanks Sharly.  I am nervous to intentionally mix, but I don't want Leo to be 
alone forever.  
My other cats have never received the FeLV vaccine so far.

Shelley 



On Sep 24, 2013, at 2:29 PM, Sharyl wrote:

 Shelly all I can d I tell you what I did.  When I was rescuing FeLV kittens I 
 did have all my negatives vaccinated.  It has been over 3 years since my last 
 FeLV cat died.  All of my negatives are still with me and are fine
  
 Sharyl
 
 From: Shelley Theye ve...@bellsouth.net
 To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org 
 Sent: Tuesday, September 24, 2013 2:03 PM
 Subject: Re: [Felvtalk] Question about FeLV/FIV testing
 
 Hi Lee,
 
 Thanks for explaining.  Not sure if there is hope for Leo to still turn 
 negative.  He tested positive last July, when trapped and neutered, and then 
 again in Nov.  I haven't retested yet, and am thinking of doing the IFA too.  
 Does the woman who has Taffy have all of her other cats vaccinated for FeLV?
 
 Do most people on this list who mix positive and negatives have their 
 negatives vaccinated for FeLV?
 
 Shelley
 
 
 
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 Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org
 http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org


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Re: [Felvtalk] Question about FeLV/FIV testing

[Shelley Theye]

Thanks Lee, that's interesting.  Hadn't thought about a limited contact 
scenario before.
So sorry to hear about your own negative vaccine experience.

Shelley

On Sep 24, 2013, at 5:14 PM, Lee Evans wrote:

 To answer if the foster mom has her cats vaccinated, NO. However, Taffy has 
 her own litter box and own feeding bowl and only mingles with the other cats 
 for a short time during the day, then back to her room with her pooch friend. 
 I'm not too keen on vaccines. I have heard nasty things about the FeLv 
 vaccine, like cats have come down with the disease a few weeks after being 
 vaccinated and had no other source of being infected. I have also had a 
 personal experience with a faulty polio vaccination when I was a teen. It 
 left me with nerve damage which has not improved with age but at least I 
 wasn't paralyzed, just in pain for a couple of years while my muscles gained 
 strength with physical therapy. Vaccines are not the perfect answer to 
 everything.
 
 
 From: Shelley Theye ve...@bellsouth.net
 To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org 
 Sent: Tuesday, September 24, 2013 1:03 PM
 Subject: Re: [Felvtalk] Question about FeLV/FIV testing
 
 Hi Lee,
 
 Thanks for explaining.  Not sure if there is hope for Leo to still turn 
 negative.  He tested positive last July, when trapped and neutered, and then 
 again in Nov.  I haven't retested yet, and am thinking of doing the IFA too.  
 Does the woman who has Taffy have all of her other cats vaccinated for FeLV?
 
 Do most people on this list who mix positive and negatives have their 
 negatives vaccinated for FeLV?
 
 Shelley
 
 
 
 On Sep 24, 2013, at 1:00 PM, Lee Evans wrote:
 
  Hi Shelley - I'm not sure as to when they were exposed. These were cats 
  rescued from different places at different times. One, a male who I have 
  had not for about 6 to 7 years, was rescued when he was not neutered, 
  around age 2, street cat, but tame. Since I was going to get him adopted 
  after neutering, I had him tested before I took him into my own house. He 
  tested negative for FIV but positive for FeLv. I tested again at another 
  vet. Still positive, but that vet suggested that I keep him for two months 
  and then re-test. This guy was on top of the latest literature in vet 
  medicine. So I did so, took Moses (cats name) back and he had turned 
  negative. Not to say that I did not believe the test but too, Moses for yet 
  another test and he was again negative. He's still with me.
  
  Bunny (Buns for short) is a female, abandoned at an apartment complex 
  (notorious for abandoned, feral and stray cats). She was less than a year 
  old when she was brought to me on Easter Morning. Thus her name, Bunny. I 
  put her in a separate room, then took to vet to be tested. She tested 
  positive for FeLv. Kept her isolated, did not spay, re-tested in about 3 
  months, she tested negative. Tested again to be sure. Negative again so got 
  her spayed. 
  
  However, my luck did not hold very well. Recently had a rescued kitten 
  brought to me. I took Taffy to a local Humane Society in Bulverde Texas. 
  They tested her prior to putting her up for adoption. When they tested her, 
  she tested positive for FeLv. I took her back, found her a foster home with 
  a wonderful foster mom, who kept her isolated for 3 months but Taffy still 
  tested positive at the end of the isolation period. Fortunately, Foster mom 
  loves her and although Taffy doesn't mix in to the community of 7 cats that 
  Foster Mom has, Taffy lives with Foster Mom's dog in a spare bedroom and 
  gets to socialize with the cats except during feeding time. Taffy is 
  perfectly happy with the arrangement. So is the dog.
  
  The adults probably contracted FeLv during mating behavior. I suspect that 
  Taffy got it from her birth mother but was not able to fight off the virus 
  as a kitten because she did not have very good care and ended up as a 
  little street stray.
  
  
  From: Shelley Theye ve...@bellsouth.net
  To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org 
  Sent: Tuesday, September 24, 2013 10:49 AM
  Subject: Re: [Felvtalk] Question about FeLV/FIV testing
  
  Lee,
  
  Can you explain more about the 2 month period for the adults that you have 
  that threw off the virus?
  Do you know when they were first exposed, in other words could they have 
  had the FeLV virus for more than 2 months
  before they ever were tested?
  
  Shelley
  
  
  
  On Sep 24, 2013, at 11:15 AM, Lee Evans wrote:
  
   I have had a lot of success with adult cats who threw off the virus in 
   about 2 months and tested negative from then on. For kittens, they may or 
   may not have been actually positive. Since their immune system is not 
   fully developed, they might not throw off the virus as soon as adults. 
   Too bad about the idiot vet who gave the adopters such ridiculously 
   incorrect advice. Keep the kittens for another 4 weeks, then re-test. You 
   really should find them a home with a person who

Re: [Felvtalk] Question about FeLV/FIV testing

[Shelley Theye]

Hi,
Thanks for describing your cats' histories.
Can you explain what you mean in the last few sentences of your posting?  
 However, I do not mix positive-for- leukemia cats with my regular group. 
 Right now all the cats who are with me are either negative or turned. 

Shelley


On Sep 24, 2013, at 8:37 PM, Lee Evans wrote:

 
 
 From: Lee Evans moonsiste...@yahoo.com
 To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org felvtalk@felineleukemia.org 
 Sent: Tuesday, September 24, 2013 7:33 PM
 Subject: Re: [Felvtalk] Question about FeLV/FIV testing
 
 You are a good, caring and compassionate person. I don't feel that FeLv is as 
 contagious as vets try to panic us into thinking. I had two cats mixed in 
 with 8 others. They all lived together in cat harmony for many years, 
 grooming each other, eating, drinking together and using the same litter 
 boxes. They lived in love and happiness. Then Tiger and Twerp became ill. 
 They were very old, around 15 years. I had had them tested twice throughout 
 their lifetime when each had come down with a very stubborn URI. But they had 
 tested negative both times. At the end of their days, I had them tested again 
 to see if they were not suffering from old age but from something I could 
 possibly treat. Along with the fact that they both had renal failure, they 
 both tested positive for FeLv. Probably, the virus was dormant in the bone 
 marrow all those years but when their immune system began to break down and 
 their kidneys were failing, the virus took hold also. They passed away 
 quietly within hours of 
 each other. The other 8 cats who had been living with them tested negative for 
everything and all died of old age and renal failure. I don't know when Tiger 
and Twerp became actively FeLv+ but it doesn't matter. It shows that even with 
such close interaction, the cats that did not test positive still did not test 
positive. However, I do not mix positive-for- leukemia cats with my regular 
group. Right now all the cats who are with me are either negative or turned. 
However, I do have a few little marshmallows who are FIV+ mixed into the group 
because they don't fight. I also have a small FIV shelter, a detached 
building of one large room and a wire-enclosed porch for four FIV+ cats who 
have a bit of an attitude and are not to be trusted to keep a friendly 
discussion friendly.
 
 From: trustinhi...@charter.net trustinhi...@charter.net
 To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org 
 Sent: Tuesday, September 24, 2013 1:22 PM
 Subject: Re: [Felvtalk] Question about FeLV/FIV testing
 
 Shelley..
 
 I lost a cat to FL in the 90's. After that I panicked and faithfully 
 vaccinated my next five cats every year. Then I rescued another FL cat. 
 Separated him from the others while he was symptomatic. He threw off the 
 virus. As fate would have it, other rescues came to my door. I couldn't 
 afford to have them all tested and vaccinated. (13).  All my cats mingle 
 together and non gets sick. I don't even bother to have my rescues 
 tested because I know that I would never put them down anyway. I was 
 encouraged by a women I met years ago who mixed negatives and positves 
 with good results. When my one FL cat has had symptoms (only twice in 4 
 years) I isolate and treat him until he gets better. I am fastidious 
 about clean bowls and water. God is taking care of them and me. If you 
 have the money and you have only a few, get what ever treatment/tests 
 are available. But I wouldn't stress over the testing. My Pookie will 
 always test positive because he carries the disease in his system. But 
 he is healthy as can be otherwise. I finally decided when my Lucy was 13 
 (she's 17 now). to stop vaccinating her. If they don't have enough 
 antibodies built up by then, they never will!  Maybe I am lucky, or just 
 stupid, but I couldn't let an animal die form a lack of a home.
 ___
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 Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org
 http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org


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Re: [Felvtalk] Question about FeLV/FIV testing

[Shelley Theye]

Lee,

Can you explain more about the 2 month period for the adults that you have that 
threw off the virus?
Do you know when they were first exposed, in other words could they have had 
the FeLV virus for more than 2 months
before they ever were tested?

Shelley



On Sep 24, 2013, at 11:15 AM, Lee Evans wrote:

 I have had a lot of success with adult cats who threw off the virus in about 
 2 months and tested negative from then on. For kittens, they may or may not 
 have been actually positive. Since their immune system is not fully 
 developed, they might not throw off the virus as soon as adults. Too bad 
 about the idiot vet who gave the adopters such ridiculously incorrect advice. 
 Keep the kittens for another 4 weeks, then re-test. You really should find 
 them a home with a person who understands that a positive test does not mean 
 the kitten should be killed. If they are still looking and feeling well, let 
 them live. A home with no other cats or with cat-friendly dog is the best for 
 this type of kitten.
 
 
 From: Betheny Laubenthal bailleyspetc...@gmail.com
 To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org 
 Sent: Monday, September 23, 2013 7:04 PM
 Subject: [Felvtalk] Question about FeLV/FIV testing
 
 What's the earliest that testing using a SNAP test for FeLV/FIV can be done 
 so that it is accurate?  I know that if it is done early on, it can be 
 inaccurate.
 The reason I asked is that we adopted out a 10 week old kitten July 16.  We 
 did not test.  I don't like testing before 16 weeks.  We pulled the kitten 
 and her sister from another state.  Mom was in a high kill shelter.  She was 
 PTS before we could rescue her.  The rest of the litter was PTS.  Miles and 
 Journey were the only ones left.
 Today, the kitten (Miles) tested positive for leukemia and was PTS (the ill 
 informed vet used scare tactics on the owner and made the owner think that 
 her dogs could get it).  I was called after the fact.
 What is proper testing protocol?  Vaccination protcol?  I use a 4 way with 
 feline leukemia, killed virus.
 --Beth
 
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 Felvtalk mailing list
 Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org
 http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
 
 
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 Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org
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Re: [Felvtalk] Question about FeLV/FIV testing

[Shelley Theye]

Hi Lee,

Thanks for explaining.  Not sure if there is hope for Leo to still turn 
negative.  He tested positive last July, when trapped and neutered, and then 
again in Nov.  I haven't retested yet, and am thinking of doing the IFA too.  
Does the woman who has Taffy have all of her other cats vaccinated for FeLV?

Do most people on this list who mix positive and negatives have their negatives 
vaccinated for FeLV?

Shelley



On Sep 24, 2013, at 1:00 PM, Lee Evans wrote:

 Hi Shelley - I'm not sure as to when they were exposed. These were cats 
 rescued from different places at different times. One, a male who I have had 
 not for about 6 to 7 years, was rescued when he was not neutered, around age 
 2, street cat, but tame. Since I was going to get him adopted after 
 neutering, I had him tested before I took him into my own house. He tested 
 negative for FIV but positive for FeLv. I tested again at another vet. Still 
 positive, but that vet suggested that I keep him for two months and then 
 re-test. This guy was on top of the latest literature in vet medicine. So I 
 did so, took Moses (cats name) back and he had turned negative. Not to say 
 that I did not believe the test but too, Moses for yet another test and he 
 was again negative. He's still with me.
 
 Bunny (Buns for short) is a female, abandoned at an apartment complex 
 (notorious for abandoned, feral and stray cats). She was less than a year old 
 when she was brought to me on Easter Morning. Thus her name, Bunny. I put her 
 in a separate room, then took to vet to be tested. She tested positive for 
 FeLv. Kept her isolated, did not spay, re-tested in about 3 months, she 
 tested negative. Tested again to be sure. Negative again so got her spayed. 
 
 However, my luck did not hold very well. Recently had a rescued kitten 
 brought to me. I took Taffy to a local Humane Society in Bulverde Texas. They 
 tested her prior to putting her up for adoption. When they tested her, she 
 tested positive for FeLv. I took her back, found her a foster home with a 
 wonderful foster mom, who kept her isolated for 3 months but Taffy still 
 tested positive at the end of the isolation period. Fortunately, Foster mom 
 loves her and although Taffy doesn't mix in to the community of 7 cats that 
 Foster Mom has, Taffy lives with Foster Mom's dog in a spare bedroom and gets 
 to socialize with the cats except during feeding time. Taffy is perfectly 
 happy with the arrangement. So is the dog.
 
 The adults probably contracted FeLv during mating behavior. I suspect that 
 Taffy got it from her birth mother but was not able to fight off the virus as 
 a kitten because she did not have very good care and ended up as a little 
 street stray.
 
 
 From: Shelley Theye ve...@bellsouth.net
 To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org 
 Sent: Tuesday, September 24, 2013 10:49 AM
 Subject: Re: [Felvtalk] Question about FeLV/FIV testing
 
 Lee,
 
 Can you explain more about the 2 month period for the adults that you have 
 that threw off the virus?
 Do you know when they were first exposed, in other words could they have had 
 the FeLV virus for more than 2 months
 before they ever were tested?
 
 Shelley
 
 
 
 On Sep 24, 2013, at 11:15 AM, Lee Evans wrote:
 
  I have had a lot of success with adult cats who threw off the virus in 
  about 2 months and tested negative from then on. For kittens, they may or 
  may not have been actually positive. Since their immune system is not fully 
  developed, they might not throw off the virus as soon as adults. Too bad 
  about the idiot vet who gave the adopters such ridiculously incorrect 
  advice. Keep the kittens for another 4 weeks, then re-test. You really 
  should find them a home with a person who understands that a positive test 
  does not mean the kitten should be killed. If they are still looking and 
  feeling well, let them live. A home with no other cats or with cat-friendly 
  dog is the best for this type of kitten.
  
  
  From: Betheny Laubenthal bailleyspetc...@gmail.com
  To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org 
  Sent: Monday, September 23, 2013 7:04 PM
  Subject: [Felvtalk] Question about FeLV/FIV testing
  
  What's the earliest that testing using a SNAP test for FeLV/FIV can be done 
  so that it is accurate?  I know that if it is done early on, it can be 
  inaccurate.
  The reason I asked is that we adopted out a 10 week old kitten July 16.  We 
  did not test.  I don't like testing before 16 weeks.  We pulled the kitten 
  and her sister from another state.  Mom was in a high kill shelter.  She 
  was PTS before we could rescue her.  The rest of the litter was PTS.  Miles 
  and Journey were the only ones left.
  Today, the kitten (Miles) tested positive for leukemia and was PTS (the ill 
  informed vet used scare tactics on the owner and made the owner think that 
  her dogs could get it).  I was called after the fact.
  What is proper testing protocol?  Vaccination protcol?  I use a 4 way with 
  feline leukemia

Re: [Felvtalk] Ember-blood work concerns

[Shelley Theye]

Hi Lance,

I just wanted to mention that my cat Jack, who does not have FeLV but does have 
heart disease and FLUTD, had high triglycerides a few years ago.  That was when 
I was feeding grain free food with a high fat content.  The vet wanted to do an 
abdominal ultrasound to check pancreas, etc., but I was worried about the 
stress if he had to be on his back, etc, with his heart disease, so even though 
I usually do whatever the vet suggests, I decided to just wait and recheck 
blood work a month or so later, and they said I could find a lower fat diet for 
him.  Anyway, after switching to a very low fat grain free canned food, Weruva 
Paw-lickin Chicken, his triglycerides went back to the normal range.  I think 
they were up in the 600's?  Can't recall for sure and don't have the paperwork 
in front of me, and then went back to somewhere in the mid normal range.  

So don't really know what caused his elevated triglycerides, but guessing it 
might have been diet related, at least for him, since they responded to the 
diet change, unless was just coincidence.

Shelley 


On Sep 13, 2013, at 9:58 PM, Lance wrote:

 It's been a little while since I've posted about my 11 yro FeLV+ girl, Ember. 
 We did blood work for her in late May, and her BUN and lipase levels were 
 elevated. Creatinine was still within normal limits. Did a urine test, and 
 she was concentrating her urine just fine.
 
 Yesterday, I took her in for skin problems she's having, which the doc thinks 
 is dermatitis. We also ran blood work on her. Her BUN is now 45 (was 39), 
 creatinine still normal, lipase high, and her triglycerides are now high. I 
 don't have numbers for everything, but the blood work results should arrive 
 this weekend. 
 
 I will probably collect urine next week to test specific gravity again. 
 Otherwise, I'm not sure of what to do. The doc says elevated lipase indicates 
 pancreatitis in dogs, but isn't quite as definitive in cats. I did a little 
 reading earlier, and I saw something about adding digestive enzymes to food, 
 and that this might help with the lipase and triglyceride levels. Has anyone 
 done this? Also, has anyone seen high BUN with normal creatinine and good 
 specific gravity? 
 
 Please let me know what you think.
 
 Thanks,
 
 Lance
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Re: [Felvtalk] Male Cat Urinary Crystals

[Shelley Theye]

Hi Bonnie,

So sorry that Lucky is having urinary issues.  If he is going in the litter box 
and crying, and not producing urine, I would take him
back in or call the vet immediately.  

Did he have the surgery to remove his penis, can't think of the name of it, 
sorry, 
or did he just have a blockage that was unblocked previously??  

If he can't pass urine, that is an emergency, or he could just have a lot of 
inflammation and/or bladder spasms, but this 
could lead to another blockage, so the sooner you treat this the better.  Is he 
urinating at all?

My cat, Jack, had a blockage about 4 years ago.  He only liked Royal Canin
Urinary SO canned of the 3 major brands that the vet suggested, including CD 
and Purina brands.  He had to go off of the canned Royal Canin because he has 
Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy and that food had way too much salt in it.  That's 
when I joined the yahoo group
on FLUTD cats and decided to go off of the vet formulas, and just feed canned, 
non fish or grain foods.

Here is the link to join   http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/FLUTD/you 
have to join to see messages.
That group has great info and support, I would encourage you to join.  It's a 
very active group, and a few of the most
knowledgable folks answer your questions very quickly.

Anyway, now I have Jack on canned meaty food, which I add even a little extra 
water too, no grain, and he does great on it.
There are other things to look at besides the crystals.  Like you said, stress, 
there is also just inflammation without bacteria, that
many cats are thrown on antibiotics for, even though they don't really have a 
UTI, bladder spasms, weak bladder wall, etc.  
The yahoo groups has a lot of super info on all these subjects and different 
treatment, many holistic.

Hope he starts to feel better soon, please call the vet to let her/him know 
what is going on.
Shelley



On Sep 10, 2013, at 11:37 PM, Bonnie Hogue wrote:

 Poor Lucky.  He had a bad u.t.i. about 10 days ago.  Went to the vet; 
 crystals in urine (it’s happened before, in fact he had surgery to widen the 
 urethra).  Vet prescribed antibiotics (he just finished them today).  Also a 
 pill called “Uroeze” to help keep crystals from forming (3x daily!).  But he 
 is still having problems – pee spots around the house, he’s restless, just 
 tried to pee in the box but nothing.  I feel so badly for him -- he must be 
 uncomfortable.  And he looks at me a meows!  I hate to just run to the vet 
 (it stresses Lucky, he pants on the way home), but don’t know what to do.  He 
 won’t eat the CD food designed to reduce whatever causes the crystals.
 Any ideas?  I’d sure appreciate it, and so would Lucky!
 Thanks
 Bonnie
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Re: [Felvtalk] Male Cat Urinary Crystals

[Shelley Theye]

Hi Bonnie,

Great that you are taking him in, good luck at the vet visit. Hope he gets some 
relief.

This is just anecdotal, but numerous folks on the FLUTD list have had their 
cats block while feeding Wellness brand.
Probably best to avoid that brand, or if you use it, rotate with other brands 
so he doesn't eat it exclusively.  The thought is
that some of the fruits, etc. might be raising the pH too high in cats that are 
susceptible to FLUTD?
Canned is better than dry, because the more dilute the urine, the better I 
think.  flushes out the bladder, and 
keeps the pH more neutral.   At least that is what I have read.  

This website is great because there is so much info on urinary tract stuff-  
http://www.catinfo.org  

Shelley

On Sep 11, 2013, at 11:19 AM, Bonnie Hogue wrote:

 Gosh, thanks so much for the encouragement.  I just called  made an 
 appointment to take Lucky back to the vet in 45 minutes. 
 And I’ll join the FLUTD group – that will be helpful.
 He’s on Uroeze because he didn’t like CD food formulated to help with 
 this….maybe just straight canned Wellness or something.  Guess I can 
 re-arrange feeding stations to accommodate a special dieter!
 I thought the surgery he had three years ago would take care of all this but 
 guess not.  He’s 14 years old and a very special cat to me – used to be my 
 mother’s cat and she passed away almost 3 years ago, so he’s “my family.”  
 He’s a great tuxedo guy too, really smart.
 Anyway, I’m worried and really want to help him.  He’s sure helped me and my 
 family through tough times.
 Thanks again, all.  Really appreciate your help!
 Bonnie
  
 From: Felvtalk [mailto:felvtalk-boun...@felineleukemia.org] On Behalf Of Beth
 Sent: Wednesday, September 11, 2013 7:41 AM
 To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org
 Subject: Re: [Felvtalk] Male Cat Urinary Crystals
  
 I agree, left alone the condition is lethal.
  
  
 Don't Litter, Fix Your Critter! www.Furkids.org
  
  
 From: Shelley Theye ve...@bellsouth.net
 To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org 
 Sent: Wednesday, September 11, 2013 7:46 AM
 Subject: Re: [Felvtalk] Male Cat Urinary Crystals
 
 Hi Bonnie,
 
 So sorry that Lucky is having urinary issues.  If he is going in the litter 
 box and crying, and not producing urine, I would take him
 back in or call the vet immediately.  
 
 Did he have the surgery to remove his penis, can't think of the name of it, 
 sorry, 
 or did he just have a blockage that was unblocked previously??  
 
 If he can't pass urine, that is an emergency, or he could just have a lot of 
 inflammation and/or bladder spasms, but this 
 could lead to another blockage, so the sooner you treat this the better.  Is 
 he urinating at all?
 
 My cat, Jack, had a blockage about 4 years ago.  He only liked Royal Canin
 Urinary SO canned of the 3 major brands that the vet suggested, including CD 
 and Purina brands.  He had to go off of the canned Royal Canin because he has 
 Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy and that food had way too much salt in it.  
 That's when I joined the yahoo group
 on FLUTD cats and decided to go off of the vet formulas, and just feed 
 canned, non fish or grain foods.
 
 Here is the link to join  http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/FLUTD/   you 
 have to join to see messages.
 That group has great info and support, I would encourage you to join.  It's a 
 very active group, and a few of the most
 knowledgable folks answer your questions very quickly.
 
 Anyway, now I have Jack on canned meaty food, which I add even a little extra 
 water too, no grain, and he does great on it.
 There are other things to look at besides the crystals.  Like you said, 
 stress, there is also just inflammation without bacteria, that
 many cats are thrown on antibiotics for, even though they don't really have a 
 UTI, bladder spasms, weak bladder wall, etc.  
 The yahoo groups has a lot of super info on all these subjects and different 
 treatment, many holistic.
 
 Hope he starts to feel better soon, please call the vet to let her/him know 
 what is going on.
 Shelley
 
 
 
 On Sep 10, 2013, at 11:37 PM, Bonnie Hogue wrote:
 
  Poor Lucky.  He had a bad u.t.i. about 10 days ago.  Went to the vet; 
  crystals in urine (it’s happened before, in fact he had surgery to widen 
  the urethra).  Vet prescribed antibiotics (he just finished them today).  
  Also a pill called “Uroeze” to help keep crystals from forming (3x daily!). 
   But he is still having problems – pee spots around the house, he’s 
  restless, just tried to pee in the box but nothing.  I feel so badly for 
  him -- he must be uncomfortable.  And he looks at me a meows!  I hate to 
  just run to the vet (it stresses Lucky, he pants on the way home), but 
  don’t know what to do.  He won’t eat the CD food designed to reduce 
  whatever causes the crystals.
  Any ideas?  I’d sure appreciate it, and so would Lucky!
  Thanks
  Bonnie
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Re: [Felvtalk] Update on Lucky

[Shelley Theye]

Glad Lucky is feeling a little better!
I hope you get some good tips, etc. from the yahoo FLUTD group.
How old is he?  Also, is he FeLV positive?  I think older cats are more prone 
to 
get uti's...

Shelley


On Sep 11, 2013, at 2:46 PM, Bonnie Hogue wrote:

 We spent a lot of time (and almost $500) at the vet today.  The great news is 
 Lucky’s blood work looks real good, as do his x-rays (he does have some 
 arthritis in his back).  He has no apparent blockages (tumors) in his urinary 
 tract.  They did not see any crystals.  The vet did say his bladder is very 
 small and looks very inflamed.  So they gave him a shot of an 
 anti-inflammatory/anti-pain med (a good thing, he calmed down a lot, which is 
 good to see), gave him anti-biotic (suspected u.t.i.), anti-inflammatory and 
 an ocular anti-biotic/steroid for his runny (herpes) eye.   Poor little dude, 
 he sure went through a lot today!  Now he’s home, getting re-acquainted with 
 the other cats and chilling.  Looks like I’ve got a FLUTD feline here.  They 
 gave me a prescription for another type of special food (Royal Canine) which 
 I’ll try (he hates the CD).  Fingers crossed.
 Thank you all for your words of advice, help, suggestions and encouragements. 
  Lucky thanks you too!
 Bonnie
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[Felvtalk] IFA/PCR and question about missing emails

[Shelley Theye]

Hi,

Thanks for the replies to my initial question.  Lots of good insight regarding 
testing.
I didn't realize about the PCR's showing regressive infection, thanks Lance.  
Does that mean
same as latent?  I just have one positive cat, so the test expense is something 
I would spring for if
it might help me decide on whether to integrate him with my negative cats or 
get him a friend

I didn't see a few of these responses until I looked at the archives-

Which brings me to another question-

I was wondering if anyone else has problems receiving all the emails from this 
list?
It seems like I receive some and not others, because sometimes I receive an 
email that is in response to another email that 
I never received.  Not sure how some are falling through the cracks.
Not in my junk mail folder either.

Shelley



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[Felvtalk] IFA tests/PCR tests

[Shelley Theye]

Hi,

I want to bring Leo back in to get the IFA test.  I was reading about the 
company that developed
the IFA test,  the National Veterinary Lab.  Are they the company that most 
folks use or can 
my vet send to any lab, like Antech, etc.  Is one lab considered more accurate 
than another?

Are PCR tests done much? I think in England they are used more than the IFA, at 
least I recall
reading that a while back on a website.

Thanks so much for any advice,
Shelley



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Re: [Felvtalk] IFA tests/PCR tests

[Shelley Theye]

Thanks Katherine.
I think I have heard that too about PCR accuracy.
Shelley



On Aug 14, 2013, at 10:05 AM, Katherine K. wrote:

 Shelley,
 
 One of my vets (I'm in the US) did a PCR test, but another always does IFA 
 (for kittens who test positive on snap ELISA) and that seems to be more 
 common. I asked my vet why she chose the PCR test and she said it was more 
 accurate. PCR results seemed to take longer than the IFA but I've also seen 
 IFA results take a while too. It must just depend on the lab and I'm not sure 
 which ones were used except that I know the sample for the PCR test was 
 same-day shipped to NY. 
 
 
 On Wed, Aug 14, 2013 at 9:57 AM, Shelley Theye ve...@bellsouth.net wrote:
 Hi,
 
 I want to bring Leo back in to get the IFA test.  I was reading about the 
 company that developed
 the IFA test,  the National Veterinary Lab.  Are they the company that most 
 folks use or can
 my vet send to any lab, like Antech, etc.  Is one lab considered more 
 accurate than another?
 
 Are PCR tests done much? I think in England they are used more than the IFA, 
 at least I recall
 reading that a while back on a website.
 
 Thanks so much for any advice,
 Shelley
 
 
 
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Re: [Felvtalk] IFA tests/PCR tests

[Shelley Theye]

Hi Margo,

Wow, that is frustrating, and you were being so very cautious. 

You're right, each type of test seems to rely heavily on the test being run 
properly, and 
how can we assure that?

I will probably still do the IFA for Leo, and then if need be follow at some 
point with the PCR, etc.
Though the vet we went to hadn't heard of PCR testing for FeLV.

Shelley


On Aug 14, 2013, at 11:01 AM, Margo wrote:

 
 Hi Shelley,
 
This is coming from a very disgruntled person so take it all with a 
 grain of salt:)
 
I have pretty much given up on test results as accomplishing anything. 
 They seem just about useless in the long run, from my experience. For many 
 years I ran a rescue in FL. I was fanatic about testing. Everyone was Elisa 
 tested on intake, and again in three months, if we still had them. We offered 
 follow-up testing to adopters. No positives were allowed to leave, and every 
 one tested negative (both Elisa and IFA) at 3 months. I figured I was just 
 very, very lucky.
 
Fast forward. Two years ago I re-tested my whole population. Elisa 
 negative. All of them. Just after that, I added a new cat. He was in 
 quarantine for three months. Clean Elisa at both times. In March, he tested 
 positive, after a very stressful bout of struvite stones. I was devastated. 
 Now what? Well, since then one more (of my original household) has tested +. 
 Another is likely. I'm not re-testing everyone. I'll test as they need to go 
 in for the complications.
 
Here's what Shelter Medicine (UC Davis) has to say about FeLV 
 testing;
 
 What additional tests are available?
 
 Cats testing positive by the ELISA test on serum should ideally be retested 
 either using an ELISA test from a different manufacturer or by sending the 
 appropriate sample for an IFA test at a diagnostic laboratory. If both tests 
 are positive, the cat is very likely persistently infected. To be absolutely 
 certain, cats can be held and retested after 30 days if resources are 
 available and the cat can be appropriately housed and isolated (for the 
 protection of the cat and population; see below). Because the IFA is less 
 sensitive (more prone to false negatives) than the ELISA test, a negative IFA 
 result in a cat testing positive ELISA can not be taken as an indicator that 
 the cat is not infected. If the ELISA test is positive but the IFA results in 
 a negative result, both tests can be repeated in 30 days.  If this strategy 
 is used, a plan should be made at the outset and clearly communicated to 
 staff and foster parents regarding what will happen with cats that test 
 persistently positive after the 30 day hold. A PCR test can also be run to 
 help resolve any conflicts in the tests. PCR is very sensitive, so a negative 
 test result run by a reputable laboratory indicates infection is unlikely. 
 However, because PCR testing is very sensitive to laboratory error, correct 
 sample handling and laboratory quality are extremely important.
 
 
 Even so, the more I read, the less I trust ANY test to be accurate. Seems 
 that whatever the test, somehow there are ways it can prove to be inaccurate.
 
 So, I am at a loss. I have four kittens suitable for adoption. All tested 
 negative. All have been vaccinated against FeLV. And yet, they've lived 
 (completely seperately, physically) in a positive household. I don't want to 
 subject any adopter to the possibility of the heartbreak of FeLV. So they'll 
 stay. And I quit rescuing, fostering and re-hab. 
 
 Maybe I'll learn more (or someone else will) and change my mind.
 
 JME
 
 Margo
 
 
 -Original Message-
 From: Shelley Theye ve...@bellsouth.net
 Sent: Aug 14, 2013 9:57 AM
 To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org
 Subject: [Felvtalk] IFA tests/PCR tests
 
 Hi,
 
 I want to bring Leo back in to get the IFA test.  I was reading about the 
 company that developed
 the IFA test,  the National Veterinary Lab.  Are they the company that most 
 folks use or can 
 my vet send to any lab, like Antech, etc.  Is one lab considered more 
 accurate than another?
 
 Are PCR tests done much? I think in England they are used more than the IFA, 
 at least I recall
 reading that a while back on a website.
 
 Thanks so much for any advice,
 Shelley
 
 
 
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Re: [Felvtalk] Felvtalk Digest, Vol 25, Issue 6

[Shelley Theye]

Hi Marcy,

I didn't get your original email, but did see Margo's response.
I seem to be having problems with only receiving some emails since recently 
joining this list.

I don't have much experience with FeLV related illnesses yet, but I just wanted 
to ask if they ruled out something like hypertrophic cardiomyopathy?  Heart 
failure could cause fluid, and in that case, steroids should NOT be given.  But 
lasix can be given.
Since they already gave him a steroid shot, just keep a good eye on him.

My cat, years ago, was fine one day and then his chest became full of fluid.  
His only symptom was that he coughed a tiny bit 
as though he had a hairball, and he didn't want to eat his breakfast which was 
very out of character for him.  Lasix helped him.  
That was his only treatment.  They checked his heart at a later appt. and it 
was fine.  Initially they thought FIP, but it wasn't (we did a titer and it was 
neg.), and after that incident he was fine and lived many more years!  The vet 
didn't want to check the chest fluid at the time because
she had lost a cat doing that once, so she just used lasix.

My theory was that he had a heartworm, and the ivermectin that they gave him 
for ear mites  a week prior might have killed the
heartworm, and it broke up and caused the fluid...but will never know for sure. 
 This all happened shortly after I adopted him
as an adult cat.

Hope Charles begins to feel better. 

Shelley

On Aug 10, 2013, at 3:09 PM, Margo wrote:

 
 Hi Marcy,
  
 Sorry to hear Charles is having problems. In an FeLV positive 
 boy, my first thought is lymphoma. While it isnt always FeLV related, the 
 possiblity is there. I'd suggest joining the feline lymphoma list
  
 http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/feline_lymphoma/
  
  and getting familiar with what you may be up against. Since 
 Charles has not been formally diagnosed, it could be anything, so this would 
 just be a way to learn of the different ways to diagnose and treat certain 
 tumors. Here's a pretty concise description of the different ways lymphoma 
 can manifest;
  
 http://www.fabcats.org/owners/cancer/lymphoma.html
  
   I will hope that it turns out to be something simply remedied, 
 and not a tumor, but better to be prepared with what kind of treatment you 
 are interested in, if any.
  
 All the best
  
 Margo
  
  
  
 -Original Message- 
 From: Marci Greer 
 Sent: Aug 10, 2013 2:40 PM 
 To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org 
 Subject: Re: [Felvtalk] Felvtalk Digest, Vol 25, Issue 6 
 
 
  
 Hi everyone,
 We took Charles (felv+) to the vet this morning and they did an xray of his 
 chest, their is a lot of fluid in his chest cavity, she said it 
 could possibly be a tumor. She gave him a shot of cortisone and a shot of 
 Lasix, sent us home with Lasix pills as well.  I am hoping that 
 the Lasix gets rid of all of the fluid and hopefully we can by some time if 
 it is a tumor.  If anyone has any advise or thoughtsI don't want
 to loose one of our babies.
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Re: [Felvtalk] Desperate Rescuer

[Shelley Theye]

Another thought, our small rescue group in NC will get food donations from the 
public sometimes, and we usually give 
some of it to people in the community that need help.  Maybe she could check 
with some of the  local larger
rescue groups in her area to see if they might have extra food?  They might not 
publicize it, we don't.
Shelley

On Aug 9, 2013, at 9:08 AM, Beth wrote:

 In Atlanta we have pet food pantries. You have to be income qualified. There 
 may be something near her for that. Sometimes rescues also get good at a 
 discount  will sell to colony feeders.
 
 Beth 
 Don't Litter, Fix Your Critter! www.Furkids.org
  
 
 From: dlg...@windstream.net dlg...@windstream.net
 To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org 
 Sent: Thursday, August 8, 2013 10:01 PM
 Subject: Re: [Felvtalk] Desperate Rescuer
 
 I CAN'T HELP, UP TO MY EARS $PROBLEMS, but I have heard that sometimes 
 Petsmart and oher pet stores offer outdated pet foods at reduced or for free. 
  Wouldn't hurt to look into it.
 
  Lee Evans moonsiste...@yahoo.com wrote: 
  Yes, I have gone online (she has no computer, can't afford to buy one) and 
  looked into the Pet Food Stamps program but since Karen has a job and is 
  single she is not eligible. I seems like you have to be totally down and 
  out to get any help, especially for animals. I can't get Medicaid because I 
  am regularly paying a mortgage on a house and I desperately need dental 
  work. So there you have it. The great American dream for those of us who 
  actually are doing the right thing has turned into a nightmare. Can anyone 
  help Karen with a donation of a gift card from a pet food supply store? 
  That way she could save some of her hard earned money to make a down 
  payment on something that she can drive to work and to her cat colonies 
  every day, like she used to. She had just paid off the car she had when the 
  transmission cracked. She didn't have air conditioning either and the 
  windows stopped functioning. Needed another car even before the 
  transmission went belly up.
 
  
 Spay and Neuter your cats and dogs and your weird relatives and nasty 
 neighbors too!
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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[Felvtalk] introduction and some questions

[Shelley Theye]

Hi,

I finally was able to join your list and am so excited to be able to check in 
for advice and any questions I might have for my cat Leo.

Some history-
I trapped Leo last summer to TNR for a neighbor who offered to keep/feed him 
outdoors.  He seemed feral, and was an elusive neighborhood stray for about 3 
years prior.  We think we know where he was born, as we rescued kittens that 
were probably younger than him at that time, and they look very similar, from a 
house where the owners moved and left the cats behind. :-(  He has been chased 
out of yards and finally had a yard to call home with this person, but he 
tested positive for FeLV last summer and the neighbor would not commit to more 
in-depth care even though he said he would continue to feed him outdoors in his 
yard.

So, I ended up keeping him as an indoor cat,  and he is tame now after housing 
him in a taming cage that I learned about from the feral cat yahoo group.  He 
is afraid of new things, but is very sweet and gentle.
Right now I am keeping him separate from my other 3 indoor cats who are not 
vaccinated for FeLV, and one has some
pretty bad aggression issues

Back on July 19, 2012, he was tested with a snap test for FeLV/FIV/heartworm, 
he tested weak positive for FeLV, neg for the others.
The test used was slightly expired by a few months (was a test kit from our 
rescue group, and I would have liked to have retested that day with a fresh in 
date kit, but I didn't find out results until the end of that day when he was 
wide awake and still assumed to be feral...)

I tried to bring him in a few days after that to a different vet to get 
retested, but the vet clinic shook him out of the carrier and freaked him out 
chasing him around the room, and he bit the tech through a towel and had to be 
quarantined for 10 days for rabies, since his vacc. was less than 10 days old.  
I was so upset wondering if that was the time he could maybe throw the virus 
off, and he would be under so much stress as a feral cat in quarantine.  :-( 

He had to go to a vet again, in Nov, 2012 because I thought he had a urinary 
blockage, but he ended up being OK.  Anyway, this vet retested him because he 
was very cooperative, with a SNAP 2 test (no heartworm), and I asked them to 
use serum, assuming first vet used blood but I was not certain of that at the 
time.  It was positive again.

So, now it's a year later, he is seemingly healthy, teeth look good, good 
appetite, he is about 4 years old.  
I am wanting to do an IFA test.   Do you think that he could still be negative 
after this long?

At his check up yesterday, he received a Rabies Purevax vaccine, and I haven't 
done an FVRCP booster yet.  He had one FVRCP last summer.  The vet suggested 
adding Lysine powder, so I have that now, and she mentioned that they can add 
Interferon to ringers solution and that one bag would last a long time, haven't 
done that yet.

Just would love to get some thoughts on retesting and Interferon.  Also, he 
initially was said to have a grade 3 heart murmur while under anesthesia for 
his neuter, but it hasn't been heard since...

So, with 2 positive SNAP tests (first one with slightly expired test kit)- is a 
neg. IFA still a possibility?
Do you give FVRCP vacc. to your cats?  
Thoughts on using Lysine and Interferon?

Thanks so much!
Shelley



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Re: [Felvtalk] introduction and some questions

[Shelley Theye]

Hi Beth,

Thank you so much for the fast reply!
I should give credit to the vet that neutered him too.  She said that she would 
never 
put a cat down just because he/she tests positive.  I guess that is why she 
didn't call me right
after she tested him that morning, and waited until I went in to pick him up at 
the end of the day
to let me know.  That is not the same mindset as other vets around here.  

So, just to follow up, if IFA turned out to be negative, does that mean he 
could still possibly throw off the virus?
Or does that only happen very early on?  I was reading a flow chart for 
testing, and it sounds like 
testing can go on for months and months if the SNAP and IFA don't match with 
either both pos. or both 
neg. results?

Thank you so much for letting me know about the FVRCP vaccine.  He was given 
that vaccine at his
initial visit last year.  She actually wanted to give him a 4 week booster back 
then, but I didn't go back
and do it at that time, because he was still 'feral' and I didn't want to add 
any stress, and wasn't really
sure if more than one was needed for an adult.

Now I will NOT get him another FVRCP at all.  I only asked for Purevax Rabies 
yesterday, not wanting to do 2 vaccines
in one office visit either way.  I will try to bring him in again for the IFA 
test, since this clinic is only a few miles away, and 
they also blend holistic and traditional, which is why I am also trying them 
for Leo.

Thanks so much!  By the way, if Leo was related to the other kittens from the 
abandoned house, they all were negative 
when tested.  That owner took the 2 mom cats with him eventually, so I don't 
know if they both were neg.  But I am guessing
that he acquired this as an adult or he wouldn't have lived this long?

Shelley

Shelley Theye
ve...@bellsouth.net



On Aug 8, 2013, at 9:45 AM, Beth wrote:

 Hi Shelley -
 First of all, thanks for giving this guy a chance  not immediately putting 
 him down.
 
 1) A negative IFA does NOT mean the cat is not FeLV positive. It simply means 
 the virus is not replicating in his bone marrow.
 If a cat has a positive SNAP test, he is still positive.
 If you do get an IFA  it is positive, it simply means he will not throw 
 the virus off.
 2) Those 3-way SNAP tests that test for heartworms are notoriously 
 unreliable. Our shelter stopped using them after we had a slew of cats test 
  postitive for FeLV. They were retested on the 2-way test twice,  and 
 came up negative.
 3) It is too late now, but I would never give an FelV cat an FVRCP vaccine. I 
 did that once to 2 sisters I had. One immediately became ill (she had 
 been healthy up until then)  died shortly afterward. Her sister died 
 soon after. I have heard of other FeLV cats getting sick right after FVRCP 
 vaccines. Not need to stress their immune systems out unless there is 
 some seriously good reason why you need to vaccinate. 
 4) I don't think L-Lysine can hurt. It's pretty cheap  you can get it in a 
 powder form you can sprinkle over their food.
 5) I have used Interferon in the past, but from what I understand it takes a 
 long time to work. I stopped because I felt like I was stressing the cats out 
 too much with the daily medicine routine. Plus you have to give it to 
 them the right way. You can't just squirt it randomly in their mouths.
 6) I think the best thing you can do is feed a high-quality food  keep 
 stress down.
 
 Good luck!
 
 Beth
  
 Don't Litter, Fix Your Critter! www.Furkids.org
  
 
 From: Shelley Theye ve...@bellsouth.net
 To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org 
 Sent: Thursday, August 8, 2013 9:12 AM
 Subject: [Felvtalk] introduction and some questions
 
 Hi,
 
 I finally was able to join your list and am so excited to be able to check in 
 for advice and any questions I might have for my cat Leo.
 
 Some history-
 I trapped Leo last summer to TNR for a neighbor who offered to keep/feed him 
 outdoors.  He seemed feral, and was an elusive neighborhood stray for about 3 
 years prior.  We think we know where he was born, as we rescued kittens that 
 were probably younger than him at that time, and they look very similar, from 
 a house where the owners moved and left the cats behind. :-(  He has been 
 chased out of yards and finally had a yard to call home with this person, but 
 he tested positive for FeLV last summer and the neighbor would not commit to 
 more in-depth care even though he said he would continue to feed him outdoors 
 in his yard.
 
 So, I ended up keeping him as an indoor cat,  and he is tame now after 
 housing him in a taming cage that I learned about from the feral cat yahoo 
 group.  He is afraid of new things, but is very sweet and gentle.
 Right now I am keeping him separate from my other 3 indoor cats who are not 
 vaccinated for FeLV, and one has some
 pretty bad aggression issues
 
 Back on July 19, 2012, he was tested with a snap test for FeLV/FIV/heartworm, 
 he tested weak positive for FeLV, neg

Re: [Felvtalk] introduction and some questions

[Shelley Theye]

For some reason I did not receive the latest messages, so I am just sending a 
new email since 
I saw that Lee and Beth responded in the archives...

Thanks Lee and Beth.  I don't think my L- Lysine is the cat only version, but I 
sprinkled some on Leo's canned
food and he ate it right up.  Afterwards, he licked and licked the little peel 
off part of the lid that came on the new 
container, so he must like the flavor OK!

Thanks for sharing about your kitties, and I hope they continue to thrive.  :-)
Glad to hear the there might be a chance Leo can still throw this virus.

Shelley



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Re: [Felvtalk] stray cat I took in has feline leukemia

[Shelley Theye]

Hi Tricia and All,

I recently joined this group after finding out that a neighborhood feral cat 
that I trapped 
to neuter, tested positive for FeLV.   I have him separate from my cats now, 
and he has, over a few months,
actually become a lot tamer, not 100% yet, but so much better, allows petting, 
plays, etc.

Hope I am not out of line jumping in about Tricia's cat before properly 
introducing myself.

I am not sure if I am getting all of the emails on this particular thread, but
I think with her symptoms, ongoing or worsening loose stool, and now hiding, 
she should definitely be seen by a vet.
There have been lots of great suggestions given, but IF she is not improving, 
you should bring her in for an exam.

I would start by getting the name of the vet that your friend took her too, 
then call and ask them about her 
check-up, and why she was given the Tylosin.  Ask your friend more about why 
the Tylosin too.  Maybe have your friend 
call the vet first to let them know it is fine to tell you about her, that you 
adopted her...ask them if they did a fecal, deworming, etc.  Find out the 
dewormer they gave her, what the fecal showed, etc.  You need more info and 
maybe just by talking to them you 
will get some answers.

If her symptoms continue, I think you should bring her in to your own vet.  
Have the other vet fax the records over.
With FeLV cats, it is important to stay on top of symptoms and address them 
sooner versus later to treat anything before it advances, right?
She could become dehydrated with ongoing diarrhea and you don't really know 
what is 
going on for sure to cause her symptoms, unless the other vet sheds some light. 
 This is just my opinion. 

For instance, she could have coccidia, giardia, etc.   Sometimes vets want to 
do a direct fecal
to find certain parasites, etc.   They can be hard to find on a fecal you drop 
off.  
Loose stool could have lots of bacteria in it too, not just worms, and she 
might need to be 
treated.  I have a foster cat who had chronic loose stools and when fecals were 
done, he
had an overload of bacteria and metronidazole helped for a while.
His diarrhea ended up being intermittent to almost constant, until we finally 
figured out he has a food allergy and now
after 4 years (!), his stools are finally normal on a special unique protein 
(rabbit) food.

Hope Pumpkin starts feeling better soon.  One other thing, declawing is very 
traumatic, and declawing an adult is even worse.
Some of her litter box aversion could be from pain of declaw in addition to the 
diarrhea, not necessarily, but just something
to be aware of.  She has been through a lot.   And she is still getting used to 
your home and being indoors.  It's only been a few months,
she still needs time to adapt.  Also, cats will sometimes purr even if they 
don't feel good.  Sounds like you are being a great mom to Pumpkin, 
but if she isn't getting better, I would definitely err on the side of caution 
and have her seen or at least call your vet or the other vet.

Best,
Shelley

On Jan 15, 2013, at 10:54 PM, katskat1 wrote:

 Some good suggestions!  I am feeding mine Science Diet for sensitive tummies 
 mixed with two teaspoons of canned food to keep her interested.  She inhales 
 it!  Little miss Hoover.  I am feeding 9 other cats and three dogs at the 
 same time. One of the dogs gets sensitive tummy food along with thyroid, pain 
 and inflammation meds so I don't have time to pay enough attention to her to 
 try and slow her down.  I may start feeding her separately.  Will see how it 
 goes.  Thanks for the ideas. I can't give her hairball medicine cause she 
 immediately barfs it, often into her food bowl!!  Subtle kitty that she 
 is...
 
 For all that are interested, Miss Kitty is getting big, sleek and shiny.  She 
 is going to successfully sneak out the door someday.  She will not give it 
 up.  Hope to keep her in til spring.
 
 Ozzie is doing MUCH better.  Fattened up in his head, chest and front section 
 of his body but back end just isn't gonna fill out.  Mingles with the other 
 cats if food is involved, purrs when petted in a manner and spot he approves 
 of and has learned to ask to go in/ out so all is well.  So far no issues 
 developing with ,the FIV.  Discovered he was choosing his own toilet areas, 
 none of them litter boxes cause he apparently requires there be no top/lid on 
 the boxes he is to use,.  Take the lid off and he uses it every time.  One 
 mystery solved.
 
 
 Kat
 ::
 On Tuesday, January 15, 2013, wrote:
 When you gt the pumpkin, try mixing some plain yogurt with it.  It will 
 provide good bacteria for her intestines.
 
 Good thought on her accident.  If she is not used to sudden noises, etc, that 
 could have been the problem.
 As for her hiding, Annie hid in the basement for a wek or 2, coming up at 
 night to eat.  I put a box downstairs for her to use.  She had lost her owner 
 to cancer and was cooped up in her