Happy New Year 2019!! Nothing has been posted since - well looks like October sometime. Guessing all is okay - Be safe and hope 2019 gets off to a great start!
Sandy W > On October 18, 2018 at 12:54 PM Amani Oakley <[email protected]> wrote: > > > I actually had a few similar experiences. Once it involved two very young > kittens. Once it involved a cat about a year old. In my opinion, the two > different experiences had two different causative agents, and at the risk of > boring you silly, I will try to explain both. Neither, by the way, was well > understood by the vets, leading me again to the inevitable conclusion that > cat health is very poorly studied (no where near dog health) and because cats > respond different to disease and medication, (whereas dogs respond very much > like people), then science and medicine is way behind in understanding cats. > > > > With respect to the kittens, it was my view that they actually had (and > one of them still has) Lyme disease. The area I picked them up was one very > well-known to be endemic for Lyme disease. They had an alternating lameness – > once picking up one paw which seemed very swollen and sore – and then next > day, picking up the other paw. I looked this up and saw that this alternating > lameness was described in dogs with Lyme disease. However, my vet believed > that it might be calici virus. I didn’t agree with her, but let her treat for > calici virus (including vaccination). The acute phase of the response seemed > to be limited in time, and both kittens seemed to get better on their own. > However, their brother lapsed into a coma – was literally unresponsive for > hours while I sat up with him. I didn’t know what to do, and my view was that > either there was inflammation of the meninges (sac surrounding the brain) or > an inflammation of the brain itself, causing increased intracranial pressure > which might also result in loss of consciousness. I superdosed him with > transdermal prednisone, took him to bed with me and kept checking him for > hours. Then, suddenly, at about 4 in the morning, he just bounded awake, and > began playing and galavanting all over the bed. Meanwhile, though, one of his > two sisters has never been the same. She lost HUGE amounts of weight, and > even now, as a 2+ year old cat, she weighs less than many kittens and she is > all bones. I have been treating her with a combination of Winstrol, > Doxycycline, high prednisone doses and magnesium (her muscles don’t work > right – like they are constantly spastic, and she walks in a funny tip toe > way, and has poor coordination jumping on things and going up stairs, etc.) > Anyhow, she is starting to get better, starting to put on weight and starting > to walk better. I am convinced this was and is Lyme disease, though > scientists and vets say that cats don’t get it. I don’t know how they know > this, because they DO NOT TEST cats for it. > > > > Story number two involves a kitten I got who was described as a “wobbly” > kitten and it was assumed that his mom had suffered a viral infection when he > was in utero, which can result in this type of neurological damage (and it > can be much worse). However, when he was very little, he suddenly and without > warning, decided to squat and pee right in the middle of our bed, and he had > never done this before. He was looking straight at me and I felt that he > didn’t know why he was doing what he was doing. Not too long after (a few > weeks or maybe a month), he started showing some very alarming neurological > symptoms, including a loss of muscle control in the back end. His rectum > seemed not tight but loose and stool just “fell out” rather than being pushed > out. His back legs in particular also became very very weak, and he developed > a “tripod stance” – both back legs together – his back end would sway and he > would fall down. My knowledge with humans is that this occurs when there is > damage to nerves in the spinal column, or pressure on them from a herniated > disc, or something like that (cauda equina syndrome). I took him to the > emergency clinic, but I had already started him on Winstrol and Prednisolone, > assuming that the Prednisolone would help with reduction of swelling in the > spinal canal and thus take pressure off the affected nerves, and the Winstrol > might help in healing whatever injury there was in the spinal column. By the > time they could do an MRI on him, he was regaining all function and his gait > had become normal. The MRI was inconclusive, with the vets thinking that they > could possible see the remains of a lesion, right in the area where one would > expect it to be to affect rectal control and muscle function of the back > legs, but the lesion appeared to be healed over so they couldn’t tell if that > was the cause or if the lesion was old or new. > > > > It sounds to me like the prednisone you used in your case, has a similar > effect. There was swelling somewhere, likely in the spinal column as you > surmise, and the prednisone helped bring down the swelling. > > > > Amani > > > > From: Felvtalk <[email protected]> On Behalf Of katy > brown > Sent: October 18, 2018 12:21 PM > To: [email protected] > Subject: [Felvtalk] Batman Felv Positive Having Neurological issues. > > > > Hello, > > I have an amazing cat named Batman who a year ago as a kitten tested > positive for FelV. His brother also texted positive, after 2 other tests > later on after the antibodies from the mother had cleared, Batman still > tested positive while his brother was negative. > > > > Fast forward a year and both of them were doing great. I was away on > vacation and left them with a full time cat sitter, who notice about a week > ago that Batman was not going up stairs as much, but we figured this could be > to him just adjusting to a new person in his home. When I arrived back home I > immediately noticed he was not moving well and as the day progressed he was > losing more mobility in his front paws. I took him to the emergency room > where they thought he had experienced a trauma, and discharged him with 2 > types of pain meds. The pain meds were a disaster, and he lost further > mobility. From there we took him to Pennsylvania Vet. Hospital, which is > supposed to be one of the best in the country, they realized he was having > neurological issues, did a bunch of testing, his vitals and blood work were > all good. An x-ray revealed no masses in his chest or spine. At this point > they felt it was a cancer in his column, most likely lymphoma. The Vet > thought that he was quite young even given his FeLV positive status to have > lymphoma, but given how fast he was becoming completely paralyzed, there were > not many other diagnosis that fit the bill. The vet started him on > Prednisolone and Clindamycin, and within hours he regained movement in his > legs and was walking again. Yesterday he was jumping and scratching on his > post again, and eating and drinking. Last night his behavior changed and he > kept trying to hide which is very unlike him, however I thought that maybe he > was just tired, he had gone from completely paralyzed to jumping in 3 days. > But this morning it was apparent that he was not ok, he did eat after much > encouragement, but has moved very very little. I have called the Vet and am > waiting to hear back but I'm not optimistic. Has anyone had this experience? > I don't want to put him down if there is a chance he could come back but he > is hardly moving and seems like him trying to hide was him trying to find a > place to pass away quietly. Batman is so young and he is the sweetest cat I > have ever owned, and his brother can't get along with out him. I will try > anything to keep him alive but I want him to have a good quality life. Any > suggestions would be appreciated. > > > > Also I apologize if I did not use this forum correctly. I wasn't sure if > I emailed the group or how it works so I hope this does work. > > _______________________________________________ > Felvtalk mailing list > [email protected] > http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org >
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