Hey Cassandra. What Tomi's going through sounds very similar to what Slinky went through (though his numbers were MUUUUUCH lower and his transfusion really didn't help him any). I would probably keep him on the doxy...I don't think that would hurt. Re: Epogen (Erythropoetin)...I don't know how much you know, but I'll share my limited knowledge and experience. Epogen is the hormone the kidneys produce that stimulates the bone marrow to produce red blood cells. It's typically given for kidney failure...which makes sense since it's there to replace the hormone the kidneys aren't producing. Some people on this list said they have seen it work for cats with felv who are anemic. It didn't really help Slinky at all. The vet was willing to try it but didn't think it would do much since she said (like yours) that his kidneys were probably producing it like crazy but his bone marrow couldn't respond. You can give Epogen at home yourself if you can get a scrip for it (it's given sub-q). One thing to note, since it's a human drug, they can develop antibodies to it. The numbers I've seen are that about 30-40% of cats will develop antibodies. Most of what you'll see online will say that it's given about 3 times a week (sometimes more for severe anemia). However, my vet (who I love and trust completely) did her own research and said that most people only give it once a week for felv cats. The reasoning is that a) cats with felv tend to develop the antibodies more quickly (so if it was going to work, it won't once the antibodies are developed) and b) because the kidneys are probably producing the hormone, by giving an additional dose 3 times a week you can actually overload the bone marrow and make matters worse rather than better. Just some things to keep in mind. Have you looked into anything like Interferon (alpha is the human drug, omega is for cats but is expensive and has to be ordered from another country) or Immuno Regulin? I tried IR with Slinky, but it didn't help. But it may have been that we started it too late. I don't know. There's some good info in the archives about both IR and Interferon. Someone also mentioned Dexamethasone to me for Slinky. It's a stronger steroid that may help stop the body from destroying the RBC's...and could even help him develop more. But since it's stronger, it can also further suppress the immmune system. I dont know much about dex though, so you'd have to look into it first. That's all I know. I hope you can sort everything out and find an effective way to treat Tomi. I'll be praying for you both that he will get better!! Hang in there. *hugs* MJ and Angel Slinky
wendy <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: Hey Cassandra, Since the doxy is so important in treating the hemobart, how long was Tomi on it? It doesn't seem like he's had enought time on the doxy, especially if he did test positive for hemobart. Here is a good article on treating hemobartonella, but it says three weeks for the doxy. I concur with Phaewryn that the doxy might need to be given longer to work with the surpressed immune system, but I can't verify this over the Internet from the limited pages I have seen. All pages say three weeks. Keep doing all your supplements though, especially the lysine. Make sure your lysine has no additives, especially propylene glycol, which causes blood issues in cats. I don't have any advice on trying the Epogen (can't remember the name you wrote; it was something similar). You might talk to an internal veterinarian about this. I know it's hard Cassandra to deal with this on a day to day basis. Just try to make every day you do have the best so that you don't regret anything if Tomi does leave you. And take pictures. They are invaluable. It sounds like you are doing everything you can for Tomi. I will pray for his regained health, and for peace for you. :) Wendy "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world: Indeed it is the only thing that ever has!" ~~~ Margaret Meade ~~~ ____________________________________________________________________________________ Don't get soaked. Take a quick peek at the forecast with the Yahoo! Search weather shortcut. http://tools.search.yahoo.com/shortcuts/#loc_weather "If you talk to the animals they will talk with you and you will know each other. If you do not talk to them you will not know them, and what you do not know you will fear. What one fears, one destroys." --Chief Dan George "I hold that, the more helpless a creature, the more entitled it is to protection by man from the cruelty of man The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated." Mohandas Gandhi (1869-1948) --------------------------------- Be a PS3 game guru. Get your game face on with the latest PS3 news and previews at Yahoo! Games.
