Re: [Felvtalk] Testing New Kittens -
Hello. I agree with everyone about testing them all. I was fostering a Mama cat and her four nursing kittens. I had them all tested about two weeks after they came to me, when the kittens were approximately 5 weeks old. Mama tested negative, two kittens tested negative, and two kittens tested positive. We used a snap test. Mama's blood was also sent to the lab for an ELISA test, and those results were negative, too. I'm still fostering the two positive kittens; someone else is fostering the negative Mama and her negative babies. The latter three were retested (with a snap test) two weeks later and are still negative. I'm waiting another two weeks to test my positive kittens. I was told that the negative ones can convert to positive, and there's a chance that the positive ones can fight off the virus and become negative. I've worked in animal rescue/sheltering for more than a decade and had no idea about this.What I've been told is that the mom could have had the virus and and gave it to the babies, but she fought it off as did two of the kittens. I would have thought that even if this is the case, the fact that they were so close (nursing, grooming, etc...), they would all have it. While it's cost effective to only test the Mom or the Mom and one baby, I wouldn't recommend taking the risk. I know that Veterinarians need to make a living, but it's a shame there's such a high mark up on the cost of snap tests. Best wishes to everyone and their kitties. Adrienne -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Sent: Wed, 1 Oct 2008 8:56 am Subject: Re: [Felvtalk] Testing New Kittens - Need Help Morning. I would have to agree with those that would test all of them. After running a Felv sanctuary for the last 7 years, and dealing with nothing but feLv cats i have found that the test are very inaccurate when it comes to kittens one can be positive and 2 weeks later be a weak pos, then be neg all together. it is a good idea to have them tested more than once, and to use a better test than just a snap test. i know this can get expensive, but i have found it to be quit heart warming in the long run. i have 9 of our furry kids that currently reside at our home aged 13-3 and all are in great health. michael In a message dated 9/30/2008 6:55:20 P.M. Pacific Daylight Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: Agree 100% with Carmen. -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Carmen Conklin Sent: Tuesday, September 30, 2008 6:49 PM To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Subject: Re: [Felvtalk] Testing New Kittens - Need Help Michelle, I am relatively new to the group, but I do agree with Beth that it is important to test all the kittens. We used to do what your vet said y ears ago, then discovered on more than one occasion since, that if a mom is negative it does not mean the kittens ARE negative. We had a case where mom was negative all the time and 2 of her five kittens were positive FeLV and the rest were always negative. If there is no hurry, I'd do what you can this month and test another or two the next month to help with expenses. Do you have a rescue group nearby that uses the IDEXX tests and does their own testing? WE can do it for way less than the vets can even order the tests and they might help you too. good luck with them. Carmen and furballs at C W Rustic Hollow Shelter. From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Date: Tue, 30 Sep 2008 20:15:37 + Subject: [Felvtalk] Testing New Kittens - Need Help I have four 7 week old kittens and their mother that came from the pound that I need to test for FELV/FIV and my vet said that I would only need to test the mother and one kitten and not test all kittens. Do you think that will be reliable? It's $30 per snap test, so I think they're wanting to save me money, which I appreciate, just not sure if some of the kittens could contract a disease and others wouldn't. Any input would be GREATLY appreciated. Michelle Brockman _ See how Windows Mobile brings your life together-at home, work, or on the go. http://clk.atdmt.com/MRT/go/msnnkwxp1020093182mrt/direct/01/ ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org _ Want to do more with Windows Live? Learn 10 hidden secrets from Jamie. http://windowslive.com/connect/post/jamiethomson.spaces.live.com-Blog-cns!55 0F681DAD532637!5295.entry?ocid=TXT_TAGLM_WL_domore_092008 ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
Re: [Felvtalk] THEY'RE NEGATIVE!!!!!
Wow. This is all incredible news and gives reason to always be hopeful. I'm the one who was fostering a mom with four kittens and two of the kittens tested positive. The vets I spoke to said it's likely that on retest the mom and the two that tested negative will eventually test positive, but they didn't give me hope that they would all test negative. Now I'm feeling much more hopeful that there will be good news for all. On the other hand, I can't help but feel terribly sad for all of the cats and kittens who have been euthanized due to one positive test, when there was a chance that tehy might have fought off the virus, if only they'd been given a chance. Best wishes to all. Adrienne -Original Message- From: Lee Evans [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Sent: Tue, 16 Sep 2008 1:38 am Subject: Re: [Felvtalk] THEY'RE NEGATIVE! Glad to hear that they turned negative. We rescued an adult black male un-neutered cat some years ago. When I had him tested, he was FeLv+. We don't kill cats who are healthy in every way except for a positive on the combo test so I isolated him in a room with toys, bedding, food, water, love, etc. and waited for three months, then re-tested and he was negative. However, I didn't trust this so I had two more comprehensive tests done and all came out negative. Only then did I feel comfortable mixing him in with the other rescued cats. He's still healthy and has had less problems with allergies, colds, other minor crap then most of the other cats. With kittens, if they test negative on the re-test, they are negative. It's mostly the adults that need intensive testing because they might have been truly exposed to the disease through mating habits, as in my un-neutered Moses. Yes, he's neutered now and a real darling. On another note, I rarely vaccinate and only with the rabies shot and only allow it in the flank. I do occasionally vaccinate with the FVRCP for kittens who have to go to adoption and are not allowed in except if vaccinated. I never do the leukemia vaccine and all that other junk. It just compromises the immune system. I had two personal experiences with vaccines that almost killed me so I'm not a great advocate of vaccines. Lee - Original Message - From: Sabrina [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Monday, September 15, 2008 7:36 PM Subject: [Felvtalk] THEY'RE NEGATIVE! Hi Everyone, As you may or may not remember, I rescued a bunch of kittens from a high-kill shelter back in May and two tested positive for leukemia. A month later, we retested and they were still positive. Well, I waited another 90 days before retesting and...THEY'RE NEGATIVE Oh my GOD! I am so relieved! Of course I will never know if what I did helped revert they're status, but I know at least it didn't hurt! I fed them a mostly raw diet, and made sure they got plenty of liver, and supplemented first with Astragalus Plus and then Vetri-DMG. YAY!! On another note, these kitties are still looking for homes. I refused to vaccinate them while they were positive, but now that they are negative, I don't want to start... Of course, now this means I have to let them go (I've been fostering the past 90 days), and believe me that feels like ripping my heart out. I would absolutely L O V E to see them go to a raw-feeding no- or limited vax home. It would lessen the sting of letting them go. :0) Please contact me privately if you are interested. Callie - http://pet-sitter-pro.com/LovingGraceRescue/Callie.html Hope - http://pet-sitter-pro.com/LovingGraceRescue/Hope.html Please note that I have not yet updated their bios on the site. Sabrina www.Pet-Sitter-Pro.com http://www.pet-sitter-pro.com/ www.LovingGraceRescue.org http://www.lovinggracerescue.org/ Orange County, CA ___ 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
Re: [Felvtalk] Some positive, some negative?
Thanks to Heather and everyone else who responded. I had always thought that while FIV is really, really difficult to catch, and that most kittens born to FIV+ Moms end up being FIV-, FeLV was very easy to catch. I could never figure out how all of my cats who lived with my FeLV+ cat didn't contract it, but you can bet I thanked my lucky stars for this. Still, every veterinarian I spoke to didn't understand it, so it seems as though many in the veterinary community don't understand a whole lot about FeLV. One even told me that my others probably never got FeLV because my cat who was positive was not biting them. Ugh! Big difference between FIV and FeLV. It's interesting to me that in the case of the Mama and the four babies, if there were two different dads and one of them was FeLV+, he gave this to the kittens, but the Mama didn't get it and the two half sisters didn't get it. I'd think that all of the nursing and grooming and assisting with elimination would have caused the Mom to be infected. Interesting. Maybe it's similar to FIP in that there's some genetic component to who gets the disease and who doesn't? Again, thank you. This is all very tough to deal with, especially after having lost my Emma two weeks ago. My prayers are with all of you and your kitties. Sincerely, Adrienne -Original Message- From: Heather [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Sent: Mon, 8 Sep 2008 9:02 am Subject: Re: [Felvtalk] Fw: Re: Some positive, some negative? I don't know what to think on the negative Mom, but we had a double+ Mom who's 5-6 week old kittens tested differently, 2 FIV+ only, 1 FIV+ FELV+, 1 FIV+ weak FELV+. All went on to retest + multiple times for FELV, including the ones who were only FIV+ at first--and they were separated from Mom at that point of first testing. The double+ Mom has now, after a year, outlived all of her kittens. As to why your Mom is neg...I heard before that it can also be carried to the kittens from the father, but this was a loose conversation with a rescue person, don't know if it's true...maybe Mom was exposed but threw the virus, still passing to the kittens, or maybe all were exposed to an FELV+ cat and the Mom didn't contract it but the kittens did? Wishing you luck with the retests prayers to these babies- Heather On Sun, Sep 7, 2008 at 5:49 PM, Carmen Conklin [EMAIL PROTECTED]wrote: We work with a large number of special needs animals and yes, we have had experience with a negative mother (several tests) who had five kittens and 3 were negative and two were positive. So we have to test all kittens and mom from any litters we might see even if mom is negative. I've seen this at least two times. So it does happen. possibly you are right Laurie about the different dads. HAS to be, doesn't it? The others did NOT get the FeLV being with them either. Carmen From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Date: Sun, 7 Sep 2008 15:31:04 -0500 Subject: Re: [Felvtalk] Fw: Re: Some positive, some negative? Different dads?? I have NO ideahave never heard of this. -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto: [EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Sharyl Sent: Sunday, September 07, 2008 3:08 PM To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Subject: [Felvtalk] Fw: Re: Some positive, some negative? Meant for the group. I don't know what to tell you. The litter of 4 I rescued all tested positive. I have no experience where on half the litter tests positive and half negative. Sharyl --- On Sun, 9/7/08, [EMAIL PROTECTED] [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Some positive, some negative? To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Date: Sunday, September 7, 2008, 2:05 PM Hello. I'm wondering if anyone has any idea how the following could have happened, and what they'd recommend: I work at an animal shelter and a few weeks ago, a woman dropped off a mama cat with four nursing kittens. The kittens looked to be about 3 weeks old. I brought the cat and kittens home and have been caring for them in a large dog crate. They're all active and healthy looking. Last week I brought them to the Vet for their FIV/FeLV combo test. I was shocked when two of the kittens tested positive for FeLV. They used the snap test, but also sent blood to the lab on the mama cat. Her result came back negative. I've heard that the virus can be transient and can be fought off in rare instances, but this is so odd. Has anyone else ever heard of this hap pening. I know I need to have everyone re-tested in a few weeks. In the meantime, I do have them all together. My thought was that if the Mom and the two negative kittens haven't caught it from the two positive kittens by now, they won't catch it. But maybe I should separate them. I don't know. I commented to someone I work with that at least we won't have a problem adopting out the mother cat and the
[Felvtalk] Prayers to all of you
This forum is such an amazing source of support. I take comfort in knowing that there are so many people out there who love their cats dearly.I work at a wonderful animal shelter where the calls come in each day from people who have every excuse imaginable about why they need to give up their cats and dogs. Many people will provide the excuse that they are moving or that they have become suddenly allergic to the cat they've had for more than a decade. But there are people who are honest enough to say they're tired of the shedding, or sick of the hairballs, or the cat has been eliminating outside of the box, or the kids have lost interest, or the cat is in kidney failure or is diabetic.. It's enough to make an animal lover give up on people. But the people who share on this list serve as a reminder that there are wonderful people out there. That knowledge makes it so much easier to get through each day. Thank you to every one of you. Adrienne -Original Message- From: Gloria B. Lane [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Sent: Sun, 7 Sep 2008 7:40 pm Subject: Re: [Felvtalk] Can you please pray for Michelle's Patches Prayers coming for Michelle's Patches! Gloria At 05:37 PM 9/7/2008, you wrote: Hi again all, Strangely I was just wondering this a.m. how Michelle's Patches was doing, and thinking I must email her, and then when I came into work, there was the email from her (below). (For those who don't know Michelle, she was a tireless, dedicated source of knowledge and support on the list for many years). Thanks for your prayers for Patches. Kerry M. Hi, Kerry. Can I bother you to ask the list for prayers again? Patches had been doing a lot better for a couple of weeks-- her hematocrit was going up (and maybe still is-- she looks quite pink), she gained weight, she was getting more active and had started eating some on her own again. But the last few days she has looked worse than when we brought her to the hospital with the pancreatitis. She had the strongest chemo drug 8 days ago, so we thought it was that, but she does not seem to be improving. She lays in one spot all day and only gets up to use the litterbox, and looks weak when she does. She seems nauseous too. She has gained a lot of weight and we think the vets were telling us to feed her too much through her tube, and we are wondering if her pancreatitis has been aggravated by this. Or, of course, the cancer could be back. We are planning on taking her to the hospital tomorrow afternoon when her internist is in, to see if they can ultrasound her and if she! needs IV fluids. Prayers always seem to help, though, so I thought I would ask. thanks as always, and I hope you and yours are ok, Michelle _ IRS CIRCULAR 230 NOTICE. Any tax advice expressed above by Mayer Brown LLP was not intended or written to be used, and cannot be used, by any taxpayer to avoid U.S. federal tax penalties. If such advice was written or used to support the promotion or marketing of the matter addressed above, then each offeree should seek advice from an independent tax advisor. This email and any files transmitted with it are intended solely for the use of the individual or entity to whom they are addressed. If you have received this email in error please notify the system manager. If you are not the named addressee you should not disseminate, distribute or copy this e-mail. ___ 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] chemotherapy
Dear Caroline, Belinda, Diane, and Michele, Thanks so much for sharing and for your kindness. It's very helpful and comforting to hear from people what have been through something similar and/or who truly care. I know there are no easy answers as to the best thing to do or not to do. My Emma tested positive on both multiple snap tests and on laboratory ELISA tests, so as much as I was hoping it was some kind of mistake, she is indeed FeLV+. Over this past weekend, she suddenly stopped eating and drinking, her coat went from shiny black (she's a tuxedo) to dull and covered with dandruff, her purr was gone, and she was lethargic. The ultrasound revealed enormous lymph nodes, and the blood test revealed a RBC count of 10 (dangerously low) and a WBC count twice what it should be. Analysis of the bone marrow points to lymphoma. The Vet is encouraging chemotherapy, but because of past experiences with two of my dogs, I don't have a lot of faith in Veterinary oncologists. I don't want a Veterinarian giving me false help and encouraging me to pursue chemotherapy if, in fact, there's little chance it will help, and a better chance that it won't help, or worse, that it will cause suffering. Caroline, I can relate to your situation with the tumor on Monkee's leg. My dog Rebel had a mast cell tumor on his leg, which the surgeon was able to debulk, but he was unable to get clean margins. He offered amputation as an option, but Rebel was 12 years old and a big dog, and I didn't think he would manage well (though I've seen many younger dogs and even cats do perfectly well with three legs). It turns out it was really good that I didn't pursue amputation of the leg, because a week later, Rebel had a tumor on his back. The tumor on his leg grew back and continued to grow despite chemotherapy. It was the size of a large honeydew. But I continued to give him chemotherapy, hoping for a miracle. There ended up being no miracle and I lost my Rebel. Several years earlier, I'd put my dog, Daisy, through chemotherapy and radiation when she was diagnosed with oral melanoma. My Veterinarian told me I'd lose her in six months, with or without treatment. I went to an oncologist anyway and was told there was a 20% chance the treatment would help. So Daisy went throught the treatment, and a week before she died, another oncologist put her on an experimental drug (Thalidomide) despite the fact that her lungs were full of tumors. I know that everyone's experiences are different and that we all want to do what's best for our furry family members. It's just so hard to know what is best. But your support and advice have been my saving grace this week. I no longer feel quite so alone. Thank you. -- Adrienne ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
[Felvtalk] chemotherapy
Thank you, Gloria.I think what's adding to the fact that I have little faith in the Veterinary community is the fact that it seems as though many veterinarians don't know a whole lot about FeLV. It's difficult because I expect to be able to turn to the Veterinarians so I can get accurate information and make an informed decision. But the ones I've spoken to don't seem to have much info at all. In fact, my regular Veterinarian thought my Emma had a large tumor. It turns out that what she was feeling was a very full bladder. ArghFor now, I'm going ahead with the Prednisone. Since starting her on it, her appetite is back, so maybe she'll regain some strength. I hope everyone and their kitties has a relaxing, comfortable weekend. ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
[Felvtalk] I am a member
I sent a question but got a reply that I'm a non-member who posted a question to a members-only group. But as per the e-mail below, I am a member. Thank you. -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Wed, 20 Aug 2008 12:34 pm Subject: Welcome to the Felvtalk mailing list Welcome to the Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org mailing list! To post to this list, send your email to: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org General information about the mailing list is at: http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org If you ever want to unsubscribe or change your options (eg, switch to or from digest mode, change your password, etc.), visit your subscription page at: http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/options/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org/astatfeld%40aol.com You can also make such adjustments via email by sending a message to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the word `help' in the subject or body (don't include the quotes), and you will get back a message with instructions. You must know your password to change your options (including changing the password, itself) or to unsubscribe. It is: adrienne Normally, Mailman will remind you of your felineleukemia.org mailing list passwords once every month, although you can disable this if you prefer. This reminder will also include instructions on how to unsubscribe or change your account options. There is also a button on your options page that will email your current password to you. ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
