I'm sorry that Mao is ill. At least if he is still showing his happy
personality, you know that he's not giving up on himself yet.
Praying for Mao that he pulls through this and stays with you for quite
awhile longer.
Cassandra
----- Original Message -----
From: "Nathan Kennedy" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: <felvtalk@felineleukemia.org>
Sent: Tuesday, April 03, 2007 10:59 AM
Subject: Late FeLV diagnosis
Yesterday I got the bad news that my boy Mao was FeLV+. This was the
worst-case scenario and one that I had dismissed because he tested
negative when I rescued him from the street as a baby in October, as had
the only other cat he had contact with.
He saw the vet on his first visit, the next day for vaccinations and a
checkup, a few weeks later for boosters, again for a nasty fever in
December that cleared up shortly afterwards, and in January for neutering.
Other than the fever, the only problems he had were recurring diarrhea
that I tried to manage by modifying his diet and an occasional fit of
whooping that the vet had dismissed as hairballs. Those worried me a bit,
but the vet's clean bill of health, his big appetite, energy, and growth
all reassured me.
Until recently. Mao seemed to dull a bit, and started snoring during his
naps. Over the past week, Mao developed a nasty case of earmites and
increased trouble breathing, progressing into fits of gasping for air.
Since he had no runny nose and his temperature was normal, I thought it
might be asthma. I took him to the vet on Saturday, and he took a blood
sample and X-rayed him, finding a constriction in his trachea. He
prescribed prednisone to try to make it easier for him to breathe as well
as treatment for the mites. Then Sunday night, Mao almost instantly
developed a horrible eye infection. The third eyelid of his right eye
closed over and swelled up, blinding him in that eye and making it
impossible for him to close it--meanwhile, his breathing deteriorated. He
went back to another vet in the morning, and got eyedrops and ointment as
well as antibiotics. It wasn't until later in the afternoon I got the
call that he had tested FeLV+.
Mao's breathing is not improving. The slightest exertion is enough to
send him into a loud fit of labored gasping, and when he is not napping
every breath is strained--he can't climb his scratching post anymore,
which used to be his favorite perch. Despite all that, he still wakes me
up in the morning purring and rubbing my face. He still likes to eat and
pauses between bites of his favorite food to give me his happy look
through his squinting, red eyes. He has always been such a happy cat, and
it still shows through all his suffering.
But if his condition doesn't get any better I don't think he can last much
longer. It's hard to see this happen to Mao at such a young age (not even
8 months yet). The vet who diagnosed him told me that he could have
gotten FeLV shortly before I found him and tested negative. I didn't
think I would lose him so soon.
--
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