Re: ImmunoRegulin/Cricket

[Lernermichelle]

Ok, a few things.   1) Immuno-regulin is supposed to be administered IV, which means getting a vet or vet tech to do it (or a nurse probably-- just someone skilled in IV administration).  A new list member said her vet gives it subcutaneously and that there have been no ill effects. If you want to try that, we can tell you have to give a sub-q shot pretty easily, though it is better to be shown. I would try to get someone to give it IV, though.  I do not believe that IV and sub-q administration do the same thing. Some drugs should not be present in the body outside a vein (like some chemo drugs) and I have no idea whether I-R is one of those. It also may not be as effective sub-q. But if it is all you got, you may want to do it.   2) If the vet put him on pred, it means he thinks the anemia may be the result of an auto-immune reaction where he is killing his red blood cells.  I have two thoughts on this (mind you I am not a medical professional and all the info I have is from treatments my own animals have had, so I may not be correct!).  First, he is hardly producing any red blood cells, which makes me think that the problem lies more in his ability to produce red blood cells than in his destroying them after they are produced.  If this is the case, the only situation I can think of that would make sense to give prednisone is if the reason the bone marrow can not produce red blood cells is due to the presence of lymphoma, because prednisone shrinks lymphoma.  That said, if that is the case, I would not be doing prednisone.  If I were going to do steroids for a cat in this bad shape, I would bring out the big guns and do dexamethasone and depomedrol shots. That is what is used for auto-immune reactions that are severe, and that is what is usually used as a jump-start when trying to shrink lymphoma through the use of steroids (pred is a steroid).  But if it is cancer, you may be wanting to do chemo as well, which can really really help with lymphoma in a lot of cats. My Simon had an RBC count that low and chemo and steroids combined brought it up to 30.  It eventually went back down again, but he was better for a while.  Steroids alone will not be enough to control lymphoma, and giving them before chemo can make the chemo not work as well.   3) Which leads me to my third thought, which is to try to get Cricket to a board-certified internist or an oncologist right away to see if they think it is lymphoma and can be treated.  FeLV+ cats are very susceptible to lymphoma-- I have lost 2 and possibly 3 positive cats to it (one was not definitively diagnosed and my have had dry FIP, but they thought it was lymphoma).  If you would consider chemo, it is worth finding out right away.   4) Finally, I would definitely get him a blood transfusion ASAP.  At 13, they usually recommend that, to buy time while trying other treatments or seeking a diagnosis. Simon had 3 transfusions in 2 weeks before the chemo and steroids kicked in and raised his rbc count sufficiently. He would have died without the transfusions, probably, before the treatments could help.   Hope this helps, Michelle