Re: Felv and Feline Interferon

[Nina]

Hi Beth, GSD stands for German Shepherd Dog!  (Sorry about that).  All those months of keeping him still after the operation where extremely hard.  Zevon has always been a very active, impulsive fellow, (obviously, what other type would jump off a cliff to take a swim in the ocean?).  He's named after Warren Zevon, because of the song title, "Excitable Boy".  The surgeon had told us that he couldn't be sure that when the casts and splints were removed his legs wouldn't just collapse again.  The cartilage in both front ankles had been stretched and torn which is harder to repair than a bone break.  I was so worried that we were putting him through the torture of holding still, all that pain, all those scary vet visits, just to wind up right back where we started.  It is truly a miracle that he recovered so well.  Zevon just doesn't understand why we should be so concerned about him.  He'll never be able to leap in the air after a tennis ball again, but he not only walks, he runs!  He's the same guy that suffers from Degenerative Myelopathy, (degenerative spinal disease).  He's reaching his 10th birthday and he still chases his brother Koda around the yard.  Nothing stops this guy from enjoying his life, he's an inspiration to everyone that meets him.  Knowing him is one of the many blessings I count when I'm feeling overwhelmed with hardships. I'm so pleased to hear that Moxy doesn't have to be confined to a cage!  You're such a good mom!  Have you tried talking to Blue about how extra careful she has to be around Moxy right now?  Sometimes that does work.  Please send us another update on Moxy when you get the chance. You might want to start the dispensation application procedure with your vet.  It doesn't cost anything to apply, unless your vet charges you for their trouble.  I don't know if it's taking as long as it did when I was applying, but it used to be about 2 months from the time they submitted the paperwork until you could actually get it in your hands.  When/if you do decide to try it, all you'd have to do is order it.  Nina Gary Murphy wrote: Hi Nina,     Glad to have you back online, you were missed!  Haven't had enough caffeine today, what is a "GSD"?  Glad to here he did well, I think Moxy will too, she's a little tuffie and absolutely lives up to her name.  I've been sleeping with her on the floor every few nights when my old middle-aged joints can stand it, playing with her in the evening and allowing her supervised visits with her brothers during their quiet time.  Otherwise, she has free run of the spare bedroom, we took all the furniture out and put it in the frontroom so there would be nothing to jump on and no need for a cage.  Still, she's anxious to be free again.  Another week and she can start coming out a bit, though we'll have to lock up our adult kitty, Blue, while Moxy is out.  Blue is fascinated with the kittens but is just not getting the "play nice" thing.  She was chasing them all over the house, cornering them, hissing, and slapping the poor dears.  Or laying in wait on tall pieces of furniture for them to come walking by unawares, when she would drop straight down on them like a leopard from a tree.  She doesn't bite, she thinks it is all a great game, but she's scaring the **** out of the babies, so I've had to start locking her up during the day for their sanity.  I bought some feliway spray to try, but the only difference I can see is that she doesn't hiss at them anymore and she has an absolute look of joy on her face as she does a flying superman leap into the room, hoping to land on one :oP.     Thanks for the info. on the feline interferon, I can't afford it at this point, but will bring it up with my vet at Will's next visit for blood work (and maybe neutering, though this scares me).  I don't want to offend her, but I'm going to ask if she will refer him to an internest after the surgery, as her knowledge of this treatment is limited.  The only reason I knew to push her to start him on the alpha int. was because of all the wonderful information from you folks on this site.  Perhaps the FDA packet and the hard numbers from that study I found will be enough to convince her (or the internest) to try the omega.     Thanks again, and best wishes for Spencer's good days to continue through October.     Beth