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Kim--as most everyone, I have had a FeLV+ cat(s) go through something like
this. The end result, for me has not been good, but others have had
their kitties rebound and live for sometime w/a good quality of life.
When I first got a FeLV+ kitten, I didn't know much about this disease
but I was willing to take a chance on him, with this group I learned a
lot. Anyway, since you have already checked the hemobart results,
I would now suggest having one of those tests (call something "blue") where
they look to see if the marrow is still producing RBCs. It is NOT the invasive
marrow drawing test, but some type of blood test.
Recently I had a cat who I did not know was + become very lethargic/almost dazed. He was only tested once when he came here after living on the streets as a Tom. Well, he tested positive for FeLV so the next step was to check for Hemobart, which he did have--so, since at least the anemia for Hemobart can be treated, I went ahead and treated (using the oxyglobin, too), but what I did not know was that a simple/cheap blood test would have told me it was NOT the hemobart which was devastating him, but the fact that his marrow was not producing ANY new RBCs. He went to the ER vet with a RBC of 6% and had the first vet known to do that simple test, I would have put him down before putting him and me (and my wallet) through the next two days of treatment--finally when another ER vet came on-call, she suggested this other test (they stain the cells blue / methyl blue??). And it was bad news--no sign of any new/developing RBCs. I don't want to bum you out, but there are a few other additional tests that may tell you if Simba can recover. That oxyglobin really helped Leroy, but it was a false hope since he would never make his own RBCs and repeated transfusions were out of the question both money-wise and cat-wise (he was no at all cooperative, even to the very end when he was so ill). SO, don't give up--see if you can get this other blood test (I found some info on-line about it, too). In either case, thank you for giving Simba a chance. tracy Kim McDermott wrote: Hello everyone, I am new to this list and hope it offers some sort of support for what I am going through right now. I am waiting for a call from my vet on the results of my kitty, Simba's blood test. My poor kitty has had so many health problems in his short life. My husband and I rescued him from the middle of the street with an eye infection that affected both of his eyes. They were completely sealed shut. When I jumped out of the car, knelt down, and called out,"kitty", he followed the sound of my voice and ran into my arms. He has been with us ever since, 1 year and 2 mo later. He was infested with lice, round worm, bacteria infection due to drinking stagnant water, and later diagnosed with feline herpes. Other than occasional herpes outbreak Simba is your average hyper, playful, loving Cat. Oh, he's also polydactyl. You should see they way he grabs my hand with his huge paws when he wants to be rubbed. About two months ago Simba was not acting his usual self. Eating less and not as active. I asked my neighbor, who is a vet to take a look at him. She checked his gums, which were quite pale, almost white. She told me to bring him to the vet immediately. He blood was tested, and was found to have Hemobart. His Hematocrit was a 6. In normal cats I think it should be in the 30-40 range. He was given Oxyglobin, a synthetic blood, and put on prednisone and Doxycycline. Simba looked horrible. My husband and I visited him twice a day and force fed him. He wouldn't eat for the vet techs. He miraculously recovered. After several weeks of being on the meds his hematocrit went up to a 34. He was back to his normal self. Now, a month and two weeks later, he is back at the vet being monitored. The difference in his blood test this time is that there were very little Hemobart, but a high count of Lymphocytes. Chances are he has Leukemia. However, this time, he is at a hospital in Akron,Ohio. When he arrived there, he was given a blood transfusion with cat cells. His Hematocrit went up to a 15 from a 6. They will test his blood again today. I am praying it either stays the same or increases. If it decreases, I will have to decide on whether or not to do a bone marrow test. I have been told it is not painful, however no one can really measure how much pain an animal is. I have also been told that Leukemia is treatable. Simba could live a normal life. |
