Hi Everyone,
I'm new to the list and I'm not sure if I am posting correctly. But I was very happy
to find a community such as this!! I have so many questions and I hope someone out
there can help me. I've been feeling very alone in this fight.
I have a new kitten who is FeLV+. Chloe is three months old and was rescued from a
life on the street when she was just a baby. I have had her for about 5 weeks. When I
first got her, she was very sick with some kind of infection. She would not eat and
was very lethargic. I took her to the vet, who put her on a strong, general
antibiotic. Chloe responded well to the medication and before long, was playful and
purry and acting very much like a normal kitten. The vet tested her for FeLV and, of
course, it came back positive. The vet initially did not expect Chloe to make it
through that first week and was very surprised when I brought her back in, 2 weeks
later, much better and having gained 2 lbs! The vet next did a series of blood tests
and the IFA test.
I've been doing a lot of research and wanted Chloe to be put on Interferon right away.
But the vet wanted to wait for the results of the test first. Well, that was two weeks
ago. The vet said the tests showed Chloe was viremic (sp?) and that she was on the
verge of being anemic. The vet wanted to talk to a specialist about what kind of
medication (if any) Chloe should be on. But she hasn't called me and hasn't returned
any of my phone calls. I am getting very worried about Chloe. Shouldn't she be started
on the interferon immediately? The vet mentioned another drug, called Staph A (I
think). I've never heard of it. Does anyone know anything about it?
I'm sorry for the long post, but I am very worried about Chloe and I am becoming
extremely upset with my vet. She's not very optimistic about Chloe and seems reluctant
to do anything at all for her. I know that because she is a kitten, her chances for
survival are very low. But it is hard for me to reconcile that with the fat, playful
kitten I have at home right now. I don't want to give up on her yet. Does anyone know
how long a kitten born with Felv can live? Or what her chances are?
Thanks for your help,
Vikki
