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Nina > Hi Kyle, I was just at my vet's to pick up Zevon. I saw Michelle Rose there, but she didn't mention speaking to your vet. Of course we kind of had our hands full with Zevon. He has a fentanyl transdermal patch for pain control, so he's pretty out of it. There are also 3 different oral meds that he has to take 2 and 3 times a day (one of which can't be taken 2 hours before or after the others). I had to write everything down to keep it straight. We won't know how effective the steroid therapy is going to be for another 24 to 48 hours. He does seem to have a little more use of his legs, so that's promising. You should really consider giving Brissle her shots yourself. What are you doing now, bringing her into the vet's each time? That's so stressful on both of you. I'm fortunate in that I have my husband around to hold my cats while I give them the injections. It's really not that hard to do. Why don't you ask your vet to show you how? You could start by bringing her to the vet, but you give her the shot. I'm a very reluctant nurse, but I have to do what I have to do. I hate having to give my animals meds, but without them they haven't a chance. Pilling: When you first start pilling someone, or if they are hard to pill, wrap them in a towel. Put her on a bath towel, flip one side over her lightly, then snug the other side around and under her. Wrap her snuggly like a little mummy with all her paws confined. When she sees it does no good to struggle, she'll stop. She may growl at you, but it will just be posturing. I approach it as stoically as I can. I tell them I don't like it any more than they do, but it has to be done. One thing that seems to help is always medicating them at the same time each day, and always in the same place. I give cats their pills on the kitchen counter on a towel, and their shots on the butcher block table. I don't want them climbing on the counters anyway (giving meds up there discourages them from climbing on the counters!), and this way they know what's coming. I always go and get them, I don't call them to me for anything unpleasant. Another thing you want to be sure to do, is approach Brissle and pick her up to give her attention when she's not going to get medicated, pick her up and bring her to a tasty treat, or carry her someplace and engage her in play. That way she'll still associate good things with being carried. After they're on the counter, I take the time to reassure them that I'm doing this to help them feel better and hold them firmly and calmly waiting until they're calm. I take deep breaths and calm myself. When I'm pilling somebody, I'll ask them if they're ready. Gracie will usually swallow a couple of times and then look up at me woefully. I cup my left hand around the top of her head, petting back from her nose, tilt her head up and use my index finger and thumb to put pressure on the sides of her mouth, then pry gently with the tip of the pill popper in my right hand to open her mouth. I always use a "pill-popper". Do you have one? Get the tip of the pill popper into her mouth and toward the back of her throat, (balance the pill-popper with your right thumb and third finger then shoot the pill in with your index finger on the plunger, (practice with the pill popper beforehand to see how far and fast the pill flies). I also count to three while I'm doing this. If we get it right, by the count of three the pill is in and down. Did you read in the archives how I dose the Dox? I wrap the quartered dox tablet in a thin layer of soft Life Savers chews, (they're made with corn syrup), then grease it with a light layer of margarine, some on the list use Nutrical. After the pill goes down, I make sure it's not lodged in her throat by syringing some water, (just a few ccs). I always go slow and watch in between for her to swallow. When we're all done she gets to go outside for a supervised play session. She jumps off the counter and runs for the back door! Good luck, I know it's hard, I can't believe what I have the courage to do these days. It's still hard on me, but I figure it's better me than some stranger at the vet's. I distance my self emotionally as best I can and just get the job done. I don't really think "milking the blood transfusion" is such a good idea. I think it's better to start her on the interferon while she's feeling good to help her over what ever's causing her anemia. It has taken about a month each time to get approval from the FDA. Your vet might have to sit on them, call and inquire, to make sure things are moving. After the approval it's taken about two weeks to get delivery. So if you start with the VO in your hot little hand two weeks after the app has been sent in, you should still be in the 2 -3 week lag period for the 2nd phase of VO treatments. What is the protocol you and your vet have decided on? If Brissle starts to fade, I'd give her the VO no matter how long you think you're going to have to wait for more. Another hint; after you get approval, have your vet send in another application. That way you have an approved app waiting for you should you decide to order more. Maybe we should all do this for each other on the list. That way those in crisis will have feline interferon when they need it most. I haven't had time to read the posts about the Intercat. (I haven't had time to read any of the posts for that matter). If it's another brand of feline interferon, maybe they'd be faster getting it to you. Maybe its cheaper! Did you get the compounded dox with flavoring? If Brissle likes chicken liver, you might be able to hide the taste in some of that. Gypsy loves cooked liver so much that I was able to mash up some liquid Flagil (really nasty tasting antibiotic), in it and she wolfed it down. I'd give her pieces of "untainted" liver intermittently while she was eating and it worked like a charm, until she stopped eating that is. I know what you mean about watching the board being heartbreaking. Sometimes it's hard to keep reading. It was such a lifesaver for me, knowing I wasn't alone, and the support and great advise is invaluable. It is really tough getting to know the people and cats and witnessing them go through hell and then lose their battles. There are some success stories though, and they make it worth the pain. When I learned my sweet bottle babies had FeLV I was completely devastated. Two of the litter that had already been adopted out died (that's how we found out the were infected), and I spent my time in a haze of mourning expecting them to die at any minute. I finally decided that was no way to live and it was stressing out all of my animals. I forced myself to shake it off and figure out a way to fight this damn disease. I have made up my mind to appreciate every day I get to spend with all my loved ones, memorizing every nuzzle and purr. Hey, none of us knows when our number will be up, right? To answer your question about running a shelter... I'm just one of those people that seem to attract animals in need, they show up on their own, or a neighbor will bring them to me. It's really sad for me, knowing I can't take any other cats in while I have my FeLV cats. I especially miss being able to be a foster mom to bottle babies, but they're particularly vulnerable to FeLV, so it's out of the question. I'd love to someday have my own rescue "shelter", but for now I have my hands full and my pockets depleted! Take care, Nina Melbeach wrote:
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