Emily, I think I know how you feel, I just went through a long, hard battle with Casey, my 17 year old. She had a tumor inside her mouth, but that did not kill her, it was the vet's lack of attention to her dehydration and constipation that killed her. I have a friend on another list (for cancer) who is very wiseand I have asked her if our tonic would help Charlie. As soon as I hear from her I will let you know, or she may just contact you directly. In the mean time, I will keep Charlie on my prayer list.
---- "Katherine K." <[email protected]> wrote: > Hi Emily, > > I don't have enough experience to offer you any real insight or advice > about your situation, but I just wanted to let you know that I'm sorry you > and Charlie are going through this right now. I know how it is to be > stressed out and frustrated about tests, vet expenses, and not knowing the > best solution for your little friend. But like you said, it's great that > he's acting like his happy self at the moment. Take video of him doing his > favorite things while he is still happy and healthy, you will enjoy it > later. > > If you are new to the list, searching/browsing the mail archives can be > helpful when considering different treatments, symptoms, etc. > http://www.mail-archive.com/felvtalk%40felineleukemia.org/maillist.html > > Please keep us posted. Sending good thoughts to Charlie! > > Katherine > > > On Mon, Jun 16, 2014 at 10:43 PM, Emily Cordeaux <[email protected]> > wrote: > > > Hi everyone, > > > > I'm looking for some help in determining next steps for our cat Charlie. > > We adopted our beloved Charlie three years ago from a shelter. He is now > > about four years old. We found out in December while doing routine tests > > that he has feline leukemia (at the time trying to figure out the cause of > > his IBS- switching his food ended up doing the trick). We were quite > > surprised- at the time the only symptom that matched were his gums were > > relatively inflamed. > > > > At the end of March / beginning of April Charlie became ill. He lost > > weight and became lethargic. He kept eating but needed me to keep bringing > > his food to him in order for him to eat. He underwent different tests- the > > xrays/blood tests showed that his organs were fine. There was however some > > bacteria in his urine and so we thought it might be an infection. He also > > had a slight fever and his white blood cell count was low. We tried him on > > an injectable antibiotic initially which didn't help, but then switched him > > to Baytril to which he has responded really well. > > > > Charlie started to become sick again once he finished his first round of > > Baytril, and so we put him back on the antibiotic. He also underwent more > > tests- this time there was no bacteria in his urine but his white blood > > cell count was still low. Since this time he has stayed on Baytril (we > > tried him on a stronger antibiotic but he couldn't stomach it and so we > > stayed put). > > > > Charlie for the past few weeks has seemed incredibly well. He is vibrant, > > affectionate, and he eats incredibly well (he's even put on a pound). > > However, his white blood cell count is plummeting. He went from a 3.1 on > > April 2nd, to a 2.7 on May 27th, to 1.8 on June 13th. > > > > At this point it seems as though this isn't the result of an infection, > > but the progression of his leukemia. Our vet has presented us with some > > options moving forward but I'm not sure of what we should do. > > > > What's challenging is that he is so happy and vibrant right now. We're > > really afraid of doing anything that might compromise that. He is his happy > > little cheeky self and we are making the most of every moment. > > > > Our vet has suggested a series of tests (more blood, xray, urine, bone > > marrow) and they don't seem like our best option. Some are really > > invasive-like a bone marrow biopsy-and incredibly costly. We've maxed out > > all our credit options paying for Charlie's treatments so far, and there is > > only so much more we can do. > > > > Our vet has also suggested that we try putting him on steroids to see if > > that boosts his white blood cell count. She mentioned however that if this > > is an aggressive infection (and not the progression of his leukemia) the > > steroid could worsen it. She hinted that this is an option that she would > > at least try. At this point we don't have much to lose, but again we don't > > want to compromise any quality time we do have with Charlie. > > > > Our other option is to just keep him on the Baytril, and let things run > > their course. We could also wait and put him on the steroid once things > > worsen. > > > > I'd really appreciate any insights anyone can provide. This has been > > harder than I ever could have imagined. We've fallen so hard for this > > little guy and it's just been one heartbreaking visit to the vet after > > another. > > > > Thank you in advance. > > > > Emily > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > 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
