Re: overwhelmed
Jennifer, Has it been ruled out that Sebastian's rear leg weakness may be due to anemia? My kitty Fu gets a 10 mg.'s of pred a day and 200 ml of fluids. His vet said that would lead to suppression of his red cell blood count - Fu needs those meds more; sometime's his back legs look wobbly. Bonnie in WI www.elephants.com ---BeginMessage--- I have not written anything for a while. I have been very overwhelmed with Sebastian's problems and I keep trying things that do not seem to work. I recently took Sebastian to Virginia Tech's Veterinary hospital (because of everyone's recommedations). I am so upset that he is getting sicker. I feel that I am overlooking his problems because I do not want to face them. I love him so much and I can not stand to see him this way. I took him to the veterinary hospital because he has almost lost all control of his hind legs. They are becoming so weak and he has used the bathroom on himself a few times because it is hard for him to get in and out of the litter box. The vets are worried that his problems are nuerological, so I set up another appointment with the nuerology department.He also twitches and has like muscle spasms or something when he is sleeping. It is like his body can not rest. The vets told me that they would like to do a spinal tap and a special X-ray where they shoot dye into his spine.All of this has to be done under Anaestheia. There are alot of risks with these tests. Putting a FELV+ kitty under involvees alot of risks and they said that if something goes wrong with the spinal tap he could be paralyzed. I do not know what to do. What what you do? I need help making this decision. Currently, Sebastian is taking methylcobalamin and AHCC-vitamins. I also started him on Interferon. It is just the Interferon that the vet gave me. Should I get some other type of Interferon? WHat is everyone else using? Should I give him more supplements and vitamins everyday? I will do anything for him. I just do not know what all I should/can do right now. I need alot of help. ---End Message---
Interferon
I am in the UK so the vets cannot write up Interferon Alpha - I would be prepared to ship in Alpha and give daily - but I am not sure (a) if it legal for me to import Interferon Alpha to the UK and (b) if the Interferon Alpha can be shipped overnight to the UK - anyone with knowledge or experience of this then please share. PS - does anyone know if Interferon Omega stays in teh system longer than Alpha or is it the same. Michelle, Bramble, Minstrel Buddy
Re: overwhelmed
Jen, First take a breather for yourself, you are not doing Sebastian any good by stressing yourself, they can feel our emotions sometimes more than we can feel them. Second myFeLV+ Amber has been on Interferon for two years now, and it took about two or three months to see a significant difference, I know it is hard but pleasebe patient all the stuff you are doing could be working but with no visible results to you...I hope this helps and I am keeping you and Sebastian in my thoughts always Cherie JENNIFER RATLIFF [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: I have not written anything for a while. I have been very overwhelmed with Sebastian's problems and I keep trying things that do not seem to work. I recently took Sebastian to Virginia Tech's Veterinary hospital (because of everyone's recommedations). I am so upset that he is getting sicker. I feel that I am overlooking his problems because I do not want to face them. I love him so much and I can not stand to see him this way. I took him to the veterinary hospital because he has almost lost all control of his hind legs. They are becoming so weak and he has used the bathroom on himself a few times because it is hard for him to get in and out of the litter box. The vets are worried that his problems are nuerological, so I set up another appointment with the nuerology department.He also twitches and has like muscle spasms or something when he is sleeping. It is like his body can not rest. The vets told me that they would like to do a spinal tap and a special X-ray where they shoot dye into his spine.All of this has to be done under Anaestheia. There are alot of risks with these tests. Putting a FELV+ kitty under involvees alot of risks and they said that if something goes wrong with the spinal tap he could be paralyzed. I do not know what to do. What what you do? I need help making this decision. Currently, Sebastian is taking methylcobalamin and AHCC-vitamins. I also started him on Interferon. It is just the Interferon that the vet gave me. Should I get some other type of Interferon? WHat is everyone else using? Should I give him more supplements and vitamins everyday? I will do anything for him. I just do not know what all I should/can do right now. I need alot of help.Have a purrfect day Cherie
Sebastian
Anemia has been ruled out for Sebastian. He recently had blood work done and everything looked great. I vets say it may be something in his spinal cord. I am very worried. Sebastian was put on Depo Medrol for a two year period because of mouth sores. It helped with the sores, but at the time I was not aware of the effects of long term steroid use. I am very upset with the vet because he didn't inform me of any of this. I did not know that the steroids weakened his immune system. I am
Re: Sebastian
Again, look into Cushings disease, which can be brought on by steroid use long-term and can weaken hind legs. In a message dated 7/27/2005 11:42:29 AM Eastern Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: Anemia has been ruled out for Sebastian. He recently had blood work done and everything looked great. I vets say it may be something in his spinal cord. I am very worried. Sebastian was put on Depo Medrol for a two year period because of mouth sores. It helped with the sores, but at the time I was not aware of the effects of long term steroid use. I am very upset with the vet because he didn't inform me of any of this. I did not know that the steroids weakened his immune system. I am
Bandy
Hi, We are new here, so I am interested in any help any of you might help with my kitty Bandy. He was recently diagnoised with FeLV and FIV...He came down sick around the middle of June with a kidney infection...so here is what we have done and are doing now.. He had a temp of 106 so was in the hospital for 2 days and put on clavamox for 10 days..he responded at first but got sick again on July 4 with 105 temp and was admitted again to the hospital and put on baytril for 14 days with good response until July 15 which he relapsed again with 105 temp...More blood work was done and this is when the FIV and FeLV tests were done...and both were positive.. He is now on baytril and amoxicillin, interferon for 8 days now every other day, epogen every other day, tagamet twice daily, and oxazepam .1ml applied to inner ear for appetite stimulant.. His PCV has gone up 4 so that is improving with the help of the epogen..his appetite it good.. With all this, he still spiked a temp of 104.5 a few days ago and was given a dexamethasone shot and next day temp was back to normal.. We get SQ fluids every time we go for the epogen shot... He also gets nutri-cal 3x a day and another vitamin mixture with his interferon. I was wondering if any of you might have tried any other antibiotics to combate these infections..or any other suggestions would be appreciated...He is a fighter so I want to give him the best chance possible to help him have a good quality of life... I also don't understand these tests being positive as he is an indoor cat and hasn't been outside at all since 2001...He is 5 yrs old now..So I am a little confused about the FIV test being positive... Thank so much, Kerry and Bandy__Do You Yahoo!?Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com
Re: Interferon
Oops, I meant waiting for my Omega to arrive. N Nina wrote: I'm not sure how long either of the Interferons remain in the system, but when I was waiting for my Alpha to arrive I spoke with my vets about whether they could overlap, or if one would conflict with the other in any way. I was told that there shouldn't be a problem following one with the other, I didn't ask about whether they should be given at the same time. My vet has talked before about having to reconstitute the Alpha by adding liquid, so I'm guessing that it is probably more stable in it's unconstituted form, (in powder form?). It should probably be shipped that way. I think I remember someone on this list talking about mixing it themselves, but I can't remember who. Nina
Re: ot-Take Action Now to Support the Pet Animal Welfare Statute
http://purebredcatbreedrescue.org/paws.htm PLEASE read what CFA Purebred Cat Breed Rescue has to say about PAWS before you send out your letters. more info will be available on the possible effects on rescue groups tomorrow, but this is important to read NOW. -- MaryChristine AIM / YAHOO: TenHouseCats MSN: [EMAIL PROTECTED] ICQ: 289856892
RE: Sebastian
Hi, I am wondering if its related to nerve, if acupuncture will work for him I know what you mean about steroid my holistic vet is the only one who seriously warned me about the side effect of steroid and I usually have said no unless it was absolutely necessary (which I did with my dogs when they had a disc problem) - and two years on the steroid seems awfully long time to be on - I think that vet prescribe steroid and antibiotics for that matter way too much without considering serious side effects - From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of JENNIFER RATLIFF Sent: Wednesday, July 27, 2005 9:42 AM To: Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Subject: Sebastian Anemia has been ruled out for Sebastian. He recently had blood work done and everything looked great. I vets say it may be something in his spinal cord. I am very worried. Sebastian was put on Depo Medrol for a two year period because of mouth sores. It helped with the sores, but at the time I was not aware of the effects of long term steroid use. I am very upset with the vet because he didn't inform me of any of this. I did not know that the steroids weakened his immune system. I am
Re: Bandy
Hello Kerry and Bandy, It sounds like you have a good vet taking care of Bandy. You are already giving him Baytril which is a full-spectrum antibiotic. My Grace went through the same sort of thing, (her problem manifested in anemia symptoms, no problems with her kidneys), with Clavomox. She would start to improve after about 10 days on Clavomox and then a few days after treatment her temp would be back up and she'd be lethargic again. We did blood tests and my Internist suspected Hemobartinella, even though the result was negative. We put her on Doxycycline and Interferon A and she got better. I have also gone through the process of getting a special dispensation from the FDA for Interferon Omega, (feline interferon that is not yet approved in the US). I wish I could tell you that it is the miracle cure we had all hoped for, but I don't even know if that's what has helped Grace stick around. She's just over 1yr and a half, but she's the littermate that has had the most problems all along, (I rescued six 2 and a half week old kittens that turned out to be positive for FelV). It's another weapon in our arsenal to fight this disease, I'm betting it would help with FIV as well. Why don't you ask your vet what they think about it? It is expensive and it takes at least a couple of months to get approval and have it shipped from the UK, so you want to get right on it, if you think it's something you would like try. Let me know if you do. My vet's office has made up a packet of information to help other vets apply to the FDA. You may want to think about giving some of the supportive treatments that Bandy is getting at home, (like the subq fluids, injections, etc.), instead of the vet's office. Trips to the vet are stressful for any animal and one of the best things you can do for Bandy, (along with the veterinary care he's receiving and immune supplements), is giving him as stress free a life as possible. Treating him at home would really help with this. As far as being an indoor only cat and still contracting these diseases, it is possible for them to remain dormant in their systems for years before being triggered by some sort of stress, like an illness, or a traumatic episode. How old was Bandy when he came to you? One of my litter, Tim, has tested negative. No one fully understands why one cat succumbs and another doesn't, there are so many variables, each cat's own particular constitution being one of them. Welcome to the list. I know that you'll receive wonderful support and feedback from our members. They are some of the most wonderful people I've ever met. I've learned so much more from them than any vet I've dealt with. We all know what extraordinary souls these kitties are, we've talked about it many times. How there is something so very special about them. It's like somehow they are aware that their time with us may not be long, so they make up for it with a love of life that is so rewarding to be a part of. Even with all the heartache, I feel blessed to have known and cared for my angels. Let us know how you are doing, Nina Kerry Roach wrote: Hi, We are new here, so I am interested in any help any of you might help with my kitty Bandy. He was recently diagnoised with FeLV and FIV...He came down sick around the middle of June with a kidney infection...so here is what we have done and are doing now.. He had a temp of 106 so was in the hospital for 2 days and put on clavamox for 10 days..he responded at first but got sick again on July 4 with 105 temp and was admitted again to the hospital and put on baytril for 14 days with good response until July 15 which he relapsed again with 105 temp...More blood work was done and this is when the FIV and FeLV tests were done...and both were positive.. He is now on baytril and amoxicillin, interferon for 8 days now every other day, epogen every other day, tagamet twice daily, and oxazepam .1ml applied to inner ear for appetite stimulant.. His PCV has gone up 4 so that is improving with the help of the epogen..his appetite it good.. With all this, he still spiked a temp of 104.5 a few days ago and was given a dexamethasone shot and next day temp was back to normal.. We get SQ fluids every time we go for the epogen shot... He also gets nutri-cal 3x a day and another vitamin mixture with his interferon. I was wondering if any of you might have tried any other antibiotics to combate these infections..or any other suggestions would be appreciated...He is a fighter so I want to give him the best chance possible to help him have a good quality of life... I also don't understand these tests being positive as he is an indoor cat and hasn't been outside at all since 2001...He is 5 yrs old now..So I am a little confused about the FIV test being positive... Thank so much, Kerry and Bandy __ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo!
Kerry Brandy
I too would question what happened during Brandy's first year of life - he may even have contracted both from his mother at Birth - but unless tests are done at about a year old you don't really know - often you don't find out until they are symptomatic. Michelle, Buddy, Minstrel Bramble
RE: Bandy
Hi, welcome to the list there are lots of educated people on the list and I hope you will find a help you need When reading the email about Bandy, the first question I thought of about reoccurrence fever is FIP?? has the vet run the complete blood work (its called complete body function) if so, I would like to know what the results were for total protein, A/G ratio has they tested for the corona virus titers again even its positive, it does not mean that he has FIP as only small percentage (1 to 3% develop FIP) - I have 60 plus cats and most of them are positive for corona virus, but none of them have FIP Anyway, since antibiotic may not be addressing the root cause of high fever, sine its probably viral related and its not bacterial related, I dont know if continuing on or changing the antibiotics is a good idea please be alert I am very conservation when coming to the use of antibiotics as I have lost a couple of my babies due to the reaction from antibiotics It will be helpful if you can share the blood work result so that we can rule out any other possibility causing such high fever. From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Kerry Roach Sent: Wednesday, July 27, 2005 11:51 AM To: Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Subject: Bandy Hi, We are new here, so I am interested in any help any of you might help with my kitty Bandy. He was recently diagnoised with FeLV and FIV...He came down sick around the middle of June with a kidney infection...so here is what we have done and are doing now.. He had a temp of 106 so was in the hospital for 2 days and put on clavamox for 10 days..he responded at first but got sick again on July 4 with 105 temp and was admitted again to the hospital and put on baytril for 14 days with good response until July 15 which he relapsed again with 105 temp...More blood work was done and this is when the FIV and FeLV tests were done...and both were positive.. He is now on baytril and amoxicillin, interferon for 8 days now every other day, epogen every other day, tagamet twice daily, and oxazepam .1ml applied to inner ear for appetite stimulant.. His PCV has gone up 4 so that is improving with the help of the epogen..his appetite it good.. With all this, he still spiked a temp of 104.5 a few days ago and was given a dexamethasone shot and next day temp was back to normal.. We get SQ fluids every time we go for the epogen shot... He also gets nutri-cal 3x a day and another vitamin mixture with his interferon. I was wondering if any of you might have tried any other antibiotics to combate these infections..or any other suggestions would be appreciated...He is a fighter so I want to give him the best chance possible to help him have a good quality of life... I also don't understand these tests being positive as he is an indoor cat and hasn't been outside at all since 2001...He is 5 yrs old now..So I am a little confused about the FIV test being positive... Thank so much, Kerry and Bandy __ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com
Re: ot-Take Action Now to Support the Pet Animal Welfare Statute-take off list?
This is not directly related to felv, but a lot of uswork in rescue and rescue a lot ofleukemia positive cats. My positive is a rescue. I don't know whether it should be taken offlist or not. I have read about the bill and done a little research, though I'm no authority. All I know is that the Cat Fancier's Association and the AKC (and now a 'purebred' cat rescue) are all posting that we should push for a NO to this bill. Every animal welfare group I know of is saying we push for YES. This has been discussed on my local animal welfare and animal rights' lists. All animal groups I belong to here in Georgia say that the purebred groups are trying to 'scare' rescues into thinkingthis will hurt them, and that in fact, it will NOT hurt rescue groups, but help them by preventing the influx of animals from breeders. Rescue groups do not 'sell' animals for a profit. I have more info. for those interested, but from what I've read I am reassured that this will NOT negatively impact those in rescue. We've had a long going discussion on the Georgia Animal Welfare list with a breeder/rescuer trying to get people to oppose, All rescuers have assured people that she is wrong. Breeders just do not want to be regulated. All of my local rescue groups, humane societies, etc... are supporting this legislation (except for those that deal only with purebreds or are breeders themselves involved in rescue). How many felv + siamese, himalayans, etc... are in the homes of people on this list who were not 'bought' from a breeder, but RESCUED BECAUSE of a breeder's irresponsibility? I have google searched this legislation, and groups against itare breeder or pet dealer type groups and every group in favor of this legislation is an animal welfare group working to help animals such as HSUS, Doris Day Animal League, Friends of Animals, etc... The senators working on this bill are doing it to STOP the deaths of animals in shelters due to overpopulation and STOP horrible puppymill practices. I believe they are working directly with DDAL. DDAL has a strong focus on spay/neuter and stopping puppy/kitten mills. I'm not an attorney, but I 'believe' the animal welfare groups over the breeders' groups, and I know the purpose of this bill is to help companion animal overpopulation, not to stop rescue work. If nothing else, think how many LESS animals there will be to rescue if we can stop backyard breeders and puppy and kitten mills... I think it's unprecedented and a step in a positive direction to have people in Congress willing to even work on this. Breeders are a well organized group as well. They jumped on this legislation and started urging people to vote NO on their petitions in full force before most of us (on Georgia rescue lists anyway) even knew what was going on They are also appealing to individual citizens saying they are going to lose their 'constitutional right' to do whatever they want with their 'property'. That's my 3 cents. tonyaTenHouseCats [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: http://purebredcatbreedrescue.org/paws.htmPLEASE read what CFA Purebred Cat Breed Rescue has to say about PAWSbefore you send out your letters. more info will be available on thepossible effects on rescue groups tomorrow, but this is important toread NOW.-- MaryChristineAIM / YAHOO: TenHouseCatsMSN: [EMAIL PROTECTED]ICQ: 289856892
