Michelle and I were just talking about the possible effects of administering the feline interferon (VO) protocol before surgery. We don't know, but we're thinking there may be a chance that it will bolster their systems enough to keep their immune systems strong through the stress of surgery. I wish the stuff were cheaper and easier to get, hopefully someday soon, it will be. Maybe we can appeal to Virbac (the manufacturer) for some kind of group rate for the list members. It might be worth a try.
Nina
Jen Meyer wrote:
Hi Amy!
I'm so sorry to hear about Shelby! I, too, had a cat with a mass that turned out to be in the juction between his stomach and small intenstines (the doctors, at first, thought it was his spleen). I found a way to pay for the surgery to remove the mass...but, unfortunately, with Feleuk cats, treatment can be a "damned if you do, damned if you don't" scenerio...the surgery removed the mass, but the *stress* of the surgery gave the leukemia a chance to take hold and Pips became anemic towards the end. He also had lymphoma which didn't respond to the chemo that we started shortly after his surgery. I'm sorry to say that we lost Pips only a few weeks after his surgery... :(
I honestly don't know what I would have done differently given what I know now...perhaps skipped the surgery and gone with pred and chemo and just have made him as comfortable as possible...it's hard to say...
I'm sending out positive vibes for you both...this virus just really, really sucks...
