RE: Treatment for Seizures: TO BARB

[Hideyo Yamamoto]

Actually, my vet never really believed Naomi or Peter had FIP until they died – I was the only one who thought that they did… symptoms were so vague and my doctor thought that Naomi had a late start to grow.. and then, Naomi’s right eye’s started showing neurological symptoms and did not know why.. I wish it was something else.. but I knew.. again,,I had to convince my vet at the end that it was..   From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Susan Hoffman Sent: Wednesday, November 01, 2006 12:29 PM To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Subject: RE: Treatment for Seizures: TO BARB   Were necropsies performed on the ones who died?  That is about the only way to be certain that a cat died of dry FIP.   Some vets jump to the conclusion that they are seeing FIP, others refuse to see it.  But you do need to consider differential diagnoses.  From the Merck vet manual:   "Differential diagnoses of effusive FIP with pleural effusion include cardiac insufficiency, neoplasia (lymphoma), pyothorax, chylothorax, cryptococcosis, lung lobe torsion, diaphragmatic hernia, and trauma (hemothorax). Differential diagnosis of noneffusive FIP includes neoplasia and other systemic infectious diseases such as toxoplasmosis, nocardiosis, actinomycosis, tuberculosis, and deep mycotic disease (cryptococcosis, coccidioidomycosis, histoplasmosis, blastomycosis)."  http://merckvetmanual.com/mvm/index.jsp?cfile=htm/bc/56900.htm   I have heard of situations where people were sure it was FIP but explored other possibilities and it turned out that the cause was not FIP.  FIP is very hard to diagnose except by necropsy so don't be so sure that you're dealing with FIP that you fail to look at other possible explanations. Hideyo Yamamoto <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: It’s clinical and form lab results – low grade intermittent fever, hypergloubmia, anemia (neurological sign (unevitis) on her eye.. I lost her sister Naomi to the same thing.. and also, Peter who was 1.5 years old.. now Rikki is showing some similar symptoms (lost weight, hypergloubmia, anemic..)  -she has been responding very well to feline interferon for the past two months…   From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Susan Hoffman Sent: Wednesday, November 01, 2006 11:51 AM To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Subject: RE: Treatment for Seizures: TO BARB   The "we gotta talk" was directed at Barb re meningioma.  However....   To Hideyo:  Dry FIP absolutely can cause neurological problems, including seizures.  But how was FIP diagnosed?  I know how hard it is to diagnose dry FIP while a cat is still living.  What other possibilities have been looked at?    With FIP there really are no options.  But there are other conditions wiith similar symptoms that would leave open the possibility of cure or treatment.     Hideyo Yamamoto <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: Well… there is no way that I am going to find out what is causing her seizurers.. she has FIP.. so it could be that.. or she is taking on epogen.. and I know it can cause it, too.. given said.. what are the options?  Nothing?   From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Susan Hoffman Sent: Wednesday, November 01, 2006 10:55 AM To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Subject: Re: Treatment for Seizures: Dharma   OK, we gotta talk.  What type of seizures, what frequency, what led to the vet suspecting meningioma?  Connie has dramatic grand mal seizures but has been maintained successfully on phenobarbitol for about 10 months now.  We ruled out FIV, FeLV, FIP, toxoplasmosis with blood work but have not done the diagnostics to see if a brain tumor is involved. Barb Moermond <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: Oof, that's tough, seizures are so hard to watch.  Depending on the underlying cause of the seizures, there are different meds.  Phenobarb is usually the first one reached for.  Personally, when Ninja had seizures and the occurrance accelerated, all we knew was that she was FeLV+ and had a grade 3 heart murmur.  The vet put her on a prednisone taper.  The thought being that if there's a growth or swelling of some sort, the steroid would lessen it.  Well, we learned that with Ninja and whatever was causing her seizures, that 5mg of prednisone twice a day was the only thing that held them at bay.  We were unable to taper the dosage without her spiraling into what I called her 'bad days'.  After about 2.5 months of this, the prednisone wasn't enough and we added phenobarbital to her mix and her last 2 months were seizure-free.  Based on the type of seizure she had and the frequency and the drugs that were able to control them, the vet believed she had a meningioma (a type of brain tumor). That's all I know about seizures in cats and treating them.  Hope it helps!   Barb+Smoky the House Puma+El Bandito Malito "My cat the clown: paying no mind to whom he should impress. Merely living his life, doing what pleases him, and making me smile." - Anonymous   ----- Original Message ---- From: Hideyo Yamamoto <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]; felvtalk@felineleukemia.org; CRF Family <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Wednesday, November 1, 2006 8:31:16 AM Subject: Treatment for Seizures: Dharma Dharma had a couple of seizures last night – it could be from epogen, or dex shot, or from FIP – I was reading about the treatment – and if underlying the cause of seizures is difficult to treat (which can be the case with Dharma if FIP is causing it, it suggest as follows:   Phenobarbital is considered the initial drug of choice for feline epilepsy. Diazepam (valium) may also be effective but is more likely to cause liver problems. The dosage must be adjusted individually to minimize side-effects.- do you have any experience with any  -- if epogen is causing seizures which is a possibility, does it mean I should not give it to her anymore?:   I will be making a call to the vet this morning.. but any insight maybe appreciated.