from:"jbero"

Amy,

I don't have much input on restricting activity.  In general it seems to me
that once a cat realizes his limitations he'll limit himself.  I am not big
on limiting them.  They generally do that on their own.  I guess it's a
personal opinion.  Certainly something could happen, but something could
happen to any of us.

I really wanted to see if you would be interested in trying a tonic.  It is
a tonic meant for treatment of cancers, but it has properties and benefits
that extend beyond this.  It has helped various people and animals in
various way.  Noone has ever reported any significant negative side effects
with its use.  It is an herbal tonic consistenting of four plant
derivatives.  I was wondering if it could help a felv cat.  It would be
fantastic to see a reversal of neurologic symptoms.  I don't know that it
would help, but it has done wonders in many settings.

If you're interested I can send you the list of herbs and how to prepare
it.

On a different note, I have seen some amazing things with acupuncture and
alignment on dogs and cats.  If the weakness is not due to felv, these
procedures may help.  You'd have to go to an alternative vet for that
though.  I don't know it was just a thought and I figured I put it out
there.

Jenny


On 7/23/10, Amy awilkin...@yahoo.com wrote:

 Wondering if people would offer an opinion.  My cat, Wolfie, has rear leg
 weakness that is getting progressively worse.  He's been seen by numerous
 vets and it's not going to get any better.  I'm guessing the leukemia is
 finally getting the best of him.

 Anyway, I'm just wondering how much I should let him do.  Initially my vet
 said not to restrict him, that letting him use the muscles was good for
 them.  He is now starting to stumble or sit more often.  He doesn't totally
 fall over or anything, just gets a bit wobbly or sits down.  If he's on
 linoleum, he has much less control of his legs.  He is still jumping up and
 down on my bed, eating, purring, laying on my chest, going up and down
 stairs, etc.  I don't want him to get hurt and him doing the stairs makes me
 so nervous.  On the other hand, I don't want to restrict him out of fear.  I
 talked to the receptionist at the vet and she said if it was her cat, the
 stairs would be off limits.  This will be so tough because I have 3 other
 cats, 1 very shy one that hides in the basement and only comes out when my
 son is sleeping.  I would have to force her to stay in the basement or out
 of the basement (as opposed to having access to the cat door in the
 basement door).  The last thing I want is to see Wolfie get hurt but I
 can't seem to think that if he gets to a point where he can't do the stairs,
 he will stop doing them.  Is that foolish?  He is such an opinionated,
 strong-willed cat and I know he will not be pleased if I restrict him in any
 fashion.

 Oh and he doesn't have to do any stairs.  He has food, water, and litter on
 all floors.  He just chooses to.

 Thoughts?

 Thanks
 Amy




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Re: [Felvtalk] Now it's Murphy-I can't take much more

Alice,

I am so sorry.  I was really hoping the LTCI would do it.  Pet tinic and
epogen and whatever else may help with anemia is usually only a temporary
fix.  The real problem is the underlying bone marrow deficiency due to
infectivity with virus.  I have been with this group long enough to have
hopes for so many different possibilities.  Sometimes they work, sometimes
not.  I know you have too.

I have a long shot.  I requested this for Wolfie too, but want to ask you.
There is a tonic comprised of four herbs.  They are anti-inflammatory, and
for cancer.  A host of secondary positive effects have been noted with its
use including cessation of certain viral infections.  It appears to seek out
and destroy abnormal cells while leaving healthy ones behind.  It also
provides an anti-inflammatory which in many settings can be beneficial.  It
hasn't been used for felv as far as I can tell, but in theory I think it
could help.  If you are interested I can get you the name of the herbs,
where to get them and how to prepare them.  It takes time to do it and
concentrate it so it may take a week before you have the final product.  Let
me know what you think.

The herbs in graviola, neem and chaparral.  The fourth is escaping me right
now, but I can find it.

God bless and I will pray for you.

Jenny


On 7/24/10, Sharyl cline...@yahoo.com wrote:

 Alice I understand how stressful this is for all of you.  Here is a link to
 a site that helps explain test results
 Broadway Vet BW Explanations
 http://tinyurl.com/2ex549
 Just click on the item and open the pdf file.  For example it says
 moderately elevated HCT could possibly be a sign of dehydration.

 After fighting anemia with a CRF kitty and several FeLV kitties I
 understand your frustration.  I didn't get alarmed until the HCT fell below
 20%.  I did use supplements like NutriVed, Super B Complex. B12 and folic
 acid to help them build new red blood cells.

 I rescued a litter of 4 positive 4 week old kittens and lost all 4 of
 them.  Mattie who was blind made it the longest to about 16 months.  I had
 adopted 2 positive kittens from a nearby rescue group and lost them after
 just a few months to FIP.  I had earlier rescued 2 positive kittens, about 4
 month old.  I only have Rocket left.  She is just over 3 now and is starting
 to show signs of the disease.

 The heartbreak doesn't get any easier.  The thought that keeps me going is
 they had a good life for as long as they were on this earth.  They were
 loved and cared for.  So many wonderful kitties don't even have that and
 they aren't FeLV kitties.  We do what we can with the resources we
 have.  And we treasure each day we have these wonderful companions.

 Hugs top Murphy and all of you
 Sharyl

 --- On Sat, 7/24/10, Alice Flowers aliceflow...@sbcglobal.net wrote:

  From: Alice Flowers aliceflow...@sbcglobal.net
  Subject: Re: [Felvtalk] Now it's Murphy-I can't take much more
  To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org felvtalk@felineleukemia.org
  Date: Saturday, July 24, 2010, 7:02 PM
  Terry-thank you for keeping Murphy in
  your thoughts. He has consistently tested
  negative for Hemotropic Mycoplasmas. His Absolute
  Reticulocyte count is now
  35200. Both Murphy and Rosie have been on LTCI injections
  since last September.
  We began treatment before any symptoms appeared and their
  HCT levels were in the
  high 30s, low 40s. I just got the faxes on their blood
  tests. Murphy's HCT is
  22.3, Rosie's is 46.5. I am thinking of giving them another
  injection tomorrow,
  the last one was June 27-it will be 28 days-but the other
  thing is, should I do
  both cats or just Murphy? Is there such a thing as having a
  too high HCT level
  (like Rosie's 46.5)?  Just watching my Murphy sleep
  and hurting because we can't
  stop this train wreck.  Alice
  ___
  Felvtalk mailing list
  Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org
  http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
 




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[Felvtalk] Fwd: Restricting cat from stairs

-- Forwarded message --
From: jbero tds.net jb...@tds.net
Date: Jul 26, 2010 11:04 AM
Subject: Re: [Felvtalk] Restricting cat from stairs
To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org

Amy,

I don't have much input on restricting activity.  In general it seems to me
that once a cat realizes his limitations he'll limit himself.  I am not big
on limiting them.  They generally do that on their own.  I guess it's a
personal opinion.  Certainly something could happen, but something could
happen to any of us.

I really wanted to see if you would be interested in trying a tonic.  It is
a tonic meant for treatment of cancers, but it has properties and benefits
that extend beyond this.  It has helped various people and animals in
various way.  Noone has ever reported any significant negative side effects
with its use.  It is an herbal tonic consistenting of four plant
derivatives.  I was wondering if it could help a felv cat.  It would be
fantastic to see a reversal of neurologic symptoms.  I don't know that it
would help, but it has done wonders in many settings.

If you're interested I can send you the list of herbs and how to prepare
it.

On a different note, I have seen some amazing things with acupuncture and
alignment on dogs and cats.  If the weakness is not due to felv, these
procedures may help.  You'd have to go to an alternative vet for that
though.  I don't know it was just a thought and I figured I put it out
there.

Jenny

 On 7/23/10, Amy awilkin...@yahoo.com wrote:

 Wondering if people would offer an opinion.  My cat, Wolfie, has rear leg
 weakness that is getting progressively worse.  He's been seen by numerous
 vets and it's not going to get any better.  I'm guessing the leukemia is
 finally getting the best of him.

 Anyway, I'm just wondering how much I should let him do.  Initially my vet
 said not to restrict him, that letting him use the muscles was good for
 them.  He is now starting to stumble or sit more often.  He doesn't totally
 fall over or anything, just gets a bit wobbly or sits down.  If he's on
 linoleum, he has much less control of his legs.  He is still jumping up and
 down on my bed, eating, purring, laying on my chest, going up and down
 stairs, etc.  I don't want him to get hurt and him doing the stairs makes me
 so nervous.  On the other hand, I don't want to restrict him out of fear.  I
 talked to the receptionist at the vet and she said if it was her cat, the
 stairs would be off limits.  This will be so tough because I have 3 other
 cats, 1 very shy one that hides in the basement and only comes out when my
 son is sleeping.  I would have to force her to stay in the basement or out
 of the basement (as opposed to having access to the cat door in the
 basement door).  The last thing I want is to see Wolfie get hurt but I
 can't seem to think that if he gets to a point where he can't do the stairs,
 he will stop doing them.  Is that foolish?  He is such an opinionated,
 strong-willed cat and I know he will not be pleased if I restrict him in any
 fashion.

 Oh and he doesn't have to do any stairs.  He has food, water, and litter on
 all floors.  He just chooses to.

 Thoughts?

 Thanks
 Amy

 ___
 Felvtalk mailing list
 Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org
 http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org

___
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Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org
http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org

[Felvtalk] Fwd: Now it's Murphy-I can't take much more

-- Forwarded message --
From: jbero tds.net jb...@tds.net
Date: Jul 26, 2010 11:26 AM
Subject: Re: [Felvtalk] Now it's Murphy-I can't take much more
To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org

Alice,

I am so sorry.  I was really hoping the LTCI would do it.  Pet tinic and
epogen and whatever else may help with anemia is usually only a temporary
fix.  The real problem is the underlying bone marrow deficiency due to
infectivity with virus.  I have been with this group long enough to have
hopes for so many different possibilities.  Sometimes they work, sometimes
not.  I know you have too.

I have a long shot.  I requested this for Wolfie too, but want to ask you.
There is a tonic comprised of four herbs.  They are anti-inflammatory, and
for cancer.  A host of secondary positive effects have been noted with its
use including cessation of certain viral infections.  It appears to seek out
and destroy abnormal cells while leaving healthy ones behind.  It also
provides an anti-inflammatory which in many settings can be beneficial.  It
hasn't been used for felv as far as I can tell, but in theory I think it
could help.  If you are interested I can get you the name of the herbs,
where to get them and how to prepare them.  It takes time to do it and
concentrate it so it may take a week before you have the final product.  Let
me know what you think.

The herbs in graviola, neem and chaparral.  The fourth is escaping me right
now, but I can find it.

God bless and I will pray for you.

Jenny

 On 7/24/10, Sharyl cline...@yahoo.com wrote:

 Alice I understand how stressful this is for all of you.  Here is a link to
 a site that helps explain test results
 Broadway Vet BW Explanations
 http://tinyurl.com/2ex549
 Just click on the item and open the pdf file.  For example it says
 moderately elevated HCT could possibly be a sign of dehydration.

 After fighting anemia with a CRF kitty and several FeLV kitties I
 understand your frustration.  I didn't get alarmed until the HCT fell below
 20%.  I did use supplements like NutriVed, Super B Complex. B12 and folic
 acid to help them build new red blood cells.

 I rescued a litter of 4 positive 4 week old kittens and lost all 4 of
 them.  Mattie who was blind made it the longest to about 16 months.  I had
 adopted 2 positive kittens from a nearby rescue group and lost them after
 just a few months to FIP.  I had earlier rescued 2 positive kittens, about 4
 month old.  I only have Rocket left.  She is just over 3 now and is starting
 to show signs of the disease.

 The heartbreak doesn't get any easier.  The thought that keeps me going is
 they had a good life for as long as they were on this earth.  They were
 loved and cared for.  So many wonderful kitties don't even have that and
 they aren't FeLV kitties.  We do what we can with the resources we
 have.  And we treasure each day we have these wonderful companions.

 Hugs top Murphy and all of you
 Sharyl

 --- On Sat, 7/24/10, Alice Flowers aliceflow...@sbcglobal.net wrote:

  From: Alice Flowers aliceflow...@sbcglobal.net
  Subject: Re: [Felvtalk] Now it's Murphy-I can't take much more
  To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org felvtalk@felineleukemia.org
  Date: Saturday, July 24, 2010, 7:02 PM
  Terry-thank you for keeping Murphy in
  your thoughts. He has consistently tested
  negative for Hemotropic Mycoplasmas. His Absolute
  Reticulocyte count is now
  35200. Both Murphy and Rosie have been on LTCI injections
  since last September.
  We began treatment before any symptoms appeared and their
  HCT levels were in the
  high 30s, low 40s. I just got the faxes on their blood
  tests. Murphy's HCT is
  22.3, Rosie's is 46.5. I am thinking of giving them another
  injection tomorrow,
  the last one was June 27-it will be 28 days-but the other
  thing is, should I do
  both cats or just Murphy? Is there such a thing as having a
  too high HCT level
  (like Rosie's 46.5)?  Just watching my Murphy sleep
  and hurting because we can't
  stop this train wreck.  Alice
  ___
  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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[Felvtalk] Not sure my emails are posting

I just wanted to make sure my emails were getting through.  I sent two
emails to the group concerning Murphy and Wolfie, just wanted to make sure
they were sent.

Jenny
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[Felvtalk] Wolfie and weakness

Amy,

I don't have much input on restricting activity.  In general it seems to me
that once a cat realizes his limitations he'll limit himself.  I am not big
on limiting them.  They generally do that on their own.  I guess it's a
personal opinion.  Certainly something could happen, but something could
happen to any of us.

I really wanted to see if you would be interested in trying a tonic.  It is
a tonic meant for treatment of cancers, but it has properties and benefits
that extend beyond this.  It has helped various people and animals in
various way.  Noone has ever reported any significant negative side effects
with its use.  It is an herbal tonic consistenting of four plant
derivatives.  I was wondering if it could help a felv cat.  It would be
fantastic to see a reversal of neurologic symptoms.  I don't know that it
would help, but it has done wonders in many settings.

If you're interested I can send you the list of herbs and how to prepare
it.

On a different note, I have seen some amazing things with acupuncture and
alignment on dogs and cats.  If the weakness is not due to felv, these
procedures may help.  You'd have to go to an alternative vet for that
though.  I don't know it was just a thought and I figured I put it out
there.

Jenny
___
Felvtalk mailing list
Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org
http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org

[Felvtalk] Murphy

Alice,

I am so sorry.  I was really hoping the LTCI would do it.  Pet tinic and
epogen and whatever else may help with anemia is usually only a temporary
fix.  The real problem is the underlying bone marrow deficiency due to
infectivity with virus.  I have been with this group long enough to have
hopes for so many different possibilities.  Sometimes they work, sometimes
not.  I know you have too.

I have a long shot.  I requested this for Wolfie too, but want to ask you.
There is a tonic comprised of four herbs.  They are anti-inflammatory, and
for cancer.  A host of secondary positive effects have been noted with its
use including cessation of certain viral infections.  It appears to seek out
and destroy abnormal cells while leaving healthy ones behind.  It also
provides an anti-inflammatory which in many settings can be beneficial.  It
hasn't been used for felv as far as I can tell, but in theory I think it
could help.  If you are interested I can get you the name of the herbs,
where to get them and how to prepare them.  It takes time to do it and
concentrate it so it may take a week before you have the final product.  Let
me know what you think.

The herbs in graviola, neem and chaparral.  The fourth is escaping me right
now, but I can find it.

God bless and I will pray for you.

Jenny
___
Felvtalk mailing list
Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org
http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org

Re: [Felvtalk] Now it's Murphy-I can't take much more

Thanks Natalie

Jenny


On 7/26/10, Natalie at...@optonline.net wrote:

 The fourth herb is Andrographis. Natalie

 -Original Message-
 From: felvtalk-boun...@felineleukemia.org
 [mailto:felvtalk-boun...@felineleukemia.org] On Behalf Of jbero tds.net
 Sent: Monday, July 26, 2010 12:27 PM
 To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org
 Subject: Re: [Felvtalk] Now it's Murphy-I can't take much more

 Alice,

 I am so sorry.  I was really hoping the LTCI would do it.  Pet tinic and
 epogen and whatever else may help with anemia is usually only a temporary
 fix.  The real problem is the underlying bone marrow deficiency due to
 infectivity with virus.  I have been with this group long enough to have
 hopes for so many different possibilities.  Sometimes they work, sometimes
 not.  I know you have too.

 I have a long shot.  I requested this for Wolfie too, but want to ask you.
 There is a tonic comprised of four herbs.  They are anti-inflammatory, and
 for cancer.  A host of secondary positive effects have been noted with its
 use including cessation of certain viral infections.  It appears to seek
 out
 and destroy abnormal cells while leaving healthy ones behind.  It also
 provides an anti-inflammatory which in many settings can be beneficial.  It
 hasn't been used for felv as far as I can tell, but in theory I think it
 could help.  If you are interested I can get you the name of the herbs,
 where to get them and how to prepare them.  It takes time to do it and
 concentrate it so it may take a week before you have the final
 product.  Let
 me know what you think.

 The herbs in graviola, neem and chaparral.  The fourth is escaping me right
 now, but I can find it.

 God bless and I will pray for you.

 Jenny


 On 7/24/10, Sharyl cline...@yahoo.com wrote:
 
  Alice I understand how stressful this is for all of you.  Here is a link
 to
  a site that helps explain test results
  Broadway Vet BW Explanations
  http://tinyurl.com/2ex549
  Just click on the item and open the pdf file.  For example it says
  moderately elevated HCT could possibly be a sign of dehydration.
 
  After fighting anemia with a CRF kitty and several FeLV kitties I
  understand your frustration.  I didn't get alarmed until the HCT fell
 below
  20%.  I did use supplements like NutriVed, Super B Complex. B12 and folic
  acid to help them build new red blood cells.
 
  I rescued a litter of 4 positive 4 week old kittens and lost all 4 of
  them.  Mattie who was blind made it the longest to about 16 months.  I
 had
  adopted 2 positive kittens from a nearby rescue group and lost them after
  just a few months to FIP.  I had earlier rescued 2 positive kittens,
 about
 4
  month old.  I only have Rocket left.  She is just over 3 now and is
 starting
  to show signs of the disease.
 
  The heartbreak doesn't get any easier.  The thought that keeps me going
 is
  they had a good life for as long as they were on this earth.  They were
  loved and cared for.  So many wonderful kitties don't even have that and
  they aren't FeLV kitties.  We do what we can with the resources we
  have.  And we treasure each day we have these wonderful companions.
 
  Hugs top Murphy and all of you
  Sharyl
 
  --- On Sat, 7/24/10, Alice Flowers aliceflow...@sbcglobal.net wrote:
 
   From: Alice Flowers aliceflow...@sbcglobal.net
   Subject: Re: [Felvtalk] Now it's Murphy-I can't take much more
   To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org felvtalk@felineleukemia.org
   Date: Saturday, July 24, 2010, 7:02 PM
   Terry-thank you for keeping Murphy in
   your thoughts. He has consistently tested
   negative for Hemotropic Mycoplasmas. His Absolute
   Reticulocyte count is now
   35200. Both Murphy and Rosie have been on LTCI injections
   since last September.
   We began treatment before any symptoms appeared and their
   HCT levels were in the
   high 30s, low 40s. I just got the faxes on their blood
   tests. Murphy's HCT is
   22.3, Rosie's is 46.5. I am thinking of giving them another
   injection tomorrow,
   the last one was June 27-it will be 28 days-but the other
   thing is, should I do
   both cats or just Murphy? Is there such a thing as having a
   too high HCT level
   (like Rosie's 46.5)?  Just watching my Murphy sleep
   and hurting because we can't
   stop this train wreck.  Alice
   ___
   Felvtalk mailing list
   Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org
   http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
  
 
 
 
 
  ___
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  Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org
  http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
 
 ___
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Re: [Felvtalk] Maggie

2010-07-08 Thread jbero tds.net

Hello Tanya,

HCM is tough.  In people it's often hereditary and treated with ACE
inhibitors (like enalapril), beta blockers (sotalol, metropolol,etc.) and/or
diuretics (lasix), and sometimes aspirin or other agent to inhibit blood
clots.  Transplants are used in certain situations.

My understanding is that with cats you can also use any of the above
mentioned meds, using caution with aspirin.  I think sometimes that
conventional medicine is limited and natural or alternative methods can
sometimes help.  I found a small amount of information on it that you could
maybe research or ask your vet or simply try.  I'll copy and paste it here:

  Natural Remedy Options

One of the most effective natural remedies is proper diet and exercise.
http://www.brighthub.com/health/alternative-medicine/articles/5.aspx#.
There is no pill that cures this problem as of now but researchers and
scientists are always working on towards a cure. Until then there are simple
things that can be incorporated in your cat’s daily diet that will help
them.

There are medicines to consider to thin the blood and stop the enlargement
of the heart wall. Aspirin (low doses that are safe for felines), diuretics
and a beta blocker are popular for this condition. Check with your vet about
the aspirins as some cats may be able to handle it but others can not! If
your cat is sensitive to aspirin try Nattokinase instead.

As far as the daily diet, quality foods can make the difference in your cat
(quality foods not commercial foods). Commercial foods tend to have a lot of
salt which can be very bad for this condition. Homemade meals are a lot
better. Foods high in taurine have a positive effect as well as organic
foods with broccoli and oats. Cooked liver can provide essential nutrients
to help your cat feel better.

When considering supplements the following have been known to support health
and longevity in cats with Feline Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy:

• Vitamin E oil

• B-Vitamins

• Hawthorne berry

• Dandelion leaf

• Fish oil

• Coenzyme Q10

If you are interested in homemade diets there are certainly individuals in
this group that could recommend something.  If not let me know and I'll send
you something.  Good luck.

Jenny

Read more:
http://www.brighthub.com/health/alternative-medicine/articles/5.aspx#ixzz0t7Ccfzr7


On Thu, Jul 8, 2010 at 10:08 AM, TANYA NOE sashacatgodd...@yahoo.comwrote:

 Hello everyone,
  It has been a while since I have been able to get on. I found out last
 month that my FelV+ Maggie who turned 2 years old 16 days ago was just
 diagnosed with a grade 4/6 heart murmur. She has seen many vets in her short
 life and has not had a detectable one previously not even 7 months ago when
 she had her bi-annual physical and blood work. I took her in for her
 physical and because lately she has had some exercise intolerance that isn't
 normal for a 2 year old. Her heart ultrasound gave us a diagnosis of
 hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Her walls were very thick and flow greatly
 reduced. We started he on Enalapril.
 I was wondering if anyone else has had the same diagnosis and if so if
 there was anything that worked well for your little ones. Her heart disease
 is progressing very quickly and I was told that with her type there isn't
 anything they can do to slow it down, we are only making her more
 comfortable with the Enalapril by making her heart not have to work as hard.
 Any advice is appreciated,
 Tanya (Maggie's Mom)




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Re: [Felvtalk] Wolfie and weakness in hind legs

2010-07-04 Thread jbero tds.net

Awe Laurie, you're so sweet.  I am glad to know you.
Hope all is well.

Jenny

On Fri, Jul 2, 2010 at 3:45 PM, Laurieskatz lauriesk...@mchsi.com wrote:

 Jenny, thank-you for this very helpful information. We are certainly
 fortunate to have you here!
 Thanks for the time you took to research this!
 Laurie

 Never, never be afraid to do what's right, especially if the well-being of
 a person or animal is at stake. Society's punishments are small compared to
 the wounds we inflict on our soul when we look the other way. ~ Martin
 Luther King, Jr.


 -Original Message-
 From: felvtalk-boun...@felineleukemia.org
 [mailto:felvtalk-boun...@felineleukemia.org] On Behalf Of jbero tds.net
 Sent: Friday, July 02, 2010 3:12 PM
 To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org
 Subject: [Felvtalk] Wolfie and weakness in hind legs

 I did a little research on neurologic disorders in felv cats.  I found a
 nice article written on 2002 describing about 20 felv cats with neurologic
 symptoms and the necropsy reports.  Most of the cats did not have any
 tumors.  Basically what they found was axonal and myelin degeneration (the
 neurons and their surrounding sheath were degenerated).  The areas that
 were
 most strongly affected could be seen without a microscope as plagues in the
 spinal cord.  They stained these cells with a stain that highlights the
 presence of a specific felv protein - the cells were filled with it.  This
 suggests that the virus infects neurons and destroys them.  This results in
 progressively declining neurologic function.

 Here's the website to the article:
 www.drjaymcdonnell.com/refId,26240/refDownload.pml

 Hope this helps.

 Jenny
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[Felvtalk] Wolfie and weakness in hind legs

2010-07-02 Thread jbero tds.net

I did a little research on neurologic disorders in felv cats.  I found a
nice article written on 2002 describing about 20 felv cats with neurologic
symptoms and the necropsy reports.  Most of the cats did not have any
tumors.  Basically what they found was axonal and myelin degeneration (the
neurons and their surrounding sheath were degenerated).  The areas that were
most strongly affected could be seen without a microscope as plagues in the
spinal cord.  They stained these cells with a stain that highlights the
presence of a specific felv protein - the cells were filled with it.  This
suggests that the virus infects neurons and destroys them.  This results in
progressively declining neurologic function.

Here's the website to the article:
www.drjaymcdonnell.com/refId,26240/refDownload.pml

Hope this helps.

Jenny
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Re: [Felvtalk] rear leg weakness- Revolution used? and update

2010-06-30 Thread jbero tds.net

Forgive me, but I'm not sure of Wolfie's history.  With respect to
hypercalcemia there are multiple causes.If you want to treat it you need
to identify the underlying cause.  This is often challenging and the
treatment (at least the immediate way to decrease the Ca levels) is with
diet, fluids and diuretics.  You can try doing this, but if you don't
identify the underlyling cause it may return to elevated levels.  The
question concerning his medical condition and whether or not to proceed is a
tough one.

Why does he have hind leg weakness.  This can sometimes be a vascular issue
(basically a blood clot in one of the large vessels) or felv involving the
central nervous system, or an autoimmune process, etc.  Are his kidneys okay
(tested for with BUN and Creat.) and liver (AST, ALT, albumin, Bilirubin)
and bone marrow (anemic? high or low WBC, presence of lymphoma?).  Is his
appetitie okay?  These things would influence my personal decision of
proceeding or not.  It seems likely that the elevated Calcium is secondary
to some other process, if that process cannot be treated, I would probably
not proceed with trying to find out why the calcium is elevated and simply
provide IV fluids and a change of diet to keep him comfortable while he is
here.  If the underlying problem can be treated, I would treat that first
and change diet and possibly give IV fluids, then watch the calcium and see
if it drops.

This is a tough decision at times.  Iwish you the best of luck and may God
bless.

Jenny

On Sun, Jun 27, 2010 at 2:33 PM, Amy awilkin...@yahoo.com wrote:

 I have not used Revolution on Wolfie.

 Wolfie is still acting himself, is eating fine but he is definitely getting
 weaker in the back legs.  It's really hard to see because I don't think
 things are going to get better.  He has food and litter on the main floor
 but is still choosing to do stairs (making me a nervous wreck).  He's
 starting to have a tough time with the kitchen floor (linoleum) so I'm
 putting carpets down to help.  Wish I could do something more for him but I
 always feel that way when my leuk positives start going downhill.  I hate
 this disease.

 Looking for opinions here.  Wolfie's calcium was 11.6 when the blood work
 was done.  Normal is 8.2-11.5.  The vet at Cornell wants me to draw another
 sample to check his active or ionized calcium to see if his Calcium is
 actually high.  Would you put your cat through this if your gut is that he
 doesn't have long?  I asked what we would do if it's high.  She said we'd
 look at all causes and rule them out and if none of those applied, we'd
 alter his diet to try bringing it down.  He's anemic and having trouble with
 his legs.  Would you pursue something like this or let him be in peace?

 Amy

 --- On Sun, 6/27/10, Laurieskatz lauriesk...@mchsi.com wrote:

  From: Laurieskatz lauriesk...@mchsi.com
  Subject: [Felvtalk] rear leg weakness- Revolution used?
  To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org
  Cc: 'Carmen Conklin' cwshel...@wildblue.net
  Date: Sunday, June 27, 2010, 2:06 PM
  
 
  From: Carmen Conklin [mailto:cwshel...@wildblue.net]
 
  Sent: Sunday, June 27, 2010 12:57 PM
  To: Laurieskatz
  Subject: felvgroup
 
 
 
  Hi, I can't seem to be able to email into the felv group
  today-could you ask
  them a question regarding the Re: weakness in hind legs
  thing??
 
  I want to know if they had used Revolution on any of the
  cats that had that
  weakness in hind legs problem... Thanks, Carmen
 
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Re: [Felvtalk] rear leg weakness- Revolution used? and update

2010-06-30 Thread jbero tds.net

Amy,

I have to agree with Sharyl.  Taking everything into consideration I
probably would not proceed with evaluating the levels.  In human medicine we
don't treat unless the value is at least 1.0 greater than the upper limit of
norma.  My understanding in fact is that steroids can help lower levels of
ca. in some individuals.
Felv cats are so hard because when they get sick you just end up chasing one
symptom after another and we can't seem to cure the underlying cause.  I
think your fears are founded in the anemia and repeated blood draws.  Wolfie
is a lucky cat and I will keep him in my prayers.

Jenny

On Wed, Jun 30, 2010 at 12:21 PM, Sharyl cline...@yahoo.com wrote:

 Amy, based on what you have written I wouldn't worry about the high Ca
 right now.  What was his phos level?  There is an issue when both Ca and
 Phos are high but again that wouldn't affect his hind legs.  It could be the
 anemia.

 In the end we do what we can with the resources we have.  He's lucky to
 have you loving him.
 Sharyl

 --- On Wed, 6/30/10, Amy awilkin...@yahoo.com wrote:

  From: Amy awilkin...@yahoo.com
  Subject: Re: [Felvtalk] rear leg weakness- Revolution used? and update
  To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org
  Date: Wednesday, June 30, 2010, 12:12 PM
   No idea why he has hind leg
  weakness.  I'll researched all the causes and none seem
  to apply other than the leukemia.  He has had routine
  blood work every 6 months of his life and we have monitored
  him very closely as we do all our positive cats.  No
  major problems other than some weight loss and IBD over the
  past couple years.
 
  I don't think I've ever taken one of my positive cats to
  the vet that some level hasn't been off.  Historically
  when I've drawn more blood or done further testing, it
  always ends up being nothing.  I spend lots of money
  and put the cats through lots of testing and then 6 months
  later, the value is normal again.  I've just grown to
  step back and not flip out every time I see a low or high
  value for that reason.  I have to say I still feel sick
  every time I see the HCT drop in one of them though.
  So that's my hesitation with taking 3 ml of blood from a
  non-regenerative anemic cat.  He just had a full
  CBC/Chem which is not a small amount of blood and I'm afraid
  to draw so much blood again when I think his time with me is
  limited to begin with.
 
  The only thing I can come up with as a cause of the hind
  leg weakness is long term steroid use.  I read that
  it's more common with injectable steroids so not sure if it
  even applies to pred.  He's been on pred for almost a
  year.  However, I have no doubt that it is the one
  thing that has kept him alive.  Neither me or the
  specialist I'm seeing are even considering taking him off
  that as I have no doubt he will crash.  We tried
  weaning him off it a year ago after treating him for
  hemobart and he started going downhill quickly.  That
  said, his bone marrow is shot.  He's been
  non-regenerative for over a year and making red blood cells
  from his spleen or elsewhere.  We knew he couldn't do
  this forever so I'm not shocked at where we are, just
  sad.  Since he's been anemic for a year and holding
  steady, I guess the weakness could be a result of the anemia
  as well.  Yet he doesn't seem weak otherwise
  really.  He sleeps a lot and yes it's obvious he
  doesn't keep
   up with the other cats but not so weak that it takes too
  much energy to walk in my opinion.
 
  His liver and kidney values are all normal. Appetite is
  normal.  No signs of lymphoma after 2 ultrasounds,
  probably has IBD and is on EVO which seems to have helped
  keep that in check.  His calcium is just over normal -
  11.6 with normal being 8.2-11.5.  I looked at blood
  work from all my other cats and they all run towards the
  high end, 10 or higher.  So I'm weighing the risk worth
  the benefit of drawing another 3 ml of blood to see if he's
  really got a high calcium vs just waiting it out and if he's
  around in a month or so, rechecking it then.  Any
  thoughts or suggestions are welcome.
 
  Thank you everyone for all the suggestions.  My gut
  tells me that he is close to the point of losing his battle
  with this disease.  I always try to keep hope and
  remain optimistic but watching one cat after another be
  taken down by this disease, it's hard to keep the faith
  sometimes.  Fingers crossed, Wolfie will pull through
  this and defy the odds as he has until now.
 
  Amy





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Re: [Felvtalk] Please add Ellie to CLS :(

2010-06-04 Thread jbero tds.net

Kathi,

I am so sorry. I was told something once that always comforts me when I
lose someone I care about.

I believe there is life after this one and perhaps our soul is split such
that part of our soul is here in our bodies and the other is in heaven.
When we die, perhaps those two parts come together. So here's the thing,
when Ellie died and her soul went to heaven to be joined with her soul in
heaven, who do you think was the first soul waiting with wide arms to
welcome her home?

YOU!

God bless.

Jenny

On Fri, Jun 4, 2010 at 7:07 PM, Kathi Clark kathi_cl...@hotmail.com wrote:

Diane,

You've all been so nice to me and I so appreciate it. You truly have made
this most difficult day so much more bearable. Guilt needs to be replaced
with happy memories of our fur babies who have become angels.

Blessings and hugs back to you,

Kathi

From: drosenfe...@wi.rr.com
To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org
Date: Fri, 4 Jun 2010 18:44:40 -0500
Subject: Re: [Felvtalk] Please add Ellie to CLS :(

Kathi, I'm so sorry you lost Ellie. Gentle Bridge vibes to your beautiful
girl. Don't be hard on yourself. We have all second-guessed ourselves at
some point, and it's really a futile and sad exercise. Hugs.

Diane R.

-Original Message-
From: felvtalk-boun...@felineleukemia.org
[mailto:felvtalk-boun...@felineleukemia.org] On Behalf Of Kathi Clark
Sent: Friday, June 04, 2010 1:36 PM
To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org
Subject: [Felvtalk] Please add Ellie to CLS :(

I had to put my Ellie down this morning. She was only 4 years old and
developed symptoms on Memorial Day and lasted only 4 days. A tumor in her
chest was leaking fluid and squeezing her lungs. I couldn't watch her
suffer any longer so I had her put down this morning. She was a little
love
and purred and looked lovingly at me, even at the end. What we could
learn
from these creatures could fill volumes. They are so forgiving and don't
ask questions. They just live for the moment and, therefore, don't miss
the
moment like we time-crazed humans do. I will remember her always. She was
a beautifully marked little girl with gray and black swirls on her body
and
white around her mouth and chin and a butterscotch nose. I am feeling
such
guilt, though, that I didn't resort to any treatment whatsoever. My vet
never suggested it but I should have looked into it myself..

Kathi

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Re: [Felvtalk] Immunity

2010-06-01 Thread jbero tds.net

Interesting question.  I guess that answer would be, it depends.  If he was
exposed to the virus, and he probably was given the close contact litter
mates have,  it is possible he has developed an immunity.  To the best of my
knowledge, vets do not currently measure antibody titers to felv - not sure
why.  I could look into it. (the presence of certain titer of antibody
infers immunity).

It is possible he was never exposed to the virus, but given the history
seems unlikely.

Finally, is it possible for a cat to be exposed, beat the virus and on
repeat exposure develop disease.  Anything is possible, but unless he
becomes immunosuppressed it's not likely.

I guess, I would consider it highly likely he has developed an immunity
given his history, negative viral status and current age.  Of course a false
negative is always possible, but also unlikely given repeat testing.

Is there a reason you are asking this?  If you plan on introducing another
felv cat it may be worth while simply vaccinating him anyway.

Hope that helps.

Jenny

On Tue, Jun 1, 2010 at 6:35 AM, Lorrie felineres...@kvinet.com wrote:

 In 2008 I rescued a litter of kittens.  All of them were positive
 except one. He tested negative, and retesting has shown he is still
 negative. Since he is negative and his immune system beat the virus
 his litter mates (all gone now) had does this mean he is now immune
 to FelV?

 Lorrie

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Re: [Felvtalk] Please add Sissy to the CLS

2010-05-11 Thread jbero tds.net

Sharyl,

I am so sorry.  These are the emails I dread seeing in the group.  It is
painful for us all and it is never easy to accept.  Thank you for giving her
the life she had while she was with you.  May God bless you and your
household.

Jenny


On 5/9/10, Sharyl cline...@yahoo.com wrote:

 Like Tommy my sweet Sissy also passed away Tuesday.  She had a peaceful
 passing at the vets.  She was ready to go.  My dear neighbor drove us so I
 could hold her on the trip.

 I rescued her and her sis Rocket from the dumpsters 2 1/2 years ago.   Took
 them to the vet and they tested positive for FeLV.  After getting my house
 cats updated on their FeLV vaccine they were became part of my cat
 family.  They were my 1st FeLV kitties and I have learned so much from this
 group on how to help them.  Both were active and healthy but Sissy's lymph
 nodes were always enlarged.

 Thought we might have made it past those critical points but a couple of
 weeks ago Sissy started the fast FeLV fade.  She was such a loving little
 girl.  She would jump up on the kitchen counter to help me get out her
 Temptation treats.  How she loved them.

 I know she had a good 2 1/2 yrs and that consoles me but I sure miss
 her.  Rocket seems to understand and has been giving me extra loving.
 Sharyl




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Re: [Felvtalk] trying again to post Murphy's results

2010-05-09 Thread jbero tds.net

Alice,

I don't want to say this, but the bloodwork worries me.  The neutrophils are
elevated- which alone would comfort me in believing that there is simply a
bacterial infection that could be treated with antibiotics.  Whatever else,
the elevated neutrophils highly suggests a bacterial infection of some
sort.  What worries me is the drop in RBC and lymphocytes as well as the
increase in MCV.  This can be seen in felv disease progression.  Basically
the MCV is the size of the RBCs.  This suggests to me that the RBCs are
either reticulocytes (immature RBCs that are usually present in felv when
they have something like bartonella or a similar disease process) or when
their bone marrow is making sick RBCs as is seen when the virus mutates and
causes bad disease.

There are two things I would like to know in this case.  One, did they give
you a value for the reticuloctye count? Two, did a pathologist or even the
vet look at the blood smear to see if there was any agglutination of the
RBCs?

I have to be honest with you that I really don't like the blood work.  I
agree with the others in that azithromycin is a stellar drug in this
situation -hopefully bartonella is causing the anemia rather than mutated
virus, and calicivirus causing the eye drainage.

The good news is that I don't really see evidence of a lymphoma.  If he is
going downhill he's just beginning to go there.  If it were me, I would
treat this aggressively.  By that I mean antibiotics for the possible
Bartonella (blood smear would show agglutination and you can look at
Murphy's ears to see if the skin is yellow, yellow suggests jaundice that
can occur when the rbcs are destroyed by bartonella), lysine for the
calicivirus, LTCI injections more frequently and interferon as you had been
doing it.  You could try the acemannan injections - but I'm not sure about
any drug interactions here, I would research that a little first.

I have been impressed recently with orthomolecular therapy including Vitamin
C, Vitamin E, vitamin A Vitamin D fish oil and NAC.  It would not be a bad
idea to add cod liver oil and mega C to his diet.  NAC can be added
separately.  Finally, there is an immune support tablet made by Standard
Process that may provide added support.  I have no solid studies on it, but
perhaps a combination of treatments including megavitamin therapy, LTCI,
interferon and antibiotic treatment could help.

There are a lot of possibilities and which one or group of meds you chose is
up to you.  One word of caution, prednisone is often used in the treatment
of bartonella but will disminish the effects of LTCI.

My heart goes out to you right now.  There is hope, as there is always hope,
and I will pray for you and your little one.

Jenny



On Sun, May 9, 2010 at 1:08 PM, trmckel...@charter.net wrote:

 Hi Alice,

 I noted you've cut your LTCI administration back to 10 weeks.   I give it
 once a month, might not be necessary, but I'm not comfortable cutting back
 any further.

 If you can afford it, I'd be inclined to restart the sequence at once per
 week for a month, then every other week, etc.  The Gingerich paper on LTCI
 showed a RBC improvement of 30%, which would help. That plus the extra
 immune system support may be just what Murphy needs.

 Terry
  Alice Flowers aliceflow...@sbcglobal.net wrote:

 =
  I am going to put asterisks between them-

 04/25**01/08**11/21/09**REFERENCE
 WBC*7.86.26.6***4.2-15.6
 RBC*4.85***10.95**10.22*6.0-10.0
 HGB*11.1***14.4***12.8**9.5-15
 HCT*32.3***39.5***3629-45
 MCV*67*36*3541-58
 MCH*22.9***13.1***12.5*11.0-17.5
 MCHC34.4***36.5***35.6**29-36


 the dates**04/2501/08***11/21/09***reference
 Neutrophil Seg***85*62*34***35-75
 Lymphocytes**7**29*55***20-55
 Monocytes5**4**5*1-4
 Eosinophil***3**6**6*2-12
 Basophil*0**0**0**0-1
 Auto Platelet63887?343**170-600
 Absol. Neutophil Seg**6630**3844**2244*2500-12500
 Absol. Lymphocyte*546***1798***36301500-7000
 Absol. Monocyte390*248330***0-850
 Absol. Eosinophil***234***372***396*0-1500
 Absol. Basophil***000**0-100
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[Felvtalk] Kia and Janet

2010-05-06 Thread jbero tds.net

Janet,

I just read the email I sent you and it was convoluted, sorry I must have
been tired.

Here's the short and long.  Not a ton of information of specifics of dosing
for treating lymphoma with orthomolecular therapy (high dose vitamins) in
cats.  The recommendation I am familiar with suggests:

Vitamin C - 740 mg daily
Vitamin A - 750 IU daily (studies have been done to suggest cats can
tolerate high levels of this - up 20,000 IU daily
Vitamin D3 - I don't have a specific dose on this but individuals deficient
in Vitamin D have a much worse prognosis with lymphoma
Vitamin E - 75 IU daily
Fish Oil - I don't have a specific dose on this

I just suggested the cod liver and oil and mega C because they have in their
mix all of these elements.  I do not believe you should have any adverse
effects with these dosages, but watch carefully none the less if you opt to
do this.  A final word of caution is to start slowly with the cod liver oil
as initially it may cause diarrhea, but if you start at a lower doser and
than increase you should alleviate this problem.

Sorry, I just wanted to clarify and give you all the information I have.
Hope this helps.

Jenny
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Re: [Felvtalk] more about Kia

2010-05-02 Thread jbero tds.net

Janet,

It sounds like you have been through alot.  It also sounds to me like your
little one has lymphoma although the specifics of the bloodwork would be
more telling.  Did your vet happen to do a feline leukemia virus test?  This
virus can cause lymphomas and leukemias but lymphomas and leukemias can
arise when the virus isn't present.  If it isn't present, you may be able to
treat the lymphoma with different things.

An oncologist/hematologist would be most knowledgable.  I would absolutely
not go on the word of a general practitioner vet as their knowledge is very
limited in this field.  I would get the exact diagnosis - the pathologist
should have done a peripheral blood smear on your cat and there should be a
report with the suspected diagnosis.

I would then ask to be referred to an oncologist/hematologist.  I am telling
you this because some of the lymphomas can be well managed, some not so
well.  Additionally, some of the lymphomas are very slowly progressive and
simply watching them can be sufficient.  I would be very cautious about
using steroids.  Vets today seem to jump to this drug a lot because there is
a temporary improvement of symptoms in almost all illnesses.  The problem is
that long term survival is usually shortened.  Not to say it wouldn't help,
but I would be cautious.

If these things are too expensive, and even if they're not, I would really
consider high dose intravenous Vitamin C in this case.  There is a woman,
Sally, in this group who has done work with Vitamin C (and works for a
company selling it so she has some investment, but she is a very honest
and educated individual who believes in her product).Anyway, she has
seen good luck in the treatment of lymphomas with Vitamin C.  By the way,
the high blood pressure could be helped with this as well.  She could hook
you and your vet up with how to proceed, if you so choose.

I really wish you the best of that luck and I hope that the feline leukemia
test is negative -  that gives you a fighting chance.

Jenny




On Sun, May 2, 2010 at 12:34 AM, kia kia...@yahoo.com wrote:

 Hello again.
 My oldest cat Kia lost weight over a period of time and I just thought
 maybe it was because she was old. She hasn't acted sick at all. Back in
 November my oldest male cat Gabriel got sick and stopped eating. When he
 wouldn't take water I knew it was bad. We rushed him to the vet and the
 bloodwork showed he was in renal failure. The vet said it was too late to do
 anything and we had him put down. Afterwards I starting thinking about Kia
 since she is older and thought I better have her checked out. Due to
 finances I was unable to take her to the vet until a few weeks ago. I told
 the vet she was losing weight and he assumed she had a thyroid problem.
 After the blood work came in he told me her lymphocytes were really high and
 she had an ear infection and a tooth infection. We went through some
 antibiotics and I just took her in last week to check her blood again. This
 is when he told me her lymphocytes have dramatically increased just since
 the last workup
  a couple weeks ago. He is convinced she has circulating leukemia/lymphoma.
 He wants to put her on steroids and an antibiotic. She is also on blood
 pressure meds right now. Those two vet visits have wiped out the budget and
 I am just praying nothing happens to her. I don't understand how she got
 leukemia though. She is an indoor only cat with no contact with cats besides
 our others. When she was a kitten she was tested negative and even got a few
 vaccines for it. Now I am wondering if this is what killed Gabriel. And I
 wonder if the other cats are infected too. I already have a cat with kidney
 disease. All of our pets are over age 11.
 Thank you for your help.
 janet  the gang



 
 

 
 




 
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Re: [Felvtalk] more about Kia

2010-05-02 Thread jbero tds.net

Janet,

One would think there would be treatment, but to be honest, most researchers
aren't that interested in curing cat illnesses.  Usually their discoveries
are a result of trying to find cures in human medicine.

Anyway, a lymphocyte count that high (38,000) is really suggestive of a
lymphoma.  You know it's interesting about vitamin C.  Recently they have
looked into treating people with non Hodgkin's lymphoma with IV Vitamin C
and had some good success.  The research was abandoned in the past because
oral vitamin C was studied and not as effective.

Additionally Vitamin A, Vitamin D3 and Vitamin E have been proposed to
help.  You could get these at a natural food store and add them to the
diet.  I can check into the dosages.  A high quality wet food like Wellness
works well for mixing in supplements.

Although I think a combination chemotherapy and orthomolecular treatment
(high dose vitamin) would work best, I understand how finances can be
limiting.

To give the vitamin C IV, you have to bring your cat to the clinic and have
a slow infusion.  They can put in a catheter so you can do repeat
infusions.  Sally would know more about the specific protocol and doses.
You also need a vet willing to try it as this is not the common approach.
I'll try to contact Sally.

Jenny

On Sun, May 2, 2010 at 2:36 PM, kia kia...@yahoo.com wrote:

 Hello all,
 Thanks for the advice so far.
 My vet did not do a leukemia test that I know of. This last time I think he
 just did a CBC. Because her lymphocyte count had jumped from 25,000 to
 38,000 I guess he assumes she has leukemia/lymphoma. He did send the blood
 to a university hospital but I don't know where. To my knowledge there are
 no oncologists or hemotologists in my area. Unfortunately I cannot afford a
 specialist any way. I would be willing to look into this vitamin C treatment
 though if it was within our budget. Unfortunately for us all my husband is
 not an animal lover like me and doesn't want to spend any extra money on Kia
 or the others.
 You'd think with all the medical advances these days, they would have a
 cure for these common feline killers.
 thanks again,
 janet



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Re: [Felvtalk] Thanks Jenny--- Kia

2010-05-02 Thread jbero tds.net

Janet,

Probably the best approach to the vitamins is to do cod liver oil - nordic
natural pet cod liver oil.  It contains the fish oil, vitamin A and Vitamin
D.  You can order this online or get it from pretty much any holistic vet.
I believe the dosage is one quarter teaspoon daily, but check the label to
be sure.  You can add Vitamin E - 50 - 75 IU daily.  I would be somewhat
cautious with the vitamin E as it can cause blood thinning and hemorrhage at
too high a dose.  75 should be fine, but I may only do this every other day
for a period of two to three weeks.  Vitamin C, IV  dosage is really the
only dosage seen to treat lymphomas but if that is not an option the oral
route can't hurt.  It has not, however, shown the same results as IV
dosage.  You can get Mega C - this formula also contains vitamin A, D and
E.  For that reason, I would probably only give 20 IU or Vitamin E
additionally.  So overall, this is what I'd do

Cod Liver Oil - 1/4 teaspoon daily (check label to be certain)
Mega C - 1/4 teaspoon daily
Vitamin E - 20 IU every other day for two to three weeks.

I would just order the nordic natural pet cod liver oil and mega C over the
internet and get the vitamin E from a health store.  All told, this
shouldn't cost more than 50-60 dollars and you should have enough for quite
awhile.

The only concern I would have is that the Vitamin A dosage will be quite
high with this combination, but studies have shown cats to very tolerable of
vitamin A.  I would only recommend watching for any signs of toxicity
including lethary, anorexia, stumbling or limping.  If you see any of this,
stop treatment immediately.  I do not see it being a problem but be
watchful, all treatments carry some risk.  I would still treat the ear
infection with otomax or some other topical treatment that vet should have
prescribed.  The oral infection may improve with this orthomolecular
treatment.

Hope that helps and good luck.

Jenny

On Sun, May 2, 2010 at 5:17 PM, kia kia...@yahoo.com wrote:




 Hi all,
 Jenny,
 Thanks for the info on the vitamins. Can I get the vitamin C and add it to
 her food as well? This vet only offered me two suggestions. The meds I
 mentioned and chemo. No way could I afford chemo treatments unfortunately.
 If I could give Kia something natural while not being expensive I would
 definitely try. I don't know if the vet would be open to IV vitamin C or
 not. Would have to ask. Please let me know about dosages for those vitamins.
 Kia is  only about 6.7 lbs now.
 I agree that most researchers aren't interested in curing animals of their
 diseases. Guess there isn't enough money in it for them.
 Thanks again for the help.
 janet
 

 
 




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Re: [Felvtalk] Losing weight

2010-04-27 Thread jbero tds.net

Nortina,

My heart goes out to you.  This is very possibly a manifestation of the
disease.  If you've been following this group you know what the results can
be and that there isn't any 100% effective treatment out there.  There's a
lot of ideas in my head so I'm going to try to be as exact as I can.

1.  Cheap things that can be done - bring in a stool sample without your cat
and just ask them to do a fecal on it should be about 20 to 25 dollars.  If
there is a parasite you can treat it.

2.  He still has an appetite that's good.  If this is felv and it's end
stages you may be fighting a losing battle, but you could try asking your
vet for interferon - ask if you can get it without bringing him in.  Call
the vet that has seen him before and is aware of his felv status.
Interferon is relatively inexpensive and may help.

3.  You could try supplements that do not require vet prescription.  This
would include Vitamin C - mega C, Vitamin E, and N-acetyl cysteine.  I
recently have communicated with a man who did studies on felv cats and did
this protocol with good success (he included prednisone, which I would not
do as long term outcomes are not good with it).  If you want to try this, be
aware that it could cause GI upset so I would leary about it, but on a
shoestring budget it may help.  These things can be bought at a health store
or ordered online.  I can be more specific if you would like to try it.

4.  Do a small exam on him.  Obviously he has lost weight, I would also be
concerned about dehydration.  Pull the skin on the back of his neck up and
let it go.  If it snaps back quickly (you can use your other cat to compare)
he is well hydrated, if it stays tented up and slowly drops down, he is
dehydrated.  You could give him pedialyte or plain gatorade to help if he is
dehydrated.  Look into his mouth at his gums and teeth.  Look for any big
bumps or sores that could be causing problems.  Look at the color of his
gums.  If they are white (again compare with your other cat) he is probably
anemic and this is likely felv.  If they are pink, he is less likely
anemic.  Feel his abdomen and check for any big hard masses.  This could be
a lymphoma or other tumor - then this would likely be felv sequelae or an
obstruction - obstruction would be quickly life threatening and they usually
have no bowel movements or gas.

5.  You could try changing the diet to something bland like boiled chicken
and rice or sweet potatoe. or lamb and rice.  This may or may not help.

Well, hope this helps and if you interested in trying the high dose vitamins
let me know and I'll send the specifics.  I have no guarantee it will help,
but it may.

Jenny


On 4/27/10, Nortina Bell nort...@sympatico.ca wrote:

 Hello,

 I've been a member here for awhile now (I've posted my original intro
 below), but haven't really participated. My cat, McFluffins, hasn't really
 appeared to be ill at all and I am not knowledgeable enough on the topic to
 have anything to share. I was actually hoping to not have participate again,
 as awful as that sounds, since I was hoping that my kitty would be fine.

 I am now no longer sure that he will be. McFluffins has always been a very
 energetic and cuddly cat. A few weeks ago he started to seem less cuddly and
 now he's a bit on the lethargic side. He's started to vomit this past week
 and has lost so much weight that his collar just hangs off of him. When he
 eats now he always sounds like he's going to vomit, but doesn't every time.

 Our family really cannot afford the treatment options that I read about on
 this list. Originally I thought that we would be comfortable in just giving
 McFluffins a comfy home for as long as he could stay with us. It was selfish
 perhaps because I knew we couldn't afford large vet bills, but I thought
 that it would be better than nothing. In addition to that, I was never able
 to find a placement for him that wouldn't just put him down. Now I am
 finding that it hurts to see him like this, but that doesn't make money
 magically appear, sadly.

 I suppose I am looking for any advice and support on how to care for
 McFluffins now at home. I am sorry for not having been more vocal in the
 group even though I have tried to keep up with reading all messages and my
 heart broke a little each time I read about another kitty who has passed on,
 even though I didn't share that.

 Thanks for listening.

 Nortina


 
 (April 27, 2009)Hello,

 I have been a member of this list for a few days now since I found out that
 our new kitty tested postive for feline leukemia.

 We already have one cat, Jasper, who is about 7-8 years old. The animal
 shelter was unsure of his age when I got him, so we aren't quite sure now
 either. Jasper, as a rule, really dislikes other animals. Cats, dogs, he
 shows them all who is boss. However, since we have moved to our new house in
 mid-January, we've had a stray hanging around. Jasper, who gets out every
 now and then even though we try not

[Felvtalk] Felv type C mutation - current articles

2010-04-23 Thread jbero tds.net

MC,

Here is an article discussing felv type C as a mutated felv.  I have to tell
you that it is my gut level feeling that this is where the virus acts and
how it causes such disease.  Do a search for flvcr - this is where it's at.

Here's the website:
http://jvi.asm.org/cgi/content/full/83/13/6706

Jenny
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Re: [Felvtalk] Knox and treatment of felv

2010-04-21 Thread jbero tds.net

I am sorry, but I am not familiar with feLIX and my only association with
AAFP is the american association of family practitioners.  I'm not sure why
felv would be addressed in any guidelines they put out.  Could you enlighten
me.

Jenny


On 4/20/10, MaryChristine twelvehousec...@gmail.com wrote:

 there's no mention of it in the 2008 AAFP guidelines, and i would expect it
 to be there.



 On Tue, Apr 20, 2010 at 4:51 PM, jbero tds.net jb...@tds.net wrote:

  Granted it is older, but I see nothing in the literature later to refute
  this information.
 
  On 4/20/10, MaryChristine twelvehousec...@gmail.com wrote:
  
   check the date: 1996. see my other note!
  
   i found a link to a 2000 article in the same journal. is there anything
   later than, say, 2005?
  
   MC
  
   On Tue, Apr 20, 2010 at 4:31 PM, jbero tds.net jb...@tds.net wrote:
  
Okay, this is kind of technical but it basically supports the idea
 that
mutations (in this case deletions in DNA) result in a more virulent
 and
pathogenic virus worsening the disease state as these mutations are
   gained
by the virus.  Here's the link.
   
http://jvi.asm.org/cgi/reprint/70/1/359.pdf
   
   
On 4/20/10, MaryChristine twelvehousec...@gmail.com wrote:

 i do know that there are different strains, but really haven't
encountered
 this before--so anything you send to the list will be gratefully
digested!



 On Tue, Apr 20, 2010 at 4:17 PM, jbero tds.net jb...@tds.net
  wrote:

  Yeah, it's felv type c.  You know how there are three types A and
 B
being
  those transmitted and C being the mutated form that primarily
  causes
  disease.  Let me see if I can find a good paper.
 
  Jenny
 
 
  On 4/20/10, MaryChristine twelvehousec...@gmail.com wrote:
  
   jeni, i have NEVER seen or heard about mutated versions of
FeLV--FeCoV,
   yes,
   which mutates into FIP. but this is something completely new,
 and
  i
 would
   like to see some backing for the statement.
  
   there is significant research that implies that many truly
  positive
 FeLVs
   NEVER become symptomatic, and that they are NOT contagious--the
   2008
 AAFP
   guidelines show the citations for this, and it is NOT new
  research,
 just
   ignored.
  
   i have also never seen any ACTUAL data proving the latency
  theory:
with
   cats
   who are never retested after a negative test, there's no way
 that
   we
 will
   ever know that the cat wasn't positive all over. there has just
  not
 been
   enough research done to know how long a truly positive cat DOES
   shed
 the
   virus. they DO have a pretty good idea of that with FeCoV,
  because
it's
  so
   common (over 100 strains, i believe).  i guess i want a
  definition
   of
   latent: yes, a positive can go years without becoming
  symptomatic,
and
 if
   that's all it means, fine. however, i've been seeing if used
 for
   cats
 who
   only test negative once
  
   more input, as they say!
  
   MC
   --
   Spay  Neuter Your Neighbors!
   Maybe That'll Make The Difference
  
   MaryChristine
   Special-Needs Coordinator, Purebred Cat Breed Rescue (
  www.purebredcats.org
   )
   Member, SCAT (Special-Cat Action Team)
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 )
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   )
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Re: [Felvtalk] Knox and treatment of felv

Yeah, it's felv type c.  You know how there are three types A and B being
those transmitted and C being the mutated form that primarily causes
disease.  Let me see if I can find a good paper.

Jenny


On 4/20/10, MaryChristine twelvehousec...@gmail.com wrote:

 jeni, i have NEVER seen or heard about mutated versions of FeLV--FeCoV,
 yes,
 which mutates into FIP. but this is something completely new, and i would
 like to see some backing for the statement.

 there is significant research that implies that many truly positive FeLVs
 NEVER become symptomatic, and that they are NOT contagious--the 2008 AAFP
 guidelines show the citations for this, and it is NOT new research, just
 ignored.

 i have also never seen any ACTUAL data proving the latency theory: with
 cats
 who are never retested after a negative test, there's no way that we will
 ever know that the cat wasn't positive all over. there has just not been
 enough research done to know how long a truly positive cat DOES shed the
 virus. they DO have a pretty good idea of that with FeCoV, because it's so
 common (over 100 strains, i believe).  i guess i want a definition of
 latent: yes, a positive can go years without becoming symptomatic, and if
 that's all it means, fine. however, i've been seeing if used for cats who
 only test negative once

 more input, as they say!

 MC
 --
 Spay  Neuter Your Neighbors!
 Maybe That'll Make The Difference

 MaryChristine
 Special-Needs Coordinator, Purebred Cat Breed Rescue (www.purebredcats.org
 )
 Member, SCAT (Special-Cat Action Team)
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Re: [Felvtalk] Knox and treatment of felv

Okay this is going to take awhile but here's a sort explanation from a pet
md website.  I should clarify - type C being the mutation I most fear -
causes the severe anemia and rapid decline to death.  It is what I have seen
multiple times.


FelV is a retrovirus, an enveloped RNA virus which uses specific enzymes to
translate its own RNA into DNA and incorporate that DNA into the body's DNA.
Retroviruses were only discovered in late 1960s and did not gain their name
till 1974.

In retroviral infection, a virus infects a new host through receptor
proteins on cells at the infection site, much like a key fits into a lock.
Once a cat is infected, the virus gains a foothold by undergoing a series of
genetic mutations designed to invade new sets of receptors, allowing it to
continually evade detection, attack, and ultimately shut down the body's
defenses. This shutdown occurs when mutated versions of the virus infect and
destroy the body's T cells, which are critical to immune function. Recently,
studies on FeLV identified another factor in the infection process: a
secondary retroviral receptor (or cofactor) that is crucial for the mutated,
or T-cell adapted, virus to do its work. Without this receptor,
appropriately dubbed FELIX, the virus would be unable to set up shop.
Specific blocking of FELIX may bring a new way to treat FeLV in future.

The specifics are certainly more complicated than this, but I'll try to find
a good article or paper or something.

Jenny


On 4/20/10, jbero tds.net jb...@tds.net wrote:

 Yeah, it's felv type c.  You know how there are three types A and B being
 those transmitted and C being the mutated form that primarily causes
 disease.  Let me see if I can find a good paper.

 Jenny


  On 4/20/10, MaryChristine twelvehousec...@gmail.com wrote:

 jeni, i have NEVER seen or heard about mutated versions of FeLV--FeCoV,
 yes,
 which mutates into FIP. but this is something completely new, and i would
 like to see some backing for the statement.

 there is significant research that implies that many truly positive FeLVs
 NEVER become symptomatic, and that they are NOT contagious--the 2008 AAFP
 guidelines show the citations for this, and it is NOT new research, just
 ignored.

 i have also never seen any ACTUAL data proving the latency theory: with
 cats
 who are never retested after a negative test, there's no way that we will
 ever know that the cat wasn't positive all over. there has just not been
 enough research done to know how long a truly positive cat DOES shed the
 virus. they DO have a pretty good idea of that with FeCoV, because it's so
 common (over 100 strains, i believe).  i guess i want a definition of
 latent: yes, a positive can go years without becoming symptomatic, and if
 that's all it means, fine. however, i've been seeing if used for cats who
 only test negative once

 more input, as they say!

 MC
 --
 Spay  Neuter Your Neighbors!
 Maybe That'll Make The Difference

 MaryChristine
 Special-Needs Coordinator, Purebred Cat Breed Rescue (
 www.purebredcats.org)
 Member, SCAT (Special-Cat Action Team)
 ___
 Felvtalk mailing list
 Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org
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Re: [Felvtalk] Knox and treatment of felv

Okay, this is kind of technical but it basically supports the idea that
mutations (in this case deletions in DNA) result in a more virulent and
pathogenic virus worsening the disease state as these mutations are gained
by the virus.  Here's the link.

http://jvi.asm.org/cgi/reprint/70/1/359.pdf


On 4/20/10, MaryChristine twelvehousec...@gmail.com wrote:

 i do know that there are different strains, but really haven't encountered
 this before--so anything you send to the list will be gratefully digested!



 On Tue, Apr 20, 2010 at 4:17 PM, jbero tds.net jb...@tds.net wrote:

  Yeah, it's felv type c.  You know how there are three types A and B being
  those transmitted and C being the mutated form that primarily causes
  disease.  Let me see if I can find a good paper.
 
  Jenny
 
 
  On 4/20/10, MaryChristine twelvehousec...@gmail.com wrote:
  
   jeni, i have NEVER seen or heard about mutated versions of FeLV--FeCoV,
   yes,
   which mutates into FIP. but this is something completely new, and i
 would
   like to see some backing for the statement.
  
   there is significant research that implies that many truly positive
 FeLVs
   NEVER become symptomatic, and that they are NOT contagious--the 2008
 AAFP
   guidelines show the citations for this, and it is NOT new research,
 just
   ignored.
  
   i have also never seen any ACTUAL data proving the latency theory: with
   cats
   who are never retested after a negative test, there's no way that we
 will
   ever know that the cat wasn't positive all over. there has just not
 been
   enough research done to know how long a truly positive cat DOES shed
 the
   virus. they DO have a pretty good idea of that with FeCoV, because it's
  so
   common (over 100 strains, i believe).  i guess i want a definition of
   latent: yes, a positive can go years without becoming symptomatic, and
 if
   that's all it means, fine. however, i've been seeing if used for cats
 who
   only test negative once
  
   more input, as they say!
  
   MC
   --
   Spay  Neuter Your Neighbors!
   Maybe That'll Make The Difference
  
   MaryChristine
   Special-Needs Coordinator, Purebred Cat Breed Rescue (
  www.purebredcats.org
   )
   Member, SCAT (Special-Cat Action Team)
   ___
   Felvtalk mailing list
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 --
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 Maybe That'll Make The Difference

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 Special-Needs Coordinator, Purebred Cat Breed Rescue (www.purebredcats.org
 )
 Member, SCAT (Special-Cat Action Team)
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Re: [Felvtalk] Knox and treatment of felv

Granted it is older, but I see nothing in the literature later to refute
this information.

On 4/20/10, MaryChristine twelvehousec...@gmail.com wrote:

 check the date: 1996. see my other note!

 i found a link to a 2000 article in the same journal. is there anything
 later than, say, 2005?

 MC

 On Tue, Apr 20, 2010 at 4:31 PM, jbero tds.net jb...@tds.net wrote:

  Okay, this is kind of technical but it basically supports the idea that
  mutations (in this case deletions in DNA) result in a more virulent and
  pathogenic virus worsening the disease state as these mutations are
 gained
  by the virus.  Here's the link.
 
  http://jvi.asm.org/cgi/reprint/70/1/359.pdf
 
 
  On 4/20/10, MaryChristine twelvehousec...@gmail.com wrote:
  
   i do know that there are different strains, but really haven't
  encountered
   this before--so anything you send to the list will be gratefully
  digested!
  
  
  
   On Tue, Apr 20, 2010 at 4:17 PM, jbero tds.net jb...@tds.net wrote:
  
Yeah, it's felv type c.  You know how there are three types A and B
  being
those transmitted and C being the mutated form that primarily causes
disease.  Let me see if I can find a good paper.
   
Jenny
   
   
On 4/20/10, MaryChristine twelvehousec...@gmail.com wrote:

 jeni, i have NEVER seen or heard about mutated versions of
  FeLV--FeCoV,
 yes,
 which mutates into FIP. but this is something completely new, and i
   would
 like to see some backing for the statement.

 there is significant research that implies that many truly positive
   FeLVs
 NEVER become symptomatic, and that they are NOT contagious--the
 2008
   AAFP
 guidelines show the citations for this, and it is NOT new research,
   just
 ignored.

 i have also never seen any ACTUAL data proving the latency theory:
  with
 cats
 who are never retested after a negative test, there's no way that
 we
   will
 ever know that the cat wasn't positive all over. there has just not
   been
 enough research done to know how long a truly positive cat DOES
 shed
   the
 virus. they DO have a pretty good idea of that with FeCoV, because
  it's
so
 common (over 100 strains, i believe).  i guess i want a definition
 of
 latent: yes, a positive can go years without becoming symptomatic,
  and
   if
 that's all it means, fine. however, i've been seeing if used for
 cats
   who
 only test negative once

 more input, as they say!

 MC
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[Felvtalk] Knox and treatment of felv

2010-04-19 Thread jbero tds.net

I just wanted to update you all where I'm at now.  I got an email from Dr.
Van Dyke, the biochemist involved in this treatment plan.

To set a few things straight - he was doing research to find a cure for
HIV/AIDS and using cats as an animal model.  The intermixed use of
FIV/HIV/Felv was in part because of the knowledge at the time concerning the
believed similarities of HIV and FIV and in part simply to say that
hopefully HIV would behave similarily to FIV and that his work on cats could
be carried over to people.  Probably not entirely accurate.

With respect to the patent being abandoned, it was but he sent me the number
of different patent - #6514955.

Finally - and I will ask him about this - the paper describes latently
infected cats (this by definition means integrated into the host DNA) - but
I will clarify this with him.

Apparently, what this does is use antioxidants and steroids in combination
to suppress the production of virus.  It does not 'cure' anyone in that the
viral DNA is still within the cat cells, but they are not able to multiple
and thereby infect other cells.  This, by the way, is the essence of HAART
therapy currently used to treat HIV (the difference is that the drugs used
now directly inhibit viral activity, in Van Dyke's approach,it is an attempt
to get the body to do it for you).

The value of this is that if the virus cannot replicate, it cannot mutate
(the mutated form of felv is the one that is thought to cause the
hematologic diseases and it not contagious; i.e. the virus must mutate
within the cat in order to cause these problems).  The downside is that the
treatment is lifelong.

I will ask him for more information and keep you updated.

Hope this helps.

Jenny
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[Felvtalk] Found some of original paper on therapy for felv

2010-04-17 Thread jbero tds.net

I did a little searching and found a more detailed paper on what was done
with these few cats using antioxidant therapy and resulting change in viral
status to negative.  I copied and pasted it.

 EXAMPLES

In vivo testing was performed to demonstrate the startling effectiveness of
the treatment methods described herein. A series of laboratory tests were
conducted on retrovirus-infected cats. In the preferred treatment regimen,
the animal suffering from HIV(+), is administered relatively large doses of
both water-soluble and fat-soluble antioxidants such as Vitamins C, A and E;
an effective amount of at least one glutathione precursor such as N-acetyl
cysteine; followed by an NFKB induction inhibitor such as one or more
anti-inflammatory steroids or lazaroids. As summarized. in Table 4 below,
seven cats heavily infected with HIV or FIV were treated according to the
methods described and claimed herein. Each cat weighed approximately 10 to
about 18 pounds. The cats were initially treated with a single dosage of an
effective amount of an NFKB induction inhibitor, that is an
anti-inflammatory steroid dose of DEPO-MEDROL (20-25 mg) and a series of
oral dosages of a glutathione precursor, N-acetyl cysteine. The amount of
N-acetyl cysteine administered with food to each cat was 1,200 mg per day.
In addition, large dosages of fat-soluble and water-soluble antibxidants,
Vitamins E, C, and A were administered to the cats orally every day by
mixing in cat food. Vitamin E was administered at a dosage of 400 IU per day
to each cat and Vitamin C was administered at a level of 500 mg per day to
each cat. Vitamins A, K, and copper and zinc were also administered via 1
PET TABS per day to each cat. PET TABS is a commercially available
multivitamin for pets such as cats, and is available from Smith-Kline
Beecham.

The treated cats: were monitored by ELISA assay for feline leukemia viruses
antigen/feline immunodeficiency virus antibody test (CITE PRO COMBO:
Programmed Biodetection available from IDEXX Corp. of Portland, Me.) for
about two weeks. Of the seven cats tested, all seven appeared to have been
cured from their earlier infection of feline leukemia, feline AIDS or both.
The treatment process lasted one to two months of continual treatment with
N-acetyl cysteine and high dosages of Vitamins C, E and A and periodic
administration of anti-inflammatory steroids.
  TABLE 4   EFFECT OF ANTIRETROVIRAL THERAPY ON  RETROVIRUS-INFECTED CATS  Age
Sex Name Assay Symptoms Assay   8 F Champagne FELV(+), hair loss, lost teeth
FELV(-),   FIV(+)  FIV(-)  8 M Precious FELV(+), vomiting, dental
FELV(-),   FIV(+)
problems FIV(-)  9 F Missy FELV(+), Bloody diarrhea, FELV(-),   FIV(+) problems
dental FIV(-)  11 M Sampson FIV(+) vomiting, gum red FIV(-)  8 M Josey FELV(+)
teeth loss, no FELV(-)appetite, lungproblem  10 M Patch FIV(+) poor
appetite, FIV(-)lethargy  12 M Bud FIV(+) weight loss, no FIV(-)
 appetite


Notes

1) One cat with FELV(+)/FIV(+) died without the treatment as a control.

2) Treatments: Cats were injected intramuscularly with 20 mg DEPO-MEDROL
(anti-inflammatory steroid) and dispensed with 1,200 mg powdered N-acetyl
cysteine, 200 IU of Vitamin E, 500 mg of Vitamin C and one PET TAB/day.

3) It takes from 3 weeks to 6 weeks for the cats to turn retrovirus positive
reaction to negative after the treatment.

4) The symptoms of Champagne, Precious, and Missy such as dental problems,
bloody diarrhea, and loss of appetite completely subsided after the
treatment with steroids/antioxidants. The symptoms of Sampson such as
vomiting, gum disease, and loss of appetite completely reversed after the
treatment. Josey's symptoms of lung problem, loss of appetite, and gum
infection cleared up following the treatment. The cats were maintained on
PET TABS following the treatment with steroid/antioxidants.

5) At the conclusion of the test all cats remained FIV or leukemia virus
negative.

6) Blood was drawn for analysis from four of the cats treated (Sampson,
Josey, Patch, and Bud). The analysis included cell cultures, mitogen
stimulation, and polymerase chain reaction assay for the retrovirus. All
tests indicated the cats were fully cured as none indicated any sign of the
virus.

These cat experiments are the first to demonstrate that AIDS can be cured in
an in vivo model. Treatments were performed by a licensed veterinarian. The
treatment methods were also performed by a second veterinarian. The second
set of treatments were also successful.

In an optional treatment regimen, to be followed when the animal suffering
from HIV(+), is exhibiting AIDS (that is, a T-lymphocyte or CD 4 lymphocyte
count less than 100 cells/mm 3 ), relatively large doses of both
water-soluble and fat-soluble antioxidants and an effective amount of at
least one glutathione precursor such as N-acetyl cysteine are administered.
Before an NFKB induction inhibitor is administered, the CD 4 (T-lymphocyte)
count is increased to about 100 cells/mm 3 or

Re: [Felvtalk] Gary - info on acemannan,etc

okay,  I have been trying to send this but it's too big to go through so I
copied and pasted onto a word document the abstracts of four articles
relating to acemannan (or related polysaccharides and viral infections)
These were really to answer the specific question of oral mannose versus IP
injection but if you want more articles on acemannan itself I can get them
for you.

Hope it helps.

Jenny








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Re: [Felvtalk] New to the FELV+ kitty group

Stacy,

Hi.  I am sorry to hear you got a postive felv.  I think it's a good idea to
either retest with the elisa (snap test) or send for IFA.  The ELISA can
show you a transient infection (one in which your cat can fight off the
virus and survive without complication) wherein the test will become
negative once the virus is gone.  In this case, the IFA should be negative.


If the virus gets into your cats cells, the IFA test will become positive
and your cat will either become an asymptomatic carrier of the virus or
progress onto the symptoms of the disease.  So a repeat test would be high
on my list especially with your cat's history.

As far as treatment, if it is a transient infection, high dose vitamin C,
lysine and possibly acemannan (injections or oral) have all been theorized
and in some cases shown to help them fight off and overcome the virus.

If it's in your cats cells, there is no known cure for removing the virus.
It will likely be there for life and have the ability to cause disease.  In
this case, the only thing that is really done is to support the cat's immune
system to keep the virus as minimally active as possible.  This is done with
things like LTCI (although it is possible that if this is given early enough
you may be able to get rid of the virus - this is conjecture for now),
interferon, Standard process immune support, acemannan, vitamin C, etc.

Your cat is having symptoms, or something.  Possibly symptoms of felv (the
anemia and GI problems would be consistent) and possibly something else.  I
would be suspicious about your situation for the following reason - your cat
is older and had a negative history with yearly vaccinations.  Although it's
possible he still picked up felv, I would still persue other causes of the
symptoms.  Metronidazole is a good idea, but was a fecal done?  You could
try probiotics.  I would also be considering a Bartonella infection
(hemobartonella can cause anemia - it is an infection in the blood) and
it is often seen in felv cats.

I live in Kenosha, WI and an absolutely excellent holistic vet is Dr. Jodi.
She is a little bit on the expensive side and you have to plan ahead to see
her, unless there is a cancellation, but is well worth it.  Here's the
information

The Animal Doctor in Muskego WI - Dr. Jodi -
http://www.animaldoctormuskego.com/

Hope this helps.

Jenny



On 4/13/10, Stacy Zacher stacy_zac...@yahoo.com wrote:

 Hi:




 We are new to the group. My (approximately) 13 year old male kitty has
 been diagnosed with FELV via a SNAP test.  I found him as a stray when he
 was about age
 1-2 and I did have him tested then. The test came back negative and I
 proceeded to vaccinate him for FELV with yearly boosters as at the
 time he was a semi-outdoor still. I don't recall if my vet had me do a
 second test or not so I am rather surprised and shocked that he has
 tested positive now but I've read it can happen. We have a bloodwork
 re-check tomorrow and the IFA test at the vet.



 We've been to an internal medicine specialist  for
 a second  opinion on how we can manage this disease and keep him
 comfortable. This
 showed up because his white blood cell count
 has been abnormally low ever since we moved from one side our townhouse
 to the other (Feb 2010) and he has been very stressed out ever since the
 move.
 He was vomiting a lot in the recent past and I took him in again for
 testing.
 The vet this time tested him for the FELV, FIV etc. His attitude seemed
 inconsolable at times and he seemed to howl a lot and vocalize a lot as
 though he is having issues or pain. But he runs up and down the stairs
 with ease, jumps on to counters still and plays a bit but is less
 active than he was in January.




 Any advice is greatly appreciated as far as best diet (he currently eats
 wellness canned and assorted other canned but only seems to like fish
 flavors now!  He eats Tasted of the Wild Dry salmon flavor as well).




 At the moment I've started him on Standard PRocess feline immune
 support supplements. The vet put him on metronidazole in case he has
 bacterial overgrowth in his intestines and reglan for nausea/vomiting.  He
 seems to do well for about 4 days off reglan, then starts vomiting food
 again in the morning.   He is eating/drinking/ urinating/ defecating okay
 and seems to be howling less on the meds.

 I am looking for advice on treatments, immunotherapies etc. - both
 conventional and holistic.


 I've heard from others that immunoregulin works as does Imulan LTCI. I'd
 love to hear what helps your kitties.If you know of any vets in
 Wisconsin in the Milwaukee county/Waukesha/ Jefferson County areas who
 specialize in FELV+ kitties, please let me know also.


 There is a great vet in Madison but that is a ways to drive for us in his
 state.

 Thanks so much for all your help.


 Stacy and Spanky in Wisconsin



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[Felvtalk] Possible therapy for felv

Okay, I am always questioning people that claim a cure, but here is a small
study done that caused a man to patent the treatment concerning felv.  This
a group dedicated to looking into any avenue that may help our little ones,
so I'm putting this out there.

I copied and pasted this from the patent:

notes:

1) One cat with FELV(+)/FIV(+) died without the treatment as a control.

2) Treatments: Cats were injected intramuscularly with 20 mg DEPOMEDROL
(antiinflammatory steroid) and dispensed with 1,200 mg powdered Nacetyl
cysteine(NAC), 200 IU of Vitamin E, 500 mg of Vitamin C and one PET TAB/day.


3) It takes from 3 weeks to 6 weeks for the cats to turn retrovirus positive
reaction to negative after the treatment.

4) The symptoms of Champage, Precious, and Missy such as dental problems
bloody diarrhea, and loss of appetite completely subsided after the
treatment with steroids/antioxidants. The symptoms of Sampson such as
vomiting, gum disease, and loss of appetite completely reversed after the
treatment. Josey's symptoms of lung problem, loss of appetite, and gum
infection cleared up following the treatment. The cats were maintained on
PET TABS following the treatment with steroid/antioxidants.

5) At the conclusion of the test all cats remained FIV or leukemia virus
negative.

6) Blood was drawn for analysis from four of the cats treated (Sampson,
Josey, Patch, and Bud). The analysis included cell cultures, mitogen
stimulation, and polymerase chain reaction assay for the retovirus. All
tests indicated the cats were fully cured as none indicated any sign of the
virus.

These cat experiments are the first to demonstrate that AIDS can be cured in
an in vivo model.

That's it.  If anyone's got any ideas about it or history with it, I'd love
to hear it.


Jenny
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Re: [Felvtalk] Possible therapy for felv

I have to be honest, I am skeptical myself.  In general, it is a group of
individuals looking to find a treatment for AIDS/HIV in people and the cats
were a model for disease (I hate that they do this, but if they do I will
learn everything I possibly can from it).  It is somewhat old so I do not
know what, if anything has come of it, but the results are interesting none
the less.

Here is the website I got this information from, it goes into more detail.
http://www2.arkansas.net/~artg/fi7.htm
I will email this man Van Dyke and if he responds will keep you updated.

Jenny


On 4/16/10, MaryChristine twelvehousec...@gmail.com wrote:

 first question has to be whether the cats were truly positive to start
 with:
 an ifa done 120 days after last possible date of exposure. otherwise,
 there's no way of knowing that the cats wouldn't throw off the virus
 themselves. three to six weeks after treatment, which may or may not have
 been started immediately after first test, would well be enough time for
 that to happen spontaneously.

 now is this supposedly for FeLV, or FIV? at the end, it states that, These
 cat experiments are the first to demonstrate that AIDS can be cured in an
 in
 vivo model. AIDS is a human disease, it is not a feline one. no veterinary
 professional refers to FIV as AIDS--so immediately i'm suspicious, and
 again, confused, as it starts out talking about curing FeLV.

 how many times were the cats administered this treatment? if more than
 once,
 at what interval?

 i think that depo is a wonder drug in many cases, and have used it
 successfully for stomatitis for a number of years. so i'm not against the
 possibility, just would like more info. i have no idea what NAC is, would
 like more info.

 actually, i'd like more info in general. are there clinical trials going
 on?
 has the guy contacted the main FeLV/FIV researchers to help with that?

 MC

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 )
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[Felvtalk] Gary - info on acemannan,etc

2010-04-09 Thread jbero tds.net

Gary,

A little slow, but here are a few paper abstracts dealing with the issue.
If you want the full text, let me know.  I'm not sure if the full text is on
ovid for them all, I may have to fax you the full report if you want it.

Jenny
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Re: [Felvtalk] FeLV Positive Young Mom Cat Babies

2010-04-06 Thread jbero tds.net

Beth,

Sorry it took me so long to reply.  Toxic is a strange word.  It is sort of
like 'allergy' in the world of pharmacology.  When taking an antibiotic
people/animals often experience GI problems and some will call it an
allergy.  It is not it is more like a side effect than an allergy.  Toxic is
the same kind of thing.  When something causes damage to say the kidney,
liver, CNS (central nervous system), retina, lungs or heart I would
certainly call it toxic.  When it causes loose stool or diarrhea I would be
less inclined to call it toxic.

With respect to Aloe vera, the skin of the plant contains a factor than can
be a strong laxative.  In juice form this is a less potent problem as the
skin is not present.  There are groups that have tried to extract the active
immunoregulatory components of aloe and removed the laxative effects.
Mannatech is one such organization.  They sell a product called ambotrose.
If one prefers to avoid the possible GI effects they could try this.

So, to the best of my knowledge, the plant itself can cause severe diarrhea,
the juice less so and the processed Ambotrose virtually no problems with GI
issues.

Hope this helps, and Gary I forgot, but I will get the abstracts to you.

Jenny

On Mon, Mar 29, 2010 at 10:05 PM, create_me_...@yahoo.com wrote:

 I don't know anything about this, so forgive me if this is an ignorant
 question, but isn't Aloe Vera toxic to cats? I know our rescue adopted out a
 cat that got very ill from munching on her new owner's Aloe Vera Plant.
 Beth
 --Original Message--
 From: jbero tds.net
 Sender: felvtalk-boun...@felineleukemia.org
 To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org
 ReplyTo: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org
  Subject: Re: [Felvtalk] FeLV Positive Young Mom Cat  Babies
 Sent: Mar 28, 2010 7:51 PM

 Gary,

 You ask a loaded question.  Technically oral 'acemannan' is not yet
 available.  What I was referring to was the oral form of sugars that
 are an extract from the aloe vera plant.  The best product would be an
 organic all natural aloe vera juice preparation.  There are a few good
 ones out there.

 With respect to specific papers supporting it's efficacy.  Well, this
 is convoluted.  Largely because felv is so unpredictable and it's hard
 to say whether any of these treatments are really doing anything
 anyway.  Having said that, there are many papers written about the
 value of aloe vera poly- and mono-saccharides in viral infections and
 immune support.  In reference to felv specifically most studies have
 been done around the IP injection.  There is a paper comparing the use
 of IP injection and oral preparation in fiv cats - comparable results
 in each group.  I don't have access to pub meb from this computer, but
 can get it from work and send you the abstract.  To me the big issue
 is whether or not things are absorbed through the oral preparation -
 the fiv paper supports that it does and most of what I know about
 intestinal absorption supports easy passive and active diffusion of
 the sugars.  Additionally any IP injection would also require
 absorption into the vascular system.

 To the best of my knowledge no specific research has yet been done or
 at least published to answer your exact question.  Although it always
 nice to have evidence to support actions, sometimes the data just
 isn't there.  I still believe in the value of acemannan and believe it
 can be used orally if only as a support measure in assisting the
 immune system.

 I have recently, however, spoken with a number of holistic vets who
 have better success with a oral supplement known as Moducare - it is a
 plant sterol derivative known to modulate the immune system.  Some of
 them have also expressed support of the Standard Process feline immune
 support supplement.   Who knows.

 I wish there was a straight forward easy answer to this disease.  I
 really do, but I haven't found it yet.  I will keep searching and I
 hope that if you find anything of value that you share it with me.
 Thanks and I will send you the paper when I can.

 Jenny

 On 3/26/10, Gary gcru...@centurytel.net wrote:
 
  I would be very interested in the source of the oral product and the
  protocol for FeLV cats.  Also, any articles or studies relating to the
 use
  of oral Acemannan.
 
  Thanks,
 
  Gary
 
  jbero tds.net wrote:
 
  Minnie,
 
  3. Acemannan - a supplement known to help fight off the virus.  I would
  get
  them on an oral dose of this daily.
 
 
 
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Re: [Felvtalk] PS Whimsy - twitching/jerking

2010-03-31 Thread jbero tds.net

Shannon,

I feel for your position.  There are many animals needing help and it is
overwhelming sometimes.

I must agree with the others that your best bet is to try to find help for
this little guy.  There is a large differential of diagnoses for him -
including: felv sequelae possibly an infectious or neoplastic process in the
brain causing seizure like activity; FIP; toxin ingestion; metabolic
disturbance; allergies; head injury; idiopathic seizure activity,
dermatopathologic disease; injury to paw or paw pads, etc.  Seizures - if an
underlying cause is not identified can be medically treated.  My two most
feared would be FIP and felv related.

Some of this things may be treatable.  Although his felv status imparts a
more negative prognosis, if an alternate and treatable cause is identified,
he may have a long life ahead of him.

If this is indeed related to felv he will probably stop eating and slowly
die (two to three weeks would be my guess, but this is highly
variable).   Does he still have an appetite?

In the end it is certainly your choice, but I think it would be worth trying
to identify the cause of his behavior.

Good luck on this one.

Jenny

On 3/30/10, Emeraldkittee emeraldkit...@yahoo.com wrote:

 I should also mention that he seems frantic too, and runs in bursts, jumps
 on fences, but nearly falls off.  He's been running in circles in the
 yard.   He also just let out a bunch of sneezes.  I hope I didn't give him
 what my guys have, this has been a horrible time.
 I always touched him w/ gloves, tied my hair back, etc.

 Is my only option??I was so hoping we'd have him in during the
 Summer.  He's about 1 /12 yrs old. We cannot bring him in, all the extra
 spots are quarantined and I won't be allowed and I don't own the house and I
 understand wanted to protect the others (who nearly died this week - needed
 fluids, temps over 105, and we are still closely watching our FIV/HCM boy
 and lupus/HCM boy.  This seems too cruel.  He needs me now to hold him and I
 can't.

 I assume he will go down hill quickly? I want to know he doesn't get so
 confused that he runs off and gets hurt or attacked by a coyote (we had our
 first in the yard the other day)

 Coming to grips with the fact that this is the first one I can't do
 everything for is very difficult.

 Shannon

 --- On Tue, 3/30/10, Emeraldkittee emeraldkit...@yahoo.com wrote:


 From: Emeraldkittee emeraldkit...@yahoo.com
 Subject: Whimsy - twitching/jerking
 To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org
 Date: Tuesday, March 30, 2010, 5:57 PM







 My dear Whimsy, little FeLV positive boy, is still in our yard.  You might
 recall I was trying to work on bringing him to our sunroom.  He developed a
 terrible ringworm (99% sure) which delayed that.  On the day I was to bring
 him in for a check up and treatment for ringworm (he used to be feral but
 now sits on my lap etc, but still needs sedation at vet) my indoor kitties
 had a terrible outbreak of calici, and we are still dealing with it. We have
 immune suppressed kitties inside and to protect Whimsy I had to stop
 touching him (even w/ my usual gloves).  I know it hurt his feelings but I
 still visited him.  He has been energectic, bouncy, hungry, fun,
 etc.  Tonight he showed up, won't eat, is twitching, running, then laying
 down and twitching and jerking and chewing on his toes.  He is coming up to
 all our windows and meowing (he never did that, he still was a bit
 cagey).  My boyfriend figured I got the calici from him and brought it in,
 so I
 can't interact with him.

 I keep telling him to hang in there and we'll figure it out we just need
 time.  But this twitching? And if he won't eat? Even if I suited up he's not
 a cat who can be syringe fed.  I'm not used to considering 'no options'.  Is
 this the end?

 :( Shannon




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Re: [Felvtalk] FeLV Positive Young Mom Cat Babies

2010-03-28 Thread jbero tds.net

Gary,

You ask a loaded question.  Technically oral 'acemannan' is not yet
available.  What I was referring to was the oral form of sugars that
are an extract from the aloe vera plant.  The best product would be an
organic all natural aloe vera juice preparation.  There are a few good
ones out there.

With respect to specific papers supporting it's efficacy.  Well, this
is convoluted.  Largely because felv is so unpredictable and it's hard
to say whether any of these treatments are really doing anything
anyway.  Having said that, there are many papers written about the
value of aloe vera poly- and mono-saccharides in viral infections and
immune support.  In reference to felv specifically most studies have
been done around the IP injection.  There is a paper comparing the use
of IP injection and oral preparation in fiv cats - comparable results
in each group.  I don't have access to pub meb from this computer, but
can get it from work and send you the abstract.  To me the big issue
is whether or not things are absorbed through the oral preparation -
the fiv paper supports that it does and most of what I know about
intestinal absorption supports easy passive and active diffusion of
the sugars.  Additionally any IP injection would also require
absorption into the vascular system.

To the best of my knowledge no specific research has yet been done or
at least published to answer your exact question.  Although it always
nice to have evidence to support actions, sometimes the data just
isn't there.  I still believe in the value of acemannan and believe it
can be used orally if only as a support measure in assisting the
immune system.

I have recently, however, spoken with a number of holistic vets who
have better success with a oral supplement known as Moducare - it is a
plant sterol derivative known to modulate the immune system.  Some of
them have also expressed support of the Standard Process feline immune
support supplement.   Who knows.

I wish there was a straight forward easy answer to this disease.  I
really do, but I haven't found it yet.  I will keep searching and I
hope that if you find anything of value that you share it with me.
Thanks and I will send you the paper when I can.

Jenny

On 3/26/10, Gary gcru...@centurytel.net wrote:

 I would be very interested in the source of the oral product and the
 protocol for FeLV cats.  Also, any articles or studies relating to the use
 of oral Acemannan.

 Thanks,

 Gary

 jbero tds.net wrote:

 Minnie,

 3. Acemannan - a supplement known to help fight off the virus.  I would
 get
 them on an oral dose of this daily.



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Re: [Felvtalk] FeLV Positive Young Mom Cat Babies

2010-03-25 Thread jbero tds.net

Minnie,

I am sorry for your recent discovery.  I am not sure how many responses you
got from the group as they usually have a great deal of insight and
suggestions.  I can give you mine.

First testing positive - you can get a false positive test but given that
three of the five tested positive, it is likely real.  You can also get
false negatives so it is possible that your negative testing kittens are
really positive.  If it were me, I would operate on the assumption that all
are positive.  You could try separating the two negatives, but it is likely
they will test positive in the near future - sometimes it takes awhile for
the immune response to be picked up by the test.

Here's the hardest part - the cats most often negatively affected by felv
are cats under the age of one.  Generally they do poorly and don't make it
past two years.  This is certainly not always the case, but often.  Having
said that, however, the flip side is that if you try treating now you may
reverse the viral status and completely eradicate the virus.  If you want to
try this, now is the time.  You will need a forward thinking vet that is
open to alternative choices because conventional vet med utterly fails are
treating this disease.

These are your options:
1. interferon - used in conventional medicine - I wouldn't start here
2. LTCI - aka Imulan - I would do this, especially in the young and early
infected - this is when the best results are seen.  The thought is that the
thymus (a gland that is developing in the young cats and is responsible for
the production of lymphocytes that will kill the virus) starts to involute
(shrink) because of the fel virus.  Imulan has been shown to stimulate
thymic activity and restore the normal immune response to fight the virus.
I would start this as early as Imulan can be given - I do not currently
recall when that is, but I believe within a few weeks of life.
3. Acemannan - a supplement known to help fight off the virus.  I would get
them on an oral dose of this daily.
4. Wei Qi Booster - a chinese supplement thought to help balance the immune
response in this disease - I used it with my felv cat for awhile and she did
well while on it, but I know little about how or whether it really works -
this would require the aid of an alternative vet.
5. High dose IV Vitamin C- a woman by the name of Sally in this group is an
absolutely excellent source of information pertaining to this and I would
highly seek out her advice.  If you want to eradicate the virus using this
method - now would be the time.  It is a daily IV drip for a matter of 1-2
weeks.  If given in high enough dose and proper duration there is potential
for eradication of the virus.
6. Colloidal silver - I don't know much about this, Sally also may have
insight into this.

So in the end you have options.  How much it will cost and what path you
choose is up to you.  I can tell you this about the disease though.  It is a
virus that attacks the immune system (including the bone marrow) . If
contracted early it nearly destroys their immune response and they can't
fight it.  As a result the virus gets into the cells of the bone marrow and
causes them to behave oddly.  This results in malignancy - like lymphomas,
and lack of  production of bone marrow elements including red blood cells
(this leads to anemia).  As a result these little ones usually die of anemia
(they get weaker and weaker, stop eating and die) or a malignancy like
lymphoma.  The virus buries itself into the DNA of the cat's cells and
cannot be pryed out.  If you stop the virus early enough you may be able to
keep this from happening.  If you are too late, generally all you can do is
support their failing immune system.  So what I am saying is act now or
forever hold your peace.

Little things that add up are - good diet (I would go with raw or a good
brand like evo or nature's variety instinct), low stress environment, stay
away from vaccines, supplement with vitamin C, lysine, probiotics and
acemannon orally.

Hope this helps, if you have any other thoughts or questions just ask.  Good
luck and God bless.

Jenny

On 3/12/10, M C mliciou...@yahoo.com wrote:

 Hello,

 I'm joining this list serv with a heavy heart. We rescued a young Mom
 cat  and her 4 babies. They appeared healthy for all intents and
 circumstances.

 Mom just tested positive for FeLV, 2 babies also did (one slight positive,
 the other one was definitely positive), and 2 tested negative on the Elisa.

 I need some help in deciding what to do...

 I'd love some feedback, as the Internet only yields so much useful
 information...

 1. If the two kittens tested negative, are they likely negative?

 2. Should the positive kitten be separated from the slightly positive one
 as well?

 3. If Momma is about 6 mos old, how likely is it that she has FeLV,
 considering 2 of the babies also tested for it? Is there a chance she too
 could fight off the infection? At what point should Mom be retested with the
 PCR

Re: [Felvtalk] spastic pupil syndrome

2010-01-06 Thread jbero tds.net

Dear Kerry,

I do not know if you have had much response to your email or not, but I can
tell you what I know.

Opthalmic disease in cats is often secondary to an underlying disease (as in
your case felv),  It suggests central nervous system involvement either by
the virus (or other infectious disease like toxo) or involvement due to a
secondary inflammatory response (like in FIP).  I am not personally familiar
with a treatment option for this symptom of a larger disease process, but my
recommendation would be to try to alleviate or improve the underlying
condition.

By that I mean that I would try some sort of treatment for the felv
(interferon, LTCI, acemannon, vitamin C, etc).  I would also consider the
possibility of other secondary infections being the cause (toxo or FIP).
Sally has had good luck with treating an FIP cat with high dose IV Vitamin
C.  I believe I recollect someone else using a Zapper to treat.  I would
look into them all and find the best fit for you.

Well, I know that's not a definitive answer but hopefully it helps.  Good
luck and God bless.

Jenny


On 1/4/10, Kerry MacKenzie kerrymacken...@ymail.com wrote:

 Dear all, I wanted to ask if anyone has any experience of spastic pupil
 syndrome in leukemia kitts and if you've heard of any treatment for
 it.  Any info would be much appreciated.
 Thanks,
 Kerry M.



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Re: [Felvtalk] Suggestion

2009-12-16 Thread jbero tds.net

Thanks Sara for your input.  I wholeheartedly agree and, by the way, well said.

Jenny


On 12/15/09, Sara Kasteleyn skastel...@cicresearch.com wrote:
 Good morning everyone,



 I'm new to the list, so please take my suggestion with the appropriate
 weight, but it seems to me that every approach to coping with, keeping at
 bay, and dealing with the ravages of these diseases and their associated
 symptoms should be welcomed and left to individual feline caretakers to
 investigate with the vets we are working with.



 It is understandable that emotions can run high..so many have lost precious
 little lives, sometimes after great expense, hope and ultimate failure.
 It's the sharing of that experience, receiving suggestions, asking
 questions.that makes this such a valuable resource for those of us dealing
 with the everyday joys and setbacks of our caretaking roles.



 I can only speak for myself, but I truly welcome every suggestion offered.
 It takes courage to share what can be viewed as outside the traditional
 box therapies.  As a user of these posts, I am actively seeking any
 treatment that might enhance the lives of my little ones.  I think we all
 are.



 Just my little two cents from SoCal this morning.  Thanks to you all and
 blessings of the season!



 Sara



 Sara F Kasteleyn

 CIC Research, Inc.

 8361 Vickers Street

 San Diego, CA   92111

 T - 858-637-4000

 F - 858-637-4040

 skastel...@cicresearch.com



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Re: [Felvtalk] Help - I can't get LTCI in Georgia!

2009-12-16 Thread jbero tds.net

Laura,

I am sorry to hear about your situation.  To be honest, I would
probably contact a vet out of state, pick up the injections and do it
myself.  They are simply subcutaneous injections that can be easily
given.  If you are near a state border, I would drive and personally
pick it up myself.  Imulan can give you the name of vets in a
particular area that have or have used to drug.  If you are having
difficulty with this, let me know where you are and I can contact
them. Then contact the vet and ask if you could simply pick up the
medication.  I did this.  It took a little talking and open
communication between vets, but in the end wasn't all that difficult.
You can get a three or ten pack, bring it home (kept in the fridge, in
the dark) and do the injections as needed.  (weekly and first, then
biweekly then monthly) You don't have to go to the vet every time.
Then simply bring him to your vet to check a CBC (completely blood
count) and intermittently a BMP (basic metabolic panel) and follow his
response.

Other options include acemannan (an injection into the abdominal
cavity - more difficult injection) or ambotrose (similar to acemannan
but oral - can be ordered from Mannatech corp) or interferon (you
haven't had much luck I guess), or you could try Vitamin C (as has
been the hot topic recently).  Personally, I have an FIV cat that I am
planning on trying this on.  I want to see if it is possible to
reverse his FIV status to negative with it.  I will let you know.

Good luck and may God bless you.

Jenny

On 12/10/09, LauraM hingebacktorto...@yahoo.com wrote:
 As some of you may have read in my post from last week, my vet and I had
 planned to start Bridget on LTCI. Unfortunately, when my vet tried to order
 it, there was a problem. For some reason, the GA state vet isn't allowing
 the drug into the state at this time, for anybody - some legal issue.
 So.what are my options? I was excited  hopeful about the possibilities
 of this drug  now Bridget can't have it.
 What other therapies can you folks recommend? I've used interferon with two
 cats with no success. Bridget is currently asymptomatic, but I would like to
 try something, anything, to buy her as much time as possible. I'd appreciate
 any suggestions. Thanks.
 Laura
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Re: [Felvtalk] Introducing Cliff

2009-11-26 Thread jbero tds.net





Hey Renee

Welcome to the US.  Not a great start finding out you have a little bundle
of joy with a deadly virus.  You do have an advantage, however.  You have a
chance to fight this early.  I would not let this window of opportunity
close.

Felv cats are susceptible to secondary infections as their immune system is
not up to par.  Not only because of the virus but also because of his age.
I have a number of suggestions although I may be too late to interject.

1.  Do not vaccinate your felv cat with conventional vaccinations.  Vets may
recommend it, but don't. (You could try the alternative vaccinations if you
are concerned.)   They don't have the proper immune system to fight it.  You
put them in jeopardy of lots of other problems.  If you keep him inside away
from the possibility of picking up the viruses the vaccinations protect
against, you should be okay.

2.  Start any treatment now.  Whether that means LTCI (from imulan),
interferon, Acemannan or alternative immune boosters like high dose vitamin
C, wei qui booster etc.  Please please please start now.  Right now you are
fighting the secondary infections (the upper respiratory infections, oral
and eye infections).  You need to be more concerned about what's happening
underneath - the felv virus working it's way into all the cells of his bone
marrow leading to severe anemia, neutropenia, leukemia or lymphoma - these
things will kill him.  Granted some cats can clear the virus or simply hold
it at bay for life but some will die from it.  It's not known how to predict
who will do well and who won't so if you want to be on the safe side, treat
now.  If you start early enough sometimes you can reverse the viral status.
It may be too late now, but it may be worth trying.

3.  The acute issue of diarrhea may be secondary to antibiotic use (in which
case try a probiotic like acidophilus, you can get it at any vitamin store
or walgreens), may be a parasitic/bacterial/viral infection (bring stool
sample to vet - you don't have to bring him in for that), may be stress or
secondary to food change (change foods slowly by mixing foods, a raw diet or
high protein diet is generally considered the best for these cats), may
respresent something more serious but I would try the aforementioned first
(if there is not an explanation or improvement with the above, I would
follow with blood work (CBC - complete blood count, BMP - basic metabolic
panel, viral panel - includes feline corona virus and multiple other causes
of these types of symptoms)  I would not be idle with a felv cat that
displays symptoms of illness.

With respect to the other cat, I am happy she is negative, I would probably
retest in a few months as she also would have been exposed. Given that she
has been vaccinated and exposed without acquiring the virus you are probably
safe to mix them, but there is always a chance in this.  Younger cats are
more susceptible to acquiring and dying from the disease so it is a chance.
The vaccine is pretty good but not 100% effective.  That is decision only
you can make.  Good luck and may God bless you.

Jenny
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Re: [Felvtalk] WBC/RBC/platelet count decreasing

2009-11-26 Thread jbero tds.net


 Amy,


You have a cat in the stages that most of us dread.  You have a few options
available to you.  You can follow conventional advice or you can take a
chance.  From what I've seen conventional medicine does not help in this
scenario.

My first question is this; Why is he on prednisone?  The only possible
reason I can see for this is hemobartonella.  If that's not present, I fail
to see the value.  Prednisone seems to be the cure all in veterinary
medicine and with few exceptions it simply relieves symptoms while your cat
dies.

I don't think you have much time to make a choice.  Unless there is a valid
reason for using the prednisone, I would stop it (taper it)  I would be
aggressive at this point.  I would get acemannan, LTCI and I would probably
try the vitamin c drip (I have not used this yet, but Sally would certainly
be willing to help you with it).  I would do it all together and right now.
This is of course dependent on your financial situation - I understand the
massive investment this could mean.  If, however, you simply treat symptoms
and try transfusion, antibiotics, prednisone etc you are simply prolonging
the inevitable and only by a small amount - this will also be exceptionally
expensive.

Here's the thing, you have not done a transfusion yet so you sort of have
that as a back door immediate rescue if you need it.  The prednisone is not
raising the Hct so why do you think it's helping?  You have a non
regenerative anemia on your hands.  Unless you reverse that you're dead in
the water - prednisone will not do this.

You are facing a tough decision, I know, I understand and I am so sorry for
that.  If you leave the beaten path of veterinary medicine you have to do
the leg work and fight an uphill battle.  Medicine is not perfect and
neither are people but I can honestly say that from what I have seem,
conventional medicine has failed time and again in this situation.

Good luck and God bless.

Jenny
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Re: [Felvtalk] WBC/RBC/platelet count decreasing

2009-11-26 Thread jbero tds.net

Belinda,

Wow.  You have a sick little kitty.  I don't know if you're looking for
input or not; and I know nothing about his history but I would suggest two
things.

1. Find a holistic vet.

2. Check a basic metabolic panel.  CRF patients often have electrolyte
imbalances that can cause seizures.  Vitamin b12, vitamin e and electrolyte
replacement can help.

Okay one more thing.  I don't know much about the approach to crf in animals
but in people often times the solution is prednisone or immune suppression
as the disease process is usually autoimmune.  I know nothing of what has
been done in veterinary medicine to deal with this.  I just thought I'd tell
you that.  Good luck and I will pray for your little guy.

Jenny

On Thu, Nov 26, 2009 at 4:28 PM, Belinda Sauro ma...@bemikitties.comwrote:

   Well Fred started having seizures 3 hours after his vet visit, we're not
 sure what is causing those but he is on phenobarbitol and those so far are
 controlled.  He is eating like a little piggy and drinking.  It takes about
 2 weeks for them to get used to the effects of the phenobarbitol so he is
 pretty much out of it most of the day.  His legs aren't working right now
 even though he does try to get up and can walk a step or 2 before he loses
 his balance.

 The blood work results show that there is possibly cancer, if so I would
 guess a brain tumor but the vet said it also could be from a severe inner
 ear infection, which he does have an inner ear infection, he was on drops
 only so I asked for the pills too, asked a week ago when we diagnosed him
 but the vet I saw then said it wasn't that bad and he didn't need them, they
 were obviously wrong and it has probably gotten worse again.  I'm going to
 tell my vet I want to keep him on the baytril for wahtever time he has left,
 this is the 5th time an infection has come back because the vet wouldn't
 listen to me.  He had an infection years ago that he kept getting back
 because they wouldn't leave him on the antibiotics longer like I requested.
  Fred has a really bad time clearing infections and they really kick his
 butt so I have to be more forceful about that.

 I know someone who's cat was on baytril for 8 years and she did fine.

 Would appreciate prayers for Fred to get over this latest hurdle ... and
 yes I have told him if he is ready to go I am fine with that, he has my
 blessing, but he keeps hanging on, he is one tough cookie!!


 --

 Belinda
 happiness is being owned by cats ...

 http://bemikitties.com

 http://BelindaSauro.com http://belindasauro.com/


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Re: [Felvtalk] Reversal of FIP in my six-month-old kitten

2009-11-25 Thread jbero tds.net

I think you all have valid points.  Here are my thoughts.

1.  Overdiagnosis of FIP - this is way hard to estimate because the
diagnosis is difficult to come by.  In fact, the pathophysiology of the
disease is poorly understood so it may actually represent a constellation of
diseases.   In the end, however, the question is treatment.  I think it is
foolish to give a diagnosis of FIP if you are simply going to give up and
put the animal down.  If, however, you have no other explanation and the
clinical signs are highly suspicious then you have to look at the
possibility that it is.  That's what I see happened in this case.  Given
that, what are you going to do.  You have no other explanation, so how do
you treat, do you wait until they die and do an autopsy to prove it's FIP or
do you try something.  I would try something.

2.  Skepticism - I understand skepticism because I have tried and failed on
more than one occassion with difficult viral diseases in cats.  I really get
that.   What I do not understand (and if someone can enlighten me, I would
be open to it) is how someone can see an animal suspected to have FIP,
treated successfully and then say it was not FIP.  How does one know that,
how does one know that they did not successfully treat the
disease?  If someone says the only way to truely diagnose is by autopsy and
the cat survived, prove to me they did not have FIP.  If someone is saying
it's not FIP only on the basis that the cat survived, well that's a useless
statement to me.  The skepticism works both ways - you can be skeptical it
wasn't or skeptical it was.  But in the end the difference is the
treatment.  I know it's not perfect science but medicine never is.

So if you have tested for a number of common diseases, and all but the
coronavirus were negative; there was a familial association, recent history
of stress (spay, neuter, vaccination) in a young cat, and clinical
signs/symptoms of the disease - short of putting the animal down and doing
an autopsy, you've got a good of a diagnosis as you can get.

3.  Medicine in general - Medicine is truely an art.  Every individual is
different.  Every individual responds differently to life, stress, disease
and treatment.  Simply because a treatment works on one animal and not
another does not mean they carry a different diagnosis.  Especially in an
immune related disease.  The spectrum of disease presentation can be broad
and the spectrum of response to treatment can be equally as broad.  Does
that mean we don't try?  I don't think so.  We all fail, it's whether or not
we get back up and try again that determines our character.  High dose
Vitamin C appears to work for some (and there is a good scientific basis for
why if you look into close enough) maybe not for all, but at the very least,
it is an option where there are so few.

I respect all you for your dedication to understanding, treating and
erradicating the diseases that plague these animals.  I know we are all
trying to do what's best for them.  We each may have a different approach
but I am glad to know there are people like all of you with such a desire
and passion to help.  I have learned from all of you.  God bless.

Jenny

On 11/24/09, Gloria B. Lane gbl...@aristotle.net wrote:

 I do think that part of the issue with this fortunate situation, is that
 some of us have seen vets call anything they can't explain, or anything with
 a high corona titer, FIP, and it's frustrating, for lack of a better word.
  I had a lovely healthy Persian kitten that died AFTER spay surgery, a few
 years ago, and the vet said must have been FIP.   I think the vet and his
 assistant probably just weren't careful with her airway after surgery, after
 they put her back in the cage.

 Gloria



 On Nov 23, 2009, at 5:00 PM, Diane Rosenfeldt wrote:

 I haven't read all the posts in this thread, but did want to make one point
 -- just in case it hasn't been addressed previously (although with the
 knowledge base here, I can't imagine it hasn't). So apologies if this is a
 dead horse but: It's been drummed into me that the presence of coronavirus
 alone is not an indicator for FIP since many if not most cats have it in
 their systems. This has been such a cause of panic even among vets who
 should know better and has resulted in so many needless deaths that I
 thought it bore repeating. What causes the coronavirus to mutate into FIP
 is
 a combination of heredity, circumstance, and possibly God having a sh-tty
 day and wanting to punish some innocents.

 All the best vibes to the kitten in question! Hang in there, darlin'.

 Diane R.

 -Original Message-
 From: felvtalk-boun...@felineleukemia.org
 [mailto:felvtalk-boun...@felineleukemia.org] On Behalf Of jbero tds.net
 Sent: Monday, November 23, 2009 4:30 PM
 To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org
 Subject: Re: [Felvtalk] Reversal of FIP in my six-month-old kitten

 I find the skepticism and questioning surrounding the diagnosis and
 treatment of FIP

Re: [Felvtalk] Rosie and Murphy Update-LTCI

2009-11-23 Thread jbero tds.net

Alice,

Thank you so much for letting us know.  I am so happy this has worked for
them.  It seems to have great promise if started early enough.  It appears
to have some ability to help once symptoms begin but if you can start early
that seems to be your best bet.  Oh, yeah.  It is wonderful to hear about
these successes.  If you have time in the future, could you continue to
report on them.  It doesn't have to be all that often, but I would
appreciate hearing.  I am especially curious to see if there is a change in
viral status in the future.

I am so happy for your and your family, this is truely beautiful to read.
God bless and good luck.

Jenny



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Re: [Felvtalk] Reversal of FIP in my six-month-old kitten

2009-11-23 Thread jbero tds.net

I find the skepticism and questioning surrounding the diagnosis and
treatment of FIP interesting.  I have to say, however, that every laboratory
test, whether it be in human or veterinary medicine, is subject to failure;
either giving false positives or false negatives.  This is a far more common
problem than most people may understand.  Nothing is 100% in any test,
ever.  The best and really only currently known way to deal with this is by
looking at the clinical presentation, history and lab work together.

In this case, the presence of coronavirus in a related kitten, the age of
the kitten, the clinical symptoms of fever, anemia and central nervous
system impairment, I would say, that you are very very very likely looking
at FIP or at least the entity in how it is understood.  As far as diagnosing
it by autopsy, it can also be done with a tissue biopsy.  You are looking
for pyogenicgranulomas,  a histologic (microscopic) diagnosis.  FIP is an
entity that is not entirely understood therefore diagnosiing it accurately
is difficult.  It is simply a constellation of symptoms and lab work.  That
is precisely what you are looking at in this situation.

What I am saying is that there is a cyclical line of reasoning here.  FIP
cannot be easily diagnosed and all are in agreement with that, so dismissing
that this is FIP on the grounds that it's not been definitively diagnosed is
nonsensical.  Given the fact that it fulfills most of the criteria for FIP
we have to go with the most likely scenario that it is.  It fits a non
effusive form of FIP almost perfectly.

Given that, I am excited about the possibility of a treatment.  Whatever
this cat had, whatever you believe was the diagnosis (and by the way it is
obvious that extensive tests, looking to identify alternate causes, were
done).  Whether you call FIP a wastebasket diagnosis, this cat responded and
survived.  The other cat, with identical symptoms, did not receive this full
treatment and died.  There is some success here, whatever your belief on
the diagnosis is.

I understand skepticism but there something happened here, even with don't
fully understand what.  Is it not worth, therefore, investigating?

Well, that's just my opinion.

Jenny


On 11/23/09, MaryChristine twelvehousec...@gmail.com wrote:

 corona virus titres do NOT prove FIP. cats can have high FeCoV titres and
 not progress to FIP, and cats who have progressed to FIP can have low
 titres
 because their exposure was so long before that the virus itself is out of
 their systems, although the FIP mutation is not.

 FIP is the new favorite diagnosis for, we haven't a clue.

 like susan, i would love for there to be an answer for FIP--it's much worse
 than FeLV, because there's no way to predict who will get it, no way to
 prevent it, and no way to treat it. but calling everything FIP, as has
 become the habit over the past three years or so, just makes actual
 diagnosis and learning more muddier.

 MC

 --
 Spay  Neuter Your Neighbors!
 Maybe That'll Make The Difference

 MaryChristine
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 )
 Member, SCAT (Special-Cat Action Team)
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Re: [Felvtalk] Bridget - new positive kitten - questions about treatment

2009-11-20 Thread jbero tds.net

Laura,

I am glad to hear your vet is willing to try something.  It is so hard to
watch these healthy young beautiful felv kittens and cats deteriorate so
rapidly and die.

The treatments I am aware of include interferon - an oral preparation most
vets are familiar with and cheap, LTCI (an immunomodulator produced by
Imulan, it is a subcutaneous injection - you can check their website and
contact them or have your vet do so), Acemannan or ambotrose (either a
intraperitoneal injection or oral supplement made by Mannetech I believe is
their name you can google ambotrose).  I have heard that early on in the
disease high dose iv vitamin c can change viral status.  Other holistic
approaches/alternative meds include Wei Qi Booster (chinese herbal) and raw
diet.   There are other things out there, but I am not too familiar with
them, a group A strep product (it's a bacterial derivative tried in the past
with some success, but I haven't seen or heard much recently about it)

You really have 50 pound tortoises, wow, that's something else.  That is a
world I am utterly unfamiliar with.  Do they all get along?

Well good luck and God bless.  If you need any more specifics just let me
know.

Jenny


On 11/20/09, LauraM hingebacktorto...@yahoo.com wrote:

 My Bridget - about 7 months old - has tested positive for FeLV. Someone a
 while back had mentioned a treatment she'd been using on a litter of
 positive kittens with good results. My vet, bless him, is willing to try new
 treatments - he sees a lot of FeLV in his practice - so I'd love to know
 what this is and where we can get it.
 Bridget's brother, Chutney, passed away suddenly after Halloween and he'd
 tested negative just 6 weeks previously.
 Poor Bridget will be joining the tough positive crowd (all asymptomatic) in
 my garage (I keep tortoises in it so it's heated and very
 comfortable):  Sunbeam, Baby Girl, Celery and Majestic. Plus she'll meet a
 couple of 50 pound tortoises!
 Any help would be most appreciated!
 thanks!
 Laura and Bridget
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[Felvtalk] Crystal and Nibbler

2009-11-19 Thread jbero tds.net

Hello Crystal,

I love the people in this group.  They are compassionate and knowledgable.

Here are my suggestions.

1.  The upper respiratory infection - common in felv kittens.  I have fought
this battle.  As far as an effective antibiotic - Azithromycin works
wonders.  It is not currently approved for veterinary medicine, but I got it
from the vet school in Madison, wi.  It is amazing.  Call you vet and ask if
they would be willing to get it for your somehow.  The pet apothecary, etc.
The additional items are also helpful lysine for viral infection, vitamin c
for antioxidant and improved immune response.

2.  GI problems - oral antibiotics can often cause gi problems because it
truely does kill off the normal flora of the system and allows for
infectious bacteria to invade and actually viruses as well (including feline
coronavirs, partial cause of FIP).  Here is my biggest concern from what I
am hearing.  FIP is seen in association with felv especially in younger
multicat households.  The big symptoms are diarrhea, vomitting, high fever,
anemia, loss of muscle mass and anorexia.  Another woman in this group is
battling that right now.  It is thought by many vets to be nearly 100%
fatal.  No good conventional treatment options exist for them and decline is
usually days to weeks.   You can see neurologic symtpoms - unsteady gait,
seizures etc.  Or you can see fluid accumulate in the abdomen and chest so
they get sort of a barrel shaped abdomen that bulges out.   I can't say for
sure this is going on but it would be my biggest concern.  Things to look
for are high fever (~103F), anemia, loss of appetite, loss of muscle mass,
any bumpy or enlarged lymph nodes or new skin lesions, diarrhea and
vomitting, and the presence of eye changes - you see their third eyelid (it
is located on the side of the eye towards the nose) or clouding of their
eyes.  The other woman in this group is currently using high dose iv vitamin
C and I believe successfully.  It is, however, a day by day process.

3. Felv+ - Almost every vet I have ever spoken with believes this is a death
sentence.  It isn't always, but there's no way to tell now who will do well
and who won't.  So here's the deal.  If you have any chance of these kitties
turning negative or least living longer lives, it is to treat them all now.
If you wait until they are sick you are almost always fighting a losing
battle.  Things to do - diet - high protein diet (Evo or Nature's
Variety-instinct, there are others) or raw diet (frozen Nature's variety of
stella and chewy's), I recommend raw, but some will disagree.   Treatment -
LTCI , a monthly injection to stimulate the immune system cost about $70 per
injection, requires prescription, made by Imulan, they will send your vet
the meds or find a vet that has them they have names of vets near you;
Acemannan or Ambrotose - either intraperitoneal injection or oral supplement
- oral about $40 per bottle, no prescription for oral, made by Mannatech I
believe.  Interferon - oral medication, very cheap, need prescription most
vets can get.

You can use them separately or together.  Sometimes you can reverse the
viral status if you start early enough.

I really fear you have an FIP situation on your hands.  I would start
aggressive treatment with him now if that is the case.  I would stay away
from Prednisone (most vets recommend it)it will only symptomatically help
and the disease will progress.  I pray the high dose vitamin C will work for
this other woman and I would probably take that route with your little guy.

This is what I would consider - Azithromycin for the URI, high dose(by this
I mean on the order of grams per day - for the exact regimen I wouldl have
to speak with the other woman in the group)  vitamin C for possible FIP
(this will be a daily IV drip - labor intensive), Imulan injections and
continued oral supplements.  You are not going to win with conventional
treatment - I believe that with all my heart.  You have to look beyond what
the vets out there are telling you.

There are two other routes I am aware of for FIP, if you are interested I
can give you more info.  Good luck and God bless you.

Jenny
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Re: [Felvtalk] Kitten Problems - Please Help

2009-11-19 Thread jbero tds.net

Hello Crystal,

I love the people in this group.  They are compassionate and knowledgable.

Here are my suggestions.

1.  The upper respiratory infection - common in felv kittens.  I have fought
this battle.  As far as an effective antibiotic - Azithromycin works
wonders.  It is not currently approved for veterinary medicine, but I got it
from the vet school in Madison, wi.  It is amazing.  Call you vet and ask if
they would be willing to get it for your somehow.  The pet apothecary, etc.
The additional items are also helpful lysine for viral infection, vitamin c
for antioxidant and improved immune response.

2.  GI problems - oral antibiotics can often cause gi problems because it
truely does kill off the normal flora of the system and allows for
infectious bacteria to invade and actually viruses as well (including feline
coronavirs, partial cause of FIP).  Here is my biggest concern from what I
am hearing.  FIP is seen in association with felv especially in younger
multicat households.  The big symptoms are diarrhea, vomitting, high fever,
anemia, loss of muscle mass and anorexia.  Another woman in this group is
battling that right now.  It is thought by many vets to be nearly 100%
fatal.  No good conventional treatment options exist for them and decline is
usually days to weeks.   You can see neurologic symtpoms - unsteady gait,
seizures etc.  Or you can see fluid accumulate in the abdomen and chest so
they get sort of a barrel shaped abdomen that bulges out.   I can't say for
sure this is going on but it would be my biggest concern.  Things to look
for are high fever (~103F), anemia, loss of appetite, loss of muscle mass,
any bumpy or enlarged lymph nodes or new skin lesions, diarrhea and
vomitting, and the presence of eye changes - you see their third eyelid (it
is located on the side of the eye towards the nose) or clouding of their
eyes.  The other woman in this group is currently using high dose iv vitamin
C and I believe successfully.  It is, however, a day by day process.

3. Felv+ - Almost every vet I have ever spoken with believes this is a death
sentence.  It isn't always, but there's no way to tell now who will do well
and who won't.  So here's the deal.  If you have any chance of these kitties
turning negative or least living longer lives, it is to treat them all now.
If you wait until they are sick you are almost always fighting a losing
battle.  Things to do - diet - high protein diet (Evo or Nature's
Variety-instinct, there are others) or raw diet (frozen Nature's variety of
stella and chewy's), I recommend raw, but some will disagree.   Treatment -
LTCI , a monthly injection to stimulate the immune system cost about $70 per
injection, requires prescription, made by Imulan, they will send your vet
the meds or find a vet that has them they have names of vets near you;
Acemannan or Ambrotose - either intraperitoneal injection or oral supplement
- oral about $40 per bottle, no prescription for oral, made by Mannatech I
believe.  Interferon - oral medication, very cheap, need prescription most
vets can get.

You can use them separately or together.  Sometimes you can reverse the
viral status if you start early enough.

I really fear you have an FIP situation on your hands.  I would start
aggressive treatment with him now if that is the case.  I would stay away
from Prednisone (most vets recommend it)it will only symptomatically help
and the disease will progress.  I pray the high dose vitamin C will work for
this other woman and I would probably take that route with your little guy.

This is what I would consider - Azithromycin for the URI, high dose(by this
I mean on the order of grams per day - for the exact regimen I wouldl have
to speak with the other woman in the group)  vitamin C for possible FIP
(this will be a daily IV drip - labor intensive), Imulan injections and
continued oral supplements.  You are not going to win with conventional
treatment - I believe that with all my heart.  You have to look beyond what
the vets out there are telling you.

There are two other routes I am aware of for FIP, if you are interested I
can give you more info.  Good luck and God bless you.

Jenny


On 11/18/09, Crystal Proper crystal_pro...@yahoo.com wrote:

 Hi, my name is Crystal.  My husband and I rescued three kittens that were 4
 weeks old at the time, (now 14 weeks), from an old building.  We tamed them
 as well.  About 6 weeks ago we found out that they were all FELV
 positive.  Two of them are fine and doing great.  The runt, Nibbler,
 isn’t.  He’s been on antibiotics to try and get rid of his constant runny
 eyes and nose…we had to stop them about 2 weeks ago because he has bloody
 diarrhea.  He is very symptomatic and my vet says the disease is just
 running its course and has run out if suggestions for me.  He’s also half
 the size of his brothers.  However, I was hoping someone here might have
 some help for me because I don’t want to give up on him.  Here’s my list…
 He has severe

Re: [Felvtalk] Maggie's not acting normal, advice is appreciated

2009-11-15 Thread jbero tds.net

Hello Tanya,
I can't blaim you for being nervous about odd behavior in a felv cat.
Interferon can cause side effects in humans that can actually lead to
cessation of treatment, they can include gastrointestinal disturbances,
depression, sleep disturbances, irritability, and flu like symptoms.  These
are usually more mild in cats.  Interferon is sometimes given three days on
and three days off which can help with these side effects.

The felv cat that I treatment with interferon has very mild change in
appetite and energy on the days she gets the medication.

With the limp, I would be concerned about infection.  Inspect the paw to see
if there are any swollen areas, red areas, hot areas or extremely sensitive
areas.  If so there is likely are infection.  Usually these are fairly easly
to treat with irrigation of the area and then antibiotics.  Would need to
see the vet for irrigation.

Good luck,

Jenny

On Sun, Nov 15, 2009 at 3:04 PM, TANYA NOE sashacatgodd...@yahoo.comwrote:

 Hello all, my Maggie now 1 year 5 months old has been Felv+ since
 birth. She is the kitten we adopted after testing her for everything under
 the sun to protect our 13 year old Sasha. She later became symptomatic
 (gingivitis, vomiting, diarrhea, swollen lymph nodes) and was retested and
 was positive. Anyway we kept her and her symptoms resolved except for the
 swollen lymph nodes. She has also tested positive on the IFA.
 Early spring she had an episode where she began hiding for a couple
 days, quit eating, and then began abdominal breathing. Turned out the
 pleural sacs around her lungs were full of fluid. She was given lasix and in
 a day was herself. Since then she has been a relatively healthy, happy
 kitty.
 3 weeks ago I took her and her sister in for vaccines, exams, and blood
 work. They had a hard time getting blood from her (couldn't hit the vein)
 and she got quite stressed. The blood work was perfect and she seemed fine
 after we got home. We started her on Interferon a week ago. Now suddenly the
 last week she has been sleeping all the time under blankets (she doesn't
 like being covered up), not eating much (very odd for her as she is a food
 hound and will eat constantly if you let her), and not drinking much (she
 usually drinks and bathes in the pet fountain several times a day). Her temp
 is normal. Thursday we noticed she now is holding up her left front paw. She
 walks on it and the limp is mild.
 Any ideas? Has anyone seen any sides effects with interferon? Would it
 make her feel bad? I'm hesitant to run her to the Dr's. and create further
 stress but am really worried about her. These guys go downhill so fast
 sometimes I don't want to wait either. Any advice would be appreciated.
 Thanks,
 Tanya




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Re: [Felvtalk] introduction for Spicey

2009-11-14 Thread jbero tds.net

Hello Joyce,

You have a kind heart.  It's hard to take in a felv cat and sounds
like everyone in your world is going through alot.

With respect to felv, it's true, stress is tough on these guys.

There's alot of variables, opinions and conflicting ideas about the
disease.  Some cats do fine, some become carriers but do fine, and
some die fast and young.  Since yours is two years old already, that's
a start since many of the young ones (usually less than a year) die
from the disease early on.  The older they are the better their
chances of survival.

General recommendations I think almost universally accepted are - feed
high quality diets i.e. those high in protein, some good ones are evo
and nature's variety instinct (be careful when initially switching to
these foods mix with the old).  Some people suggest using raw diets
(these are excellent for healthy cats as it mimics their normal diet -
good ones are nature's variety and stella and chewy's) - other people
advice against it as there is the possibility of introducing bacteria
into their gut and they fear infection.  Personally from what I have
read and seen I think raw diet is better.

Next, try to reduce stress as much as possible - rescue remedy, a
flower essence extract has been used in both humans and animals to
reduce anxiety - it's easy to use and can be found in most herbal type
stores.  As far as him not leaving the crate, that's okay, small
enclosed areas are often comforting to a scared cat, I wouldn't force
him out, let him take his time.  Routines are very welcome by most
animals so try to maintain a routine if possible - this is less
important for cats than dogs but still helpful.

Medical treatment - this is a huge source of debate for most.  Some
say there is no treatment, give them as happy a life as possible until
they pass on.  Others say treat.  The big treatments include
interferon, imulan and acemannan.  None are 100% effective from what I
can tell.  There are stories to support and refute each.  I am
currently looking to find a combination of things that might be
effective.  Other less talked about treatments include high dose
vitamin c, NAC and vitamin E.  Some other natural remedies and immune
boosters (Wei Qui Booster)  are out there.  I have never heard of a
cure, but I continue to search.

With respect to the clavamox, I would be very suspicious.
Prophylactic treatment with an antibiotic is risky.  It can lead to GI
problems (diarrhea and vomiting as you kill off the healthy normal
bacterial flora of the gut and leave it wide open for bad bacteria),
kidney and liver failure, and development of bacteria resistant to the
antibiotic.  If there are no symptoms of infection and have not been
for some time I would seriously be cautious about this.  If there are
upper respiratory type symptoms; sneezing, clear runny nose and eyes,
lysine can be very effective at treating this - this can be ordered
online in a cat formula or purchased over the counter at walgreens or
similar store.

Lots of info, sorry.  You will certainly get lots more advice.  The
individuals in this group are intelligent, well read, and caring cat
lovers.

May God bless you and good luck.

Jenny

On 11/10/09, stargazer 12 stargaze...@q.com wrote:

 A very good friend passed away  her family didn't want the cat. Spicey has
 feline leukemia going on 2 years.  I took the cat in  have him in a spare
 room away from my cats. He has been on clavamox for about 1 yr per my
 friend.  I am waiting on the vet to call to find out all the specifics. Is
 there any special food/vitamins/drugs to help? I know nothing of this
 disease. I have been during research  says the cat should not be stressed.
 Unfortunately, Spicey has been stressed as his owner was in the hospital
 since last Tuesday. A neighbor was feeding him but he was hiding under the
 couch as he is very timid. And now he is in a strange place, so he has to be
 very stressed. It has been 3 hours  he has not come out of his carrier, I
 do not know if he will be friendly with me but he has not hissed at all. I
 think I maybe taking on too much but in a small way I feel like I am keeping
 my friend alive too.



 Any ideas/suggestions/advice will be greatly appreciated.



 Thanks,

 Joyce  Spicey










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Re: [Felvtalk] Jenny-How is Autumn??

2009-11-01 Thread jbero tds.net

Hey Alice,

Thanks for asking.  Actually, Autumn stopped eating again last week and I
found a large (3-4 inch) mass in her abdomen.  I knew it was a large
lymphoma so I let her stop eating and she died two days ago.  I miss her
deeply.  She was so young and vital so full of life and love.

I sincerely believe the Imulan and ambrotose could have save her life if I
had started it earlier.  I wish someone had told me about it before she was
knocking at death's door.  It is likely she had the lymphoma at the time I
started treating her.  Her bone marrow was resonding and so I am devastated
I didn't start earlier, but I did the best with the knowledge I had at the
time.

I am so glad yours are doing well.  It sounds like you have started early
enough and they have a chance.  I am so grateful for that.  It seems that
this is an illness that needs to be treated when there are few or no signs
or symptoms only a positive test.  When we wait, it is too late.  It is a
shame most vets tell you to do nothing or put them down.

Have their CBCs improved?  I believe their energy was improving, right?  If
it were me, I would continue the treatment and have them retested for the
virus in a few months.  Maybe they'll turn negative.

Thanks for asking, Alice and may God bless you and your little ones.

Jenny

On Sat, Oct 31, 2009 at 7:22 PM, Alice Flowers
aliceflow...@sbcglobal.netwrote:

 Just wondering how she's doing-We are into our 2nd month with the
 treatments and all is great with our 2. Alice
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Re: [Felvtalk] rabies shot needed for transport?

2009-10-14 Thread jbero tds.net

If you can avoid it, I would not get the rabies vaccine.  Is there anyway
she will be exposed to a bat or raccoon or infected animal on the way?  I
doubt it.  The vaccines and their requirements were started, and are likely
still in place, more to protect people than the animal.  I would steer far
away from vaccinating an animal in her condition if at all possible.

Jenny

On Wed, Oct 14, 2009 at 3:24 PM, Lance lini...@fastmail.fm wrote:

 Hi everyone,

 This isn't exactly FeLV related, but my vet is apparently insisting that
 Ember get a rabies vax before she gets on the plane. Is this really
 necessary? It doesn't look like Northwest/Delta (the airline we'd use) has a
 requirement. I'd think that Wisconsin could issue a waiver so we don't have
 to do this. Between the anisocoria, low wbc and the probably normal,
 occasional vomits I've been seeing, I'm already really anxious about her
 health.

 Thanks,

 Lance

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Re: [Felvtalk] New Here w/Questions

2009-10-13 Thread jbero tds.net

Hi Ellie,

I agree with everyone else.

Stress is huge in fostering illness in cats, especially felv+.  They also
can need more vet. care, high quality food, supplements, and lots of
patience and love.

I would do something now for treatment, don't wait until they start acting
sick - they go downhill fast.  I would try LTCI by Imulan (many vets are
unfamiliar with it, but have them look into it).  Other options include
interferon and Acemannan (or oral Ambrotose).  Lysine can help with symptoms
of Herpes virus (often upper respiratory type symptoms) but I haven't seen
any good evidence it helps with the feline leukemia virus itself.

Good luck and God bless.

Jenny

On Tue, Oct 13, 2009 at 1:02 PM, mitchell hhur...@gmail.com wrote:

 Even though you just found out the she is FeLV pos, you should start
 looking
 into the product LTCI.  It is the only approved treatment aid for FeLV and
 FIV cats.  You should go to www.imulan.com to get more information about
 this.

 On Tue, Oct 13, 2009 at 1:34 AM, Ellie Foster elliefost...@gmail.com
 wrote:

  Hello,
 
  Im new here, my name is Ellie.
 
  I joined because my niece kitty, Brie, is one year old and was
 diagnosed
  with FeLV about a month ago with a faint positive result (she is supposed
  to
  be retested in 2 months).
 
  My question is - my sibling is planning a move across quite a few states
  (USA), about 12-14 hours travelling by car, to New York City. Her job
 will
  keep her very occupied, literally up to 20 hours a day!! (I couldnt do it
  lol).
 
  No one knew Brie was + until last month because my sister never took her
 to
  the vets after finding her outside, alone, at about 4 weeks old. So, I
  finally convinced my sis to let me take Brie in to be spayed, vaccinated,
  tested - and, that is when we got the diagnosis.
 
  Just wondering, vet said that stress on kitty is *bad* - is this type of
  fairly long-distance move something that qualifies as stressful? (will
 ask
  the vet of course too!)
 
  Has anyone used lysine supplements in an FeLV kitty?
 
  Will my sister encounter any problems in trying to rent an apartment with
  an
  FeLV+ cat?
 
  I ask because I can easily give Brie a home; I have no other kitties
  (anymore - both of my elderly (16 19) baby boy cats passed on early this
  year, one of CRF, the other of a sudden massive stroke, within 2 months
 of
  each other). And if I can help Brie live a longer, happy life, I would be
  incredibly glad to do so.
 
  Brie knows my house, my family, has stayed with us up to 3 weeks in the
  past
  when my sister has been out of town on business.
 
  And I love the little baby Brie anyway! Just want her to live the best
 life
  possible, and am debating offering - again - to let kitty live with me.
 
  Thank you so much for your help  info!
 
  Ellie
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Re: [Felvtalk] Interferon thoughts?

2009-10-08 Thread jbero tds.net

Jeff,

I would definitely start something whether it be interferon or the LTCI
injections.  They may not look sick when first diagnosed but they go
downhill quickly and you feel helpless.  There is some suggestion of thymic
hypoplasia in these young cats with felv+.  (the thymus is responsible for
the production of T cells which are necessary for the destruction of this
virus).  Interferon helps aid in the activity of the T cells.  LTCI is
thought to stimulate the production of interferon by the cat's own cells.
Overall each one increases levels of interferon to help the Tcells.  LTCI
just stimulates the cat's own body to make it.

I highly recommend doing something to increase the cat's chance of long term
survival.  Have your vet look into LTCI from Imulan if they are not familiar
with it.  There is some suggestion that early use of some aid may increase
the likelihood of the cat turning negative.  I can't say for certain.  Good
luck

Jenny

On Thu, Oct 8, 2009 at 2:05 PM, Jeff Mills jeffkmi...@yahoo.com wrote:

 I have a little 4.5 mo. old black kitten rescued as a stray who tests FeLV+
 on a snap test. They won't do an IFA until he's been separated for three
 months (he lives in my bathroom currently), 9 mos. old would be better.

 My vet is recommending we put the kitten on Interferon *now,* that she has
 had good results with it (she has an FIV kitty of her own who she allows to
 mix with her negative 5 kitties).  She thinks it could help him with quality
 of life down the road.

 What do you guys think?  I've seen some conversation on this list
 previously, but hadn't paid much attention to it because I didn't think I'd
 be in this position, at least not this soon.

 Jeff




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Re: [Felvtalk] New to FLV and have a cat that just tested positive...

2009-10-06 Thread jbero tds.net

Hello Anna,

I am sorry for your situation.  Felv is an illusive, unpredictable and
sometimes devastating disease.

I think the people in this group have good advice and knowledge pertaining
to this group of cats.

In my experience,  2 died from the anemia and bone marrow suppression that
often kills the younger cats (cats turning positive at less than one year
generally do worse), 1 is doing well - she is about 6 years old and on
interferon (she came to me in good shape already on interferon), the third,
Autumn, nearly died about a month and half ago and is symptomically
improving today.  I started her on the LTCI injections (from Imulan) and
Ambrotose (a mannose supplement similar to Acemannan).  I have heard
multiple stories of cats turning negative on this treatment.

There is no known cure for the virus.  Some cats do well and eradicate the
virus on their own, some become asymptomatic carriers and some die from it.

I wish someone would have suggested I try LTCI and ambrotose (Acemannan)
initially.  The LTCI injection costs about $65 weekly for four weeks and
than monthly.  There were very few side effects identified in the study.
This treatment aid is a somewhat debated issue in this group so you may want
to investigate it yourself.  I have personally reviewed the literature and
think there is promise in it, but others will disagree.

Good luck and God bless.

Jenny
On Mon, Oct 5, 2009 at 4:11 PM, Anna Waltman anna.walt...@gmail.com wrote:

 Hi everyone,
 I've been lurking around for the last day or two reading your posts.  My
 darling Sylvia, the first cat I have owned as an adult, just tested
 positive
 for FLV on both the in-office and IFA tests.  She's one of my best friends
 and I'm devastated; she was negative as a kitten and has lived inside for
 most of her life (as a little baby, she was a stray-- I adopted her from
 the
 SPCA at five months, and I know she was there for a while before I adopted
 her).  She was given a confident all-clear by my former vet to move with me
 to Massachusetts and live in a multiple-cat household less than three
 months
 ago.

 Upon moving, it became obvious that Sylvia doesn't like being left alone in
 the apartment for long periods of time (prior to our move, we lived with my
 retired parents and their two dogs so she was almost never home alone). I
 decided to adopt a kitten, Beatrice, a few weeks after we moved in, after
 Sylvia had gotten comfortable in the apartment.

 So when Sylvia started meowing strangely and acting a little lethargic, I
 assumed it was a kitty flu but took her to the vet anyway, just to be safe,
 and tested her just to be absolutely sure she was still negative.  What a
 horrible surprise.  She's been living with Bea for a month or two now and
 they're best friends; they wrestle all the time, share food bowls, groom
 each other, etc.  I feel sick with guilt about bringing a young kitten into
 a house with a FLV+ cat, and now chances are I have two positive cats to
 care for.  Our current vet is wonderful, though, and she feels that if we
 vaccinate Bea ASAP and keep a close eye on Sylvia (treating her problems as
 they arise), there's a good chance we can keep both of them healthy for a
 long time.  She says she has other patients and co-workers with FLV+ and
 negative cats living in the same household who never pass it to each other.
 I'm feeding them a mix of Wellness and Innova ENVO and giving the kitten
 multivitamins to boost her immune system and help her fight off the
 exposure.

 I'm a young graduate student in an MA/PhD program and I don't have a ton of
 money.  These kitties had been the most stable thing in my life and this
 diagnosis is totally eating me up, from the inside out.  I love them to
 pieces and want to be the best cat-parent I can to my girls (having chronic
 illnesses myself that significantly increase my risk of certain health
 problems, I'm as empathic about this as anyone).  The horrible potential of
 this disease breaks my heart every time I think about it.  My childhood cat
 passed away a few months before I got Sylvia, and I can't bear to lose
 another one like that (he was very sick for a long time before he died, but
 we don't know what it was.  Could've been FLV or FIV; he wasn't tested
 every
 year, though he was vaccinated.  He was indoor/outdoor and a fighter).

 What do you wish you had known when your cat was first diagnosed, if
 anything?  If there is any advice people have, I would appreciate it, and
 as
 I gain experience caring for my girls I will share what has worked and what
 hasn't with anyone who asks.

 Many thanks and best wishes to you and your families, furry and otherwise.
 Anna
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[Felvtalk] CBCs-Rosie and Murphy/Autumn update

2009-10-05 Thread jbero tds.net

Alice I am so happy for you and your two little ones.  They are looking
better both clinically and with respect to the lab values.  That's fantastic

I am so happy you started early with them.  That seems to be their best
chance at responding.  I have heard a number of individuals whose cats
turned negative after a few months of treatment.  I really hope all
continues to go well,  please keep us updated.

A quick note on Autumn.  Her clinical symptoms continue to improve.  She is
eating very well, drinking and her energy is still improving.  She looks
more and more like herself everyday.  I wish, however, that I had not waited
so long.  Her CBC is showing an increase in reticulocytes, lymphocytes and
platelets.  I may, however, have waited too long as there is some indication
of MDS - it is basically red blood cells, platelets and neutrophils that are
sickly - they don't develop properly and can lead to leukemia.  I am hoping
that I didn't wait too long and that she can overcome this.  Potentially it
is because her red blood cells are trying so hard to replicate that they
look abnormal or it may be more serious.

So her saga continues, but a single injection monthly is far less traumatic,
painful and expensive than treating with all the other things normally
associated with this disease.  I will continue to give the injections,
ambrotose and most importantly prayer.

God bless you and your sweet little angels.

Jenny

P.S.  Please do not be disheartened by the words of discouragement I have
read in this forum recently.  I do not understand it. I believe that
sometimes the only thing that pulls us through is hope.  Don't give up on
that.  If we never try, we will always fail.



On Sun, Oct 4, 2009 at 8:00 PM, Hotmail Junk cstet...@hotmail.com wrote:

 WONDERFUL!

 Sent from my iPhone


 On Oct 2, 2009, at 4:53 PM, Alice Flowers aliceflow...@sbcglobal.net
 wrote:

 Our vet just called-the blood tests results from this morning are back and
 they are both improving! Rosie's platelets are in the normal range too! She
 said there is a buzz in the office and they have been telling their other
 patients about this product and how it appears promising. We will retest in
 2 weeks and will be cutting down from once weekly injections. This one
 tonight will only be the 3rd one. We are following the manufacturer's
 protocol to be sure it is effective. We did not wait for them to crash
 before starting the treatments, hoping to get months, not weeks-but it is
 looking better than that, but I am afraid to hope for too much-I am grateful
 for every healthy appearing day.
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Re: [Felvtalk] FW: Q re Staph Protein A

2009-09-26 Thread jbero tds.net

 wondering if you can tell me what Autumn's numbers were
 when it was decided that a transfusion was necessary?  My
 vet has advised against it because of the risk, though I
 don't want to wait too long if that is what it will take to
 save him while the LTCI continues to work on his RBCs. The
 vet is putting in a nasogastric feeding tube because he
 continues to fight us on the syringe feeding and is now bone
 thin.  He is also getting intravenous fluids and high doses
 of vitamin C.  He doesn't seem to be struggling to breathe,
 though, and is still fairly alert, though his gums are white
 and he is clearly not well.

 Thanks for your concern, and we sure could use some prayers
 for our Lukey boy . . . we're so worried

 Sally

  -Original Message-
  From: felvtalk-boun...@felineleukemia.org
 [mailto:felvtalk-
  boun...@felineleukemia.org] On Behalf Of jbero tds.net
  Sent: Friday, September 25, 2009 11:47 AM
  To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org
  Subject: Re: [Felvtalk] FW: Q re Staph Protein A
 
  Hey everyone,
 
  I haven't been following the emails concerning strep A.
 but I
  actually
  looked into this when trying to figure out what to do with
 Autumn.
  There
  were a few studies out there but they were done about a
 decade
  or more ago,
  mostly by a vet in Texas.  I  called his lab to speak with
 him.
  Unfortunately he was no longer practicing there, but I
 spoke with
  a
  colleague of his who suggested the results weren't as
 promising
  as was
  hoped, there were some negative side effects and they had
  stopped
  investigating it.
 
  I don't remember the exact details but I thought it was
 less
  promising than
  LTCI.  If I get a chance later today I will do a
 literature search and
  try
  to find the paper.  I'll forward whatever I find.
 
  Also, a quick update on Autumn.  Tomorrow I will get a CBC
 on
  her and let
  you all know.  Her energy is up and she's getting
 mischievous
  again.  She's
  slowing gaining weight back - the bones are less prominent
  again.  She
  continues to do well.  I know it may not be the cure all
 for felv but
  I feel
  there is at least some hope of treatment.  Sally I hope
 Lukey is
  improving.
 
  Jenny
 
 
  On 9/23/09, mitchell hhur...@gmail.com wrote:
  
   Approved by the United States Department of Agriculture
  
   On Wed, Sep 23, 2009 at 9:54 AM, MaryChristine
  twelvehousec...@gmail.com
   wrote:
  
approved by whom, i keep asking. and it's not a
 treatment,
  it's a
treatment
aid. that's all they're allowed by law to call it.
   
   
   
On Tue, Sep 22, 2009 at 11:47 AM, mitchell
  hhur...@gmail.com wrote:
   
 I don't know much about this product, but I do know
 that
  there is an
 approved treatment for FeLV.  That is LTCI.  It can
 be
  obtained easily.

   
   
   
 --

Spay  Neuter Your Neighbors!
Maybe That'll Make The Difference
   
MaryChristine
Special-Needs Coordinator, Purebred Cat Breed Rescue (
   www.purebredcats.org
)
Member, SCAT (Special-Cat Action Team)
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  rg
   
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  rg
  
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Re: [Felvtalk] FW: Q re Staph Protein A

Hey everyone,

I haven't been following the emails concerning strep A. but I actually
looked into this when trying to figure out what to do with Autumn.  There
were a few studies out there but they were done about a decade or more ago,
mostly by a vet in Texas.  I  called his lab to speak with him.
Unfortunately he was no longer practicing there, but I spoke with a
colleague of his who suggested the results weren't as promising as was
hoped, there were some negative side effects and they had stopped
investigating it.

I don't remember the exact details but I thought it was less promising than
LTCI.  If I get a chance later today I will do a literature search and try
to find the paper.  I'll forward whatever I find.

Also, a quick update on Autumn.  Tomorrow I will get a CBC on her and let
you all know.  Her energy is up and she's getting mischievous again.  She's
slowing gaining weight back - the bones are less prominent again.  She
continues to do well.  I know it may not be the cure all for felv but I feel
there is at least some hope of treatment.  Sally I hope Lukey is improving.

Jenny


On 9/23/09, mitchell hhur...@gmail.com wrote:

 Approved by the United States Department of Agriculture

 On Wed, Sep 23, 2009 at 9:54 AM, MaryChristine twelvehousec...@gmail.com
 wrote:

  approved by whom, i keep asking. and it's not a treatment, it's a
  treatment
  aid. that's all they're allowed by law to call it.
 
 
 
  On Tue, Sep 22, 2009 at 11:47 AM, mitchell hhur...@gmail.com wrote:
 
   I don't know much about this product, but I do know that there is an
   approved treatment for FeLV.  That is LTCI.  It can be obtained easily.
  
 
 
 
   --
  
  Spay  Neuter Your Neighbors!
  Maybe That'll Make The Difference
 
  MaryChristine
  Special-Needs Coordinator, Purebred Cat Breed Rescue (
 www.purebredcats.org
  )
  Member, SCAT (Special-Cat Action Team)
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[Felvtalk] Sally and Lukey

Sally,

Not a good report, but not entirely without hope either.  Do you happen to
know the specific numbers on the CBCs?  Get a copy of the reports.  Read
them carefully - vets miss things sometimes and don't always remember to
convey all the information they have when they meet with you.  It happens,
not intentionally or maliciously.

Here is specifically what I would like to know:

1. Reticulocyte count for each CBC you had done- if this number is
increasing (I would like to see by way of thousands or tens of thousands)
than you are certainly on the right path and need only wait until those
cells become mature enough to replenish the RBCs in the peripheral blood.  A
regenerating anemia is defined as a reticulocyte count greater than 15,000
(for most labs).  An exact number and change in numbers over time would give
me a better idea of what is going on in his bone marrow.  Understand that it
takes time for these cells to mature before they become fully functional for
his needs - in the meantime a blood transfusion could be necessary.

2.Hematocrit - most vets will transfuse around 18 or 19.  If this is his
first transfusion and he has a hematocrit around 14-15, I would not hesitate
to transfuse.   In general the first transfusion is kind of a freebee.  They
generally do not have a reaction until subsequent transfusions.  Your vet,
however, should make sure that the transfused blood is a match for Lukey.
You can do a type and cross or a full panel (~$100.00).  If she is
uncomfortable about this I would go to an emergency vet or someone who feels
comfortable doing them.  It should be a slow transfusion and he should be
monitored for any signs of a reaction.  If there is, you simply stop the
transfusion.  It is a risk/benefit analysis.  In my opinion, a hematocrit of
15 is certainly worth transfusing.  I would not hesitate - not even one
day.  Again, I would like to see the numbers.

3. Lymphocytes - this number should be increasing as a sign of stimulated
immune response (a sign the LTCI is working)- I would like to know all
results from the first to the last blood draws.

4. Platlets - an increase in these also suggests a stimulated bone
marrow indicating the LTCI is working.

Autumn had a hematocrit of 10, I believe, when I brought her in for the
first visit.  She had a hematocrit of 4 when I transfused her.  I would not
recommend waiting this long.  She was dying,  a matter of hours and she
would have died.  Do not wait until this point.

Here's the concept.  Mature RBCs live about 2 1/2 to 3 months in most cats,
at the end of that time, the spleen destroys the old cells in anticipation
of new ones.  It is likely that Lukey has had a suppressed production of
RBCs for quite some time and now the old RBCs are being destroyed.  If his
bone marrow sort of woke up after the LTCI injection, it takes weeks for the
bone marrow to generate the cells and then more time for them to mature.  So
in the cycle of normal bone marrow production of RBCs and destruction by the
spleen, Lukey's cycle was interrupted and now weeks later when the old RBCs
are dying there aren't any new mature ones to take their place.  If there is
evidence that the bone marrow is waking up (increased reticulocyte count,
lymphocyte count and platelet count)  what you need to do is provide
supportive care until those cells can mature and do their job.  This may
very well include a transfusion.  I would not fear the transfusion because
of a reaction if he is that severely anemic.  Everyday his old cells are
dying.  It is a race between new maturing RBCs and destruction of the old
ones.

The statement that Lukey has a regenerative anemia is very promising.  Right
now is a very difficult time for you and for him as he is in the lull
between the suppressing effects of Felv+ and the hopefully productive
effects of LTCI.  You are seeing a clinically diminishing status but his lab
work suggests improvement.  I would rely on the labs and take heart in the
promising numbers.  If you give me the numbers I can tell you how happy or
not happy I would be with the presence of and rate of improvement.  Take
heart knowing that the clnical improvement will be slow and delayed from the
lab tests.  What you see improving in lab values you should see reflected in
clinical improvement with time.  Be patient but don't hesitate to transfuse
if necessary.  This is my opinion and how I would evaluate and proceed with
an animal of my own.  There is never a guarantee, but I will pray for you
and for him.

If there is anything more I can do, please don't hesitate to ask.

Jenny
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[Felvtalk] Did you get my message?

Sally,

I sent an email response to your story on Lukey.  It bounced because it was
too big.  I sent it again without the forwarded and replied emails but don't
know if it got through.  Let me know if you didn't get it.

Jenny
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Re: [Felvtalk] Did you get my message?