On Apr 8, 2005 5:16 PM, Sue Feldbusch <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
Baytril usually works bests to treat hemobart.
>From: Nina <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
>Reply-To: [email protected]
>To: [email protected]
>Subject: Re: Brissle Update - Good News and Bad News
>Date: Thu, 07 Apr 2005 20:14:54 -0700
>
>Yea Michelle! (Don't you just love her?).
>Kyle, I'd forgotten we were talking about the vet with questionable
>manhood.
>
>My Grace was tested for Hemobart and it came up negative, my vet (an
>internist, btw), suspected it and put her on Dox anyway. She tells me the
>different blood parasites need to be tested for specifically, (part of what
>makes detection difficult) and it could be something else. If Brissle does
>have Hemobartinella, it is very hard to get rid of. The Dox doesn't kill
>it; it inhibits the growth. This is why it is usually prescribed for
>long-term periods, unlike Amoxi, or Clavomox. In a patient with an
>otherwise healthy immune system, (count our guys out), the antibiotic keeps
>the parasite under control until the immune system can mount an attack that
>hopefully gets rid of it completely. It's notorious for appearing to be
>gone, sometimes for years, and then when the immune system is compromised
>with something else, wham, it's back. Dox is suppose to be given 2x daily,
>because it , oh, I forget the word, it clears from the system after 12
>hours. Grace, however, seems to do great on it just once a day. A word of
>warning, the compounded Dox tastes just vile. I just spent $86 bucks on
>some the other day, and the reaction from my girls was so bad, (even with
>adding banana flavor to cut the bitterness), I'm back to the pills.
>
>I'm pulling for you and Brissle,
>Nina
>
>Melbeach wrote:
>
>>Thanks Michelle! Something told me you'd straighten me out! Everything you
>>said makes sense. I really do need to see a specialist. I'll look for an
>>intern tomorrow.
>>You know, I knew I should have asked for a hemobart test. We never had one
>>in the first place. Brissle was on Baytril, then Dox for the first two
>>weeks, but that's it. I stopped before starting the VO. So it's been about
>>three weeks. Since she was making good progress and wasn't on antibiotics
>>for three weeks, it didn't dawn on me that hemobart could still be a
>>problem. It might make sense to go back on dox and have a blood test
>>later.
>> L/M stands for Lymph/Mono or Lymphocytes. That's what my vet was most
>>concerned about. Here's a description: "These smooth, round white blood
>>cells increase in number with chronic infection, recovery from acute
>>infection or underactive glands and decrease with stress, or treatment
>>with steroids and chemotherapy drug." So these would go up with WBC I
>>assume. I also noticed the comment on the lab results: "Buffy Coat (3)
>>Lymph/Mono layer has not separated distinctly from the other cell layers,
>>possibly due to inadequate staining. Confirm differential results with a
>>blood smear." So maybe there was a test error or maybe her number is so
>>bad it threw off the software?
>> Just a silly question on finding an intern. Do interns actually take
>>clients themselves? Or would I need to go through the hospital? I'm just
>>not sure how that works.
>> Thanks again Michelle. You're awesome! I appreciate your insight.
>> -Kyle
>>
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> *From:* [EMAIL PROTECTED] <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
>> *To:* [email protected]
>> <mailto:[email protected]>
>> *Sent:* Thursday, April 07, 2005 8:37 PM
>> *Subject:* Re: Brissle Update - Good News and Bad News
>>
>> Kyle,
>> I am at a loss to understand why your vet thinks it's cancer
>> in the bone marrow. First, if she has cancer (it would be
>> lymphoma) in the bone marrow, that would have been causing the
>> anemia and it would NOT have gone away from Immuno-regulin and VO.
>> A transfusion might have helped a little, but it would not have
>> made her hematocrit improve that amount for that many weeks. When
>> lymphoma in the bone marrow causes anemia, it is because it takes
>> up space in the bone marrow that is usually used to make red blood
>> cells. Without killing off the lymphoma, you can not increase
>> production of red blood cells. Transfusions increase red blood
>> cells artificially by adding them in, but red blood cells do not
>> live that long and so a transfusion can not increase HCT that much
>> or for very long in a cat whose bone marrow is so compromised that
>> red blood cell production is down to the point that HCT is 9.7. I
>> am not a doctor, but after going through what I went through with
>> Simon, who had lymphoma in his bone marrow, I am pretty positive I
>> am right on this. Second, when lymphoma takes over bone marrow,
>> it also compromises white blood cell production, and so causes WBC
>> count to go down, not up. For these two reasons, I really doubt
>> she has lymphoma. By all means, though, I would take her to a
>> specialist, an internist or an oncologist. I would probably go to
>> an internist, because that person would be more likely to tell
>> what else is going on if it is not cancer.
>> I have no idea what L/M stands for. But to me, it sounds
>> like she could have hemobartonella-- was she screened for that? It
>> can sometimes be hard to detect. That can be combatted with dox,
>> which I think you had Brissle on?, and I would think also the
>> immune stimulants you gave her (I-R and VO), and because
>> it behaves like an infection if it is not entirely gone it would
>> make WBC go up (infections do that) while suppressing HCT (because
>> it kills red blood cells). Again, I would take her to an
>>internist. They are usually at
>> hospitals and places called veterinary referral centers. I could
>> be talking out my ear, but I have learned a lot about lymphoma and
>> anemia, through unfortunate means, over the last few years, and
>> what you wrote your vet said makes no sense to me.
>> Michelle
>> In a message dated 4/7/05 6:50:46 PM Eastern Daylight Time,
>> [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes:
>>
>> I just spoke with my vet after Brissle's blood tests from
>> today. The good
>> news: Her HCT is now 21.3%, up from 9.7% five weeks ago. The
>> bad news: Her WBC
>> is now 36.8, up from 17.3 (normal is 5.0 to 18.9). And her L/M
>> is now 24.4
>> (normal is 1.5 to 7.8), up from 9.0. Both of these numbers are
>> off the chart.
>>
>>
>>
>> My vet said that all signs point to cancer and he's strongly
>> recommending
>> sending Brissle to a specialist for chemo. He said that her
>> glands felt
>> normal. He believes that the cancer is in the bone marrow.
>> Everything else
>> seems normal at this point. She's eating fine, energy is good.
>>
>>
>>
>> I will probably go ahead with the chemo. Just wanted to hear
>> what the peanut
>> gallery thought. I'm also wondering how much it costs and how
>> often you have
>> to go.
>>
>>
>>
>> Thanks!
>>
>> -Kyle
>>
>>
>>
>
>
--
MaryChristine
AIM / YAHOO: TenHouseCats
MSN: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
ICQ: 289856892
