Re: [Felvtalk] (Fwd) Blood transfusion on Felv+ cat
My vets and I made the decision not to transfuse Dixie Louise for the reasons you gave. I am very grateful that my vets were very up front about the situation and, while they made it an option and assured me they would arrange it, they would not put their own cats thru it (given Dixie's condition and total dislike of vets). She spent quite a bit of time with her holistic vet (to whom my regular vets had referred me years before with a little beagle and who saw all m critters since) but that did not seem to stress her the way a transfusion at a strange place wold have. All my vets let me stay with my friends no matter what is going on. Many specialists won't. Another reason we didn't do the transfusions. You did what you thought was best and Mr. Darcy loves you for that. However, I am sure he approves of your decision to let him wind down without the added stress. Blessings to you. On Jan 21, 2009, at 9:04 PM, James G Wilson wrote: --- 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 Marylyn, Copper Thomas ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
[Felvtalk] Thanks
Dear All, I thank you all for the existence of this group and specially to Gloria, Heather, Jenny and Sally for answering my questions. Now, I have to read your e-mails very carefully and digest the information. 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] (Fwd) Blood transfusion on Felv+ cat
I am very sorry that you had such a bad experience, Jennifer. It's really unforgivable that a vet should be so unclear about what to expect from a transfusion for a kitty with nonregenerative anemia. I had my FeLV kitty, Flavia, given a transfusion after she was diagnosed with nonregenerative anemia and her hematocrit dropped to 7.5. Unlike Jennifer's careless (unethical?) vet, mine did tell me it would give her (only) an extra couple of weeks at most. I wanted those extra weeks to try to find a way to prolong her life significantly. I obtained immunoregulin for her but too late, so I didn't get a chance to try it. Nonetheless, in the same circumstances, I would not do a transfusion again. It was tremendously stressful for Flavia, it was very expensive ($1000 total for transfusion plus drawing my healthy cat's blood) and it gave her only 10 days extra (her HCT went up to 23), when her HCT plummeted again to 13. Like Jennifer, I would much rather concentrate on doing everything possible to ensure my cat enjoys every moment of the rest of her time, however long that may be, in the comfort of her own home. Kerry M. -Original Message- From: felvtalk-boun...@felineleukemia.org [mailto:felvtalk-boun...@felineleukemia.org] On Behalf Of James G Wilson Sent: Wednesday, January 21, 2009 9:05 PM To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Subject: [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 _ IRS CIRCULAR 230 NOTICE. Any tax advice expressed above by Mayer Brown LLP was not intended or written to be used, and cannot be used, by any taxpayer to avoid U.S. federal tax penalties. If such advice was written or used to support the promotion or marketing of the matter addressed above, then each offeree should seek advice from an independent tax advisor. This email and any files transmitted with it are intended solely for the use of the individual or entity to whom they are addressed. If you have received this email in error please notify the system manager. If you are not the named addressee you should not disseminate, distribute or copy this e-mail. ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
Re: [Felvtalk] (Fwd) Blood transfusion on Felv+ cat
Wow, that is an extremely high cost for a transfusion, they are rip offs, where do you live? I have gotten transfusions for under $200.00. You may ask your vet about trying epogen, procrit or arsnap all help with anemia. Bailey my positive was on epogen and prednisolone when he was anemic. His HCT went from a low of 15 to 40 in 6 weeks. He remained in the mid 30's the rest of his life. He died from undiagnosed pancreatic cancer. Do they know what is causing the anemia? Has he ever been on doxycycline for 4 weeks minimum? Hemobartonella is almost impossible to test for and many cats have been saved by being put on doxy even thought they tested negative for hemo. From other lists I'm on I know of several cats tested 4 or 5 times testing negative being put on doxy and recovering ... obviously they had hemo but were testing negative. There are other drugs in the tetroclycline family if Darcy can't tolerate doxy, doxy is just thought to work the best. Prayers coming to little Darcy and your family. -- Belinda happiness is being owned by cats ... http://bemikitties.com http://BelindaSauro.com ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
[Felvtalk] Post to List
My Email address is cat...@vt.edu and I'd like to be able to post to this listserve. ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
Re: [Felvtalk] Anemia
Yes, the Hi Vites were recommended by our Vet for our anemic cat, which we give twice daily along with all his other meds. Date: Tue, 20 Jan 2009 09:26:27 -0500 From: furrygi...@gmail.com To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Subject: Re: [Felvtalk] Anemia Hi Vite drops are a good iron supplement, available at most vets I think not particularly expensive. It does have other vitamins/minerals in it, so good to check the ingredient list if your cat is high in any areas that need to be watched/ingredients avoided. On Sun, Jan 18, 2009 at 2:48 PM, Sally Davis putty...@gmail.com wrote: Some have used childrens liquid viatmins with iron. You may have to consult your vet about dosage. Just a thought. Sally 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 ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org _ Windows Live™ Hotmail®…more than just e-mail. http://windowslive.com/howitworks?ocid=TXT_TAGLM_WL_t2_hm_justgotbetter_howitworks_012009 ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
Re: [Felvtalk] Anemia AZT
The leukemia has reach the bone marrow of our cat Gray Kitty as well. We were told in November by the University of California Davis that he had weeks to live. He is still fighting to live. We have him on Interferon, LTCI Injections weekly, high doses of Steroids as well. Date: Wed, 21 Jan 2009 09:13:39 -0800 From: mg4...@yahoo.com.br To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Subject: [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 _ Windows Live™ Hotmail®…more than just e-mail. http://windowslive.com/howitworks?ocid=TXT_TAGLM_WL_t2_hm_justgotbetter_howitworks_012009 ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
Re: [Felvtalk] (Fwd) Blood transfusion on Felv+ cat
We transfused our cat Gray Kitty twice now. The lowest his hematocrit ever went was 9. After each transfusion he went up to around 30-35 which is in the normal range, then dipped down to 18-20 where he remains. From: phaed...@charter.net To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Date: Wed, 21 Jan 2009 21:04:36 -0600 Subject: [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 _ Windows Live™ Hotmail®:…more than just e-mail. http://windowslive.com/explore?ocid=TXT_TAGLM_WL_t2_hm_justgotbetter_explore_012009 ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
Re: [Felvtalk] Post to List
Hi Carol, Your message came through on the list and if you get this then you are a member. -- Belinda happiness is being owned by cats ... http://bemikitties.com http://BelindaSauro.com ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
[Felvtalk] Anemia and copper?
Given the recent discussions about anemia and treatment, I was wondering if anyone has had any experience with abnormal copper levels inducing anemia? From what I've read, both too much and too little copper absorbed by the cat can lead to anemia. Copper deficiency on it's own is supposed to be rare in cats, but it can be caused by too much calcium or zinc. I only started researching this the day before Denzel died, mostly because I read somewhere that copper deficiency can also cause black fur to turn rust colored. Denzel was a black cat, but by the time he passed away, he was almost looking like a tortie in patches. Of course, I read somewhere else that maybe the anemia itself can also cause this. I never got the chance to ask my vet, but maybe this might be something else for some of y'all battling anemia now to look into. But I would definitely ask a vet before trying to supplement copper, because cats really only need a tiny amount of it in their diets and too much can also lead to anemia, apparently. -Emily Sent from my iPhone ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
