Nope, Wes doesn't freeze the undiluted stuff. He dilutes it all down to 30 units per cc of saline, then he fills up 10 cc syringes and freezes the entire batch like Interferon popsicles. When a patient picks up an order of Interferon they get 9 frozen syringes already prediluted. I keep them in the freezer and only thaw one syringe out at a time in the fridge. When that one is used up I pull another premixed syringe out of the freezer.
Jolene Deal wrote: > Hi Tally, > This is what I'm confused about...Interferon is frozen and then a small bit is > thawed and mixed with saline and that is what we are given, right? Then is it > still okay to freeze it once we are given our bottle? Or is Wes's Interferon > not frozen before he mixes it with saline but frozen after? My internet > research wasn't based on what any vets said to me personally, but rather what > other people said they learned from their own vets. > So far Wes has been using it the longest so I think I will go with what he says. > > I don't need to freeze it, because I only get a month at a time, but out of > curiousity I asked my vet could I re-freeze it and she said no. > My vet has no where near the experience your vet has with Interferon, so all > along I have been going with what your vet says. I wish my cats were good in > cars, I'd love for Wes to look them over. I have found one vet who talked to me > on the phone for 20 minutes about Felv. and when he found out Didi was so young > and born with it, he said "That's disconcerting, but not the end of the road." > Lots better than "We'll talk about spaying her later, if she's still here." > Next time Didi or Tuffy needs anything, we're going to him. He doesn't have > Interferon though. But I think he'll make an effort to help my guys with any > secondary infections that pop up. > > tally wrote: > > > Naf, our vet dilutes it with saline and then freezes it. No problems. It > > was actually the freezing that allowed Interferon to become so widely used > > and available in vet practise. > > > > Up until then, it was impractical for most vets to dilute the Interferon > > down to the correct dosage to give to a handful of patients and end up > > throwing out the rest because it didn't keep. Although there's no internet > > research that I can find to support the freezing / non-freezing issue I > > believe it was either Alice Wolfe or Richard Weiss who advocated Interferon > > will maintain it's potency when frozen. This led to the ability of vets to > > buy Interferon and be able to store the mass produced dilutions down until > > needed. It became more economical and therefore more readily available to > > treat a variety of feline illnesses as needed rather than having to keep > > mixing up new batches and throw the rest out. > > > > My guess is that you won't find the manufacturer either confirming or > > denying the freezing issue because I'll bet it was never FDA tested as > > frozen, which would explain why there is little research to support it. > > > > All the people on the FIV list use frozen Interferon. Many dilute it down > > in three steps and keep Bags B & C in the freezer while Bag A is kept in the > > fridge. This also allows individuals to purchase undiluted Interferon > > directly from the pharmacy and dilute the entire bottle down while keeping > > several doses in the freezer until needed. > > > > Jolene Deal wrote: > > > > > In my web research I learned that you don't freeze it if your vet has > > > mixed it with saline solution. On shelf life, I came up with a shelf > > > life of one month to three months. So I decided to be cautious and only > > > get a months supply at a time. > > > > > > "David D. Miller" wrote: > > > > > > > OK. I did some research on this but have come up without good > > > > answers. > > > > > > > > Reading through the various web sites I see two things about > > > > interferon dosing that strike me as odd. > > > > > > > > First, people are freezing doses. Our pharmacist and vet > > > > internist were ADAMANT about not freezing interferon, saying it > > > > inactivates it. Thoughts? We have to keep it cold, but if it > > > > freezes (like when some dummy put it in the freezer and not the > > > > fridge!) we toss it out. Same with it getting warm... out it > > > > goes. > > > > > > > > Second, we get a bottle with 60 doses at a time. I've seen others > > > > say interferon has a short shelf-life. I asked the pharmacists > > > > abut this, and they said that is true for human dosing because of > > > > the much higher concentrations that must be maintained but not > > > > for vet purposes. The pharmacist is ued by many vets in teh area > > > > and is known for their vet knowledge. Thoughts? > > > > > > > > Thanks, > > > > > > > > David > > > > -- > > Tally's Page > > Cat Health & Behavior Links, Animal Issues, Personal Interests & Photos! > > http://www.tallyville.com -- Tally's Page Cat Health & Behavior Links, Animal Issues, Personal Interests & Photos! http://www.tallyville.com
