Gloria
At 11:58 AM 4/7/2005, you wrote:
Hi Susan,
I think you're doing a wonderful thing, helping as many, as best you can. Thanks to you and all those who take on so much. What else could anyone ask for? Ah, a perfect world...
The cost of the feline interferon is high, $250 for a full 5 day treatment. Yes, that will exclude so many from it's benefits, but isn't that the way it is in the human world as well? I'm hoping the costs will come down, maybe when it's finally approved. Nina
Susan Loesch wrote:
You know, I tend to wish that, too. Gloria and I are part of the same rescue group and we both are really concerned that this issue has come up with one of our cats. Several years ago I was so freaked out by FIV and Feleuk that when Gloria and I first met over a couple of cats who'd always been indoor who needed a foster home - and, I know now, didn't even need a test - I wouldn't take them until tested. Thanks to what I have learned both from Gloria and from the group, I don't get all that concerned any more. If I didn't have rescue group fosters I'd let my negatives, vaccinated, mix with my positives. I now have a "feline leukemia suite' at my house and have room for about 10 positives. They are separated from the rest of my house only by a screen door - which wouldn't be there if I didn't foster. When I have room I also take really elderly cats in and usually put them in with the feleuks because it is a small, less iimposing group to get used to. I figure that old age will kill them long before feleuk ever would. I have too many to go all-out on expensive treatments - but thanks to our rescue group's vet, who makes everything he can do available to us for very little to no cost, they have great care. Like someone else said, I do subq, some interferon - good basic care, and when that no longer works, I let them go -- after as long and happy a life as I can give them. Would I like to do more? Sure - but like all the rest of you guys, I just have to do the best I can given the circumstances. Ah, in a perfect world...things would be different -- but in a perfect world we wouldn't have feleuk to deal with.
I don't know what I was expecting the feline interferon to cost - but the amount surprised me - our vet is willing to do all the paperwork and run a study using it - but the cost may stop us.
but negatives need to be retested too, because they may have been recently exposed. I just wish now that shelters didn't test at all....
*/TenHouseCats <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>/* wrote:
bottom line seems to be that ANY cat that tests positive for FeLV needs to be retested in 90 days.... the problem, of course, is that what rescue/shelter has the holding capacity for this....
i've been thinking about this for awhile--whether folks with confirmed FeLVs would be willing/able to work with rescues and serve as foster parents during the waiting period. as we know, many cats will retest as negative if given the chance, but the panic induced by the term FeLV makes it hard for rescues to hear about options if they haven't already a plan for dealing with cats who test positive. (i'm working with two breed rescues right now re: developing such a plan... )
another issue involved: we tell people NOT to euthanize their FeLVs because we love ours, but not everyone can handle the emotional and financial demands a FeLV involves--but how many of us realistically can/will offer to take in these saved cats? i don't know what the answer is--tho education is DEFINITELY part of it; i've had both rescues and catparents calm down enough to look at alternatives once they're given accurate information on what FeLV is and isn't, how it's transmitted etc.
i'd really like to see this discussed--even better, to see it solved! (yeah, right.... and how long have i been delusional?)
