Re: How is Samantha today?
I'm so sorry for your loss of sweet Samantha. Re cleaning, when the virus hits the air it dies. Cats won't pick up the virus from the anything in the house or the air. I'd do a normal wash and dry of the food dishes, and change the litter box. gloria On Jun 30, 2006, at 4:21 PM, Julia Hagstrom wrote: Thanks, everyone, for all the support. I need to know what kind of cleaner to use, as I have been offered a kitty who is a month younger than Samantha was, and needs a home; her owner is moving to an apartment, where they don't allow pets. Also, I have a chance to get a really young kitten, as the lady behind the counter where a friend and I bowl has a cat who is about to give birth, so I might end up with 2 cats. I want to clean my house before any more cats come in to it, make sure there is NO chance of the FelV virus still being around. I am throwing out all of Samantha's toys, her food and water dishes, and, most especially, her litter box. What's a good cleaner to use??? Julia On Friday, June 30, 2006, at 07:40 AM, Terri Brown wrote: I can only echo Marylyn's words. Big hugs to you. Goodnight, sweet Samantha... =^..^= Terri, Siggie the Tomato Vampire, Guinevere, Sammi, Travis, Dori and 6 furangels: RuthieGirl, Samantha, Arielle, Gareth, Alec Salome' =^..^= Cool Catholic Stuff! Click Here -- www.TotallyCatholic.com/Theresa Furkid Photos! http://mysite.verizon.net/vze7sgqa/ My Personal Page: http://www.geocities.com/ruthiegirl1/ terrispage.html?1083970447350 Come check me out on MySpace at http://www.myspace.com/ terricrazycatlady - Original Message - From: Marylyn To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Sent: Thursday, June 29, 2006 7:14 PM Subject: Re: How is Samantha today? Spend tonight loving her and cuddling her in your heart. You can send her all sorts of love without moving her or causing her pain. Just be with her and tell her it is alright to leave this world. That you are going to be ok. She may well decide to leave tonight on her own but she needs to know that is ok with you and .well, she is very concerned about you and your welfare. She needs permission to leave this body and needs to know that you know she will remain around in spirit. If you have men who will exclude any of God's creatures from the shelter of compassion and pity, you will have men who will deal likewise with their fellow man. St. Francis - Original Message - From: Julia Hagstrom To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Sent: Thursday, June 29, 2006 12:20 PM Subject: Re: How is Samantha today? Thanks for your good wishes; she told me last night that she is ready to go. She is in a lot of pain, with her big eyes looking up at me, as if to say, Please, help me! I decided this morning that tomorrow is the time to let her go. I'll take her to my vet, and it will be swift and painless. She'll be free to breathe again, without working so hard at it, and will never have pain again. :( I'll be crying, but I know it's the best thing for her; I've already made the arrangements, and she'll be well taken care of. Thank you all for your support, and I will stay on the Email list, because I'm going to get another kitty right away, so as not to be alone, and reading y'all's Emails has given me an education, so I'll still need that, until I make sure my new kitty is safe from this terrible disease. Thanks! Julia On Thursday, June 29, 2006, at 06:43 AM, Marylyn wrote: She will tell you when it is time. Listen to her with your heart then do all you can to help her on her journey. That may be to do nothing or to help her leave---both are so hard. But listen to your loving cat. She is so grateful to you for all your love. If you have men who will exclude any of God's creatures from the shelter of compassion and pity, you will have men who will deal likewise with their fellow man. St. Francis - Original Message - From: Julia Hagstrom To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Sent: Wednesday, June 28, 2006 10:31 PM Subject: Re: How is Samantha today? Thanks, I'll talk to the vet about it; she's in such bad shape, she doesn't move unless she has to. I think her time is coming, pretty soon, as she is suffering, now, and I won't let her do that very long. I'll set her free, before I'll let her suffer much. Thanks for all the support. Julia On Wednesday, June 28, 2006, at 08:34 PM, [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Julia, I really think that a
Worried about Lucy
Lucy, who is positive, has had what we assume to be IBD since last October. After an initial dosing of prednisone and tapering to only 1.25 mg every 3 days, and a change to a raw food diet, she has been doing well for the last 6 months or so. However, in the last few weeks she started to get a nib of white mucous on the end of her otherwise normal bowels, and losing weight. At this point she has degenerated to having very loose stool, pretty much diarrhea (her problem is in the colon or lower intestines, so the diarrhea is never really watery or anything), not wanting to eat much of her raw food, and she is down to 8.2 pounds (normally over 9 pounds). She is acting normal, basically, besides this-- wanting to go outside, hunting (I try not to let her do that), playing, etc. Her only behavior change, besides not wanting her raw food much, is that she usually hides around the corner when Patches uses the litter box and hits her as she comes out (devil-- I try not to let her do this either), and she has stopped doing that. But she played with a string this morning and is bright eyed and bushy tailed, not dehydrated, etc. She has stopped eating her raw food before and I have had to change the kind of meat I use, so it is not the first time for that. She also has lost this much weight before, as her weight fluctuates a lot, so this is not the first time for that either. But, other than when she drank a bowl of olive oil 2 months ago (yes, unbelievable as it sounds, she did drink a bowl of oil and it did not sit well with her!) she has not had diarrhea while on raw food. I put her back up to 10 mg/day of pred yesterday. She had been at 5 for the last week. What I am worried about is intestinal lymphoma. FeLV+ cats are prone to it, as are cats with IBD, and she has both. The only way to diagnose that is with surgical biopsy where they remove a section of intestine, but they often can not distinguish even then between severe IBD and low-grade lymphoma. They treat both the same, with prednisone and an oral chemo drug called Leukeran (chlorambucil), and cats often do well for months to years on that. But they often insist on trying to do the biopsy before prescribing this regimen. I took Lucy yesterday to the local vet. He thinks I should get a biopsy at a referral center an hour away. I have not wanted to do this in the past, because it is surgery and because Lucy gets really stressed by car rides and vet visits. But I am feeling now like I should at least go talk to an internist, because I am doing everything that has worked before, and it is not working now. It could just be an IBD flare-up, which is what I hope, but it could be lymphoma, which can be quickly fatal without treatment. Of course, I called this morning to try to make an appointment, and they say they are only open for emergencies until Wednesday and I can not even talk to anyone to schedule an appointment until then. If anyone has any thoughts or opinions on what is going on and what I should do, I would really appreciate it. Nina-- I also put Lucy back on the homeopathics Darla had prescribed, also to no avail. Thanks, Michelle
Gums and Teeth in FeLV Positive Cats
I haven't been on the list much in the past 7 months so I'll reintroduce myself. I live in NY and I have 4 cats with leukemia and one with FIV. I got started when I rescued a mom and kittens that were all positive and the vet wanted to put them to sleep. I kept them myself (despite my boyfriend, now husband, being deathly allergic) and have had leuk pos kitties ever since. I used to live on this list but then I got pregnant in December and have been sick for the past 30 weeks so I've sort of disappeared. I've been reading and following the posts for the past week and miss hearing about all the other cats out there. Yesterday I took 2 of my cats to the vet for their 6 month check-up and just have a couple questions. First of all, my leuk positives always have bad gums and/or teeth. I keep them all on Clindamycin and they get dosed about every 6 weeks. This helps but doesn't keep the gums looking normal. They always have a red line on their gums indicating infection. Is there anything else that people have had luck with to help keep the gums and teeth in better shape? I know it is always an issue with positive kitties but would like to do whatever I can. I asked my vet about dentals and whether that would help the teeth at least. She had an emergency (dog hit by a car) and we didn't finish our conversation in which I was going to ask about other medications as well. She will call me this weekend to discuss options but I'm just curious what other people do. Second, I'm curious if anybody has ever had a problem with high calcium levels? I do full blood work-ups on all my cats every 6 months to monitor how the leukemia is progressing. Everything was fine for both cats, except my one had a slightly elevated calcium level. The vet said most likely it is nothing to be worried about, however, high calcium can be indicative of some serious health problems at times. She said everything about the cat leads her to believe he is healthy. I've had him 2 years and he seems fine. She did say I could re-draw the blood and do further analysis if I'm really concerned but otherwise she would just wait and look at it again in 6 months. I'm leaning towards doing nothing but I'm having a baby in 2 months and this kitty is my labor coach so he has to be around. He adores the baby on the way and hasn't left my side since getting pregnant. The bond is amazing. I want to be sure I'm not overlooking something and just wondered if anybody has had any experience with high calcium in bloodwork. Lastly, everybody is flipping out about me having a newborn and 5 sick kitties. I'm not concerned at all but obviously want to be responsible. My cats lick me, cuddle with me, drink out of my glass, etc. I have never worried about them passing the disease even though I work with a vet tech that swears she knows people that got leukemia because they had leuk pos cats. However, I've read that positive kitties shouldn't be around newborns or immune compromised individuals. My vet said this is because the cats have weakened immune systems that can make them vulnerable to parasites and other stuff, but that the leukemia is not contagious. My cats are all checked for parasites and have full physicals every 6 months so I'm not worried about them passing on anything else to the baby. I'm not planning on making any attempt to keep my cats away from the newborn. Does anybody have experience or information that would make me think I should be more careful about the leukemia and the baby? I know this is a long e-mail but I've been away for a long time. Sorry. Amy __ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com
Re: Wherefore art thou, Othello?
I founda new (to me) website last night: 'EntirelyPets.com' and they had the Feliway for $16.99. That was better than some of the other prices I saw online. Can't wait to try this out because it may help with some sibling rivalry issueshere. The catnip is a great suggestion. I have a pot of it growing out back - didn't even occur to me at the time. I love the ferals too. They have to be tough to survive in the wild and they learn not to trust as part of those survival skills. It's probably what kept them alive. Once earned, I never take their trust for granted. One of my ferals - after many months of feeding, coaxing and basically trying to get within six feet of him - just made up his mind one daythat he wanted to live inside. The way I knew this was that Phelix - man of the house - took me to the back door. When I opened it, Shakiti (like 'shy kitty') was wedged between the back door and storm door. He had torn a hole through the screen and squeezed in.Opened the back door and he waltzed rightin (my screens are in the top sections of the new doors too, by the way). He's come a long way. Loves for me to hold him on his back like a baby and talk to him...he goes to sleep and drools on my arm. Othellowas anotherferal who was slow to trust but one Halloween night I opened up the door for trick-or-treaters and he ran right in. He's starting to be a lot more sociable and will comeout nowif company is here. He has never been comfortable withbeing picked up- but he will let me groom him now. It all just takes time and it is worth all the patience. Woe to any bug, moth, or moving creature who dares enter this house. This warrior even brought a snake in the house from the garage once. He was so disappointed when I took away his play toy. Scratchesare still a bit red and sorethis morning but they are starting to heal. elizabeth In a message dated 6/30/2006 11:51:25 P.M. Central Daylight Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: Cats are totally wonderful and ferals are the best of the wonderful. You are right not to lie to them. They remember. Re the finger: Even the surgeons didn't believe it. You should have heard the commotion it caused when I got to the hand surgeon's. Every resident in the place must have come to check it out and to see the x-rays. Looking back, a lot of it is funny. And I am very proud the cat stood up for herself. She is no whimp. Another thought--just for calming--put out fresh catnip. If you have men who will exclude any of God's creatures from the shelter of compassion and pity, you will have men who will deal likewise with their fellow man. St. Francis - Original Message - From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Sent: Friday, June 30, 2006 11:04 PM Subject: Re: Wherefore art thou, Othello? I'm so sorry about your finger! That's just terrible. I can't even imagine a bite so hard it would break the bone. I hope you don't have anymore problems with that. Very scary. Thank you for reminding me just how serious something like this can be. You probably got inoculated with a hefty dose of staff on top of everything else. Cat bites are the worst. I don't have any deep bites (mainly some uglyscratches)- but it is a wonder. I've scrubbed everything with peppermint salt scrubs (ouch)and put antibiotic cream on it. Not bleeding anymore. I am currently on antibiotics so hopefully that will help. Thank you very much for the tip on Feliway spray. I'm not familiar with it but I will look it up right away. I've heard about the plug-in thingies - but a spray sounds like just the thing. I think I have been forgiven. *sigh* I couldn't find him anywhere for several hours - and wasso worriedabout himafterhe wasso upset. His favorite thing though is to go on garage safari - so after the sun went down and things cooled off a bit, I opened the door from the laundry room to the garage. His buddies went in there to play and so it wasn't long before I peered in and saw him in his favorite spot. We made eye-contact and I told him how wonderful he is. He didn't run so I was content with that. Later, I did my usual routine and called them all telling them it was time to come in. He jumped up right away with the rest of themand went into the house, let me pet him and gave me a kitty kiss. He's camped out on top of the kitty condo now and being a darling. I'm convinced that you never know all there is to know about cats and their psychology. That is one of the things that is so interesting and intriguing about them, I suppose. Here's his picture. Why do I have a white cat named Othello? Well...because until I took him to get 'neutered' (or so I
Re: Wherefore art thou, Othello?
If you have access to arnica you might try it. It has helped me with wounds. I have no idea how it works and really don't care--just as long as it does work. I have had the honor of being chosen by a feral--Ebony Thomas Katt--and of living with another, the Royal Princess Kitty Katt (not her choice due to the death of one of her chosen people and the illness of the other). There are several wonderful ferals who come to my mother's for food and one who comes to mine. As you said, they are tough and smart. You know you are doing something right when they decide to be around you. If you have men who will exclude any of God's creatures from the shelter of compassion and pity, you will have men who will deal likewise with their fellow man. St. Francis - Original Message - From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Sent: Saturday, July 01, 2006 7:52 AM Subject: Re: Wherefore art thou, Othello? I founda new (to me) website last night: 'EntirelyPets.com' and they had the Feliway for $16.99. That was better than some of the other prices I saw online. Can't wait to try this out because it may help with some sibling rivalry issueshere. The catnip is a great suggestion. I have a pot of it growing out back - didn't even occur to me at the time. I love the ferals too. They have to be tough to survive in the wild and they learn not to trust as part of those survival skills. It's probably what kept them alive. Once earned, I never take their trust for granted. One of my ferals - after many months of feeding, coaxing and basically trying to get within six feet of him - just made up his mind one daythat he wanted to live inside. The way I knew this was that Phelix - man of the house - took me to the back door. When I opened it, Shakiti (like 'shy kitty') was wedged between the back door and storm door. He had torn a hole through the screen and squeezed in.Opened the back door and he waltzed rightin (my screens are in the top sections of the new doors too, by the way). He's come a long way. Loves for me to hold him on his back like a baby and talk to him...he goes to sleep and drools on my arm. Othellowas anotherferal who was slow to trust but one Halloween night I opened up the door for trick-or-treaters and he ran right in. He's starting to be a lot more sociable and will comeout nowif company is here. He has never been comfortable withbeing picked up- but he will let me groom him now. It all just takes time and it is worth all the patience. Woe to any bug, moth, or moving creature who dares enter this house. This warrior even brought a snake in the house from the garage once. He was so disappointed when I took away his play toy. Scratchesare still a bit red and sorethis morning but they are starting to heal. elizabeth In a message dated 6/30/2006 11:51:25 P.M. Central Daylight Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: Cats are totally wonderful and ferals are the best of the wonderful. You are right not to lie to them. They remember. Re the finger: Even the surgeons didn't believe it. You should have heard the commotion it caused when I got to the hand surgeon's. Every resident in the place must have come to check it out and to see the x-rays. Looking back, a lot of it is funny. And I am very proud the cat stood up for herself. She is no whimp. Another thought--just for calming--put out fresh catnip. If you have men who will exclude any of God's creatures from the shelter of compassion and pity, you will have men who will deal likewise with their fellow man. St. Francis - Original Message - From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Sent: Friday, June 30, 2006 11:04 PM Subject: Re: Wherefore art thou, Othello? I'm so sorry about your finger! That's just terrible. I can't even imagine a bite so hard it would break the bone. I hope you don't have anymore problems with that. Very scary. Thank you for reminding me just how serious something like this can be. You probably got inoculated with a hefty dose of staff on top of everything else. Cat bites are the worst. I don't have any deep bites (mainly some uglyscratches)- but it is a wonder. I've scrubbed everything with peppermint salt scrubs (ouch)and put antibiotic cream on it. Not bleeding anymore. I am currently on antibiotics so hopefully that will help. Thank you very much for the tip on Feliway spray. I'm not familiar with it but I will look it up right away. I've heard about the plug-in thingies - but a spray sounds like just the thing.
Re: Worried about Lucy
I hope she's going to be ok, Michelle. It sounds like you are being very alert and attentive to her condition. I wish I had expertise to offer since you are always so helpful with information on this list...but I can say prayers for you guys and send good thoughts your way. It's terrible having an ailing pet over the holiday when everyone has closed shop. Hoping for the best, elizabeth In a message dated 7/1/2006 7:30:15 A.M. Central Daylight Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: Lucy, who is positive, has had what we assume to be IBD since last October. After an initial dosing of prednisone and tapering to only 1.25 mg every 3 days, and a change to a raw food diet, she has been doing well for the last 6 months or so. However, in the last few weeks she started to get a nib of white mucous on the end of her otherwise normal bowels, and losing weight. At this point she has degenerated to having very loose stool, pretty much diarrhea (her problem is in the colon or lower intestines, so the diarrhea is never really watery or anything), not wanting to eat much of her raw food, and she is down to 8.2 pounds (normally over 9 pounds). She is acting normal, basically, besides this-- wanting to go outside, hunting (I try not to let her do that), playing, etc. Her only behavior change, besides not wanting her raw food much, is that she usually hides around the corner when Patches uses the litter box and hits her as she comes out (devil-- I try not to let her do this either), and she has stopped doing that. But she played with a string this morning and is bright eyed and bushy tailed, not dehydrated, etc. She has stopped eating her raw food before and I have had to change the kind of meat I use, so it is not the first time for that. She also has lost this much weight before, as her weight fluctuates a lot, so this is not the first time for that either. But, other than when she drank a bowl of olive oil 2 months ago (yes, unbelievable as it sounds, she did drink a bowl of oil and it did not sit well with her!) she has not had diarrhea while on raw food. I put her back up to 10 mg/day of pred yesterday. She had been at 5 for the last week. What I am worried about is intestinal lymphoma. FeLV+ cats are prone to it, as are cats with IBD, and she has both. The only way to diagnose that is with surgical biopsy where they remove a section of intestine, but they often can not distinguish even then between severe IBD and low-grade lymphoma. They treat both the same, with prednisone and an oral chemo drug called Leukeran (chlorambucil), and cats often do well for months to years on that. But they often insist on trying to do the biopsy before prescribing this regimen. I took Lucy yesterday to the local vet. He thinks I should get a biopsy at a referral center an hour away. I have not wanted to do this in the past, because it is surgery and because Lucy gets really stressed by car rides and vet visits. But I am feeling now like I should at least go talk to an internist, because I am doing everything that has worked before, and it is not working now. It could just be an IBD flare-up, which is what I hope, but it could be lymphoma, which can be quickly fatal without treatment. Of course, I called this morning to try to make an appointment, and they say they are only open for emergencies until Wednesday and I can not even talk to anyone to schedule an appointment until then. If anyone has any thoughts or opinions on what is going on and what I should do, I would really appreciate it. Nina-- I also put Lucy back on the homeopathics Darla had prescribed, also to no avail. Thanks, Michelle
michelle/water and food
I would definitely syringe feed her. Not just a little though. You want totry to get 100 cc's per day into her. I would do it in meals of 20-30 cc's at a time. A/D is what they usually use. You can use baby food short-term. thank you so much michelle i have a smaller type syringe at home but no markings on it... how much in regular measurents ( cups/oz) would 100 cc be? i have been feeding her wellness and eagle pack wet food...she has pretty much turned her nose up to all of it over the last day or so... i will get some of the hills a/d do you just soften it with some broth to get it into the syringe?What exactly is wrong with Minnie? I may have missed some of thethread.Is she being treated for anything? Felv, michelle. i hate that she is suffering like this... she has been my constant companion for the past ten years LJ
Re: Dixie Louise
Marylyn, Did you figure out what was going on with Dixie Louise? Is it vaginal, or anal? I'd take her to the vet to find out exactly what's going on. Is the discharge brown, or white? Does it smell to high heaven? I have a dog that has anal sac excretion problems. I've learned to express them myself, (ah, the joys of pet guardianship!). It's not a pleasant activity, but it keeps him comfortable and avoids infection. I wouldn't wish his problem on anyone, but it's not that big a deal, if you keep on top of it. Nina wendy wrote: I have an FeLV neg. whose anal sacs got impacted when we went out of town two weeks ago. I had to take her to the vet to have them expressed. Not a fun day. --- Marylyn [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Has anyone had problems with a FeLV+ cat having vaginal discharge or problems with the anal sacs? How did you treat them? __ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com
Minnie and LJ (chicken broth recipe)
Hi LJ, I think what Michelle was asking is what has the vet diagnosed Minnie with besides the felv. Felv in and of itself does not make them sick. It makes their immune system weak and they can't fight off diseases as well as cats that don't have felv. You have to know what is making Minnie sick in order to know how to treat it. If your vet is telling you only that she has felv and not treating whatever is making her sick, only trying to keep her alive with fluids, then you need to see another vet or talk to your current one about diagnosing what's going on. Do try offering Minnie other things to eat, if her stomach is upset, she may be less likely to eat things that she's eaten before. Use your imagination and think like a cat. Sometimes they will lap food, but won't chew. Sometimes warming food will bring out the aroma more and get them to eat. Please do try the baby food. Get Beechnut, rather than Gerbers and an all meat type, like chicken, turkey or beef. Beef is harder to digest so you might be better off with poultry, but I have one kitty that won't eat any except the Gerbers ham baby food. You have to just keep trying. I've had kitties stop eating and when I give them just a taste, (with putting food in their mouths, either with my finger or syringe), they'll start to lap it off the bowl. It sort of gets them kick-started and reminds them they are hungry. Another hint for getting cats to drink more water is to get one of those kitty fountains. It circulates the water in the bowl and some cats are more likely to drink running water, maybe they are attracted to the sound of it. Give her plain broth and try the liver shake recipe that has been recommended on the list. Here's a recipe from a friend of mine that has worked well for some of my cats, (I've also added colostrum to the recipe): The following is a sort of 'tonic' I developed during episodes in my cats of inappetence and/or vomiting, diarrhea, etc., when they wouldn't eat food. This is a short-term option I have used successfully to provide some nutrients while supporting the cats back to health. I give it via oral syringe, usually in 1/8 tsp or 1/4 tsp doses at a time every 30-60 minutes depending upon the individual circumstances. 1/4 cup plain chicken broth (I prefer it fairly watery and not too much fat; I usually have some of this in the freezer from when I crock-pot a chicken for one of the above recipes) couple drops PetTinic 2 smidgens of KMR (VetSolutions Kitten Milk Replacement formula) 2 smidgens of Slippery Elm Bark powder 1 smidgen of Acidophilus powder (Kyo-Dophilus) Sending prayers for you and your beloved Minnie that she gets better very soon, Please do find yourself a vet that can help you, Nina l.j. crabtree wrote: What exactly is wrong with Minnie? I may have missed some of thethread.Is she being treated for anything? Felv, michelle. i hate that she is suffering like this... she has been my constant companion for the past ten years LJ
Re: ot: Wherefore art thou, Othello?
Elizabeth, Do you have reason to suspect that Othello is pos? I know you said that he's afraid of strangers, but do you think he might be more calm if a house-call vet came? They could take his blood and then you could bring it to be tested. He must have been to a vet before, hopefully your vet would agree to that. Most vets don't want to deal with ferals anyway, and if he seems perfectly healthy, they might do the test for you without having to see him. I don't know girl, if it were me, esp if he's an inside only cat, I wouldn't put him through a vet visit unless he started showing symptoms. I understand why you would want to know what his status is, but I don't know if it's worth the stress, (or the scratches). Hugs to you, Nina [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: A bit of unpleasantness here. :-( I'm in the process of having all the babies tested and re-vaccinated since Mama Kittyis FeVL+. Five down - Three to go. So far everyone elsehas testednegative.
Re: ot: Wherefore art thou, Othello?
Thanks, Nina. That is a good suggestion and one that I will consider. He does seem very healthy and isn't showing symptoms. I have wanted to get them all tested just in case I have another positive and don't know it so that I can give the proper care. I like to get them a good physical every yearjust to make sure everything is healthy regardless of FeVLstatus but you are quite right that some things aren't worth it. He has been to the vet before but was not happy about it. If I can't get him to go easily on Monday then I will see if someone can come to the house. hugs right back, elizabeth In a message dated 7/1/2006 2:35:42 P.M. Central Daylight Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: Elizabeth,Do you have reason to suspect that Othello is pos? I know you said that he's afraid of strangers, but do you think he might be more calm if a house-call vet came? They could take his blood and then you could bring it to be tested. He must have been to a vet before, hopefully your vet would agree to that. Most vets don't want to deal with ferals anyway, and if he seems perfectly healthy, they might do the test for you without having to see him. I don't know girl, if it were me, esp if he's an inside only cat, I wouldn't put him through a vet visit unless he started showing symptoms. I understand why you would want to know what his status is, but I don't know if it's worth the stress, (or the scratches).Hugs to you,Nina[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: A bit of unpleasantness here. :-( I'm in the process of having all the babies tested and re-vaccinated since Mama Kittyis FeVL+. Five down - Three to go. So far everyone elsehas testednegative.
Re: Gums and Teeth in FeLV Positive Cats
Hi Amy, Sick for 30 weeks! Ugh! Poor thing. I hope you're feeling better now, you're going to be at your, um, largest, during the hot summer months. I hope this kid appreciates all this :) . I used to use an oral rinse prescribed by my vet for my felv kitties' gums. I would water it down and use a Q-tip to very gently swab a quarter of their mouth at a time along the gum line. It doesn't taste bad and I'm not sure how much it helped, but it did keep their mouths cleaner at least. The swabbing probably helped with tarter build up too. I was always concerned that actual brushing might be too harsh on their sensitive gums. I have no idea why one of your cats should have higher calcium levels. When you say, slightly elevated, was it still within the normal range? Do they all eat the same diet? I've heard of high calcium in CRF kitties, but if there are no other indications, I wouldn't be too concerned. I would suspect that this was a one time only thing, if you're concerned you might talk to your vet about a diet change and then retest later. That's very cute that this kitty is your labor coach. It sounds like you have such a wonderful relationship with your furkids. Lastly, I'd tell whoever is flipping out about your babies being around your baby, to please leave you alone. They are upsetting the mother-to-be! Felv is not contagious to humans, period. The fear of parasites is also ridiculous. It sounds like your cats are better cared for than most human children. Why don't you ask these concerned people to check their kids for lice? It sounds like your cats are doing wonderfully well, they aren't sick, they are immune compromised, there is a difference. Even if they were to become symptomatic, the only problem that would pose to you is the added work of caring for them and the baby at the same time. All those of us that cherish our furkids know that is a labor of love and not a burden at all. Give those folks a raspberry from me and your kitties a head butt. You're going to be such a great mom! Hugs to you, Nina Amy Wilkins wrote: I haven't been on the list much in the past 7 months so I'll reintroduce myself. I live in NY and I have 4 cats with leukemia and one with FIV. I got started when I rescued a mom and kittens that were all positive and the vet wanted to put them to sleep. I kept them myself (despite my boyfriend, now husband, being deathly allergic) and have had leuk pos kitties ever since. I used to live on this list but then I got pregnant in December and have been sick for the past 30 weeks so I've sort of disappeared. I've been reading and following the posts for the past week and miss hearing about all the other cats out there. Yesterday I took 2 of my cats to the vet for their 6 month check-up and just have a couple questions. First of all, my leuk positives always have bad gums and/or teeth. I keep them all on Clindamycin and they get dosed about every 6 weeks. This helps but doesn't keep the gums looking normal. They always have a red line on their gums indicating infection. Is there anything else that people have had luck with to help keep the gums and teeth in better shape? I know it is always an issue with positive kitties but would like to do whatever I can. I asked my vet about dentals and whether that would help the teeth at least. She had an emergency (dog hit by a car) and we didn't finish our conversation in which I was going to ask about other medications as well. She will call me this weekend to discuss options but I'm just curious what other people do. Second, I'm curious if anybody has ever had a problem with high calcium levels? I do full blood work-ups on all my cats every 6 months to monitor how the leukemia is progressing. Everything was fine for both cats, except my one had a slightly elevated calcium level. The vet said most likely it is nothing to be worried about, however, high calcium can be indicative of some serious health problems at times. She said everything about the cat leads her to believe he is healthy. I've had him 2 years and he seems fine. She did say I could re-draw the blood and do further analysis if I'm really concerned but otherwise she would just wait and look at it again in 6 months. I'm leaning towards doing nothing but I'm having a baby in 2 months and this kitty is my labor coach so he has to be around. He adores the baby on the way and hasn't left my side since getting pregnant. The bond is amazing. I want to be sure I'm not overlooking something and just wondered if anybody has had any experience with high calcium in bloodwork. Lastly, everybody is flipping out about me having a newborn and 5 sick kitties. I'm not concerned at all but obviously want to be responsible. My cats lick me, cuddle with me, drink out of my glass, etc. I have never worried about them passing the disease even though I work with a vet tech that swears she knows people that got
Re: ot: Wherefore art thou, Othello?
You could always treat him like he's positive without really knowing for sure. You know, give him the supps, watch his health closely etc. Take an aggressive approach to any hiccups... If he gets sick, rush him to the vet and get him tested. Unless you are thinking about adopting a young kitten, what the heck would you do differently anyway? Nna [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Thanks, Nina. That is a good suggestion and one that I will consider. He does seem very healthy and isn't showing symptoms. I have wanted to get them all tested just in case I have another positive and don't know it so that I can give the proper care. I like to get them a good physical every yearjust to make sure everything is healthy regardless of FeVLstatus but you are quite right that some things aren't worth it. He has been to the vet before but was not happy about it. If I can't get him to go easily on Monday then I will see if someone can come to the house. hugs right back, elizabeth
Re: Gums and Teeth in FeLV Positive Cats
Just to clarify... When I said that I treated their gums with the oral rinse a quarter at a time, I meant each day I would do one quarter of their mouths. The top right one day, bottom right the next and so on. I didn't want to stress them with doing their whole mouth at a time and didn't like having them ingest too much of the oral rinse. N Nina wrote: Hi Amy, Sick for 30 weeks! Ugh! Poor thing. I hope you're feeling better now, you're going to be at your, um, largest, during the hot summer months. I hope this kid appreciates all this :) . I used to use an oral rinse prescribed by my vet for my felv kitties' gums. I would water it down and use a Q-tip to very gently swab a quarter of their mouth at a time along the gum line. It doesn't taste bad and I'm not sure how much it helped, but it did keep their mouths cleaner at least. The swabbing probably helped with tarter build up too. I was always concerned that actual brushing might be too harsh on their sensitive gums. I have no idea why one of your cats should have higher calcium levels. When you say, slightly elevated, was it still within the normal range? Do they all eat the same diet? I've heard of high calcium in CRF kitties, but if there are no other indications, I wouldn't be too concerned. I would suspect that this was a one time only thing, if you're concerned you might talk to your vet about a diet change and then retest later. That's very cute that this kitty is your labor coach. It sounds like you have such a wonderful relationship with your furkids. Lastly, I'd tell whoever is flipping out about your babies being around your baby, to please leave you alone. They are upsetting the mother-to-be! Felv is not contagious to humans, period. The fear of parasites is also ridiculous. It sounds like your cats are better cared for than most human children. Why don't you ask these concerned people to check their kids for lice? It sounds like your cats are doing wonderfully well, they aren't sick, they are immune compromised, there is a difference. Even if they were to become symptomatic, the only problem that would pose to you is the added work of caring for them and the baby at the same time. All those of us that cherish our furkids know that is a labor of love and not a burden at all. Give those folks a raspberry from me and your kitties a head butt. You're going to be such a great mom! Hugs to you, Nina
Re: ot: Wherefore art thou, Othello?
Another good point. I can't get within 10 feet of a baby kitten though- I have NO resistance :-) By the way - laughing here about your advice to our new Mom to be and was going to respond to that one. My neighbor next door is expecting her first child in about four weeks and has been getting a lot of flack from "friends" about her five cats. I think I'll just have to pass along the advice to tell them to check their kids for lice ROFL! elizabeth In a message dated 7/1/2006 3:21:14 P.M. Central Daylight Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: You could always treat him like he's positive without really knowing for sure. You know, give him the supps, watch his health closely etc. Take an aggressive approach to any hiccups... If he gets sick, rush him to the vet and get him tested. Unless you are thinking about adopting a young kitten, what the heck would you do differently anyway?Nna[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Thanks, Nina. That is a good suggestion and one that I will consider. He does seem very healthy and isn't showing symptoms. I have wanted to get them all tested just in case I have another positive and don't know it so that I can give the proper care. I like to get them a good physical every yearjust to make sure everything is healthy regardless of FeVLstatus but you are quite right that some things aren't worth it. He has been to the vet before but was not happy about it. If I can't get him to go easily on Monday then I will see if someone can come to the house. hugs right back, elizabeth
Re: Dixie Louise
It is both and she has been to the vet's. I have her on antibiotics for the anal sac problem which seems to have led to the vaginal discharge. So now she is on Fast Track to settle the internal bacteria problems. Her holistic vetused a laser to help heal the rear end and I am following up on that as Dixie permits. I think things are settling down for her. You are right. I would not wish these problems on anyone but my worst enemies. I don't know ifbeing FeLV + has any effect on this type condition or not. My regular vet is very much with the program and did not give her any prednisone to relieve the itching (commonly done) but came up with a spray to use. The holistic vet took it a step farther. Dixie just wishes everyone would leave her rear end alone. If you have men who will exclude any of God's creatures from the shelter of compassion and pity, you will have men who will deal likewise with their fellow man. St. Francis - Original Message - From: Nina To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Sent: Saturday, July 01, 2006 12:21 PM Subject: Re: Dixie Louise Marylyn,Did you figure out what was going on with Dixie Louise? Is it vaginal, or anal? I'd take her to the vet to find out exactly what's going on. Is the discharge brown, or white? Does it smell to high heaven? I have a dog that has anal sac excretion problems. I've learned to express them myself, (ah, the joys of pet guardianship!). It's not a pleasant activity, but it keeps him comfortable and avoids infection. I wouldn't wish his problem on anyone, but it's not that big a deal, if you keep on top of it.Ninawendy wrote: I have an FeLV neg. whose anal sacs got impacted when we went out of town two weeks ago. I had to take her to the vet to have them expressed. Not a fun day. --- Marylyn [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Has anyone had problems with a FeLV+ cat having vaginal discharge or problems with the anal sacs? How did you treat them? __ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com No virus found in this incoming message.Checked by AVG Free Edition.Version: 7.1.394 / Virus Database: 268.9.8/380 - Release Date: 6/30/2006
Re: Dixie Louise
Oh, poor little sugar! Most women over the age of 25 has had to deal with a "feminine" infection. Not pleasant. Once she heals, she may allow you to help express her anal glands to help make sure it doesn't get to the point of infection again. If you want the gruesome details of mastering the manual _expression_, write me off list. Believe it or not, Vladimir will now come and tell me when he needs help. It's sort of like giving subq fluids, once they find out how much better they feel afterwards, they don't fight it as much. I read up about the operation they can do to remove them, but I didn't think the risks were worth it. Hang in there Dixie Louise! Nina Marylyn wrote: It is both and she has been to the vet's. I have her on antibiotics for the anal sac problem which seems to have led to the vaginal discharge. So now she is on Fast Track to settle the internal bacteria problems. Her holistic vetused a laser to help heal the rear end and I am following up on that as Dixie permits. I think things are settling down for her. You are right. I would not wish these problems on anyone but my worst enemies. I don't know ifbeing FeLV + has any effect on this type condition or not. My regular vet is very much with the program and did not give her any prednisone to relieve the itching (commonly done) but came up with a spray to use. The holistic vet took it a step farther. Dixie just wishes everyone would leave her rear end alone.
Re: Dixie Louise
Unfortunately I have walked this walk with other four-legged friends. Dixie will be interesting. She still has her claws. My concern is whether FeLV + cats have more problems with this and if there is much/anything that can be done. If you have men who will exclude any of God's creatures from the shelter of compassion and pity, you will have men who will deal likewise with their fellow man. St. Francis - Original Message - From: Nina To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Sent: Saturday, July 01, 2006 4:20 PM Subject: Re: Dixie Louise Oh, poor little sugar! Most women over the age of 25 has had to deal with a "feminine" infection. Not pleasant. Once she heals, she may allow you to help express her anal glands to help make sure it doesn't get to the point of infection again. If you want the gruesome details of mastering the manual _expression_, write me off list. Believe it or not, Vladimir will now come and tell me when he needs help. It's sort of like giving subq fluids, once they find out how much better they feel afterwards, they don't fight it as much. I read up about the operation they can do to remove them, but I didn't think the risks were worth it. Hang in there Dixie Louise!NinaMarylyn wrote: It is both and she has been to the vet's. I have her on antibiotics for the anal sac problem which seems to have led to the vaginal discharge. So now she is on Fast Track to settle the internal bacteria problems. Her holistic vetused a laser to help heal the rear end and I am following up on that as Dixie permits. I think things are settling down for her. You are right. I would not wish these problems on anyone but my worst enemies. I don't know ifbeing FeLV + has any effect on this type condition or not. My regular vet is very much with the program and did not give her any prednisone to relieve the itching (commonly done) but came up with a spray to use. The holistic vet took it a step farther. Dixie just wishes everyone would leave her rear end alone. No virus found in this incoming message.Checked by AVG Free Edition.Version: 7.1.394 / Virus Database: 268.9.8/380 - Release Date: 6/30/2006
Re: Dixie Louise
I've never heard about this as a symptom of felv. Maybe someone else on the list could tell you more. I would assume that a fiv or felv pos would be more susceptible to any infection, but I've never heard of them particularly having anal gland problems. My guess is that DL just happens to have both conditions. :( Marylyn wrote: Unfortunately I have walked this walk with other four-legged friends. Dixie will be interesting. She still has her claws. My concern is whether FeLV + cats have more problems with this and if there is much/anything that can be done.
Re: Dixie Louise
That is my hope. I suspect the meds for the anal glands led to the discharge problem. If this is all there is to it I am very grateful. She appears to be feeling fine. If you have men who will exclude any of God's creatures from the shelter of compassion and pity, you will have men who will deal likewise with their fellow man. St. Francis - Original Message - From: Nina [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Sent: Saturday, July 01, 2006 4:37 PM Subject: Re: Dixie Louise I've never heard about this as a symptom of felv. Maybe someone else on the list could tell you more. I would assume that a fiv or felv pos would be more susceptible to any infection, but I've never heard of them particularly having anal gland problems. My guess is that DL just happens to have both conditions. :( Marylyn wrote: Unfortunately I have walked this walk with other four-legged friends. Dixie will be interesting. She still has her claws. My concern is whether FeLV + cats have more problems with this and if there is much/anything that can be done. -- No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.1.394 / Virus Database: 268.9.8/380 - Release Date: 6/30/2006
Re: Worried about Lucy
I actually got Red Bank hospital, the best in the state, to schedule me an appointment with an internist at the earliest date, but that is Thursday afternoon-- a long way away. I did try to talk the regular vet into just trying the Leukeran, but he wouldn't, and Lucy wasn't as bad yesterday anyway, and really I am not a vet, so maybe there would be a downside to doing that. it is a chemotherapy drug after all. i think you are supposed to wear gloves when administering it. I resorted to baby food and dry i/d, and after a pepcid and some fluids she did eat 1.5 jars of baby food and a handful of the i/d tonight. It will wreak havoc on her intestines, but I don't know what else to do. I tried minced turkey breast plain and she would not touch it. My mom bought duck and I cut some of that up. She seemed all excited at first but only ate two bites of it. I think she is acting less of her usual self now. She is still playing, but not very enthusiastically. She is purring, though, and wanted to go outside. Though she ate a whole lot of grass when she did (which also wreaks havoc on her intestines). I found some bile vomit with grass in it in a few places in the house, but Patches often eats grass and throws up,so I am not sure it was Lucy (and if itwas her, not sure if it is justbecause she ate grass or from the underlying condition). Lymphoma is in the front of my mind, not the back. I feel convinced she has it. She lost another 2 ounces today. I upped her prednisooe to the amount they prescribe for severe IBD and forsmallcell lymphoma, will keep giving herpepcid and fluids, and will keep trying to feed her, until Thursday. I will fast her Thursday morning in case they want to do the biopsy and I agree. I had decided not to let her outside at all, because she eats grasswhen I do and I find it all in her diarrhea and think it may be irritating her intestines. But my mom convinced me to let her out because she loves it so much, and in truth she ate more afterwards, maybe because the grass settled her stomach. My friend's cat who has lymphoma started eating a lot of grasswhen he got sick, so this also has me worried. I am pretty miserable. Not sure what else I can do, though. Can you send me the turkey mush recipe? I will try it. Thanks, Michelle In a message dated 7/1/2006 1:15:14 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: S**t Michelle,What the heck is going on with Lucy now?? It's very good that she's still acting herself for the most part. Could it be that she's just off her food? I'm praying it's not the dreaded lymphoma, I know that's always in the back of your mind. Why don't you try Gypsy's turkey mush recipe and see if that helps? It makes me so crazy that the internist's office won't make an appointment for you. What would you do, if after the exploratory surgery they still didn't have a definitive answer about her condition? Would you treat her for cancer anyway? If that's what you would do, why don't you talk to your regular vet about prescribing what is necessary? They might be more willing to do that, (heck, you'd be able to prescribe what's needed better than most vets anyway), when you tell them you took their advice, but the specialty clinic isn't able to give you an appointment. I'm sorry sweetheart, you seem to be between that rock and hard place once again. If it were me, (so impossible to know what I'd do until I was actually faced with it), I think I would continue to assume it is her IBD and not cancer that is causing her symptoms. How old is Lucy again? If her diarrhea is back, that would explain why she's not being as naughty as usual. Do you still have her on turkey and Instincts TC? Why don't you mince up a turkey breast, leaving out the TC and see if she gobbles it down? Gypsy responded to plain muscle meat when she was so sick. When you start adding supplements, you could do it individually, that way you could play around with the ratios and see if lowering/upping them might help. Prayers and good wishes from our tribe to yours,Nina
Re: michelle/water and food
It is pretty soft anyway. You just mix in a little water. You need to get it from a vet, though, as it is prescription. You can also try Gerber's turkey or chicken or lamb baby food. And you can try the liver shake recipe, sick cats often will eat that and it is very nutritious. Here is the recipe: 1 cup RAW LIVER (BEEF, or CHICKEN) 1 cup FRESH CARROT JUICE or V-8, or Tomatoe Juice 1/4 cup *FRESH FILTERED WATER 1 RAW EGG YOLK 1 tsp.KELP POWDER OR SPIRULINACOMBINE AND MIX IN A BLENDER UNTIL LIQUIFIED. (Note: it will be frothy)Dosage:Administer lOcc daily 3-6 times a day. (6Occ per day max)Some cats will need to be force-fed with a syringe, while others willdrink it out of a bowl.This food has a sweet and salty taste, and the energetic properties oftonifying (energy boosting), warming and stimulating and supports thekidneys, spleen, liver and stomach.This drink is a complete dinner for a sick cat until they feel goodenough to eat by themselves again. You may need to put some on her lips for her to taste it and realize she likes it. I have had that happen. I think it smells strange, but they love the taste. Sometimes they like it warmed a little, too. What is her diagnosis? Michelle In a message dated 7/1/2006 11:11:34 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: thank you so much michelle i have a smaller type syringe at home but no markings on it... how much in regular measurents ( cups/oz) would 100 cc be? i have been feeding her wellness and eagle pack wet food...she has pretty much turned her nose up to all of it over the last day or so... i will get some of the hills a/d do you just soften it with some broth to get it into the syringe?
Re: Gums and Teeth in FeLV Positive Cats
Lucy had very high calcium on one lab test, but the vet said that this is often lab error, and seemed to be so for her (it was last October, and I think she had normal calcium levels after that). They said it could be a sign of cancer of the parathyroid gland, but that most likely it was a lab error. Michelle
Re: Minnie and LJ (chicken broth recipe)
Nina is saying to get Beechnut because it is better quality, in that it does not contain corn starch, which cats don't need. But I have also found, with mine at least, that it is less palatable to them (probably because it is better for them!). I would get both brands (you may not even be able to find Beechnut-- they don't sell it much around here), and definitely try the Gerbers if she won't eat the Beechnut. I have found that chicken, turkey, and lamb (which I cringe at, having a sheep, and try to avoid for that reason) have seemed the most palatable to mine. Michelle In a message dated 7/1/2006 3:30:22 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: Get Beechnut, rather than Gerbers and an all meat type, like chicken, turkey or beef. Beef is harder to digest so you might be better off with poultry, but I have one kitty that won't eat any except the Gerbers ham baby food.
Re: Shakiti Update
My understanding is that the fatter the cat is the quicker they get into liver problems by not eating..tBelinda [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: but Spaz has twice gone for days without eating and not had a problem This is true, I too have had sick cats that didn't want to eat much, but they were eating something and they were fine. Every cat is different and you never know which category your cat is going to fall into. It is absolutely a fact that some cats will be direly sick after not eating for only 2 days, so to me the risk isn't worth the possibility. And it is amazing how many vets don't warn people about this!!-- Belindahappiness is being owned by cats ...Be-Mi-Kittieshttp://bemikitties.comPost Adoptable FeLV/FIV/FIP Cats/Kittenshttp://adopt.bemikitties.comFeLV Candlelight Servicehttp://bemikitties.com/clsHostDesign4U.com [affordable hosting web design]http://HostDesign4U.comBMK Designs [non-profit animals websites]http://bmk.bemikitties.com
Re: o/t advice needed
Good news that your father is handling this well and the other problems are working out. Plumbing, etc... problems always come at the most inoportune times.Tell your day you spell it tires now with no y since you're in the u.s. lol.tKerry MacKenzie [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Thanks so much Tonya! (tried to email you directly as sooo o/t but non possibile--apologies to all) My dad is just extraordinary---he has been diagnosed as having stage 4 cancer (terminal; no treatment) but he's carrying on with a more or less normal life...a friend who called me while I was in Scotland to ask how he was was as amazed by my reply asI was after I popped my head out the door: "Well, right now, he's changing tractor tyres"! He's never once complained (and in fact his standard reply when anyone asks how he is, is what it's pretty well been all his life: "no complaints"!). But he's not in denial--he knows exactly the score: he floored me (and I'm sure all of us around the table) when he commented matter-of-factly last week "while I'm still able to eat, I'd really like to taste a lobster". Needless to say my sisters are now all scrabbling to organise a lobster feast. Thanks for the good Danny advice--I hadn't thought of crate--will pass to B. Plumbing pretty well resolved, tho found (in time) another potentially ghastly leak today--fortunately there was already a container in place. Teeth also fixed so I don't scare the horses any more. Well, maybe I do, but not for that reason. Thanks again for your good wishes Tonya! hugs, Kerry- Original Message - From: catatonya To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Sent: Saturday, June 24, 2006 9:49 PM Subject: Re: o/t advice neededGosh Kerry! How is your father on top of everything else? I think of you often.As far as the cat spraying, I would recommend she start over and crate the cat for a while so the 2 can get used to each other more gradually. Then let it have a small room like a bathroom, etc. If it sprays it goes back into the crate.. etc Is the cat neutered?Also I'd try the feliway dispensers. And if none of that shows promise I'd try the kitty prozac ( I don't remember what it's called.)Good luck with everything. Plumbing problems suck. I had that blue poly that was recalled at my old house and had several major floods until I replumbed the entire house. tonya
Re: Worried about Lucy
Have you tried Metoclopramide Syrup? It's suppose to ease stomach contractions and it really helped Gypsy the few times I gave it to her. I'll send you the turkey mush recipe off-list. I'm so sorry about your concerns for Lucy and her not feeling well. I'm still praying you are wrong and it's not lymphoma. Give your Mom a kiss from me for convincing you to let Lucy out to play. Make each day as special as you can for her, Lots of love, Nina [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: I actually got Red Bank hospital, the best in the state, to schedule me an appointment with an internist at the earliest date, but that is Thursday afternoon-- a long way away. I did try to talk the regular vet into just trying the Leukeran, but he wouldn't, and Lucy wasn't as bad yesterday anyway, and really I am not a vet, so maybe there would be a downside to doing that. it is a chemotherapy drug after all. i think you are supposed to wear gloves when administering it. I resorted to baby food and dry i/d, and after a pepcid and some fluids she did eat 1.5 jars of baby food and a handful of the i/d tonight. It will wreak havoc on her intestines, but I don't know what else to do. I tried minced turkey breast plain and she would not touch it. My mom bought duck and I cut some of that up. She seemed all excited at first but only ate two bites of it. I think she is acting less of her usual self now. She is still playing, but not very enthusiastically. She is purring, though, and wanted to go outside. Though she ate a whole lot of grass when she did (which also wreaks havoc on her intestines). I found some bile vomit with grass in it in a few places in the house, but Patches often eats grass and throws up,so I am not sure it was Lucy (and if itwas her, not sure if it is justbecause she ate grass or from the underlying condition). Lymphoma is in the front of my mind, not the back. I feel convinced she has it. She lost another 2 ounces today. I upped her prednisooe to the amount they prescribe for severe IBD and forsmallcell lymphoma, will keep giving herpepcid and fluids, and will keep trying to feed her, until Thursday. I will fast her Thursday morning in case they want to do the biopsy and I agree. I had decided not to let her outside at all, because she eats grasswhen I do and I find it all in her diarrhea and think it may be irritating her intestines. But my mom convinced me to let her out because she loves it so much, and in truth she ate more afterwards, maybe because the grass settled her stomach. My friend's cat who has lymphoma started eating a lot of grasswhen he got sick, so this also has me worried. I am pretty miserable. Not sure what else I can do, though. Can you send me the turkey mush recipe? I will try it. Thanks, Michelle
Re: Worried about Lucy
I have not followed this closely so these ideas may be totally off base but here they are: Try apple pectin on her or some sort of bulk producer like psyllium. I know it sounds strange but it has helped a couple of my critters with IBD. Have you tried checking for allergies? The Royal Princess Kitty Katt had an awful problem we were convinced was pancreas related and due to an inability to digest fats. Her BMs were totally awful. An angel sat on my shoulder and whispered allergies. I talked to my vets and they agreed it was possible but not probable for a cat her age to develop food allergies. We did a lot of food switching and it helped --in fact, it did away with that particular problem. We did away with grains and most things found in regular cat food. Turkey, especially the way it is processed now, seems to be a big problem too. Eventually I got her on EVO which does contain turkey but caused no problems supposedly because of the way it is processed. These are just ideas but I hope they help. If you are concerned about her life span, and I suspect you are, enjoy her and let her enjoy you. Particularly, do not deny her the pleasures ofher life. Know that quality is far more important than quantity. Blessings to you. If you have men who will exclude any of God's creatures from the shelter of compassion and pity, you will have men who will deal likewise with their fellow man. St. Francis - Original Message - From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Sent: Saturday, July 01, 2006 8:33 PM Subject: Re: Worried about Lucy I actually got Red Bank hospital, the best in the state, to schedule me an appointment with an internist at the earliest date, but that is Thursday afternoon-- a long way away. I did try to talk the regular vet into just trying the Leukeran, but he wouldn't, and Lucy wasn't as bad yesterday anyway, and really I am not a vet, so maybe there would be a downside to doing that. it is a chemotherapy drug after all. i think you are supposed to wear gloves when administering it. I resorted to baby food and dry i/d, and after a pepcid and some fluids she did eat 1.5 jars of baby food and a handful of the i/d tonight. It will wreak havoc on her intestines, but I don't know what else to do. I tried minced turkey breast plain and she would not touch it. My mom bought duck and I cut some of that up. She seemed all excited at first but only ate two bites of it. I think she is acting less of her usual self now. She is still playing, but not very enthusiastically. She is purring, though, and wanted to go outside. Though she ate a whole lot of grass when she did (which also wreaks havoc on her intestines). I found some bile vomit with grass in it in a few places in the house, but Patches often eats grass and throws up,so I am not sure it was Lucy (and if itwas her, not sure if it is justbecause she ate grass or from the underlying condition). Lymphoma is in the front of my mind, not the back. I feel convinced she has it. She lost another 2 ounces today. I upped her prednisooe to the amount they prescribe for severe IBD and forsmallcell lymphoma, will keep giving herpepcid and fluids, and will keep trying to feed her, until Thursday. I will fast her Thursday morning in case they want to do the biopsy and I agree. I had decided not to let her outside at all, because she eats grasswhen I do and I find it all in her diarrhea and think it may be irritating her intestines. But my mom convinced me to let her out because she loves it so much, and in truth she ate more afterwards, maybe because the grass settled her stomach. My friend's cat who has lymphoma started eating a lot of grasswhen he got sick, so this also has me worried. I am pretty miserable. Not sure what else I can do, though. Can you send me the turkey mush recipe? I will try it. Thanks, Michelle In a message dated 7/1/2006 1:15:14 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: S**t Michelle,What the heck is going on with Lucy now?? It's very good that she's still acting herself for the most part. Could it be that she's just off her food? I'm praying it's not the dreaded lymphoma, I know that's always in the back of your mind. Why don't you try Gypsy's turkey mush recipe and see if that helps? It makes me so crazy that the internist's office won't make an appointment for you. What would you do, if after the exploratory surgery they still didn't have a definitive answer about her condition? Would you treat her for cancer anyway? If that's what you would do, why don't you talk to your regular vet about prescribing what is necessary? They might be more willing to do that, (heck, you'd be able to prescribe what's needed better than most vets anyway), when you tell
Re: Minnie and LJ (chicken broth recipe)
You can poach chicken and grind it up to baby food consistency in a processor. Dixie and Kitty both like/liked it that way and you are not getting the grains you get in baby food.nor the additives. The little Black and Decker processors are great for this and cost very little. If you have men who will exclude any of God's creatures from the shelter of compassion and pity, you will have men who will deal likewise with their fellow man. St. Francis - Original Message - From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Sent: Saturday, July 01, 2006 9:45 PM Subject: Re: Minnie and LJ (chicken broth recipe) Nina is saying to get Beechnut because it is better quality, in that it does not contain corn starch, which cats don't need. But I have also found, with mine at least, that it is less palatable to them (probably because it is better for them!). I would get both brands (you may not even be able to find Beechnut-- they don't sell it much around here), and definitely try the Gerbers if she won't eat the Beechnut. I have found that chicken, turkey, and lamb (which I cringe at, having a sheep, and try to avoid for that reason) have seemed the most palatable to mine. Michelle In a message dated 7/1/2006 3:30:22 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: Get Beechnut, rather than Gerbers and an all meat type, like chicken, turkey or beef. Beef is harder to digest so you might be better off with poultry, but I have one kitty that won't eat any except the Gerbers ham baby food. No virus found in this incoming message.Checked by AVG Free Edition.Version: 7.1.394 / Virus Database: 268.9.8/380 - Release Date: 6/30/2006
Re: Worried about Lucy
Michelle, Did you try slightly cooking the turkey or duck to bring out some juice and the aroma? There was a time when Gypsy would only eat salmon, or salmon mixed with duck. Does Lucy like fish? You know what a trial Gypsy has been... There was a week when all she would eat was warmed goat's milk with a drop of salmon oil floating on top. Hang in there, N [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: I resorted to baby food and dry i/d, and after a pepcid and some fluids she did eat 1.5 jars of baby food and a handful of the i/d tonight. It will wreak havoc on her intestines, but I don't know what else to do. I tried minced turkey breast plain and she would not touch it. My mom bought duck and I cut some of that up. She seemed all excited at first but only ate two bites of it.
Re: Worried about Lucy
Salmon, especially wild salmon, has wonderful healing properties. If you have men who will exclude any of God's creatures from the shelter of compassion and pity, you will have men who will deal likewise with their fellow man. St. Francis - Original Message - From: Nina [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Sent: Saturday, July 01, 2006 11:30 PM Subject: Re: Worried about Lucy Michelle, Did you try slightly cooking the turkey or duck to bring out some juice and the aroma? There was a time when Gypsy would only eat salmon, or salmon mixed with duck. Does Lucy like fish? You know what a trial Gypsy has been... There was a week when all she would eat was warmed goat's milk with a drop of salmon oil floating on top. Hang in there, N [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: I resorted to baby food and dry i/d, and after a pepcid and some fluids she did eat 1.5 jars of baby food and a handful of the i/d tonight. It will wreak havoc on her intestines, but I don't know what else to do. I tried minced turkey breast plain and she would not touch it. My mom bought duck and I cut some of that up. She seemed all excited at first but only ate two bites of it. -- No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.1.394 / Virus Database: 268.9.8/380 - Release Date: 6/30/2006
Re: Worried about Lucy
Good to know. Not only is it Gypsy's favorite fish, but it's mine too. N Marylyn wrote: Salmon, especially wild salmon, has wonderful healing properties.
