[Felvtalk] Anemia AZT
Dear All, I was so upset with my sick cat that I did not introduce myself as new to list a few days ago. I do apologize. I am writing from Brazil, have two rescued cats. One of them is Felv+. He has been treated on AZT and interferon for 2 years and half. The virus reached his bone marrow and he has anemia. Two vets have examined him. One said that I should stop with the AZT and the other advised to continue. I failed to find on the mail archives any report on cats being treated with AZT. I would be most grateful to hear what any of you have to say. Regards, Graça Azevedo Veja quais são os assuntos do momento no Yahoo! +Buscados http://br.maisbuscados.yahoo.com ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
Re: [Felvtalk] Anemia AZT
Hi Graca You may want to join the FIV healthscience group on yahoo. They have a file folder regarding the use of AZT in FELV and FIV cats. Here is the link to the group. http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/fiv-healthscience You will have to write an into to the group moderator. You do not have to have an FIV cat to join, just say I referred you if you want. Sally On Wed, Jan 21, 2009 at 12:13 PM, Graca Azevedo mg4...@yahoo.com.br wrote: Dear All, I was so upset with my sick cat that I did not introduce myself as new to list a few days ago. I do apologize. I am writing from Brazil, have two rescued cats. One of them is Felv+. He has been treated on AZT and interferon for 2 years and half. The virus reached his bone marrow and he has anemia. Two vets have examined him. One said that I should stop with the AZT and the other advised to continue. I failed to find on the mail archives any report on cats being treated with AZT. I would be most grateful to hear what any of you have to say. Regards, Graça Azevedo Veja quais são os assuntos do momento no Yahoo! +Buscados http://br.maisbuscados.yahoo.com ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org -- Sally(me), Eric (not a cat),Junior(angel), Tiny(angel) Fluffy(soul mate angel), Lionel(angel),Speedy, Grey and White, Ittle Bitty, Little Black, Lily, Daisy, Pewter, Junior Junior, Hotdog (newest) Silver, and Spike Please Visit my Message board for some pictures. You are welcome to sign up. http://www.k6az.com/ki4spk/index.php?sid=c57c00cf5804ef13853ed6e77a68eed3 ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
Re: [Felvtalk] New to List
Lisa Cannata wrote: Please visit www.imulan.com This is new treatment for FeLV and FIV cats. My cat Carl has been on this med for about 2 weeks. And while it is really too early to tell how much it will help him he is doing better! The study was very positive and hopeful. The cost was $900 which included 3 injections (he has had 2 so far and will be getting 4 in a row) xrays, 2 blood panels, and the doctors charge. I am sure a transfusion is at least this much. Hi Lisa, I assume that since you made a reference to transfusions, your reply was sent in response to my New to List post, so I've gone ahead and changed the subject line (you replied to the digest). I am so happy to hear Carl is doing better. My vet did discuss the Imulan product LTCI with me and I have reviewed the information on the Web site. My vet does not recommend using LTCI (nor does our internal medicine specialist). There are several reason for this. There appears to have only been one small, short-term study. There is no information provided about how many of the cats in this study were FeLV positive. (The study contained both FIV and FeLV positive cats. Also, apparently the company will not release any data from the study (other than the very general results they published in their brochure and other literature) to veterinarians. If my vet were able to review the study data, she would probably be more willing to try the product (unless the data did not support the product claims). My vet quoted me $400 for a blood transfusion and said that the LTCI runs about $100 per injection. I hope you will keep us posted about Carl's progress. I would be especially interested in knowing how much improvement you see in his lab work (CBC in particular). My kitty, Shane, is severely anemic and his neutrophil count is well into the danger zone. He is still active (though napping more), eating pretty well, maintaining his weight, and dashing around the house. In other words, other than subtle changes in his behavior, you would never guess that according to his lab work, he is at death's door. My vet has placed him on prophylactic antibiotics, pulsing them one week on/one week off. Thanks for your help and please let us know how it goes with Carl. Sue T. and Shane ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
Re: [Felvtalk] Anemia AZT
Hi Graca, I'm so glad you've found this list. I've never used AZT, only interferon alpha. I've used it daily, but others use it 3 days on/ 3 off, or 7 days on/ 7 off.I don't know the cause for anemia, but as I understand, a positive cat typically has the virus in the bone marrow, and then other problems may (or may not) develop, such as anemia. Somebody correct me if I'm wrong. In general, the virus causes a lowering of the immune system, and FELV cats are predisposed to various types of illnesses, such as lymphoma, etc. There are different types of the FELV virus, also, and some geographic regions has more of one type than another. I presently have 5 FELV cats, and had several before who are now Angel Cats. Several of the ones that I've had, that died, had lymphoma (there are different varieties of that). We all know what it feels like to deal with this, so you'll find a lot of information and support here. Gloria On Jan 21, 2009, at 11:13 AM, Graca Azevedo wrote: Dear All, I was so upset with my sick cat that I did not introduce myself as new to list a few days ago. I do apologize. I am writing from Brazil, have two rescued cats. One of them is Felv+. He has been treated on AZT and interferon for 2 years and half. The virus reached his bone marrow and he has anemia. Two vets have examined him. One said that I should stop with the AZT and the other advised to continue. I failed to find on the mail archives any report on cats being treated with AZT. I would be most grateful to hear what any of you have to say. Regards, Graça Azevedo Veja quais são os assuntos do momento no Yahoo! +Buscados http://br.maisbuscados.yahoo.com ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
Re: [Felvtalk] Anemia AZT
Graca, Hello. I responded to your email earlier but had some problems with my email and am not sure if you received it. This is basically what I said. If you get two emails for this sorry. AZT is an antiviral used in human medicine to treat HIV. It is generally used in combination with other antivirals. Unfortunately, these combinations of antivirals have not been found to be effective against felv in cats. At least there are no good studies to support that. AZT is often not used or stopped in people because it often causes anemia and bone marrow toxicity. This is a very widely known side effect of AZT. For this reason, I would listen to the vet that suggests stopping the AZT. Since anemia can be a common symptom of felv and your cat is experiencing it. It is either because of progression of the felv disease or a side effect of the drugs. If it is the drug, stop giving it and the anemia should improve (this can be monitored by looking at the blood for reticulocytes - which are like baby red blood cells and indicate that the bone marrow is trying to fix the anemia - this is a good sign). If it is the felv disease progressing than the AZT is not really helping you anyway and there isn't much reason to continue giving it. If you want to continue to treat the felv virus, there is a lot of buzz about something called Imulan. It is the first FDA approved drug for the treatment of felv/fiv in the United States. You may want to ask your vet about this possibility. It may be beneficial to stop your current meds and try this. I don't know. It would be trial and error. Keep in mind that anemia and bone marrow suppression in a felv positive cat is a poor prognostic sign. In general, if it were me, I would stop the AZT and watch for improvement of the anemia. I may add Imulan (I have no experience with this drug yet), would consider a blood transfusion, from an immunized cat, if the anemia is significant enough and transfer factor if there is GI upset. Hope this helps. Jenny Graca Azevedo mg4...@yahoo.com.br wrote: Dear All, I was so upset with my sick cat that I did not introduce myself as new to list a few days ago. I do apologize. I am writing from Brazil, have two rescued cats. One of them is Felv+. He has been treated on AZT and interferon for 2 years and half. The virus reached his bone marrow and he has anemia. Two vets have examined him. One said that I should stop with the AZT and the other advised to continue. I failed to find on the mail archives any report on cats being treated with AZT. I would be most grateful to hear what any of you have to say. Regards, Graça Azevedo Veja quais são os assuntos do momento no Yahoo! +Buscados http://br.maisbuscados.yahoo.com ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
[Felvtalk] (Fwd) Blood transfusion on Felv+ cat
--- Forwarded message follows --- From: Jennifer Dykhouse redg...@hotmail.com To: felvtalk-ow...@felineleukemia.org Subject:Blood transfusion on Felv+ cat Date sent: Wed, 21 Jan 2009 14:17:45 -0500 Hello everyone, I thought I'd let you know how the blood transfusion helped/didn't help my Felv+ cat, so that if you need to reach that decision, you can see my example. The day before we did the blood transfusion, Mr. Darcy's hematocrit count was at 7 (I was told that 30 is the lowest you can be and still be healthy). He was extremely lethargic and as a result would eat. He lost 2 pounds in a month (even with us assist feeding him) and he was starting to catch a respiratory bug. Right after the transfusion, which cost 800 dollars and took about 5 hours, his hematocrit was at 17. That's great, but I am upset. I was thinking he'd be brought up to a healthy level, not just a slightly better level. He had perked up and he is eating turkey baby food now, but he still is extremely tired and now he has balance troubles. What I am most upset with was the lack of information from my vet and the animal hospital. When told about the blood transfusion by my normal vet, she made it sound like he'd be back at a healthy level and that it could work for months and that it was perfectly safe. When we were handing him over to the vet at the hospital, he finally told me that Mr. Darcy could die during the procedure and that it may only last a few hours, days. I am furious. It makes me feel like money is more important then informing the owner. I have decided to not do any more transfusions due to the fact that he's in the last stage of his illness and going to the vet really stresses him out. He won't eat for the rest of the day and since the transfusion may only give him days, I would rather have him enjoy his last days/weeks. So right now, we're at the point where the most we can do is get him to eat and sleep and to pet him and love him as much as we can. Now, your cat may have a different experience, but I just wanted to tell my story. Jennifer and Mr. Darcy __ ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
