I brought Grace and Jazz to the vet Wed (11/24/04) and administered the first shot of Virbagen to both of them. One of the side effects to be watchful for is elevated temp, but Grace was already at 104 before we started. So far, no diarrhea or vomiting (other initial side effects to watch for). Grace has started sneezing again and is also once again lethargic. I'm concerned for her, but am hoping with the dox and Virbagen, she'll soon bounce back. Jazz who's only symptoms are mild gingivitis is doing fine. I put them on two different protocols. The Virbagen is administered SQ. For Grace, .6cc every day for 5 days, then 7 doses of .2cc every other day, (my poor angel is also getting pilled in the morning and at night). Jazz is getting .2cc every day for 5 days with a break of 2 to 3 weeks, then 5 more days at .2cc, break of 2 to 3 weeks and then a final 5 days of .2cc each day. Now I know what Paolo was talking about with the potential for waste. The Virbagen comes in two vials, one with dried interferon and one with saline. You mix them together before administering and are suppose to discard whatever is not used at that moment. For the first 5 days, it's just enough to dose both Grace and Jazz. For the 7 alternating days I'll have to cross my fingers and use the left over, otherwise I won't have enough medicine to see me through. My vet suspects that the manufacturers are concerned about contamination, not deterioration. I suspect that's the case as well since the human interferon keeps for long periods of time after it's reconstituted. I don't really have a choice at this point. Jazz's dispensation application has been sent to the FDA, but my vet suspects that even if everything goes well, it will take a month before we get approval, and 2 weeks to order and receive shipment (Abbey vet in the UK).
And of course there's the cost. It's quite pricey. My vets were kind enough to charge me their cost, plus shipping. Even with that, 3 boxes, just enough to follow the protocols above, it was $700. I'm going to contact the vet in Canada and see if we can order more through her, and if so, how much it would cost.
I haven't contacted anyone about conducting a study on Virbagen yet. I'm waiting to see how my angels respond.
Well, that's the update. Keep praying. Nina
