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I must have missed this conversation, but coming late into it... here
goes:
The serious side effect of the FELV vaccine your vet is worried about is
most likely CANCER. The specific form of cancer associated with the FELV (and
RABIES) vaccine is called Vaccine Associated FibroSarcoma
(VAS). Sources quote the risk of VAS is from 1 in
every 1,000 to 1 in every 20,000 cats vaccinated (the risks are
HUGE, regardless of source). Vaccines containing adjuvant, a component to
stimulate the immune system, are at least 5 times more likely to cause a VAS.
Adjuvanted vaccines have been demonstrated to
induce mutation in cell cultures. Adjuvanted Rabies, Distemper and
Feline Leukemia vaccines have been classified as Class II carcinogens by the
World Health Organization! VAS is 100% fatal if
the tumor is between the shoulder blades. With surgical removal, radiation
therapy and chemotherapy survival time is less than 3 years. If the tumor is in
the distal part of the rear leg, amputation, plus radiation, & chemo may be
curative in 20% of cases. Non-adjuvanted vaccines are available for cats for all
preventable diseases including Rabies, Distemper, Rhinotracheitis, Calici virus
and Feline Leukemia, and are considered safer. Over 22,000 cats in the
U.S. die from VAS every year, many from vaccinations they did not even
need.
I absolutely DO NOT give my cats FELV vaccines (I did
before I read all about them and the risks, and before I learned that they are
pointless in adult cats). I also limit the Rabies to once every 3 years (or
longer, to be honest), and only give herpesvirus 1 (FHV1, also known as
Rhinotracheitis), feline calicivirus (FCV), feline panleukopenia virus (FPV) to
KITTENS, once at 10 weeks and once more at 5 months of age. "Booster vaccines" or annual re-administration of modified
live virus vaccines do not provide added protection. In previously
vaccinated adult animals the antibodies from previous vaccinations block the new
vaccine. Antibody levels are not increased, memory cells are not increased.
Note that you MUST be sure your vet does not give your cat a 4 in 1 or 5
in 1 vaccine that contains Chlamydophila felis (also known as Chlamydia
psittaci)! Some vets will give a "combo vaccine" that contains this, and it is
NOT a recommended vaccine in cats (it is very rare, and the vaccine only
provides a month of protection, and the side effects are severe and as high as
3%)! Some "combo" vaccines also contain FELV. Not recommended either, the FELV
vaccine, if given at all, should ALWAYS be given ALONE, on the outside
of a lower rear leg. Which brings us back to the FELV vaccine...
Healthy cats develop a NATURAL immunity against the FELV virus at about
a year of age. Cats over one year of age are naturally 89% immune
to FeLV (age related resistance) whether they are vaccinated or not.
IN addition, the FELV vaccine only has a 75-85% efficacy
rate (and this may be partially due to natural immunity already
developed before the vaccine was even given).
Now, on to part two:
As for the immune boosting drugs you can ask your vet to
give (or have him prescribe so you can give them) to your
cat...
Have you seen the main treatment webpage yet? It's
at: http://www.felineleukemia.org/treatmnt.html and
it's well worth the look. True, it can be hard to convince a vet that has no
experience to try something new. Perhaps you could phrase it so that he has
little to lose by trying, such as "I know you are telling me that these
treatments are unproven, but I am willing to give anything a shot. I don't
expect a miracle, and I wont hold you in any way responsible for any results or
side effects of these treatments, but I want to try SOMETHING, and many people
are saying these things can help. Can you offer me anything that would be more
effective than any of these treatments? If not, then would you please just TRY
them, for me, and for my cat? She really doesn't have anything to lose at this
point, FELV is generally terminal. Can't you please just give these new
experimental treatments a chance? Maybe you could look at this as an
experimental study, we could both benefit from it, as a learning experience.
Please, try it, for me and for my cat!"
In addition, MANY members here also supplement with various
vitamins, and herbal supplements. Lysine is
one that comes to mind, as well as Vitamin C. B-Complex
vitamins can sometimes give a sick cat a boost as well. I believe I've
also heard of co-enzyme-Q10 being used on this list. Others
will pop up and add suggestions. I know many people here swear by a supplement
called Rescue Remedy, and another one
called Transfer Factor. But by far and away, the most used
treatment for non-symptomatic cats with FELV (to boost the immune system so they
stay non-symptomatic and healthy) is Interferon-A, which you
can read about on the Treatment webpage I posted
above.
I hope that helps you get to the bottom of some of your questions. The info
is out there, and freely available online. I suggest the Google Search Engine at
http://google.com for looking up more info (mind
you, you have to dig through pages of crap to find what you're seeking
often)
Sorry if I repeated info posted before I re-joined the list... not trying
to step on any toes here!
Phaewryn Please adopt a cat from Little Cheetah Cat Rescue!!! http://ucat.us/adopt.html
Low cost Spay&Neuter services in VT, and Emergency Financial Assistance for cat owners: http://ucat.us/VermontLowCost.html Special Needs Cat Resources: http://ucat.us/domesticcatlinks.html The Sofa Poem: http://ucat.us/sofapoem.html Find us on PETFINDER! http://petfinder.com/shelters/VT44.html |
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