OOOOOOOOOOOOHHHH, NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO , Kerry, please tell me it's not true!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Kerry, I am sorry, but I can't deal with the fact that Flavia is gone, Kerry. I am so sad and can't barely think right now - oh my gosh.................. I am so sorry, I am supposed to be comforting you, but I have been attached to her so much through you, and can't accept the fact that she is gone, Kerry. I am just mess right now, Kerry and I am sorry for not being strong for you - I just want to cry with you.
I wish I were right there to comfort you, I wish I could hold Flavia in my arm, Kerry. What a sweet girl she has been and she is - she probably wanted to say good bye to you before you left - Kerry, may I have her picture? I would like to keep it as a memory of the most precious baby of yours and mine - Kerry, don't be too sad, I know Flavia's soul is right there with you, she can probably now travel with you, too. I just love her so much through you, Kerry - and I miss her so terribly - Love forever for Flavia, Hideyo -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Kerry MacKenzie Sent: Wednesday, July 06, 2005 11:35 AM To: [email protected] Subject: Please add Flavia to CLS Belinda Dear all My sweet, gorgeous little girl Flavia is gone. It all happened so quickly. When I went in to check on her at 9.30am (she had seemed fine at 6am and later), she was hiding in the carrier, and seemed to be breathing more rapidly than the others. I also noticed than someone had vomited--a first, if my memory serves me right, since they all arrived in December 2003. I figured it was probably Flavia. Someone else has also been urinating a little over the past few days out of the box--again, a first. I thought it was probably Flavia. So, seeing her fast breathing, I panicked, and took her immediately to the vet I saw yesterday, Dr Teuber, and she confirmed that her respiratory rate had increased since yesterday. We ran a PCV, and it had plummeted to 10, from 16 1/2 at 4pm yesterday. I actually think Flavia was ready. She didn't want to play at all last night (she hasn't been able to play the way she used to--leaping in the air to catch the "bug"--for a few weeks, presumably because she hasn't had the energy). Her quality of life was going downhill. It's a pity we didn't get a chance to use the IR, which I had had fedexed to 2 clinics. (Her IR would have probably begun later this week--I had the housecall vet set up, and just had to set a schedule.) I was/am a mess, but Flavia and I had a long cuddle, which was really lovely, and helped a lot, for which I am very grateful. The vet was a wonderful woman, who I only met yesterday (Dr Teuber at Higgins, Belinda--do tell your Chicago friend.). Looks like I may not have terminated my relationship with Higgins after all... I am grateful that Flavia gave me the signs today, while I was still here and able to help her.act on it immediately. The thought of her fighting for breath for hours, or suffering in any way, while I was gone, and no one here apart from the petsitter 30 mins a day, was not something I could accept. (I did not want to hospitalize her.) I'm going to miss her terribly. I loved that little soul. I've been a bit of a mess over the thought of losing her for the last 2 weeks, and shed more tears than I thought humanly possible. She was a tabby, very feminine, elfin-faced, with streaks of auburn and coffee and cream on her underside and a long, beautiful, elegant tail. Last night I stroked her with a feather for a long time and she really enjoyed it--stretching luxuriously. And, of course, she became much more willing to be stroked and held over the past few days. Thanks to everyone for their prayers and good wishes. If I'm not in touch again today, I send lots of healing vibes for all the sick kitties, and I'll be in touch again the weekend of the 23rd. Goodbye, my gorgeous Flavia. Kerry ----- Original Message ----- From: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Wednesday, July 06, 2005 10:52 AM Subject: Re: Felvtalk Digest, Vol 5, Issue 3...for Michelle L. > Dear Michelle L.: > > There is no point (and much risk) in vaccinating an immune-compromised cat > who is FIV+ or FeLV+. Vaccinations are an assault of sorts to the immune system > and can be detrimental to even a cat with a normal immune system. There is > much good info about the risks of vaccines on the website Holisticat.com, or I > would recommend highly the book by Dr. Martin Goldstein, The Nature of Animal > Healing. > > Some vets do still believe that the FIV and FeLV viruses are related, but > more recent research tends to show they are not just substrains of the same > virus. The best that we can do for immune-compromised cats is to provide them with > the healthiest possible diet, provide immune support and protect them from > exposure as best we can to undue stress to their immune system due to emotional > challenges, enviromental toxins or other cats that may carry pathogens that > their immune system cannot withstand. Other cats are really more of a threat to > the FIV+ or FeLV+ cat than vice versa. > > I have not done much research on FIV, but got a crash course on FeLV in > '03-04 with two unrelated kittens I rescued in Oct. and Nov. '02 who turned out to > be FeLV+. The strain of FeLV virus (call it FeLV-A) that cats pass one to > another causes significant immune suppression, but little else. It is through > recombining with a cat's DNA and mutating that the more virulent subgroups > occur, the FeLV-A+B that is associated with lymphoma or other cancers and FeLV-A+C > that is associated with nonregenerative anemia/leukemia. In the worse case > scenario it is possible for both subgroups to develop to FeLV-A+B+C. At present > the mechanism which prompts such mutations is not known. This explains why > some cats live for years, even with the virus in their bone marrow, while > others crash and succumb early on. Have you found out there is a similar > progression for cats who are FIV+? In general, they seem to have a better prognosis > for long-term survival than do FeLV+ cats and I have always wondered if there is > any research out there to suggest why this may be the case. I also wonder if > the concept of viral load is a pertinent one with FIV and FeLV, as it is > where corona viruses like Panleukopenia and FIP are concerned. > > Since your three cats have already been together long-term, unless they are > hostile toward each other and prone to fighting, I would not separate them but > just keep the stress in their lives as minimal as possible, provide a healthy > natural diet with immune support and supplements to address any symptoms they > may have. And, of course, LOVE them one day at a time. I would NOT vaccinate > them for FeLV or FIV, respectively. The FeLV vaccine has been implicated in > causing a latent infection to become an active one. Most holistic vets whose > books I've read do not consider the FIV vaccine to be safe, either. > > Sally in San Jose >
