Good for you for taking care of Kiwi--he sounds like a spunky little guy. Whatever you do for him is more than most would have done and we all just try to do the best we can depending on our circumstances. I have 2 FELV + and one, Romeo, absolutely freaks out if I have to take him to vet. I've only done a few trips with him because of that--it would be good if I could get him there more regularly but the stress to him is not worth it. He's an older guy and I know with him, I have to watch his teeth/gums as he's prone to infections. My other FELV+, Tucson, is more mellow about going to vet but still finds it pretty stressful. I know with her, if she turns her nose up at food, something's going on and I need to check her white blood count.
I made a decision based on their personalities, etc. that the very best I could do for both of them was to give them some decent food, keep them safe at home, etc. I know them well enough to sense when something is up. You shouldn't have to bring Kiwi for regular blood tests and I don't bring mine in for "yearly" checkups. Save vet trips for when you know something's really not right... If vet prescribes meds, have him give u a prescription and consider buying online or even at regular drug store--oftentimes, meds are cheaper that way. Maybe for the diahrea, start by bringing stool sample for testing to vet first. Its cheaper and this way if you do have to bring Kiwi in, he'll have some ideas about what is or is not going on. In the meantime, get him to eat anything that he'll keep down and make sure he has plenty of fluids--water, water from tuna can, moist "people" food like chicken, etc. Try not to change the food he eats too often--if you have to, mix the old food w. the new as change of food can also cause diahrea. Look around for some really good food for him--doesn't have to be the most expensive food but watch for fillers that don't have any nutritional value. If he eats chicken fine, then maybe supplement dry food with cooked chicken--and it doesn't have to be chicken breast--my guys LOVE the dark meet I peel off chicken legs, etc. Christiane Biagi [EMAIL PROTECTED] -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Sunday, August 24, 2008 3:56 AM To: [email protected] Subject: [Felvtalk] Kiwi Will only take him to the vets as needed. I am a little worried because he is a bit thin and has the runny stools that he might have some type of deficiency. He might need it this time just to see where he stands. He hasn't seen a vet since he was fixed. _______________________________________________ Felvtalk mailing list [email protected] http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org _______________________________________________ Felvtalk mailing list [email protected] http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
