Sounds to me like you should give him some extra Iron right away, if his
nose is that pale, he might even benefit from a blood transfusion (your
vet should have picked up on that). What brand of food is he eating? It
might be lacking in some areas. It sounds like he is having trouble
swallowing, from your description. He does not do it at all when eating
though? Your doctor needs to check his neck, his airway, and his thyroid
levels. Definitely test for thyroid problems. Is he drinking enough
water, or is he drinking too much water? He definitely sounds like he
needs more testing done, and I would get a second opinion from a
different vet, just to be sure. Your vet should have kept him on
Interferon that whole 7 years, if I am not mistaken, and he should have
done the thyroid tests right away as well, after all, he DID take blood
anyways. I'm not saying he's a bad vet, I could be all wrong, I just
suggest you get a second opinion to be safe. Where do you live, maybe
one of us is local to you and we could suggest a different vet to try?
Jenn
--- Begin Message ---
Thanks Jenn for your reply, I won't give up hope! :-)
Simba has always tested postive, but this is the first "real" sickness he
has experienced and the first time he has been started on Interferon, though
he already had been taking ganoderma for his immune system. His "gulps" are
like a noise like he is swallowing and kind of bobs his head a little (but
not while he is eating or drinking) it's kind of hard to explain :) Though
he doesn't feel well he still has a good attitude and is very sweet (still
constantly purring, etc.). I'm not force feeding him, I'm now feeding him
wet food which he seems to eat better than his usual dry food. He lost a lot
of weight in a very short time, and is practically bones. His fur is
starting to stick up and his little pink nose is just about white. I have
another vet appt on Wednesday so I hope I can do more for him.
Thanks again Jenn
petrina
----- Original Message -----
From: "Seething" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Sent: Saturday, May 25, 2002 5:25 PM
Subject: Re: New on List
> Petrina, there is ALWAYS a possibility they will bounce back! Don't give
> up hope yet! Is he eating anything, are you force feeding him? What do
> you mean by "gulps"? Gulps of air, like trouble breathing, or burp-like
> things, or gulping water, or food, or what? If he was symptom-free for 5
> years, but he was sick at one time (when he was 2yrs???...you did say he
> is 7yrs now, right?), did he test negative during his "good years" or
> was he just not showing symptoms at the time? It is my understanding
> that you continue the Interferon for life if the cat tests positive, but
> I may be wrong. I am not sure why you stopped the treatment during those
> 5 years, unless he stopped being positive? Regardless, you've got him
> started on it now, and he may very well bounce back MANY more times, you
> just have to wait and see. I'm sure others on the list will have more
> advice, maybe some additional suggestions for supplementing him.
>
> Good luck with him,
>
> Jenn
>
--- End Message ---
