Re: Buddha's 14 success story and a Question about Upper Respiratory infectio...
Chandra~ When we have outbreaks of severe URI's at the shelter, we do use humidifiers/vaporizers in our Felv rooms. And it does seem to help. With one of my boys, who was prone to URI's, I would put him in my half bath with the steam vaporizer on. It really worked wonders for him, and having him in a smaller, confined area seemed to work best. Of course, I would have to spend time with him.. But, he did lose the congestion. My vet also had me use "Little Noses", the pediatric nasal drops. What did the vet give you, was it saline drops? Usually, using the nasal drops helps bring relief relatively quick. Just have to administer them about every 4 hours. Is Buddha still on clavamox? My little Gus responded best to his URIs with either doxycycline or Zenequin. Just tossing things out here Also, he was prescribed an antihistamine to help w/ breathing. It sounds like the Alternative med. vet is understanding and compassionate. There should be more of them out there. I will be praying for Buddha's recovery. Please keep us updated. And I am sure other members will have some very good information to contribute as for addressing Buddha' s Felv status, in regards to supplements etc. (Interferon, etc) And as far as not going to the vets for the 8 years, I have to agree with your decision. I am quite leery of over-vaccinating exposing my companions to whatever viruses are lurking at the time. It sounds like you have been a very caring guardian for your boy, he is a lucky boy. I hope that you will have much more time together! Please, keep us updated. You'll find this is a very caring, compassionate supportive group. Also, very well informed on Felv ~ I can't stress that enough. Give Buddha a hug! Fondly, Patti
Re: Buddha's 14 success story and a Question about Upper Respiratory infectio...
Immuno-regulin helped two of my cats with URI-- one of them had pneumonia. It is an immune booster, you can get it through Revival online, and there are articles about it on the felineleukemia.org web page. Chemo is often very helpful to cats with lymphoma, though they say that doing steroids first reduces the effectiveness. There are other steroids besides prednisone that tend to work better on lymphoma. A vet who was a friend of a friend taught me that giving 1/2 cc dexamethasone and 1/2 cc depomedrol in shot form really shrinks the tumor and makes them feel good. At first it is like once a month or every few weeks, but as they deteriorate it is more often. Stronger than pred and longer lasting, plus no pills. She said she oaccasionally had a cat go 6 months with lymphoma on these shots without chemo, which is pretty long. 14 years is very inspiring. I hope he has several more. Michelle
Re: Buddha's 14 success story and a Question about Upper Respiratory infectio...
I haven't tried a vaporizer yet. I did try taking him into the bathroom and letting it fill up with steam, but it didn't seem to help much. The vet gave me Euphorbium, which I have never heard of, but it seems to be a homeopathic nasal spray for humans. I was told to give him one squirt up each nostril daily, but it doesn't seem to be doing a thing for him. His breathing hasn't improved at all since Monday, except that he is getting much better at breathing through his mouth. I am also giving him Nose Relief drops in his food and water 3 times a day, but since he didn't eat for 2 days, we are a little behind on that med. He seems to be taking the liquid food very well again today. I wasn't given any type of antihistamine. Do you think an antihistamine would help clear up his nose? and if so, which should I give him. I am worried that maybe I am just being over concerned about his nose being stopped up. The vet seemed to think that it would either clear up from the meds he is taking or not, but that he was breathing ok through his mouth so it wasn't critical to clear up his nasal passages. Honestly I don't know if anything will work though. His nasal discharge was a mixture of blood, and whatever other fluids were up in his sinuses (the vet said the tumors were shrinking and could have caused the increase in discharge). The thing is, when it dries, it is almost like rubber cement. It is thick and hard, yet almost rubbery. It is so weird. I have never seen anything like it. It has been almost impossible to clean it all off his face. I suppose that being a Persian might also have something to do with it as well. I have heard that Persians sometimes have chronic trouble with their noses, but he has never had any sort of problems until now. His lungs are thankfully still clear, so if anyone has ideas as to what might work to break-up what is in his nose, please let me know. My vet left today to go out of town for 2 weeks on holiday, so I don't know if I can get any new meds prescribed until she returns. She said the vet tech. would still be available so that we can go in for fluids or if things go down hill, we can go in for other options. --- [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Chandra~ When we have outbreaks of severe URI's at the shelter, we do use humidifiers/vaporizers in our Felv rooms. And it does seem to help. With one of my boys, who was prone to URI's, I would put him in my half bath with the steam vaporizer on. It really worked wonders for him, and having him in a smaller, confined area seemed to work best. Of course, I would have to spend time with him.. But, he did lose the congestion. My vet also had me use Little Noses, the pediatric nasal drops. What did the vet give you, was it saline drops? Usually, using the nasal drops helps bring relief relatively quick. Just have to administer them about every 4 hours. Is Buddha still on clavamox? My little Gus responded best to his URIs with either doxycycline or Zenequin. Just tossing things out here Also, he was prescribed an antihistamine to help w/ breathing. It sounds like the Alternative med. vet is understanding and compassionate. There should be more of them out there. I will be praying for Buddha's recovery. Please keep us updated. And I am sure other members will have some very good information to contribute as for addressing Buddha' s Felv status, in regards to supplements etc. (Interferon, etc) And as far as not going to the vets for the 8 years, I have to agree with your decision. I am quite leery of over-vaccinating exposing my companions to whatever viruses are lurking at the time. It sounds like you have been a very caring guardian for your boy, he is a lucky boy. I hope that you will have much more time together! Please, keep us updated. You'll find this is a very caring, compassionate supportive group. Also, very well informed on Felv ~ I can't stress that enough. Give Buddha a hug! Fondly, Patti Love is not necessary to life, but it is what makes life worth living. __ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com
Re: Buddha's 14 success story and a Question about Upper Respiratory infectio...
Are you sure that it is a cold and not lymphoma in his nasal passage? That is one of the places that they get lymphoma. One of my cats who died of lymphoma (I think, it was never definitively diagnosed) had a stuffy nose the whole time he was sick and nothing helped and I feel pretty sure at this point it was cancer and not mucous. Michelle
Re: Buddha's 14 success story and a Question about Upper Respiratory infectio...
It could be. My husband actually suggested that it might be caused by the cancer and not an infection, but I don't think our vet ever said for sure. Maybe that is why she said that it would either respond to the meds or not. I was a little out of it when we took him in yesterday. Between me getting up to check on him and him waking me up, I have only been sleeping for an hour or so at a time since Sunday night. We know he had a fairly large tumor behind his right eye, which was causing it to discharge and droop, however that particular tumor has shrunk considerably. His eye is almost back to normal so it is quite possible that he does have tumors in his nose, but shouldn't they be responding to the steroids too? --- [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Are you sure that it is a cold and not lymphoma in his nasal passage? That is one of the places that they get lymphoma. One of my cats who died of lymphoma (I think, it was never definitively diagnosed) had a stuffy nose the whole time he was sick and nothing helped and I feel pretty sure at this point it was cancer and not mucous. Michelle Love is not necessary to life, but it is what makes life worth living. __ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com
Re: Buddha's 14 success story and a Question about Upper Respiratory infectio...
I am, unfortunately, very familiar with the feeling of only sleeping an hour or so due to checking constantly on a cat with cancer. I am sorry. It is horrible. Yes, I would think it would respond to the steroids too, but the steroids kept Buddy going for about 3 months and generally feeling good sometimes, but even when feeling good his nose remained stuffy. It could just be that the nasal passage is so narrow that even a small amount of tumor, after it has shrunk, is still somewhat of an obstruction, whereas other places in the body if it gets small enough it does not really interfere with function. Don't know, just speculating. You could ask to try the stronger steroids and see if they help. One word of caution though on the stronger steroids-- when Buddy had been on them for a few months his skin got kind of thin and cut easily and he got a big wound on his back where we were giving him shots and fluids. it was awful. I do not know if this was from the steroids themselves, as this did not happen to my others, but someone else told me once that after a few years on a milder steroid the same happened to her cat, so I thought it might have been from that. It is a longer-term problem, though, and obviously not as much a problem as the cancer. I would do the humidifier anyway. But in terms of bothering him with meds and nasal spray, if they don't work within a few days I think I would stop using them as it probably stresses him out somewhat. Michelle In a message dated 12/15/2005 12:24:47 P.M. Eastern Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: It could be. My husband actually suggested that itmight be caused by the cancer and not an infection,but I don't think our vet ever said for sure. Maybethat is why she said that it would either respond tothe meds or not. I was a little out of it when we took him inyesterday. Between me getting up to check on him andhim waking me up, I have only been sleeping for anhour or so at a time since Sunday night. We know he had a fairly large tumor behind his righteye, which was causing it to discharge and droop,however that particular tumor has shrunk considerably.His eye is almost back to normal so it is quitepossible that he does have tumors in his nose, butshouldn't they be responding to the steroids too?
Re: Buddha's 14 success story and a Question about Upper Respiratory infectio...
with persians, stuffy noses are very often a problem--sometimes it's nothing more than their anatomy--if there was a tumor by his eyes, i'd almost expect sinus/nasal impingement that even with the tumor shrinking might persist. i'd go with the vaporizer, and nasal drops if, as michelle said, it doesn't stress him out. as long as he's getting enough air i wouldn't worry too much only because those smushed-faced ones (who needs a profile, anyway?, my eight ask) can't be judged by ordinary standards! MC -- MaryChristine AIM / YAHOO: TenHouseCats MSN: [EMAIL PROTECTED] ICQ: 289856892
Re: Buddha's 14 success story and a Question about Upper Respiratory infectio...
Chandra, I have a bottle of ImmunoRegulin that I ordered online in November. Cricket only had two doses of it before he passed and you are welcome to it if you want it. Let me know. :) Wendy --- [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Immuno-regulin helped two of my cats with URI-- one of them had pneumonia. It is an immune booster, you can get it through Revival online, and there are articles about it on the felineleukemia.org web page. Chemo is often very helpful to cats with lymphoma, though they say that doing steroids first reduces the effectiveness. There are other steroids besides prednisone that tend to work better on lymphoma. A vet who was a friend of a friend taught me that giving 1/2 cc dexamethasone and 1/2 cc depomedrol in shot form really shrinks the tumor and makes them feel good. At first it is like once a month or every few weeks, but as they deteriorate it is more often. Stronger than pred and longer lasting, plus no pills. She said she oaccasionally had a cat go 6 months with lymphoma on these shots without chemo, which is pretty long. 14 years is very inspiring. I hope he has several more. Michelle __ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com
Re: Buddha's 14 success story and a Question about Upper Respiratory infectio...
Wendy, Wow, that is so generous of you. You are so sweet. You know, I was just telling my husband last night that if Buddha has any meds left over when he passes, I would like to see if it is possible to donate them to someone else who is going through the same thing we are but who might not be able to afford all the treatments and meds, and then the very next day you made the same sweet sweet offer. That really means a lot to me. I have a question though, does ImmunoRegulin need to be given as a shot, or is it something that can be given orally? I am beginning to think that it isn't so much the URI that is bothering him, but the cancer. He is not doing well this afternoon. He ate some this morning, but only after much coaxing. He seems to respond better to my husband feeding him than when I try, which seems to be the case with almost everything this past week. He is very, very unhappy with me and I don't know why. If I try to pet him, he gets up and walks away, which given his weak state is no small feat. Did you go through anything like that when your cat was sick? He has never acted like this before in his life. He is usually soo needy. He has always acted as if the sole purpose of anyone who comes into my house is to pet him and love on him. Until a week ago, if we were sitting down, he was in one of our laps or trying to get into one of our laps. Now I can't even sit down on the floor next to him very long before he tries to move away. It really makes me sad. Almost everything that was unique and wonderful about his personality is gone. He seems as if he is becoming a sick, tired, shell of the cat he used to be. Julian, my husband, and I have decided that we are not going to give up hope, but we are also worried that Buddha might be ready to go, but that we are just not letting him. Yet at the same time, it still seems like he is willing to fight through this. The part that I haven't figured out yet is when do you know when they are tired of fighting and you are just keeping them alive to make yourself happy? --- wendy [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Chandra, I have a bottle of ImmunoRegulin that I ordered online in November. Cricket only had two doses of it before he passed and you are welcome to it if you want it. Let me know. :) Wendy Love is not necessary to life, but it is what makes life worth living. __ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com
Re: Buddha's 14 success story and a Question about Upper Respiratory infectio...
i always ask them if they're ready to go, and try really hard to listen to THEM, and not my own need to keep trying to help. i tell them to tell me when it's time; i pay great attention to whether they accept or fight treatment (fluids, force-feeding) i let them be by themselves if that's what they need (tho it kills me to do so; when someone wants to be off on their own, i just make sure they're comfortable, and keep coming by to check. one other thing that i do is to tell them, out loud, that they can leave when it's their time, that i'll be okay, that they don't need to stay for me the most valuable thing i've ever been told is that it's better to send them home one day too early than 5 minutes too late MC -- MaryChristine AIM / YAHOO: TenHouseCats MSN: [EMAIL PROTECTED] ICQ: 289856892
Re: Buddha's 14 success story and a Question about Upper Respiratory infectio...
Hello Chandra, As I was reading your post about Buddha's behavior, (responding to your husband better), I was thinking that he may be preparing himself for the transition, then when you said how uncharacteristic it is of him, and how his personality seems to have changed... My Grace did the same thing and even after I figured out that she was disconnecting from this plane and spending more time out of her body, it still hurt so much to not be able to cuddle and comfort her. She just didn't want it. I respected her wishes and she rewarded me with one final loving connection when we were in the vet's office waiting to help her cross over. It may just be that Buddha is in a great deal of discomfort, but it might also be that he feels your energy desperate for him to stay and he just isn't able to handle it. I so feel for you, you've been such a good mom and I'm certain that Buddha loves you very much. It's so hard to let go, whenever the time comes, our time together is never long enough. I so very much hope I'm wrong and I'm praying for a long and happy remission. Much love to you, Nina
Re: Buddha's 14 success story and a Question about Upper Respiratory infectio...
Chandra, What you and Buddha are going through is very common, unfortunately, with cancer. All my babies who had cancer got that way when they did not feel well. Sometimes they even hid. They went up and down, though. Simon got so he did not want to be touched at all, would not touch food or water, and could not even walk. We did those strong steroid shots and two days later, when I thought he would pass at any moment, he sat up and asked for food and water, then was running around and affectionate the next day. He went back to chemo and had another good month. You just don't know. yes, I-R needs to be given as a shot, as an IV shot usually, by a vet. Seriously, given what you are describing, if you do not want to try chemo I would really ask for dexamethasone and depomedrol shots (1/2 cc each, can be combined) to make him feel better. These steroids are so much stronger and longer-lasting than prednisone, and they both increase appetite and energy and also make them feel happier. Josephine had lymphoma in her kidneys and intestines, and the tumors in her intestines would bulge out when the shots were wearing off, and within a few hours of giving her a new round the tumors would visibly shrink and she would get up and eat. Dexamethasone works very quickly, is very strong, and wears off within a day or so. Depomedrol takes a few days to kick in, and lasts for a long time (depending on stage of illness from a few days to a few weeks). The combination gives them a strong fast-acting steroid that shrinks the tumor and gives them energy fast (the dex) and by the time that starts wearing off the depo kicks in. It really does work well. It brought Simon back from the precipice, to the surprise even of the oncologist who had had to be talked into giving the shots. Ask others on this list-- I was giving hourly reports on how Simon was doing and not a soul on this list, myself included, thought he would last another day, and then all of a sudden he was up and about and hungry and happy and his blood values (liver and red blood cell) were so much better he was okayed for more chemo. Anyway, that is my suggestion. The steroids do not have any bad side effects short-term, are not expensive, and sometimes make them feel so much better. If they do not work, then it means they really are very close to the end. Michelle
Re: Buddha's 14 success story and a Question about Upper Respiratory infectio...
nina, i know what you mean about them disconnecting--i've often felt that their spirits were gone before their bodies quite let go; i've also seen them go into what looks like a meditative state, as if they were making all their own preparations, regardless of their humans or other companions. sometimes the cuddling and holding we want to give is for US, and it's just not what they are needing. they KNOW they are loved, and they KNOW that leaving this plane is just part of the cycle in those cases, i make sure that i hug them with white light and radiated love--chosing to believe that they WILL accept the vibration i've also noticed that, often, right before they are leaving behind their old, used bodies, they perk up and are completely present. often, i'll see them get playful, almost kittenish--i think that is their gift to us, reminding us to remember THEM as they were throughout their lives, not just in their last days or hours. -- MaryChristine AIM / YAHOO: TenHouseCats MSN: [EMAIL PROTECTED] ICQ: 289856892
Re: Buddha's 14 success story and a Question about Upper Respiratory infectio...
Hey Chandra, I am sorry that Buddha isn't doing well this afternoon. That really stinks. Yes, the ImmunoRegulin has to be injected into a vein. I was totally opposed to that at first, because Cricket was what they call fractious, which means he could really act crazy at the vet. lol. But Cricket was feeling so badly that he didn't fight it at all the first time, and it was quick. The doctor didn't charge me the first time, and then charged me $10 tech time fee the next. They injected it into his front paw, on the side. They shaved it there first. I couldn't tell if it helped Cricket or not as he went downhill so fast, but he did seem to do better after the first injection. He just couldn't kick the anemia. There are a lot of people here who really like IR. They also like something called Interferon, which you might ask about. Yes, Cricket seemed a little miffed at me sometimes during the month he was sick. It made me feel horrible to be trying to help him, yet I knew he didn't understand why I was doing these things. Giving him meds all the time, force feeding him, taking him to the vet where they gave him shots or gave him anesthesia. It was a LOONG month, and I was so emotionally drained from all the stress. It's hard. I still have some of Cricket's other meds as well as the IR, but just have had a hard time dealing with his loss, so I haven't gotten around to donating them yet. I have been meaning to post something on the Petsmart board. I also told my vet that it was available, but they haven't called yet. I also have canned A/D, which is what they feed anorexic cats, if you need some. Ask your vet. There are some people on this site that use animal communicators. I never used one, never even knew what they were until I came to this site in November. Hideyo uses one all the time with her cats. The animal communicator is supposed to be able to act as a channel between you and your cat. Maybe that might be an option for you in finding out what is going on in Buddha's little mind. She also used the AC to find out if the animal is ready to pass over the bridge, which is what we call dying around here. He probably feels pretty badly and might not want to be around anyone much. Cricket kept climbing under our bedroom furniture. I was raised in the country. I know from that experience that when one of our animals was dying, they would wonder away from the home to do it. I wonder why animals do this. I am not saying that's what Buddha is doing. I don't know. But it might help explain his behavior. When I am sick, I don't want anyone touching me. Maybe it's that type of thing. You and your husband will know when it's time to let Buddha go, if that time is near. You will just know. I know that sounds crazy, but it's not. I kept thinking that it was time for Cricket, but he lasted another two weeks before I took him in to get a feeding tube inserted because he wasn't eating, and he passed away that night. He never quite got over the anesthesia, and couldn't breathe very well. You should know that after a short time of not eating (2 days???), kitties can develop fatty liver disease, which will kill them. That's why I went in for the feeding tube. But Cricket was ready to go, and now I regret doing the tube. I wish I would have helped him over the bridge that afternoon, instead of inserting the tube, but I couldn't have known, and given the same circumstances today, even knowing what happened with Cricket, I would probably do the same. It's so hard to give up on them. You never know when or if they will turn the corner. I am so sorry you and Buddha are going through this. Just hang in there and take each minute as it comes, and be really easy on yourself right now. :) Wendy __ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com
Re: Buddha's 14 success story and a Question about Upper Respiratory infectio...
I so hope it's true that their spirits leave before their bodies give out. The thought of that makes me feel better about Cricket's passing. --- TenHouseCats [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: nina, i know what you mean about them disconnecting--i've often felt that their spirits were gone before their bodies quite let go; i've also seen them go into what looks like a meditative state, as if they were making all their own preparations, regardless of their humans or other companions. sometimes the cuddling and holding we want to give is for US, and it's just not what they are needing. they KNOW they are loved, and they KNOW that leaving this plane is just part of the cycle in those cases, i make sure that i hug them with white light and radiated love--chosing to believe that they WILL accept the vibration i've also noticed that, often, right before they are leaving behind their old, used bodies, they perk up and are completely present. often, i'll see them get playful, almost kittenish--i think that is their gift to us, reminding us to remember THEM as they were throughout their lives, not just in their last days or hours. -- MaryChristine AIM / YAHOO: TenHouseCats MSN: [EMAIL PROTECTED] ICQ: 289856892 __ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com
