Dear Sally,
Thank you for your prayers and concern....I took Kaleigh to the vet last Monday because she started getting worse. She was dehydrated and was not eating. She would take a few sips of water some times but not much. The vet gave her fluids under the skin and some nutragel and told me to keep giving her the amoxy drops and pet tinic. He gave her a b12 shot as well. She seemed a little better but on Friday morning she was really bad. She got on the side of the bathtub, her favorite spot, and cried the most awful cry I have ever heard from a cat. I took her to the vet on my way to work and they kept her to give her fluids. I called on my break and the vet told me that she was really dehydrated and he shaved her paw to give her IV fluids and the shock of that almost killed her. He said that she was jaundiced and that meant her liver was breaking down. He told me he wanted to keep her over night but expected her!
to be
dead the next morning. I had my husband pick her up after work and told the vet to give her a sedative. My husband said she died on the way home or just after they got home. I'm glad she is at peace now. The vet did not do bloodwork for the anemia....she has been anemic her whole life. He just looked at her ears and paws. The ulcer was from an infected tooth. Over the course of 2 weeks she got 2 steroid shots 1 abx shot amoxy drops and pet tinic for 14 days and fluids. She would get better for a couple of days but then get worse than she was. I have lost 5 others to felv, 4 newborns and 1 at 8 months and I still have 1 that is 6 years old with it. I want to have her tested again but cannot afford to do it just because I want to. Kaleigh was very lucky, she was only sick one time before this so she lived a very full life, even if it was short.
Again, thanks for your prayers and concerns.
Amy in Arkansas
[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
Dear Amy:
I was away for several days and just read your post? Has anyone gotten back
to you with feedback about your kitty. Kalleigh? How is she doing?
It is not uncommon for FeLV+ kittys to have gingivitis, stomatitis or other
types of mouth sores as the virus enters the body via the tissues of the mouth
and so that is a primary place of infection. Unless the ulcer is the result
of a secondary bacterial infection, giving her antibiotics would not be of any
benefit and abx can often upset the balance of beneficial intestinal flora, so
it is always a good idea to give some sort of probiotics with abx therapy. I
have used Prozyme and ProBi (both available from KV Vet supply -- kvvet.com;
also have an 800 number). Or, you can use acidophilus capsules from any
health food store. The abx of choice for mouth infections is clindamyc! in, but it
is VERY gnarly tasting and I prefer not to use it unless nothing else seems to
help. Did the vet give you any indication as to what was causing the ulcer in
her mouth? Does she also have the characteristic gingivitis...a reddening of
the gums just above the toothline? Some listmembers have used l-Lysine and
enzyme CoQ10 supplements which are available at a health food store. A
prescription medication called Peroxicam can also be helpful.
Did the vet explain why Kalleigh may have become dehydrated? Usually it is
from not eating or drinking and so not taking in enough fluids, prolonged
fever, severe vomiting and/or diarrhea, kidney failure or hyperthyroidism. You can
check to see if your cat is becoming dehydrated by pinching the skin between
the shoulder blades and pulling it up, then releasing it and if the skin does
not snap back down, but sort of oozes down slowly, that is a sign of
dehydration. You can learn to do! subQ fluids yourself, which is much less expensive,
and it is not difficult to do.
Did the vet do a blood test to determine Kalleigh was anemic (if so, what was
her hematocrit?) or just look to see that her gums were pale. If she is
severely anemic, giving significant amounts of fluids can cause the hematocrit to
drop further, perhaps by thinning the blood. It can be a damned if you do,
damed if you don't kind of situation.
Did the vet suggest what may be the cause of Kalleigh's anemia? Since she is
FeLV+ it is not surprising...while leukemia is a cancer of the white blood
cells, it wreaks havoc on the red blood cells, too. Anemia is not an uncommon
complication with FeLV+ cats, and in its most severe form, the bone marrow's
ability to produce red blood cells is so compromised the anemia becomes
"nonregenerative" and not enough RBC can be produced to keep up with the natural
process of destruction, in which case the blo! od is not able to carry sufficient
oxygen to sustain life. Sometimes the use of a drug called Epogen can stimulate
the production of RBC provided the bone marrow still has some ability to
function. Blood transfusions can become necessary if the hematocrit drops below 9,
but unless the bone marrow can still function sufficiently that can only buy
some time.
It is important to determine the cause of anemia. There are other conditions
that can cause anemia, too, such as internal bleeding from tumors or ulcers;
severe infestations of worms, especially hookworms; and there is a blood
parasite called hemobartonella that often goes undetected.
Whatever the cause, in treating anemia enriching the diet with iron is
important. Dr. Martin Goldsmith recommends purreed raw liver, raw egg yolks,
green veggies, Vit. B12, apple cider vinegar, liquid chlorphyll and kelp. He uses
a product called Hemaplex (Progressive Labs) which contains red cell-building
components: beets, raw liver, chlorophyll and iron, among others. The
Petinic your vet gave you is a B Vite and iron supplement (also available from KV
Vet Supply), which is good, but it will also be helpful for you to give her a
nutritional boost. Is she still eating on her own? Anemia causes a cat to be
weak and depresses the appetite. You may have to "assist" her in eating with
syringe feeding.
There really isn't a whole lot we can do for FeLV+ cats except to protect
them from being exposed to cats that could be a source of infectious pathogens,
feed them the healthiest, most natural diet possible and give additional
supplements to boost their immune system as much as possible. The key seems to be
keeping whatever immune function the cat may have supported because once the
virus gets the upper hand and the cat begins to develop major symptoms of
illness and "crash" it is usually just a matter of time (o! ften very little time)
until there is insufficient immune function left to survive the onslaught.
I do hope Kalleigh will respond to treatment and be able to hang in there and
keep the FeLV virus from taking control. Try to stay positive because loving,
positive energy can be very important in helping a furkid get well. If she
has managed to live with the virus for 3 years now, she's already beaten the
odds so don't give up hope. Do let me know how she is progressing and if I can
be of any further assistance. I highly recommend the book by Dr. Martin
Goldsmith, The Nature of Animal Healing.
I lost two precious furbabys to this horrid virus and have three more FeLV+
still with me...two are just over a year old and have passed that first major
milestone with only gingivitis so far; the third is a precious little guy who
tested positive at just 6 weeks and was going to be PTS by an ignorant owner --
he is now 16 weeks and no symp! toms so far other than a cyclical low-grade
fever. They are on a natural, raw diet and supplemented with Vit. C, CoQ10 and
Transfer Factors. I am hoping I learned enough from losing the first two that
I can give these furkids a better chance for longer term survival.
Wishing you the very best and keeping you and Kalleigh in my prayers.
Sally in San Jose
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