Re: ot: need websites for cats w/ kidney failure
[EMAIL PROTECTED]A GREAT group, lots of info. I found thid to be among the best support groups when I had several furkids w/ CRF www.pouncerstone.com good information on CRF www.holisticat.com/main.html information for altrnative/holistic treatments Patti
Re: question
I was basically going to say the same as Barbara - r/o stress(could it be Lovey's in the house?), allergies - so common We had a cat @ the shelter who chewed herself bald. developed red, scabby spots. Turned out she had developed food allergies, especially beef. Only thing we could feed her was turkey. Vet also put her on elavil (amitryptilline) 10mg. TID chlorphenamarine(antihistamine) 2 mg. TID To look at her now you wouldn't know it's the same cat! One of my guys started chewing losing hair in December. couldn't figure it out until I was brushing him. Apparently, some fleas hitchiked on one of the dogs while they were outside settled on Thom, whohas flea allergies.Really weird, since it was so cold out, and none of the other critters had a flea on them!! Fleas were the last thing I would have thought of at the time... Is it possible DD might have fleas somehow? Just throwing some ideas out... If only they could talk, we could learn so much. Patti
Re: question
Hi, Before I would gve her anything I would contact a good SPCA near where you live. or a Vet College near where you live.
Re: question
Does seem odd, unless they're thinking there's some kind of skin thing. I'd probably try an herbal calming product. Gloria Hi all, I'm starting to wonder if my vets are very up to date on felv My positive, DD, is overgrooming. I haven't taken her in yet, but when I was in with Lovey on Saturday I asked her about it and she suggested using pred. She said as long as the cat is asymptomatic it wouldn't hurt to give a low dose. I've always heard this is a big NO for positives. In fact, some of you may remember that I lost my positive CC when I took her in for the same thing and they (a different vet) gave her a small dose of pred. She had overgroomed to the point of developing the neoplasta..whatever stuff. She was semiferal, so I didn't take her in until I absolutely had to. She developed a URI (probably from the office, as no one here had one) and never recovered. I think the stress of the office visit, probably getting the uri from there, and the pred. combined is what caused me to lose her. What do you all think? And what can I recommend for overgrooming if not pred? She's been doing this for a while. The last time I took her in the vet said it wasn't enough to worry about, but it's getting worse. When I told my vet on Saturday that I didn't think pred. was a good choice for a positive she said we could always try some sort of kitty prozac. Is there one any of you think is safe for a positive? Do you agree with the pred. idea? Thanks for any input! Tonya
Re: Pred Question - Tonya
Hi Tonya, My positive Bailey is on pred, a very low dose to increase his cortisol level, it should be between 1 and 2.5 and it is .47, he and Joey (negative) had a special blood test that shows both of their Endocrine-Immune systems, basically their hormones are out of balance. He will probably have to be on this for the rest of his life. He is getting 1ml every other day. He started with 1ml everyday ofr 5 days and now is on a maintenance dose every other day. Their estrogen is high for both of them and their IgA, IgG, and IgM is low for both of them. A Dr Plechner has done studies to find out why so many animals get cancer, and other common diseases - allergies, epilepsy, viral diseases, inflammatory bowel, autoimmunity ti name a few, and has discovered that it has todo with their hormones. And once you get their hormones back in balance most of these things will resolve (he has successfully treated and cured animals with cancer using his protocol if it was found the affected animals hormones were out of balance), Joey has IBD and Bailey of course immunity problems that are causing stomastisis. They both have to take the pred, and Joey is additionally on a maintenance dose of metronidazole. They will both have to be switched to hypoallergenic food, and we have to retest in 2 weeks to see if they are on the correct dose of pred to get their cortisol level within the normal range. Supposedly once that happens and I get them on the hypo food everything else hormonally will correct itself (estrogen, and the others). This Dr. has a website if anyone is interested: http://www.drplechner.com this is all new for me so I can't say if it will work or not, all I know is we have tried every test under the sun for Joey and we can find no reason for his ongoing diarrhea, so he has been diagnosed with IBD, which more often than not eventually turns into cancer and I am not just going to sit by and wait for that, so I figure this is worth a shot. Joey also has allergies to what we still haven't figured out, but we are guessing they are food related. I can say Bailey has suffered no side effects from this small dose of pred, he has been on it for going on 4 weeks now, and I inadvertantly gave it to him for 7 days instead of 5 in the beginning. PS. Just an FYI, the blood test was fairly expensive but I'm sure the vet that owns the practice doubled whatever the lab billed her, but then again maybe not because there are only a few labs in the US that can do this test. Hopefully when we redo the test a week or so we will be on a correct dose to get the cortisol where it should be or we'll have to do it again after we adjust their dose. -- Belinda Happiness is being owned by cats ... Be-Mi-Kitties ... http://www.bemikitties.com Post Adoptable FeLV/FIV/FIP Cats/Kittens http://adopt.bemikitties.com FeLV Candle Light Service http://www.bemikitties.com/cls HostDesign4U.com (affordable hosting web design) http://HostDesign4U.com --- BMK Designs (non-profit web sites) http://bmk.bemikitties.com
Re: question
Tonya I think it depends on the cat. Peggy had a cat with cancer and was anemic. They gave her less than 2 months to live. They put her on Pred to make her cat more confortable. She live over 18 months longer. She was getting B-12 shots for the anemia and pred for the cancer. So it helped her cat I think. Carla Date sent: Wed, 16 Feb 2005 16:46:22 -0800 (PST) From: catatonya [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Copies to: Subject:question Send reply to: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Hi all, I'm starting to wonder if my vets are very up to date on felv My positive, DD, is overgrooming. I haven't taken her in yet, but when I was in with Lovey on Saturday I asked her about it and she suggested using pred. She said as long as the cat is asymptomatic it wouldn't hurt to give a low dose. I've always heard this is a big NO for positives. In fact, some of you may remember that I lost my positive CC when I took her in for the same thing and they (a different vet) gave her a small dose of pred. She had overgroomed to the point of developing the neoplasta..whatever stuff. She was semiferal, so I didn't take her in until I absolutely had to. She developed a URI (probably from the office, as no one here had one) and never recovered. I think the stress of the office visit, probably getting the uri from there, and the pred. combined is what caused me to lose her. What do you all think? And what can I recommend for overgrooming if not pred? She's been doing this for a while. The last time I took her in the vet said it wasn't enough to worry about, but it's getting worse. When I told my vet on Saturday that I didn't think pred. was a good choice for a positive she said we could always try some sort of kitty prozac. Is there one any of you think is safe for a positive? Do you agree with the pred. idea? Thanks for any input! Tonya
Re: Gary's anemia treatment
Steroids can save their life, though, if they are having an auto-immune response. And it can greatly improve and lengthen quality of life when they have lymphoma. Michelle In a message dated 2/16/05 11:05:11 PM, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: I really hate the idea of steroids, even if they make her feel more perky, it's just too hard on the immune system.
Re: Gary's anemia treatment-- Hideyo
Dear Hideyo, Michelle is so right; there is no way you could have known this would happen. Any surgery carries a risk to a susceptible animal; the trouble is, you can't always identify a susceptible animal. I had a (seemingly) healthy adult female spayed and she had to be recussitated; her pre-surgery bloodwork was fine and there was simply no indication that this would be anything other than a run-of-the-mill spay. I know that if they hadn't been able to save her, I would feel exactly as you do about Suzi. The heart overrides the mind in these situations. I am so sorry for you and Suzi. Love, Julie [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Hideyo,I am so sorry that happened. All of us have gotten all our cats spayed and neutered.I don't think any of us would have thought, or have ever thought, that a spay could kill a cat except that if they are FeLV+ it could trigger the virus-- but I think we even all spay our positives anyway because the stress of not being spayed can trigger it also. I would feel exactly the way that you do if it had happened to me, but it could have been any of us because it is such a freak thing that happened that no one could possibly have thought it would happen. It sounds like they still do not know what happened. I wonder if she had some sort of heart problem? My dog Chip died suddenly on a walk at 9 years old and had seemed completely healthy-- had even run 4 miles with me two days earlier-- and all the vets could figure was that she had had a hidden heart problem.anyway, I am very sorry about Suzi. I hope that you realize, at least intellectually, that there is no way you could have known that would happen.MichelleIn a message dated 2/17/05 12:36:08 PM, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: Michelle, I know exactly how you feel - every time I lose someone, I sowish I would have done/wouldn't have done - I torture myself forthinking all the time. When I lost Suzi a several month ago, I regretted so much for what Idid, and I still cry missing her every single night. Suzi was a healthysweet baby, and took her to spaying one day (on July 17th), and I neversaw her alive after that. She woke up from the anthesia, but somethinghappened and she stopped breathing - I was SO not ready not to see heragain. I never had a chance to say good bye to her as I was onlyplanning to see her in an hour - I wish I never brought her for surgerythat day, as I was not scheduled to do originally until the vet calledfor an opening due to cancellation. That morning, when I tried to takeher, she one time escaped from the carrier, and I chased her and forcedher to go into the carrier - that was a sign - I wish I never broughther - I just miss her too much and it hurts - if I never rescued her,she would be still alive and I ended her life - she did not want to goto the vet that day - I pray every day that her soul will come back in another life again soonso that I will have a 2nd chance to take care of her - and you, too,Michelle, you will meet Simon again. "I hold that, the more helpless a creature, the more entitled it is to protection by man from the cruelty of man. " "The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated." Mohandas Gandhi (1869-1948)Paws Come WITH Claws!!!If you're thinking about de-clawing your cat, you need to re-think your decision to acquire a pet. Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Search presents - Jib Jab's 'Second Term'
RE: Gypsy
I think I might have suggested Surphur it did some miracle to many of my kitties including the one with serious chronic IBD (diarrhea) type of problem Arsenicum is good for vomiting - but according to my vet, you really dont want to mix with other remedy, and wait 12 to 24 hours before trying a different one. -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Nina Sent: Wednesday, February 16, 2005 8:53 PM To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Subject: Re: Gypsy Thanks for asking, Michelle. Gypsy's been getting Penicillin injections for 8 days now. She's also been on a product called Nutrigest, (which includes the L-Glutamine you suggested), Thuja, and Vita B12 shots. She's also been on a diet of chicken breast or cod boiled with a seaweed called Kombu and cabbage. Something has helped because she's a bit more active and her appetite has improved. Unfortunately, her bowel movements are still dark and liquid. If she's gained any weight, it's hard to tell, she's still skin and bones. I called my new vet today and she said I might as well take her off the Penicillin. I asked her about sulphur, (someone on the list suggested, I'm sorry I can't remember who), and Arsenicum Album, (suggested by Patti). The vet thought the Arsenicum would be better if Gypsy suffered with vomiting (which is a symptom of IBD that Gypsy doesn't have). She suggested I try Calc. Phos and Nat Sulph 3 x daily. These are homeopathics and I'm not suppose to mix them in food. She wants me to grind them up and put them in her mouth between her cheek and teeth. Very funny. So I'm planning yet another trip to the health food store tomorrow. I'll let you know how she responds. How's Lucy? How are you? Did you get that link Bonnie sent a while ago about caregiver syndrome and the extreme loss they feel when their loved one crosses? Here it is again: http://www.specialneedspets.org/caregvrs.htm Take care of yourself, Nina [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Nina, how is Gypsy doing? I have not noticed a post about her for a while. Michelle
Re: question
i've used pediatric liquid benadryl with excellent results. i know that, someplace, i read that the overgrooming can start as a response to an acute condition, but then becomes almost more of a habit--that nothing seems to stop it once it gets started. that's been the case in a couple of my persians through the years who had flea allergies, and kept up the licking-to-bleeding long after the fleas were gone. using the liquid kid's benadryl has worked for every one of the kids i've used it on. SOME vets say not to use any human meds, but then some vets say kill all FeLVs, so... MC [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: My positive Patches does the same thing and a low daily dose of benadryl helps her a lot. She still does it some, but not to the point of breaking her skin, and sometimes her fur actually grows back for a while. It's 1/6 of a 25 mg pill twice a day. She is hard to pill, and it is stressful for her, so I have it compounded at a compounding pharmacy into a cream to rub in her ears twice a day, which is not stressful at all. To get it in compounded form, your vet has to call it in as a prescription, even though benedryl is over the counter. I do that and also spray Feliway every morning. The combination seems to keep her happy. And catnip, of course. I would not put her on pred long-term for this if you can get it under control in some other way. I really would try what I do, because it works sufficiently to not have to give Patches other meds. Michelle In a message dated 2/16/05 7:46:47 PM, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: My positive, DD, is overgrooming. I haven't taken her in yet, but when I was in with Lovey on Saturday I asked her about it and she suggested using pred. She said as long as the cat is asymptomatic it wouldn't hurt to give a low dose. -- No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Anti-Virus. Version: 7.0.300 / Virus Database: 265.8.8 - Release Date: 2/14/2005
Re: Here's something to make you chuckle
LOL - Original Message - From: Nina To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Sent: Thursday, February 17, 2005 12:01 AM Subject: Here's something to make you chuckle Free screen cleaning:http://www.sunbelt-software.com/stu/screenlick.swf Nina
Re: question
I have a client, (I'm a dog trainer), that uses benadryl for her Lab's allergies. She says it mellows him out. If it's something that your vet thinks won't hurt DD, it might be worth a try. If the over-grooming is from allergies and/or nervousness, it could help on both counts. My street-wise Kimba Cat overgrooms whenever he's been stressed. I find that if I pay extra attention to him, brush out all the saliva from his fur, (poor baby), and tell him what a wonderful man he is, he stops his anxious behavior. It has also helped him to give him some time alone, away from the other cats. It seems to relax him, especially if I join him and devote a little one-on-one time to him. Nina TenHouseCats wrote: i've used pediatric liquid benadryl with excellent results. i know that, someplace, i read that the overgrooming can start as a response to an acute condition, but then becomes almost more of a habit--that nothing seems to stop it once it gets started. that's been the case in a couple of my persians through the years who had flea allergies, and kept up the licking-to-bleeding long after the fleas were gone. using the liquid kid's benadryl has worked for every one of the kids i've used it on. SOME vets say not to use any human meds, but then some vets say kill all FeLVs, so... MC [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: My positive Patches does the same thing and a low daily dose of benadryl helps her a lot. She still does it some, but not to the point of breaking her skin, and sometimes her fur actually grows back for a while. It's 1/6 of a 25 mg pill twice a day. She is hard to pill, and it is stressful for her, so I have it compounded at a compounding pharmacy into a cream to rub in her ears twice a day, which is not stressful at all. To get it in compounded form, your vet has to call it in as a prescription, even though benedryl is over the counter. I do that and also spray Feliway every morning. The combination seems to keep her happy. And catnip, of course. I would not put her on pred long-term for this if you can get it under control in some other way. I really would try what I do, because it works sufficiently to not have to give Patches other meds. Michelle In a message dated 2/16/05 7:46:47 PM, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: My positive, DD, is overgrooming. I haven't taken her in yet, but when I was in with Lovey on Saturday I asked her about it and she suggested using pred. She said as long as the cat is asymptomatic it wouldn't hurt to give a low dose.
maybe this will help others too?...
Hello again, In my struggle to understand and accept the fact that Scullyis no longer aroundI havediscovered a few things that give me comfort. Maybe this will comfort others too. Cats are apparently notorious for hiding pain. I read somewhere that the stronger thebond between a cat and it's owner -the harder they will try to cover up any pain. Then I think about Scully in her last week with me. Despite the fact that she was quickly fading - she tried hard to be herself. She would continue to follow me around as always and to sit up on top of me. How loyal can you get? Reading through the archives there are countless stories ofkitties in theirlast moments -it sounds as if every one of them fought hardto show you that they were okay the best that they could. That says a lot about how loved and how loving these kitties were. I also take comfort in the fact that she would not have survived more than a year had I not taken her from the situation she was in. Maybe sticking around so long was her way of saying thanks for giving me a chance. When I think of the past 9-10 years I couldn't imagine a better sidekick. She was with me through very rough times and very stressful times- both financially and emotionally. It has only been these past 3 years that I have really gotten things together. I met my husband and things have been stable for the first time in a very long time (if not in my life). I think that it was maybe part of her mission - to be a loyal and loving sidekick until I got it together. It's almost like she knew things would be fine with me now and she could go. When I think of the fact thatScully stuck around for 10 years - probably fighting more than I'll ever know I feel I was so lucky to have had her. I know humans that are not as loyal. I know some people who think that it's crazy to spend your $, time or affection on "just a pet". It is also comforting to read through these emails and know that other people see the value and friendship that a furryfamily member provides. Also, that there are cats out there, pos. or neg., that are being so loved and cared for. Thanks for listening. I had to get these thoughts off my chest. My husband works out of town all week and is only home on the week-ends. SusanPost your free ad now! Yahoo! Canada Personals
good vets for FeLV...
it's been mentioned a number of times recently bout how hard it is to find vets who are sympathetic/knowledgable about FeLVs--so a reminder for all of us to add the good ones at http://www.bemikitties.com/felv/cgi-bin/suite/classifieds/classifieds.cgi. there are only 17 listed so far (yeah, i FINALLY added mine today) but if we all contribute we could build a good database for all of us. (when i get the chance--2006?--i'll try to call local vets and ask them what their experience/policies are...). MC -- No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Anti-Virus. Version: 7.0.300 / Virus Database: 265.8.8 - Release Date: 2/14/2005
Re: question
We have given Benadryl to our dogs for anxiety also, like during thunderstorms, as well as for allergies. Michelle In a message dated 2/17/05 5:51:30 PM Eastern Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: I have a client, (I'm a dog trainer), that uses benadryl for her Lab's allergies. She says it mellows him out. If it's something that your vet thinks won't hurt DD, it might be worth a try. If the over-grooming is from allergies and/or nervousness, it could help on both counts. My street-wise Kimba Cat overgrooms whenever he's been stressed. I find that if I pay extra attention to him, brush out all the saliva from his fur, (poor baby), and tell him what a wonderful man he is, he stops his anxious behavior. It has also helped him to give him some time alone, away from the other cats. It seems to relax him, especially if I join him and devote a little one-on-one time to him.Nina
Re: For Hideyo -- Your loss of Suzi
Dear Hideyo: I can't really add anything to what Nina said and said so well. I am a bit surprised, however, to hear that the vet sent her home with you so soon after the surgery. Didn't you say she had only been awake for 100-15 min.?? I volunteer with an organization that does Spay/Neuter events for ferals once/month. The vets donate their time and we do them on a Sunday when most surgival facilities are not being used. The object is to do as many ferals as possible in the one day, but also to do it SAFELY, for the sake of the cats. We have teams of volunteers that work in concert with the vets/vet techs to handle the anesthesia, surgical prep, surgery (by vets only, of course), post op care and recovery. We normally do between 30-50 cats in a day and do not release any cats until they are well awake and have been observed for an extended period of time and we are pretty sure all is well. While it may seem that this sort of assembly line approach may not be the best, we haven't (knock on wood) lost one yet in several years. After surgery, we monitor the cats very closely with regard to their pulse/respiration and keep them warm and quiet. Most, typically, are held for at least an hour or two after their surgery, with those who are done earlier in the day it is longer. So, I guess I would question whether or not the vet who did Suzi's surgery had done everything that he/she should have to make sure Suzi was coming out of the anesthesia OK and that there had been no complications. Any kind of surgery is stressful for even a domesticated cat, and for ferals there is an added stress factor due to their being unaccustomed to handling. Whatever went wrong that caused Suzi to fail and not recover from the surgery, it was certainly not due to any fault or negligence on your part. You were trying the best you knew how to give her a better chance in life. Spaying/neutering is one of those things that needs to be done to cut down on the indiscriminate breeding behavior that is the main vector for the transmission of diseases like FIV, FeLV, etc. in feral populations. If more governmental bureaucracies would realize this is the single most important thing that can be done with limited resources to help put an end to unnecessary suffering and pet overpopulation both in domesticated and feral populations (instead of putting funds into testing and euthanasia for ferals), it would make a big difference. I know that regardless of anything that I or Nina or anyone else says, you will always feel badly about losing Suzi and wish you had not taken her to be spayed that day. I, too, would feel badly. Keep in mind that hindsight is always sharper and we are not given a crystal ball to see into the future when decisions must be made. Suzi needed to be spayed, if not that day, then another and you don't know that the outcome might have been the same at some other time. She may have been terminally stressed whenever the surgery was done. In the future, you might ask your homeopathic vet if he can recommend something that will helpstronger thanyou
Re: Natural Hydrocortisone
Dear Patti: If you haven't read Dr. Martin Goldstein's book, The Nature of Animal Healing , I recommend it highly. He has much to say about the overuse of many drugs (especially steroids), and the negative effects they can have long term on immune function. While steroids may seem like a magic bullet for many types of symptoms, there is a negative pay-off long term. When symptoms are merely suppressed and the underlying cause not addressed nor balance restored, what often happens is that the problem will end up going deeper and reappear as a more serious manifestation at a later date. Dr. G. is not a strictly homeopathic vet, but describes himself as having been holisticized early on. He does admit that there are situations when it is necessary to use more conventional treatment or even drugs (especially in dealing with fast-growing cancers) to buy more time to effect a proper cure. Homeopathic healing is usually not something that happens like waving a magic wand and voila, the animal is cured. It takes time for animals to develop conditions of unwellness and also takes time to undo damage that has accrued over time. It takes more patience than many pet owners are accustomed to having, so the magic bullets that some drugs seem to be is very appealing. I think you will find this book very enlightening. I believe it was from Dr. G's book, and not the one by Dr. Don Hamilton, Homeopathic Care for Dogs and Cats -- Small Doses for Small Animals, which is also an excellent reference to have, that the natural hydrocortisone is mentioned that I told Nina about. There is a Source Guide in the back of Dr. G's book that I have found extremely useful; suppliers for most of the remedies and treaments he mentions in his book are given therein. Happy reading and researching to you. I hope you will share with us anything you come across that seems to be relevant. Sally in San Jose
RE: Gary's anemia treatment-- Hideyo
Hideyo, That is just awful. I'm so sorry. tonyaHideyo Yamamoto [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Thank you very much for your kind words. The worse part is that no one knew that/when she passed away in a carrier until I drove her back in the car and started talking to her. She was waiting for me to pick her up in a carrier and I was only 10 to 15 minutes after the surgery, which is when she was awake, In the car, I looked at her and talked to her and realized that she was not breathing and she was cold and I freaked out and went back to the vet right away, but they couldnt bring her back I so still remember clearly that day when they told me that hideyo, she is gone I did not understand what it meant I understood it literally, but couldnt believe it and couldnt understand it I just awfully miss her. -Original Message-From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Julie JohnsonSent: Thursday, February 17, 2005 11:55 AMTo: felvtalk@felineleukemia.orgSubject: Re: Gary's anemia treatment-- Hideyo Dear Hideyo, Michelle is so right; there is no way you could have known this would happen. Any surgery carries a risk to a susceptible animal; the trouble is, you can't always identify a susceptible animal. I had a (seemingly) healthy adult female spayed and she had to be recussitated; her pre-surgery bloodwork was fine and there was simply no indication that this would be anything other than a run-of-the-mill spay. I know that if they hadn't been able to save her, I would feel exactly as you do about Suzi. The heart overrides the mind in these situations. I am so sorry for you and Suzi. Love, Julie [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Hideyo,I am so sorry that happened. All of us have gotten all our cats spayed and neutered.I don't think any of us would have thought, or have ever thought, that a spay could kill a cat except that if they are FeLV+ it could trigger the virus-- but I think we even all spay our positives anyway because the stress of not being spayed can trigger it also. I would feel exactly the way that you do if it had happened to me, but it could have been any of us because it is such a freak thing that happened that no one could possibly have thought it would happen. It sounds like they still do not know what happened. I wonder if she had some sort of heart problem? My dog Chip died suddenly on a walk at 9 years old and had seemed completely healthy-- had even run 4 miles with me two days earlier-- and all the vets could figure was that she had had a hidden heart problem.anyway, I am very sorry about Suzi. I hope that you realize, at least intellectually, that there is no way you could have known that would happen.MichelleIn a message dated 2/17/05 12:36:08 PM, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: Michelle, I know exactly how you feel - every time I lose someone, I sowish I would have done/wouldn't have done - I torture myself forthinking all the time. When I lost Suzi a several month ago, I regretted so much for what Idid, and I still cry missing her every single night. Suzi was a healthysweet baby, and took her to spaying one day (on July 17th), and I neversaw her alive after that. She woke up from the anthesia, but somethinghappened and she stopped breathing - I was SO not ready not to see heragain. I never had a chance to say good bye to her as I was onlyplanning to see her in an hour - I wish I never brought her for surgerythat day, as I was not scheduled to do originally until the vet calledfor an opening due to cancellation. That morning, when I tried to takeher, she one time escaped from the carrier, and I chased her and forcedher to go into the carrier - that was a sign - I wish I never broughther - I just miss her too much and it hurts - if I never rescued her,she would be still alive and I ended her life - she did not want to goto the vet that day - I pray every day that her soul will come back in another life again soonso that I will have a 2nd chance to take care of her - and you, too,Michelle, you will meet Simon again. "I hold that, the more helpless a creature, the more entitled it isto protection by man from the cruelty of man. " "The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated."Mohandas Gandhi (1869-1948)Paws Come WITH Claws!!!If you're thinking about de-clawing your cat, you need to re-think your decision to acquire a pet. Do you Yahoo!?Yahoo! Search presents - Jib Jab's 'Second Term'
Re: question
Yes, It definitely helps her when I'm home. She, another female, and one of my males actually stalk each other. She does it too. I can't figure out who the real instigator is.. but when I'm home it's much better. But.. somebody's got to go to work to pay the bills for the cats. lol. If it weren't for them I'd be working part time at a low stress job. lol. tNina [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: I have a client, (I'm a dog trainer), that uses benadryl for her Lab's allergies. She says it mellows him out. If it's something that your vet thinks won't hurt DD, it might be worth a try. If the over-grooming is from allergies and/or nervousness, it could help on both counts. My street-wise Kimba Cat overgrooms whenever he's been stressed. I find that if I pay extra attention to him, brush out all the saliva from his fur, (poor baby), and tell him what a wonderful man he is, he stops his anxious behavior. It has also helped him to give him some time alone, away from the other cats. It seems to relax him, especially if I join him and devote a little one-on-one time to him.NinaTenHouseCats wrote: i've used pediatric liquid benadryl with excellent results. i know that, someplace, i read that the overgrooming can start as a response to an acute condition, but then becomes almost more of a habit--that nothing seems to stop it once it gets started. that's been the case in a couple of my persians through the years who had flea allergies, and kept up the licking-to-bleeding long after the fleas were gone. using the liquid kid's benadryl has worked for every one of the kids i've used it on. SOME vets say not to use any human meds, but then some vets say kill all FeLVs, so... MC [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: My positive Patches does the same thing and a low daily dose of benadryl helps her a lot. She still does it some, but not to the point of breaking her skin, and sometimes her fur actually grows back for a while. It's 1/6 of a 25 mg pill twice a day. She is hard to pill, and it is stressful for her, so I have it compounded at a compounding pharmacy into a cream to rub in her ears twice a day, which is not stressful at all. To get it in compounded form, your vet has to call it in as a prescription, even though benedryl is over the counter. I do that and also spray Feliway every morning. The combination seems to keep her happy. And catnip, of course. I would not put her on pred long-term for this if you can get it under control in some other way. I really would try what I do, because it works sufficiently to not have to give Patches other meds. Michelle In a message dated 2/16/05 7:46:47 PM, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: My positive, DD, is overgrooming. I haven't taken her in yet, but when I was in with Lovey on Saturday I asked her about it and she suggested using pred. She said as long as the cat is asymptomatic it wouldn't hurt to give a low dose.
RE: For Hideyo -- Your loss of Suzi
Thank you for writing to me. I am certainly responsible in a way that I requested that I picked up Suzi (and all the other kitties I have spayed/neutered I the past)as soon as the surgery was done in stead of them waiting at the clinic for the rest of the day - this was suggested by Dr. Addie who research FIP intensively to avoid any additional stress for corona virus positive cats - We do have a clinic in my town as you described below - but since they are my own cats, I take them to my vet - the main reason why I did not want to use the clinic was due to the type of anesthesia they use - they use kedamin(?) and I almost lost one of the tom cats I trapped a couple of years ago due to the reaction - so ever since them, I have been taking them to my own vet since they use gas anesthesia - out of 9 litter kitties, Suzi was the very last one to go through the surgery (I did over the course of several months) - so I probably did not pay good enough attention, I was not too worried as the first 8 went well with no problem. - I used to bring them the first thing in the morning, and my vet would do surgery on them right away without them waiting so that their stress is minimal, and as soon as they are awake and they seem ok, then she would let me take them home, which worked out well for everyone else. Except that I took Suzi and Yoshi that day, and I decided to take Yoshi home first after her surgery was done first and then I was going to come back before Suzi's surgery was over to pick Suzi up - and I was late, and was not there when she woke up and when she needed me most. Since the vet thought that I was on the way, they put her in a carrier. Sure, they should have paid attention to Suzi until I got there - but it was definitely my fault, too. I think something different happened during the surgeries, as Yoshi also ran fever (106) that afternoon, too. The doctor said that suzi's throat was all swollen, and Yoshi's tongue was swollen, too. But, if I was there 10 min. earlier, Suzi was alive, and I would have know something was wrong right away! Anyway, I think that I will always live with the pain regardless - but more than anything else - I just simply miss her, I would do anything if I could spend another day, another hour, or another minute with her - Hideyo -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Thursday, February 17, 2005 4:57 PM To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Subject: Re: For Hideyo -- Your loss of Suzi Dear Hideyo: I can't really add anything to what Nina said and said so well. I am a bit surprised, however, to hear that the vet sent her home with you so soon after the surgery. Didn't you say she had only been awake for 100-15 min.?? I volunteer with an organization that does Spay/Neuter events for ferals once/month. The vets donate their time and we do them on a Sunday when most surgival facilities are not being used. The object is to do as many ferals as possible in the one day, but also to do it SAFELY, for the sake of the cats. We have teams of volunteers that work in concert with the vets/vet techs to handle the anesthesia, surgical prep, surgery (by vets only, of course), post op care and recovery. We normally do between 30-50 cats in a day and do not release any cats until they are well awake and have been observed for an extended period of time and we are pretty sure all is well. While it may seem that this sort of assembly line approach may not be the best, we haven't (knock on wood) lost one yet in several years. After surgery, we monitor the cats very closely with regard to their pulse/respiration and keep them warm and quiet. Most, typically, are held for at least an hour or two after their surgery, with those who are done earlier in the day it is longer. So, I guess I would question whether or not the vet who did Suzi's surgery had done everything that he/she should have to make sure Suzi was coming out of the anesthesia OK and that there had been no complications. Any kind of surgery is stressful for even a domesticated cat, and for ferals there is an added stress factor due to their being unaccustomed to handling. Whatever went wrong that caused Suzi to fail and not recover from the surgery, it was certainly not due to any fault or negligence on your part. You were trying the best you knew how to give her a better chance in life. Spaying/neutering is one of those things that needs to be done to cut down on the indiscriminate breeding behavior that is the main vector for the transmission of diseases like FIV, FeLV, etc. in feral populations. If more governmental bureaucracies would realize this is the single most important thing that can be done with limited resources to help put an end to unnecessary suffering and pet overpopulation both in domesticated and feral populations (instead of putting funds into testing and euthanasia for ferals), it would make a
Re: good vets for FeLV... a change to list
Yeah, my vet's on the list... Her name has changed, Belinda, you might want to change it. Cat Clinic of Roswell in GA. Dr. Gatch is back to Dr. Merck short marriage. Also, I wonder who posted that. I don't think I did because I wouldn't have known the second phone number. hmm. tTenHouseCats [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: it's been mentioned a number of times recently bout how hard it is to find vets who are sympathetic/knowledgable about FeLVs--so a reminder for all of us to add the good ones at http://www.bemikitties.com/felv/cgi-bin/suite/classifieds/classifieds.cgi. there are only 17 listed so far (yeah, i FINALLY added mine today) but if we all contribute we could build a good database for all of us. (when i get the chance--2006?--i'll try to call local vets and ask them what their experience/policies are...).MC-- No virus found in this outgoing message.Checked by AVG Anti-Virus.Version: 7.0.300 / Virus Database: 265.8.8 - Release Date: 2/14/2005
Re: question
Hi Barbara, I just talked with Brenda about refilling my feliway plug ins. I didn't notice that much difference with them when I used them in the past. Maybe another try in more locations. lol. Thanks for the info! tBarbara Lowe [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: i would splurge also on that Feliway plug in diffuser. it worked on 8 out of 9 cats in my house. my husband jokes the place looks like an opium den when i plug in new ones--the cats all just loll around. (and yeah they mostly do that anyway but this is waaay different)... my friend uses benadry on her dog who overgrooms. ask your vet why she suggested pred over benadryl? the vet felt jelly roll had fleas last nov. and no one in thehouse was scratching so i was surprised untiil i realized he had been boarded for hydration at other vet for 2 days and 2 nights and must have pickedthem up there. also the damn things hitchhike on human clothing from outdoors...im' sure though your vet would have done the easy test for fleas though. maybe you just need a big macho bully cat who will pull rank on your critters so the natural order will be restored - Original Message - From: catatonya To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Sent: Thursday, February 17, 2005 6:43 PM Subject: Re: question Hey Patti, I don't have dogs in the house, so I know it's not fleas. She's white in most places, so I would be able to tell. Yes, she is stressed. That's why I didn't offer to take Lovey (or anyone else) myself. I've lost 4 cats in the past couple of years, and since that time mine have just not got along. It's like they can't figure out a new pecking order or something. She's due to go to the vet now anyway. I'm just thinking if the vet wants to give pred. I'm going to say no.. In the meantime I'm going to try some of the supplement ideas I get from you guys. thank you Patti and Barbara! tonya[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: I was basically going to say the same as Barbara - r/o stress(could it be Lovey's in the house?), allergies - so common We had a cat @ the shelter who chewed herself bald. developed red, scabby spots. Turned out she had developed food allergies, especially beef. Only thing we could feed her was turkey. Vet also put her on elavil (amitryptilline) 10mg. TID chlorphenamarine(antihistamine) 2 mg. TID To look at her now you wouldn't know it's the same cat! One of my guys started chewing losing hair in December. couldn't figure it out until I was brushing him. Apparently, some fleas hitchiked on one of the dogs while they were outside settled on Thom, whohas flea allergies.Really weird, since it was so cold out, and none of the other critters had a flea on them!! Fleas were the last thing I would have thought of at the time... Is it possible DD might have fleas somehow? Just throwing some ideas out... If only they could talk, we could learn so much. Patti
[Fwd: Re: life spans of positives]
at the sanctuary, there are FeLVs who made it to 15 years! in kittens born with it, the crisis times seem to be 3-4 months, then again at 6-7 (when mom's immunity wears off?), then again around 18-20 months. after that, it really varied. i'm willing to bet that were we able to retest all the older FeLVs, we'd find that a lot of them really are NOT positive--that they had thrown it off as we now know that healthy adults can. when we transported 19 FeLVs from texas almost 2 years ago, one of the girls started, um, expanding--we checked with her original caretaker to make sure she'd been spayed they were sure she had been, but... asked if she'd gotten out at any point--they remembered that she indeed HAD taken off for a day or so a month or so before we brought her up north. long story shortened, after having lost her original FeLV+ family, being in a foster situation for a month or so, then in a transitional home for another week, and a 1000+ mile car trip with 28 other cats, she had 5 very healthy kittens. needless to say, we retested her and she was negative MC [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Do you have any idea of the average lifespan of the 60 you have known? Have many died in the 3-4 years range? Someone I met who has had a number of positive cats was surprised when my Jo died of lymphoma at 3 and said that in her experience if they make it to 3 they will live longer. Simon died at about 4, though I am not certain of his age. Thanks, Michelle In a message dated 2/9/05 10:56:50 PM, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: Hi, I have been rescuing FeLV+ cats for 13yrs. I have lost some as young as 3 mos. and others to pass on due to problems associated with old age. I have a wonderful Vet that works with me to do the best we can do for the positives. I know many on this list do many kinds of treatments to purlong the life of Sick/lill -- No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Anti-Virus. Version: 7.0.300 / Virus Database: 265.8.8 - Release Date: 2/14/2005
Re: For Hideyo -- Your loss of Suzi
Hideyo, I too insist on picking up my animals very soon after surgery. I bring them home while they're still unconscious and very fortunately, I've never had a problem. It sounds like there must have been something wrong that day. What did the vet say about them having a swollen throat and tongue? What about the fever? I certainly hope they investigated why sweet Suzi passed that way and why Yoshi had a temperature. The very fact that you used your "regular" vet instead of the clinic shows how much forethought you had about their safety. I understand the "what if" feeling so well. When I first moved to the house I live in now, my wonderful black cat, Trouble, was hit and killed by a car, right in front of my house. He must have been crossing the street to come home when it happened. I've "what iffed" myself to death over his loss. What if I had known better and kept him in, (we came from a neighborhood that was safe and he'd been an indoor/outdoor cat all his young life), what if I hadn't gone out that night, maybe he would have stayed home, what if I'd never moved in the first place? I've tormented myself for years over his death. I do understand. Nina Hideyo Yamamoto wrote: Thank you for writing to me. I am certainly responsible in a way that I requested that I picked up Suzi (and all the other kitties I have spayed/neutered I the past)as soon as the surgery was done in stead of them waiting at the clinic for the rest of the day - this was suggested by Dr. Addie who research FIP intensively to avoid any additional stress for corona virus positive cats - We do have a clinic in my town as you described below - but since they are my own cats, I take them to my vet - the main reason why I did not want to use the clinic was due to the type of anesthesia they use - they use kedamin(?) and I almost lost one of the tom cats I trapped a couple of years ago due to the reaction - so ever since them, I have been taking them to my own vet since they use gas anesthesia - out of 9 litter kitties, Suzi was the very last one to go through the surgery (I did over the course of several months) - so I probably did not pay good enough attention, I was not too worried as the first 8 went well with no problem. - I used to bring them the first thing in the morning, and my vet would do surgery on them right away without them waiting so that their stress is minimal, and as soon as they are awake and they seem ok, then she would let me take them home, which worked out well for everyone else. Except that I took Suzi and Yoshi that day, and I decided to take Yoshi home first after her surgery was done first and then I was going to come back before Suzi's surgery was over to pick Suzi up - and I was late, and was not there when she woke up and when she needed me most. Since the vet thought that I was on the way, they put her in a carrier. Sure, they should have paid attention to Suzi until I got there - but it was definitely my fault, too. I think something different happened during the surgeries, as Yoshi also ran fever (106) that afternoon, too. The doctor said that suzi's throat was all swollen, and Yoshi's tongue was swollen, too. But, if I was there 10 min. earlier, Suzi was alive, and I would have know something was wrong right away! Anyway, I think that I will always live with the pain regardless - but more than anything else - I just simply miss her, I would do anything if I could spend another day, another hour, or another minute with her - Hideyo -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] On Behalf Of [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Thursday, February 17, 2005 4:57 PM To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Subject: Re: For Hideyo -- Your loss of Suzi Dear Hideyo: I can't really add anything to what Nina said and said so well. I am a bit surprised, however, to hear that the vet sent her home with you so soon after the surgery. Didn't you say she had only been awake for 100-15 min.?? I volunteer with an organization that does Spay/Neuter events for ferals once/month. The vets donate their time and we do them on a Sunday when most surgival facilities are not being used. The object is to do as many ferals as possible in the one day, but also to do it SAFELY, for the sake of the cats. We have teams of volunteers that work in concert with the vets/vet techs to handle the anesthesia, surgical prep, surgery (by vets only, of course), post op care and recovery. We normally do between 30-50 cats in a day and do not release any cats until they are well awake and have been observed for an extended period of time and we are pretty sure all is well. While it may seem that this sort of assembly line approach may not be the best, we haven't (knock on wood) lost one yet in several years. After surgery, we monitor the cats very closely with regard to their pulse/respiration and keep them warm and quiet. Most, typically, are held for at least an hour or two after their
Ginger's mom
As you know already, I rescued Ginger about 4 months ago at the parking lot at my work (I had rescued 8 other cats from the colony a couple of years ago also ) Gingers mom is still out there and I have always wanted to rescue her, but I have not but now Ginger is positive, and am wondering if the mama is positive for FeLV but am not sure even if she is negative, if she is really negative ( as I heard that it may show positive on bone marrow though it may not show positive on blood work) I will have a really difficult time releasing her once I trap as the area she is in is not very comfortable place - What are the chances for the mother being really negative when their babies are positive I think the mama had 6 or 7 litters including Ginger, but I stopped seeing them completely after a few weeks their birth (I was afraid that maybe they all died due to feLK?? this is just after the thought as I did not know that Ginger had FeLK so I go back and forth, but I dont know what to do with the mama kitty, I dont want her to have more litter of kittens, obviously, but I need to have some type of plan and where Ginger lives right now, it is too small of space to have another kitty (as I am already running out of space) -
Re: question
Tonya, Please, please try the Benadryl. My Patches does the same thing, and it is stress not allergies, and the Benadryl helps and does not seem to have side effects. Michelle
Re: For Hideyo -- Your loss of Suzi
Hideyo, I know why you feel the way you do. But I read your description of what happened and what you did. I would have done exactly the same thing as you without any changes. I would have jumped at the chance to pick them up right after surgery instead of leaving them there all day, if it had been offered to me. And I am always late everywhere and would not have thought anything of being 10 minutes late to pick up a cat coming out of surgery. As you said, it seems like something went wrong during the surgeries, which is unusual. While it happened, and can not be changed, and you feel responsible, please know that I would have done exactly the same thing that you did, without question, and I think most people on this list would have. I know from reading what happened that I should always make sure that a cat is watched after surgery for a while after awakening, but I do not think I would have thought to ask for that before. If a vet had told me it was ok to pick up, I would have assumed it was ok to pick up. So if you are responsible, we are all responsible, all of us who would have done the same thing. Michelle
Re: question
Tonya, I use plug-in and on top of that I spray the spray every morning. I think it helps to do both. Michelle In a message dated 2/17/05 7:21:23 PM Eastern Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: Hi Barbara, I just talked with Brenda about refilling my feliway plug ins. I didn't notice that much difference with them when I used them in the past. Maybe another try in more locations. lol. Thanks for the info! t
Re: OT: Charlie (FIV+ in MA) needs help and a home
Poor Charlie, I wish I could take him. I had an fiv that sounds a lot like him. Honestly, out of the many, many cats I've dealt with, he was the sweetest cat I've ever known. Everyone wanted to take him from me! He basically had no ears left when I found him from scratching at ear mites. After we cleared them up his ears folded down. The vets never could decide if he had 'scottish fold' ears originally or from the scarring. He did however have constant problems with ear infections. I hope someone will take him. : ( tonya[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: I am writing to see if anyone has any ideas. I go to the local shelter, where my positives came from, twice a day to take care of Lamby, a disabled sheep who lives in the feral cat yard (she is very popular among the cats and has convinced a number of them to trust us too!). At this shelter, the ferals are put into a large yard, with access to the hay loft of a barn. The shelter also puts non-feral cats out there who can not be adopted, sometimes because they are FIV+ (I do not agree with mixing in this way, but at least they do not kill any of them). A cat who was brought there about 6 months ago, Charlie, was diabetic. Since I am in the yard twice a day anyway, I agreed to give him his shots. Luckily, his diabetes went away, at least for now, and he no longer needs insulin. HOWEVER... Charlie is a huge, long-haired black cat, extremely beautiful and cuddly and mellow and sort of looks like a bear, normally. A few weeks ago I noticed a bunch of his hair was coming out, and upon inspection found he had a number of bald spots with bite and scratch marks, clearly self-induced. I brought him to the vet and the vet said he had terrible ear mites, for which they treated him, and probably also contact dermatitis of unknown origin. The vet gave him a shot of Vetalog, a steroid often used for skin problems that has less side effects than Depomedrol. We were afraid to give Depomedrol because it can sometimes cause diabetes and he has had diabetes in the past (it can come and go with cats). The shot lasts 3 days. Charlie felt better for a week and then started scratching again. The vet said to put him on a low dose of pred for 3 days and then taper him off. I did that, and after not seeing him for 2 days after the tapering was done, he appeared and had lost probably 1/3 of his hair and was covered in scabs and had URI. My partner brought him back to the vet and he got another Vetalog shot and was put on Cephalexyn (and antibiotic) twice a day and tomorrow is supposed to start on a high dose of pred for 10 days and then taper if he is ok. They have no idea what is causing this. I put Revolution on him to help with the ear mites and also because it treats mange if he has that. I am going away for the weekend, to my parents', and the women who run the shelter asked me to put him in a cage for the 2 days so it is easier for them to find and pill him. I decided to put him on chicken and rice food for that time too, since he will have his own food, in case this is a food allergy. I am also considering bringing him to an allergist, as this looks very severe and he obviously can not stay on steroids forever. Does anyone have any ideas for treatment or diagnosis? Also, does anyone know anyone who might adopt Charlie? He is one of the best cats I ever met. When he has his fur, he is gorgeous, and is very affectionate, extremely mellow and easy to work with (goes right in a carrier, etc.), gets along well with cats and I would guess with dogs and kids too because he is such a mellow teddy bear-like cat. The problem is that he is FIV+, could become diabetic again in the future, has a heart murmur, and obviously has some kind of allergy. But the allergy started recently and I think that if he could get out of that yard and have his own food it might stop. I would take him home myself, but I already have FeLV+ cats and a negative, who I keep separate, as well as a dog with cancer. Besides having to redivide the house for Charlie, my partner, Gray, has begged me not to take in any more animals, especially sick animals, for a while because I am so at my wit's end and depressed since Simon's bout with lymphoma and losing our dog Nubi (Simon was diagnosed 2 weeks after she died of cancer). That said, Charlie looks so bad right now that Gray said he almost brought him home himself. I know you all have probably tapped out your contacts, but if you know anyone who has an FIV+ household or otherwise has a situation where they could take him and get him away from whatever he is allergic to, I would drive him just about anywhere. I can not stand how miserable he is right now. I will post an ad on the felineleukemia.org website, but do not know of anywhere else to post. Thanks, Michelle
Re: OT: Charlie (FIV+ in MA) needs help and a home
Michelle, My heart goes out to you, you have been thru so much. I don't know of anyone around here that has romm for another FIV+, sorry, but here are some sites you could cross post on. I actuallywas able to place some seniors and disabled cats using a couple of these sites. It's worth a try.. The following are all at Yahoo Groups: [EMAIL PROTECTED][EMAIL PROTECTED][EMAIL PROTECTED] They are excellent!! These are Yahoo Groups for FIV+ cats [EMAIL PROTECTED][EMAIL PROTECTED][EMAIL PROTECTED][EMAIL PROTECTED] This group is for Felv+/FIV+ cats - supplying information on rescue, transport and rehoming of positives. Looks promising. This is another site I've used in the past: www.felinerescue.net/RESCUES_BY_LOCATION Make sure you put the___after the wordsRESCUES and BY...RESCUES_BY_LOCATION Somewhere in my files I do have some other resources Let me know if you'd like me to look them up! God Bless You, Wishing the best for you, Gray Charlie,Patti
Re: OT: Charlie (FIV+ in MA) needs help and a home
Patti, thank you so, so much! I had just found the FIV yahoo group and joined and posted about him. I will post about him on all the other addresses you sent me too. Thank you!!! Michelle In a message dated 2/17/05 9:12:29 PM Eastern Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: My heart goes out to you, you have been thru so much. I don't know of anyone around here that has romm for another FIV+, sorry, but here are some sites you could cross post on. I actuallywas able to place some seniors and disabled cats using a couple of these sites. It's worth a try.. The following are all at Yahoo Groups: [EMAIL PROTECTED][EMAIL PROTECTED][EMAIL PROTECTED] They are excellent!! These are Yahoo Groups for FIV+ cats [EMAIL PROTECTED][EMAIL PROTECTED][EMAIL PROTECTED][EMAIL PROTECTED] This group is for Felv+/FIV+ cats - supplying information on rescue, transport and rehoming of positives. Looks promising. This is another site I've used in the past: www.felinerescue.net/RESCUES_BY_LOCATION Make sure you put the___after the wordsRESCUES and BY...RESCUES_BY_LOCATION Somewhere in my files I do have some other resources Let me know if you'd like me to look them up! God Bless You, Wishing the best for you, Gray Charlie,Patti
Re: OT: Charlie (FIV+ in MA) needs help and a home
Charlie sounds like such a wonderful guy. I know of one local person that just lost her FIV cat, she swore 'never again', but we all know that's not true. I'm forwarding your email about Charlie to her. Something that has occurred to me in the past, I'm not sure how to even go about it, but... I've thought of pairing HIV humans with FIV cats. Maybe in some sort of assisted care setting? I know that some of these patients can barely care for themselves, but I also know how much love and healing energy animals bring us when we're sick, and who better to understand the unfairness of disease? It's just a thought that's been swimming around in my brain. I pray Charlie finds his forever home soon. Nina [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: I am writing to see if anyone has any ideas. I go to the local shelter, where my positives came from, twice a day to take care of Lamby, a disabled sheep who lives in the feral cat yard (she is very popular among the cats and has convinced a number of them to trust us too!). At this shelter, the ferals are put into a large yard, with access to the hay loft of a barn. The shelter also puts non-feral cats out there who can not be adopted, sometimes because they are FIV+ (I do not agree with mixing in this way, but at least they do not kill any of them). A cat who was brought there about 6 months ago, Charlie, was diabetic. Since I am in the yard twice a day anyway, I agreed to give him his shots. Luckily, his diabetes went away, at least for now, and he no longer needs insulin. HOWEVER... Charlie is a huge, long-haired black cat, extremely beautiful and cuddly and mellow and sort of looks like a bear, normally. A few weeks ago I noticed a bunch of his hair was coming out, and upon inspection found he had a number of bald spots with bite and scratch marks, clearly self-induced. I brought him to the vet and the vet said he had terrible ear mites, for which they treated him, and probably also contact dermatitis of unknown origin. The vet gave him a shot of Vetalog, a steroid often used for skin problems that has less side effects than Depomedrol. We were afraid to give Depomedrol because it can sometimes cause diabetes and he has had diabetes in the past (it can come and go with cats). The shot lasts 3 days. Charlie felt better for a week and then started scratching again. The vet said to put him on a low dose of pred for 3 days and then taper him off. I did that, and after not seeing him for 2 days after the tapering was done, he appeared and had lost probably 1/3 of his hair and was covered in scabs and had URI. My partner brought him back to the vet and he got another Vetalog shot and was put on Cephalexyn (and antibiotic) twice a day and tomorrow is supposed to start on a high dose of pred for 10 days and then taper if he is ok. They have no idea what is causing this. I put Revolution on him to help with the ear mites and also because it treats mange if he has that. I am going away for the weekend, to my parents', and the women who run the shelter asked me to put him in a cage for the 2 days so it is easier for them to find and pill him. I decided to put him on chicken and rice food for that time too, since he will have his own food, in case this is a food allergy. I am also considering bringing him to an allergist, as this looks very severe and he obviously can not stay on steroids forever. Does anyone have any ideas for treatment or diagnosis? Also, does anyone know anyone who might adopt Charlie? He is one of the best cats I ever met. When he has his fur, he is gorgeous, and is very affectionate, extremely mellow and easy to work with (goes right in a carrier, etc.), gets along well with cats and I would guess with dogs and kids too because he is such a mellow teddy bear-like cat. The problem is that he is FIV+, could become diabetic again in the future, has a heart murmur, and obviously has some kind of allergy. But the allergy started recently and I think that if he could get out of that yard and have his own food it might stop. I would take him home myself, but I already have FeLV+ cats and a negative, who I keep separate, as well as a dog with cancer. Besides having to redivide the house for Charlie, my partner, Gray, has begged me not to take in any more animals, especially sick animals, for a while because I am so at my wit's end and depressed since Simon's bout with lymphoma and losing our dog Nubi (Simon was diagnosed 2 weeks after she died of cancer). That said, Charlie looks so bad right now that Gray said he almost brought him home himself. I know you all have probably tapped out your contacts, but if you know anyone who has an FIV+ household or otherwise has a situation where they could take him and get him away from whatever he is allergic to, I would drive him just about anywhere. I can not stand how miserable he is right now. I will post an ad on the felineleukemia.org website, but do not know of anywhere else to post.
Re: OT: Charlie (FIV+ in MA) needs help and a home
Thanks, Nina, but aren't you in California? I'm in Massachusetts, so it might be kind of hard to get him to California! I was at Gay Pride in Boston last summer and a shelter from a town near Boston actually had a similar idea to yours-- they had a stand set up with information about FIV and pictures and descriptions of all their FIV+ cats available for adoption. I am assuming they figured that people at a gay pride event are more understanding than the general population about what HIV means, and so might be more willing to care for cat with FIV (and that people with HIV at the event might be attracted to adopting a cat with FIV). I have no idea if they adopted anyone out based on that event, but I have always been curious about that. I can't remember which group it was now or I would call and ask them! Michelle In a message dated 2/17/05 9:23:38 PM Eastern Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: Charlie sounds like such a wonderful guy. I know of one local person that just lost her FIV cat, she swore 'never again', but we all know that's not true. I'm forwarding your email about Charlie to her. Something that has occurred to me in the past, I'm not sure how to even go about it, but... I've thought of pairing HIV humans with FIV cats. Maybe in some sort of assisted care setting? I know that some of these patients can barely care for themselves, but I also know how much love and healing energy animals bring us when we're sick, and who better to understand the unfairness of disease? It's just a thought that's been swimming around in my brain. I pray Charlie finds his forever home soon.Nina
Re: OT: Charlie (FIV+ in MA) needs help and a home
Michelle, Just going thru some of my files. Found some holistic items you might want to try: Vetri-Science Derma Strength for Cats - specially for skin allergies immune support Health Cocerns Skin Balance - A Chinese herbal remedy for allergies, skin coat problems Seven Forest Quercenol - good for allergies, immune system support liver function (This supplement is used quite often by Dr. M. Goldstein in his holistic practice) Thorne Dermaclear - used for skin coat problems, flea allergies Also, some of the Bach Flower Remedies may be helpful: White Chestnut - for obsessive licking chewing scratching,for allergies Water Chestnut - for hair loss, allergies, works as a detoxifier cleanser Impatiens - for skin irritations Elm - stress allergies And I want to add: Olive - for anemia (I had used this w/ my Ethan) And for my dear, sweet neurotic Lucy(fer), k9 w/ OCD: Holly, Rock Rose. Rock Water Vine - REALLY seemed to help Which was great since all the "allopathic" treatments didn't do a thing!! She's such a little over-possesive,worry-wart, but the love of my life!!! For years we had always used Derm-Caps as a supplement, but we switched to Vetri-Science Derma Strength since we had excellent results using the DMG the Acetylator (for digestion bowels, also for urinary health) Vetri-Science has some of the BEST supplements available in my opinion. Just throwing some more info. for you Patti
Re: OT: Charlie (FIV+ in MA) needs help and a home
Wow, thanks! If you were to try one of these, which one would you try first? I have to go find him and pill him twice a day and am already giving him 2 pills each time so do not want to add much more. He also does not have his own food so can not get stuff in food. Though I guess I could start bringing him baby food and a bowl for supplements... Gray is going to kill me Michelle In a message dated 2/17/05 9:52:57 PM Eastern Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: Michelle, Just going thru some of my files. Found some holistic items you might want to try: Vetri-Science Derma Strength for Cats - specially for skin allergies immune support Health Cocerns Skin Balance - A Chinese herbal remedy for allergies, skin coat problems Seven Forest Quercenol - good for allergies, immune system support liver function (This supplement is used quite often by Dr. M. Goldstein in his holistic practice) Thorne Dermaclear - used for skin coat problems, flea allergies Also, some of the Bach Flower Remedies may be helpful: White Chestnut - for obsessive licking chewing scratching,for allergies Water Chestnut - for hair loss, allergies, works as a detoxifier cleanser Impatiens - for skin irritations Elm - stress allergies And I want to add: Olive - for anemia (I had used this w/ my Ethan) And for my dear, sweet neurotic Lucy(fer), k9 w/ OCD: Holly, Rock Rose. Rock Water Vine - REALLY seemed to help Which was great since all the "allopathic" treatments didn't do a thing!! She's such a little over-possesive,worry-wart, but the love of my life!!! For years we had always used Derm-Caps as a supplement, but we switched to Vetri-Science Derma Strength since we had excellent results using the DMG the Acetylator (for digestion bowels, also for urinary health) Vetri-Science has some of the BEST supplements available in my opinion. Just throwing some more info. for you Patti
Re: OT: Charlie (FIV+ in MA) needs help and a home
Yes, CA is far away, but you never know what might come from asking! This lady is a board member of a rescue group that has helped me in the past. She has a lot of contacts, so who knows? I was just thinking how wonderful it would be to be able to adopt someone so deserving. Don't you envy people who still have room and resources to help? I have this day dream about actually being able to go and seek out animals that need a home. It's been many years since I've actively gone looking for anyone, they just seem to find me. By the way, your Gray seems like a wonderful human, you chose well. Nina [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Thanks, Nina, but aren't you in California? I'm in Massachusetts, so it might be kind of hard to get him to California! I was at Gay Pride in Boston last summer and a shelter from a town near Boston actually had a similar idea to yours-- they had a stand set up with information about FIV and pictures and descriptions of all their FIV+ cats available for adoption. I am assuming they figured that people at a gay pride event are more understanding than the general population about what HIV means, and so might be more willing to care for cat with FIV (and that people with HIV at the event might be attracted to adopting a cat with FIV). I have no idea if they adopted anyone out based on that event, but I have always been curious about that. I can't remember which group it was now or I would call and ask them! Michelle In a message dated 2/17/05 9:23:38 PM Eastern Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: Charlie sounds like such a wonderful guy. I know of one local person that just lost her FIV cat, she swore 'never again', but we all know that's not true. I'm forwarding your email about Charlie to her. Something that has occurred to me in the past, I'm not sure how to even go about it, but... I've thought of pairing HIV humans with FIV cats. Maybe in some sort of assisted care setting? I know that some of these patients can barely care for themselves, but I also know how much love and healing energy animals bring us when we're sick, and who better to understand the unfairness of disease? It's just a thought that's been swimming around in my brain. I pray Charlie finds his forever home soon. Nina
Re: OT: Charlie (FIV+ in MA) needs help and a home
Michelle, Me again In regards to diet. It is wise to r/o food allergies. I fostered 2 little darlings that came to me almost bald. :( After trial error, we found success using a rabbit or duck formula, exclusively. Ended up feeding that to everyone, it was impossible to feed dry separate. Anyway, (Aspara)Gus Sarah turned out to be gorgeous, long hairs!! Patti
OT: I'M BACK!
Hi All. Got back tonight very tired and sore. Neither my daughter nor myself sleep well in hotels so we were tired. Good news! The doctor who was doing my angiogram (who has done it many times through the years) was saying wow - beautiful, just what I want to see - perfect, etc. while doing the procedure. :) He said that the results were about the same as two years ago or maybe even better. Then he said, "It's been 13-1/2 years right?" I said yes. He put two thumbs up and said, "You've got it made!" Just what I want to hear. :) For those of you who have some medical background, there is a slight thickening of the left side of my left ventricle, but it is no worse than two years ago. It's not an unusual occurence for a heart transplant, but it's nice to know it's about the same as two years ago. Thank you all for your best wishes that everything would go well and it did! This is a powerful group of people. :) Now, I have to rest so that I can pick up my new babies from Barb on Sunday. :) I'll email some more tomorrow. Thank you again! -- Brenda. http://www.whiskersandwicks.com http://www.cheqnet.net/~bksmith "The only risk you ever run in befriending a cat is enriching yourself." - Colette Don't Take Your Organs To Heaven. Heaven Knows We Need Them Here.
Re: question
Michelle, Truthfully I prefer the cream. I also just rub some on the ears. It just seems to have a better effect and seems to work almost directly after contact But again, this might just bedue to what I had read about cream vs. Tincture/spray the marketing strategy has worked on me!!! LOL! Patti
