Randy
I really don?t know. I have only had experience with the pills which
I
found very effective. As a compromise option, I would take if that is
the
only way the vet will agree to proceed.
Amani
*From:* Felvtalk [mailto:[email protected]] *On
Behalf
Of *Randy Henke
*Sent:* December-19-16 9:46 AM
*To:* [email protected]
*Subject:* Re: [Felvtalk] FW: Questioning FELV diagnosis
Hi Amani,
I have a call in to our vet now about the Winstrol and Doxycycline.
I've
read that there is also the option of getting a weekly shot of
Winstrol as
opposed to the pills. If our vet balks at prescribing the pills but
would
be willing to give her the shot would it still work as well?
On Fri, Dec 16, 2016 at 7:12 PM, Amani Oakley wrote:
Wishing you luck.
Amani
*From:* Felvtalk [mailto:[email protected]] *On
Behalf
Of *Randy Henke
*Sent:* December-16-16 8:12 PM
*To:* [email protected]
*Subject:* Re: [Felvtalk] FW: Questioning FELV diagnosis
Thank you, Amani! I'll see what I can do to convince the vet on
Monday.
On Fri, Dec 16, 2016 at 6:54 PM, Amani Oakley wrote:
1 mg 2 times a day.
Amani
*From:* Felvtalk [mailto:[email protected]] *On
Behalf
Of *Randy Henke
*Sent:* December-16-16 7:52 PM
*To:* [email protected]
*Subject:* Re: [Felvtalk] FW: Questioning FELV diagnosis
That is information that is definitely useful to me! Thanks so much!
Do
you know what dosage of Winstrol I should ask for for a 6.8 pound
cat? I
want to have as much info as possible when I talk to my vet on
Monday.
On Fri, Dec 16, 2016 at 4:25 PM, Amani Oakley wrote:
No Randy, Winstrol is an anabolic steroid (unlike prednisone which is
a
corticosteroid) so it does not have a dampening effect on the immune
system. What you need right now is something to stimulate red cell
production. If your cat has FELV, then the problem is that the
progenitor
cells in the bone marrow will have been infiltrated/killed by the
virus and
thus, the red cell production is down. Red cells have a life span of
120
days in circulation, so once that is over and they die, then they
must be
replenished by a steady supply of new cells from the bone marrow.
The only thing I have found that will do that is Winstrol. However, I
use
it in a cocktail with Doxycycline which has been found to retard the
reproduction of viral RNA, and prednisone. This is the only
combination of
drugs that worked when my cat was in FELV crisis and had a
haematocrit
result of 5 (with the reference range being something like 25 to 35,
off
the top of my head). I had tried LTCI and interferon and even though
I
tested his blood weekly, I saw no change/improvement at all in his
red cell
count, haematocrit, hemoglobin, platelets, etc. It was only when I
stumbled
upon the use of Winstrol (he was already on prednisone and Doxy, but
they
don?t work without the Winstrol), that I saw a steady and sustained
improvement in his haematology numbers.
The scandal, Randy, is that Winstrol is one of the steroids often
implicated in athletic doping scandals, so vets seem to be gun shy
about
prescribing it. Also, some years ago, a very poorly conducted
experiment
was published where cats where given 10 times the recommended dose of
Winstrol as a ?loading dose? and developed liver problems. So between
these
two driving forces, you have a lot of uneducated vets who will either
think
you are ?unethical? for asking for the Winstrol, or believe it is a
harmful
drug thanks to the stupid scientific study that was published. Plus,
even
where they are willing to prescribe it (like in Sherri?s case) they
don?t
recognize the need to couple it with the Doxycycline, and thus, you
do get
a weak boost of the red cells, etc., but the virus is reproducing
rampantly, so in the end, the virus wins. (Then, of course, not
recognizing
the need for the Doxy, those same vets will view the use of Winstrol
as a
failure and not likely use it again.)
Other medications that might increase red cell production are
erythropoietin and related medications, but erythropoietin does not
encourage bone marrow growth and development as Winstrol does. Thus,
if the
progenitor cells in the bone marrow, which produce red cells, white
cells
and platelets, have been killed by the virus (or converted to
infected
cells, spewing out more virus) then the erythropoietin will not be
effective because it simply encourages those progenitor cells to
produce
more red cells. However, because they can?t and thus cannot respond
to the
stimulation by erythropoietin. (If your cat doesn?t have FELV, and
has
anemia because of some other cause, then the erythropoietin might
work.)
Winstrol stimulates bone production (experiments have used it
effectively
in older adults for osteoporosis), and I don?t anything else which
fits the
bill.
Cats with FELV often also have lymphocytes lining the intestinal
walls, or
other problems with moving food through the intestines. My cat did,
and
that resulted in (a) loss of appetite (b) vomiting and (c) slow bowel
movements. I therefore found it necessary to add a ? tablet of
metoclompromine (Reglen) before meal times twice a day. Worked like a
charm.
This cocktail then brought my baby back from the brink of certain
death. I
had given him blood transfusions with his anemia, but that is only a
short-term solution and he wasn?t producing any red cells
(reticulocyte
count was basically zero ? this is a measure of new red cell
production and
should be increased in cases of anemia to demonstrate that the body
is
producing red cells to compensate for the reduced red cell count). He
had
had a reaction with his last blood transfusion, and so no more
transfusions
were possible since the next one would kill him, and I was all out of
options as I watched his haematocrit level drop lower and lower, week
by
week. It had dropped to 10 when I ?discovered? an old bottle of
Winstrol in
my drawer.
Whew. Guess how many times I have given this speech??
Amani
*From:* Felvtalk [mailto:[email protected]
] *On Behalf Of *Randy Henke
*Sent:* December-16-16 9:15 AM
*To:* [email protected]
*Subject:* Re: [Felvtalk] Questioning FELV diagnosis
It's interesting that our vet was very hesitant about even
prescribing
Prednisone because he is afraid it will suppress her immunity to
secondary
infections. I know that is a risk. Would adding Winstrol suppress her
immune system even further? I'm very confused about how to proceed.
On Thu, Dec 15, 2016 at 10:23 PM, Ardy Robertson wrote:
If I can chime in on Winstrol, it did wonders on my Tigger to get his
bloodwork up. I only wish I had started it sooner, along with the
prednisolone and doxycycline.
Best of luck!
Ardy
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