lorrie, thanks for this post. sometimes it may seem as if i'm anti-vet, when i most decidedly am NOT. i am against vets not keeping up with the research when presented with a positive test result. i know that it's totally unrealistic for every vet to be up-to-date on every species' problems, and considering how low the incidence of FeLV actually is, i'm not that surprised when a vet doesn't know for sure what the state-of-the-art is. HOWEVER, when they don't go and look it up, or ask colleagues, and just go for the easy out or spout information that was probably NEVER considered accurate, well, those are the vets i want to go after.
back in 2000, when my cats were all inadvertently exposed, i had JUST learned that FeLV wasn't airborne, and that having an infected cat breathe through a screen at my cats wouldn't infect them. it wasn't til a few months later when i was looking to adopt a paralyzed kitty from a vet that i learned that if she vaccinated him with the full series, he'd be fine, even if mine DID come down with the infection later on! i didn't know at that time how incredibly lucky i was to have found such a vet..... i'm SO glad to hear stories about the vets who care to find out the answers. please go to www.adopt.bemikitties.com and post this vet's info for all--hopefully, someday, we'll have a full database for whenever anyone gets that first, scary diagnosis...... (i'm moving to a new city, and planning on holding interviews while determining who my vet there will be!) MC On Mon, Feb 23, 2009 at 10:53 AM, Lorrie <felineres...@kvinet.com> wrote: > Thanks for your post Carmen. It was very comforting. Vets are > entirely too quick to suggest euthanasia for FelV pos. cats. This > fall I adopted out a FelV pos kitten to a wonderful couple who also > had two other cats, not positive for FelV. The first vet at their > cinic told them not to take the kitten, so they brought him back to > me with tears in their eyes. Then two weeks later they returned to get > the kitten, because the other vet in that clinic they go to told them > to get their neg. cats vaccinated, and go ahead and bring home the > kitten, as it wasn't that contagious. I just visited them yesterday > and their positive kitten looks wonderful. He is healthy and happy > and has a super good home with them. I can thank this second vet who > was so much better informed than his partner was. > > Lorrie > > > On 02-21, Carmen Conklin wrote: I am writing in response to Lauries > > note about Isabella. I have had several negative FeLV cats that > > have been mixed with the FeLV positives over the years and NONE of > > them ever acquired a positive status to the FeLV. It is definitely > > NOT an airborne disease in any way and it takes a very prolonged > > exposure for any negative cats to even possibly acquire the FeLV > > UNLESS they are bitten and direct blood is passed. Most adult cats > > are simply immune to FeLV and IF exposed at all, simply shed it > > off-they do not test postive even if living with those kitties. We > > have worked with hundreds of FeLV kitties over the last 25 years, > > and the non positives who lived with even the sympomatic positives > > did not become positive in their long lifetimes. One recently died > > of old age-not FeLV. Anyway, most people and some vets still have a > > pretty healthy fear of FeLV, but for those of us who have worked > > with these wonderful kitties for awhile and have them for companion > > animals, experience is a great calmer of all fears of FeLV > > positives. Carmen _______________________________________________ > > Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org > > http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org > > _______________________________________________ > Felvtalk mailing list > Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org > http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org > -- Spay & Neuter Your Neighbors! Maybe That'll Make The Difference.... MaryChristine Special-Needs Coordinator, Purebred Cat Breed Rescue (www.purebredcats.org) Member, SCAT (Special-Cat Action Team) _______________________________________________ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
