Anna, you've already gotten some good advice. Anemia will make her feel
rotten. Treating that with nutrived could help her feel better. Or try
Pet-Tinic but also give her some folic acid. I've given anemic kitties
NutriVed, folic acid, Super B complex and B-12. Be sure to follow up any med
with a syringe of food or water.
Make sure she is eating enough food to maintain her body wt. That may mean
assist feeding. There is a great yahoo group to help.
http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/Feline-Assisted-Feeding/
You can try some gently warmed meat baby food (no onions or garlic). It is
easy to syringe feed.
You can check to see if she is dehydrated by checking her gums. If they are
slick she is OK. If they are tacky she is dehydrated. That will also make her
feel lousy. You can give sub q fluids at home. I buy the fluids by the case
from my local pharmacy. The IX sets and Terumo ultra thin wall needles are
available on line. Here are some links that will help
Sophia
Gets Her Subcutaneous (Sub Q) Fluids
http://www.tinyurl.com/63max
Go here for info on sub q fluid supplies
http://www.zzcat.com/CRF/supplies/index.html
Hiding doesn't man this is the end. Just that Sylvia isn't feeling well. Do
try to get some food into here.
Sharyl
________________________________
From: Anna Waltman <[email protected]>
To: [email protected]
Sent: Saturday, April 21, 2012 1:25 PM
Subject: [Felvtalk] sick FLV+ kitty, worried owner
Dear all,
I've been a member of this list since 2009, when Sylvia, the older of my two
(strictly indoor-only) cats, was first diagnosed with FLV (she'd tested
negative twice as a kitten, then at just over a year old came up positive on
both the snap and IFA tests). We have a great vet, and she's been a happy,
healthy, fat, and sassy calico cat for most of her life. I haven't been very
active on this list in the last year or so because Sylvia has been so healthy,
apart from a case of gingivitis that our vet and I were monitoring carefully.
She's about four years old now, and was originally a stray kitten in an urban
area. I adopted her from an ASPCA in New Jersey. The vet thinks she got the
virus from her mama and it was dormant in her system until the stress of moving
from NJ to MA caused it to turn active.
Unfortunately, her run of good health seems to be over. Toward the end of
March, she started having diarrhea and seemed lethargic, so I took her to the
vet, who said she didn't have a fever, but gave her a shot of systemic
antibiotics and some subcutaneous fluids anyway. Her energy levels rose and the
diarrhea resolved itself. However, Sylvia's energy levels took a nosedive again
this past week, and she's been totally lethargic. She started hiding in my
roommate's closet and spent an entire night in there on Wednesday. She's been
refusing to play with my other cat, Beatrice, and hissed last time Beatrice
tried to convince her to play chase (not normal at all-- these two have always
been good buddies and playmates).
Yesterday, we went back to the vet. This time, she did have a high fever (105)
and the vet did blood work, which showed anemia and a high white blood cell
count. The vet said all signs point to infection and suggested antibiotics and
fluids, but she also wanted to do x-rays to check for tumors...then she also
said that even if a tumor showed itself, there would be no treatment options
and we'd have to discuss euthanasia. I opted against the x-rays as I'm on a
limited budget and couldn't really see the point if the tests wouldn't lead to
treatment. We decided to do another round of the injected systemic antibiotics
and sub-Q fluids, and the vet also gave me an oral antibiotic to dose Sylvia
with once a day. I'm going to purchase a thermometer so I can monitor her
temperature daily, as well. I'm under strict instructions to bring her back in
if her temp rises or stays where it is. We go back on Wednesday for another
round of blood work, to see if the
anemia and white blood cell count are improving or getting worse.
I'm a mess. I'm so worried; I broke down crying in the vet's office yesterday
before the vet even came in to see Sylvia. And poor Sylvia has been hiding
under my bed since we got home yesterday. She's not interested in cuddles or
attention (which is not even a little normal for her-- most of the time, she'd
spend her whole evening curled up on my lap if given the chance). She'll come
out to eat (she's still interested in treats) and get a drink of water, and
then she goes right back under the bed to sleep. I realize that this is
instinct...when animals are very sick they have to hide to protect themselves
from predators...but she's never been so adamant about being out of sight
before this week.
Have any of you dealt with this in a FLV+ cat before? Any advice for how to
cope? Is there some other remedy I should be giving her (Lysine, pet-tinic,
etc) in addition to the antibiotics while she's sick to bolster her immune
system? She eats high-quality food to begin with (Wellness CORE and
occasionally Wellness wet food). Also...how do I know when her quality of life
has deteriorated to the point that euthanasia is something to consider? She's
not herself now, that's for sure, but she doesn't seem to be in pain, either.
When she's been in pain in the past because of her mouth/gums, she's been quite
vocal about it. I just don't want her to suffer needlessly.
This has been breaking my heart. Sylvia is my first cat as an adult (I'm 25 and
in grad school); she's outlived two serious relationships, the whole of my
Master's degree work, and a major move. I'm more attached to her than I've ever
been to an animal. When she was diagnosed with FLV I was devastated and wracked
with guilt, since I'd recently adopted a kitten into our household thinking
Sylvia was totally healthy. (Luckily, the kitten, Beatrice, has remained
negative-- she gets retested and vaccinated annually-- and has grown into an
active and healthy indoor cat.)
Those of you with more experience owning FLV+ cats: any help or advice you can
offer would be greatly appreciated. Many thanks in advance!
All the best,
Anna, Sylvia, and Beatrice
--
Anna E. Waltman
PhD student & Teaching Associate
Department of English and American Literature
University of Massachusetts, Amherst
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