[Felvtalk] Interferon thoughts?
I have a little 4.5 mo. old black kitten rescued as a stray who tests FeLV+ on a snap test. They won't do an IFA until he's been separated for three months (he lives in my bathroom currently), 9 mos. old would be better. My vet is recommending we put the kitten on Interferon *now,* that she has had good results with it (she has an FIV kitty of her own who she allows to mix with her negative 5 kitties). She thinks it could help him with quality of life down the road. What do you guys think? I've seen some conversation on this list previously, but hadn't paid much attention to it because I didn't think I'd be in this position, at least not this soon. Jeff ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
Re: [Felvtalk] Interferon thoughts?
Impressive vet. Yes, there has been some varied opinions about it. But I'd put her on oral Interferon - a very low dose. I think 30 units is a standard for adult cats so would ask the vet how much she thinks - c ertainly lower than an adult dose. Gloria --- Original Message --- From: Jeff Mills[mailto:jeffkmi...@yahoo.com] Sent: 10/8/2009 2:05:16 PM To : felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Cc : Subject : RE: [Felvtalk] Interferon thoughts? I have a little 4.5 mo. old black kitten rescued as a stray who tests FeLV+ on a snap test. They won't do an IFA until he's been separated for three months (he lives in my bathroom currently), 9 mos. old would be better. My vet is recommending we put the kitten on Interferon *now,* that she has had good results with it (she has an FIV kitty of her own who she allows to mix with her negative 5 kitties). She thinks it could help him with quality of life down the road. What do you guys think? I've seen some conversation on this list previously, but hadn't paid much attention to it because I didn't think I'd be in this position, at least not this soon. Jeff ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
Re: [Felvtalk] Interferon thoughts?
Jeff, I would definitely start something whether it be interferon or the LTCI injections. They may not look sick when first diagnosed but they go downhill quickly and you feel helpless. There is some suggestion of thymic hypoplasia in these young cats with felv+. (the thymus is responsible for the production of T cells which are necessary for the destruction of this virus). Interferon helps aid in the activity of the T cells. LTCI is thought to stimulate the production of interferon by the cat's own cells. Overall each one increases levels of interferon to help the Tcells. LTCI just stimulates the cat's own body to make it. I highly recommend doing something to increase the cat's chance of long term survival. Have your vet look into LTCI from Imulan if they are not familiar with it. There is some suggestion that early use of some aid may increase the likelihood of the cat turning negative. I can't say for certain. Good luck Jenny On Thu, Oct 8, 2009 at 2:05 PM, Jeff Mills jeffkmi...@yahoo.com wrote: I have a little 4.5 mo. old black kitten rescued as a stray who tests FeLV+ on a snap test. They won't do an IFA until he's been separated for three months (he lives in my bathroom currently), 9 mos. old would be better. My vet is recommending we put the kitten on Interferon *now,* that she has had good results with it (she has an FIV kitty of her own who she allows to mix with her negative 5 kitties). She thinks it could help him with quality of life down the road. What do you guys think? I've seen some conversation on this list previously, but hadn't paid much attention to it because I didn't think I'd be in this position, at least not this soon. Jeff ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org