Re: new to FeLV - Roxane and Ty

[Nina]

Hi Roxane, How's Ty doing today? Roxane Baldwin wrote: When you first took him in, he had a slight URI which you treated with amoxi. His URI came while at the vets office, he spent the night because I had him neutered, was that a mistake? They sent amoxi home with him. No, I wouldn't say that having him neutered was a mistake.  I always arrange to pick up my kids the day of the operation to save them any added stress.  The stress of anesthesia is always a concern, even animals that seem perfectly healthy have died during or after simple s/n surgeries.  My fingertips are always bloody from biting my nails to the quick on the days I have to take someone in, but what are you going to do?  No one leaves my protection intact.  It's our only true defense against overpopulation and the terrible plight that comes from too many animals and not enough responsible humans.  There are things you can do to help insure their safety during operations.  Making sure they are given fluids during, that they use gas instead of injectable anesthesia, that they are in the best health possible before hand, to name a few.    He also had worms, so you treated him for that, what did you use for the worms? Yes, but I don’t know what they treated him with, sorry. Some wormers are harder on their systems than others.  I was just wondering.  I'm not thrilled with your vet at the moment.   Did he then develop diarrhea, or had he had it all along? Developed it after the worm which I thought was normal but it was water. Poor baby.   How is that now? Much better but I removed his kibble and started him on raw. My canines are all raw feed, just 2 felines on raw, now Ty, and my FIV Taking them off dry is the first thing recommended for kitties with GI problems.  Putting my IBD girl, Gypsy, on raw, no exaggeration, saved her life.   I've heard some say they have a concern about felv kitties on raw diets, but I think as long as you are using the freshest, best grade meats you can find, and are sanitary in preparation and storage, then the benefits far outweigh the any potential hazards.   Have his stools firmed up? Yes Good to hear.   If I understand you, Ty got over his "slight" URI after the amoxi, (how many days was he on the abx?), eight days and now he's stuffed up even worse. Is that right? Yes Eight days seems like a reasonable amount of time to have helped him kick his URI.  You might want to try longer if you put him on an antibiotic again.  Talk to your vet about it.  Along with the Lysine, you might want to try something recommended by one of our list members once.  Children's nose drops called "Little noses".  I've gotten some to keep in the house, (mostly because of the concern about them getting too stuffed up to not be able to smell their food), but I haven't had to use them on anyone yet.  I can't remember how the person that wrote about them administered them.  I think they used a soaked q-tip, does anyone else remember?   I would start mixing in some Lysine with his food. The recommended dose is 500mg per day, (make sure it's pure L-Lysine). Where do I find L-Lysine? You can get Lysine at the health food store.  Wendy cautioned about one of the ingredients, I hadn't heard that before.  Wendy, if you're reading, can you elaborate on that?   He is eating okay, isn't he? Yes, he loves his food. Always a good sign :) .   I don't know how cat-savvy you are, I'm guessing you have some experience under your belt since you have an FIV boy, but cats will usually stop eating when they can't smell their food. Including Ty, I have 13 cats.  My FIV boy has never really been sick so this is really new to me. 13 cats, huh?  Yep, you're one of us.  Prayers for continued good health for your FIV boy, what's his name?   When you search for a different vet, see if you can find an Internist. You could ask your current vet to refer you to one. I'm not saying Ty would need a specialist to get over his URI, or diarrhea, but it's good to have an experienced vet when/if the need arises to battle serious illness.   I have a number for a cat specialist in my parents neighborhood, Ty would just have to travel some to get to her.  Diet, keeping their stress level down and taking an aggressive approach to even the most common illnesses to prevent them from escalating are very important in keeping our babies asymptomatic. Prayers for you and Ty, Thank you Nina! Cat only clinics are probably a good idea, but that's not exactly what I was talking about.  They are still "GP" type vets, and while they would logically be more experienced dealing with cat problems, they don't have the expertise of a board certified Internist.  The specialty clinics I'm talking about have vets that are more versed in the type of life threatening diseases that our sweet felv kids are prone to.  Not only that, but they will usually have more than one kind of specialist in their practice, Opthomologists, Cardiologists, Oncologists.  They are good places to have an association with, just in case.  I wouldn't bother with trekking Ty out to the "cats only" clinic unless you get the vet on the phone and he tells you he has experience dealing with felv, or at the very least seems very excited to help you care for Ty.  Car rides are stressful and if you can find someone closer, it would be better.  Did you ask your current vet for a referral?  I'm sure he won't be offended, and if he is, you should definitely be looking for a new vet! You're most very welcome Roxane!  Give that Ty a head bump from me.  Blessings to you and your whole family, Nina