Re: Bailey is anemic
Thank you Nina. -- 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: Bailey is anemic
Thank yo Patti. -- 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: Need your help with Stretch
Hey Nina, I think it's a combination of both the vet being mainly a routine care vet and that he knows how much we spent on Cricket, because when I took Stretch in, I didn't even say anything about money, and he told me that what he was doing that day would be the most help he could give Stretch while being the most cost effective for me. You are right though, he isn't as good as some vets that I have visited in my life. He is very close to home though, open to suggestions for alternative treatments, ie. the Immuno Regulin, which he'd never used before, and a good guy, which is why I still visit him. This morning, Stretch was outside with her sister instead of being in the garage lying down, so she must be feeling better. I am force feeding her A/D, so maybe that is helping. I am scared for her though. From what I have read about FIP, if it is FIP symptoms kicking in, then no matter what we do, she doesn't have a lot of time. Thank you for the encouragement; I could really use it right now. :) Wendy __ Yahoo! DSL Something to write home about. Just $16.99/mo. or less. dsl.yahoo.com
Marylyn
Marylyn, Thank you for the advice. I hadn't thought to ask Stretch what she wants, and will do that tonight. I don't know how much I will understand from her (or her me) without using a communicator, but maybe I will get lucky. She has been really good about taking the food I have fed her twice now, although this morning she wasn't as happy about it. Maybe that is a good sign though; maybe the food is making her feel better. You make a good point about treatments maybe not being what an animal wants. I have pondered this a lot after I lost Cricket. I often wonder how I would have felt had I just taken him in to be pts, which was the original plan. Instead, after someone caringly suggested that a feeding tube might help save him or at least give him a little more time, which I thought was a great idea, to have one inserted. Part of why he was going downhill so fast was that he wasn't eating. Also, I selfishly wasn't ready to let him go, and I did want him to feel better and get some food on his stomach; no one feels good when they are starving. I do and don't regret my decision to insert the feeding tube. I would probably do the same thing given the same circumstances, yet I will never forget the last time we looked at each other with him being lucid, which was through the glass of the anesthesia gas box. He had that look like don't leave me and I told him it would be ok, and it wasn't. But you know, had he come out of it and not died that night and lived longer feeling better, I would have been elated that he had gotten the feeding tube. And that could have been the sitution given a different cat or had Cricket been in a little healthier place. We can never make all the right decisions, because we don't know all the variables and can't see into the future. Living with those decisions that don't turn out the way we would have liked can be hard. Thank you for taking the time to write. I will keep everyone posted on Stretch. Please keep us in your prayers. :) Wendy __ Yahoo! DSL Something to write home about. Just $16.99/mo. or less. dsl.yahoo.com
Re: Need your help with Stretch
Hey Michelle, I can't imagine how you felt with them telling you to pay up front while you're holding your sick cat! That just sounds bad! I just started working a second job, so as soon as we get any money at all, then I will probably take Stretch in for the tests and if affordable, to get X-rays, and the fluid drained. Do X-rays show cancer tumors and/or fluid? Also, how often do you give the dex/depo shot (if it is lymphoma)? I could not really tell if the dex shot helped much. Stretch isn't breathing as heavily as she was, but her breathing is still somewhat labored. Also, where do you get the bags and needles to do sub-Q fluids? Is there anything else I need to do sub-Q? Do you just use water? Thanks, Wendy __ Yahoo! DSL Something to write home about. Just $16.99/mo. or less. dsl.yahoo.com
Re: Bailey is anemic
Belinda, Did you ever find out if Bailey's anemia was regenerative or non-regenerative? I think this is the same as responsive vs. non-responsive, but if not, someone please correct me. Also, sending healing vibes and prayers Bailey's way. :) Wendy __ Yahoo! DSL Something to write home about. Just $16.99/mo. or less. dsl.yahoo.com
Re: Need your help with Stretch
Thank you Patti. Your prayers and hugs are greatly appreciated. :) Wendy et. all --- [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Wendy~ My thoughts and prayers are with you and Stretch. I am so sorry that you and your nephew are faced with this. And, I understand about the financial situation... Years ago, I never had to worry. I cashed out my entire 401K plan when my first Rottie was diagnosed with AIHA. I've been fortunate to have worked at vets and have connections with the shelter... But, now I am retired and living on SSDI, and I understand all too well. I too am praying for a miracle for dear Stretch... Hugs, Patti __ Yahoo! DSL Something to write home about. Just $16.99/mo. or less. dsl.yahoo.com
Re: Need your help with Stretch
Thank you Tonya for the kind words and for identifying with me. It makes me feel like less of a Scrooge, which I do kind of feel like. Although I do know you can't pull money out of a hat, right? Thanks again, Wendy --- catatonya [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Wendy, I am so sorry to hear about Stretch. Most of the time I have heard people discuss these kinds of symptoms it has not been good news. You do what you can, and that's all you can do. It is hard to accept, but most of us have been where you are. Sometimes you spend thousands and are able to buy some more time, sometimes you spend thousands and can't. And the problem is you can never 'know' for sure if treatments are going to help or not. Especially if you're talking about lymphoma. I have been in situations that I truly felt I was putting my cat through too much to try to save him when it was beyond hope, and had them turn around. One of my cats my vet insisted was at death's door lived for many years after his illness. Others who had a good prognosis I have lost. You just never know. You just have to do the best you can, and it's very hard not knowing what to do and it's hard to feel like money is governing your decisions. But money is a part of it. There's no way around that. I am so sorry you are going through all of this. I will keep you, your nephew and Stretch in my thoughts and prayers. tonya wendy [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Hi Michelle, Thank you for the info. I am going to give another day or two to see how things go before taking Stretch back to the doc. Frankly, we are tapped out on money. We are not wealthy by any stretch of the imagination, and after spending hundreds of dollars trying to save Cricket, and with Christmas just passed, we are a bit broke. I had to put the $85 visit to the vet yesterday on a credit card that didn't have $85 dollars on it. I will do all I can for Stretch, but if it's cancer, I am not going to draw it out. We just can't afford the treatments. I feel so frustrated right now. I don't want Stretch to go through this. I don't want my nephew to go through losing his cat; he's been through so much as it is. And my attitude isn't it's normal hopeful self after losing Cricket. I feel it's too soon after Cricket; I don't think I can go through this again. I am praying for a miracle right now. If Stretch can just pull through this, and give us a little time, we will be better able to afford treatments in six months. I hope that some of you understand being in this place. How do you guys afford expensive treatments when you just don't have the money? Thanks, Wendy __ Yahoo! DSL Something to write home about. Just $16.99/mo. or less. dsl.yahoo.com __ Yahoo! DSL Something to write home about. Just $16.99/mo. or less. dsl.yahoo.com
Re: Need your help with Stretch
Hi Wendy! I'm trying to catch up on posts (I read everything I can...just haven't had much time to post!)...I just wanted to drop you a quick note and let you know that I hear ya about the financial situation!! I've already broken down and used those damn checks that credit card companies send you (they've obviously become savvy to the fact that I've cut up a few cards after paying them off! :) ) to help pay for Ewok's chemo treatments...but I agree very much with Michelle...steroids are an inexpensive way to help shrink the tumor (one dex shot that lasted about a week for Ewok was $17). Stretch, you and your nephew will certainly be in my thoughts! I know how it feels to lose two babies so close together (as many on this list do)...We had to say goodbye to two of Ewok's brothers within a week of each other (one to mediastinal lymphoma and one to anemia) a few years ago. I'm sure Stretch knows that you are doing everything you can (it's all any of us truly know what to do when it comes to this damn virus). Perhaps sit quietly with Stretch for awhile and ask him what he wishes to do...I know how frustrated you probably feel...it absolutely sucks that we have to make these kinds of decisions based on money (our Sleepypants--Ewok's brother--hasn't been feeling well these past few days...he's been throwing up his food with *alot* of hair...fortunately, he's been able to keep his food down for the past 24 hours...so I'm hoping he's just passing a hair clog...but with abdominal cancer in the back of my mind, I had to think ahead and wonder what I would do if we found out that he did have cancer...and the thought was grim...we just can't possibly afford to treat two cats with cancer...I guess I just have to keep the faith that everything will work out as it should and that I can avoid therapy, if at all possible... :) ). Anyhoo, this has turned into my own rant! :) My long way of letting you know I'm there with ya! Take care and keep us posted! Jen But if you tame me, then we shall need each other. To me, you will be unique in all the world. To you, I shall be unique in all the world; You become responsible, forever, for what you have tamed... --Antoine de Saint-Exupéry If you talk to the animals they will talk with you and you will know each other. If you do not talk to them you will not know them, and what you do not know you will fear. What one fears one destroys. --Chief Dan George - Original Message - From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Date: Tuesday, January 3, 2006 10:49 pm Subject: Re: Need your help with Stretch I know. When Simon needed to go into the hospital, they would not admit him without me paying half the estimate, and there was not enough room on our credit card for it. Luckily my mom was able and willing to give me her credit card number for it. It was very scary feeling, though, until she did. I wanted to shoot the damn receptionist in the head, me standing there with my sick baby and her saying if I did not have a credit card to put it on they would not even see him. What about someone who had no relative with a working credit card they were willing to lend? If it is lymphoma, I am not sure there is anything that can make him go 6 months without chemo. But the vet who told me about the steroid combo I am always recommending (1/2 cc dexamethasone and 1/2 depomedrol, given periodically when they go downhill) said that she had some cats with lymphoma go 6 months on these shots alone, with good quality of life. If nothing else seems to help, you might want to try this. Did the dex shot help at all? If it did, you might want to try the combo shot. It is not expensive, though you will probably need to go to the vet to get it. The shots can be given sub-q, but most vets will not give clients the shots to take home. But it might not be lymphoma. Michelle In a message dated 1/3/2006 10:58:15 PM Eastern Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: Hi Michelle, Thank you for the info. I am going to give another day or two to see how things go before taking Stretch back to the doc. Frankly, we are tapped out on money. We are not wealthy by any stretch of the imagination, and after spending hundreds of dollars trying to save Cricket, and with Christmas just passed, we are a bit broke. I had to put the $85 visit to the vet yesterday on a credit card that didn't have $85 dollars on it. I will do all I can for Stretch, but if it's cancer, I am not going to draw it out. We just can't afford the treatments. I feel so frustrated right now. I don't want Stretch to go through this. I don't want my nephew to go through losing his cat; he's been through so much as it is. And my attitude isn't it's normal hopeful self after losing Cricket. I feel it's too soon after Cricket; I don't think I can go through this again. I am praying for
Re: Bailey is anemic - Wendy
Wendy, My vet feels it is non-regenerative, he had very few imature cells, his bone marrow is trying to make them but not succeeding in making enough. So hopefully the epogen will either kick start him or make enough to sustain him, I'm really not that clear on how it works, just praying it does. -- 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: Need your help with Stretch
Prayers for Stretch to pull out of this also, it's good that you are able to get food into her. This is the most difficult thing with bailey, he hates syringing, and I really suck at it. We keep plugging along thoug. -- 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: Need your help with Stretch
Wendy,The fluid is already in the bags you buy. You don't fill them yourselves. I don't know what all is in them. I suppose electrolytes, fluids, maybe potassium? If you've got a decent vet a bag of fluid and the set up for sub q should be less than $10.ttwendy [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Hey Michelle,I can't imagine how you felt with them telling you topay up front while you're holding your sick cat! Thatjust sounds bad! I just started working a second job,so as soon as we get any money at all, then I willprobably take Stretch in for the tests and ifaffordable, to get X-rays, and the fluid drained. DoX-rays show cancer tumors and/or fluid? Also, howoften do you give the dex/depo shot (if it islymphoma)? I could not really tell if the dex shothelped much. Stretch isn't breathing as heavily asshe was, but her breathing is still somewhat labored. Also, where do you get the bags and needles to dosub-Q fluids? Is there anything else I need to dosub-Q? Do you just use water?Thanks,Wendy__ Yahoo! DSL Something to write home about. Just $16.99/mo. or less. dsl.yahoo.com
Re: anemia
Gloria,I was just thinking the iron itself. If the kidneys are shutting down.tGloria Lane [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Hmmm - I can't remember the source, I understood Pettinic was good for the kidneys (B vitamins) - Of course it also has sugar in it, whatever that might do.. when Nicky was in kidney failure, I gave him lactulose and PetTinic, because it was supposed to be good for the kidneys. Course that wasn't anemia...GloriaOn Jan 3, 2006, at 9:32 PM, catatonya wrote: Probably it would be bad for the kidneys? t Gloria Lane <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>wrote: Hmmm - I'm wondering why PetTinic would be a problem.. Gloria On Jan 3, 2006, at 9:42 AM, BONNIE J KALMBACH wrote: I'm wondering what to do about my fragile 19 year-old Fu. He is so anemic he can barely walk. He is not felv positive. The vet said his red cell blood count is affected by the pred we give him to keep his intestinal cancer in remission and the fluids he need for hyperthyroid related/probably kidney disease. The vet worried about reactions or consequences of epogen or petinnic. I have given him some chicken liver. I am worried about him making it a few more daays. Bonnie
Re: Need your help with Stretch
Thanks Tonya. I think I will go that route if I don't see an improvement in eating/drinking very soon. It's a little scary though. I've never stuck a needle into another living being, unless you count getting splinters out, so I am a bit nervous about trying this. Do you give the cat the whole bag? And where and how do you stick the needle? Thanks, Wendy --- catatonya [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Wendy, The fluid is already in the bags you buy. You don't fill them yourselves. I don't know what all is in them. I suppose electrolytes, fluids, maybe potassium? If you've got a decent vet a bag of fluid and the set up for sub q should be less than $10. t t wendy [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Hey Michelle, I can't imagine how you felt with them telling you to pay up front while you're holding your sick cat! That just sounds bad! I just started working a second job, so as soon as we get any money at all, then I will probably take Stretch in for the tests and if affordable, to get X-rays, and the fluid drained. Do X-rays show cancer tumors and/or fluid? Also, how often do you give the dex/depo shot (if it is lymphoma)? I could not really tell if the dex shot helped much. Stretch isn't breathing as heavily as she was, but her breathing is still somewhat labored. Also, where do you get the bags and needles to do sub-Q fluids? Is there anything else I need to do sub-Q? Do you just use water? Thanks, Wendy __ Yahoo! DSL Something to write home about. Just $16.99/mo. or less. dsl.yahoo.com __ Yahoo! DSL Something to write home about. Just $16.99/mo. or less. dsl.yahoo.com
Re: Need your help with Stretch-fluids
It's really easy, and no you definitely don't use the whole bag. There are some web sites that show pictures of how to do it, I'll have to look them up. Most people use a tube set with a needle on the end from the bag to the kitty, and watch how the fluids go down. In particular, a sick kitty doesn't mind. I use a 60cc syringe, that I load up and then stick. i also have a flexible tube that goes from the syringe to the needle and kitty. But think that flexible tube is hard to find. Vets charge different amounts for fluids too. My regular vet charges $20. We've found other vets here who charge $5 (yeaa!). I use Lactacted Ringers. Gotta watch and make sure you have the right fluids that your vet wants you to use, also. I'm sure you'll get good advice from others on the list too. Best of luck, Gloria On Jan 4, 2006, at 11:54 AM, wendy wrote: Thanks Tonya. I think I will go that route if I don't see an improvement in eating/drinking very soon. It's a little scary though. I've never stuck a needle into another living being, unless you count getting splinters out, so I am a bit nervous about trying this. Do you give the cat the whole bag? And where and how do you stick the needle? Thanks, Wendy --- catatonya [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Wendy, The fluid is already in the bags you buy. You don't fill them yourselves. I don't know what all is in them. I suppose electrolytes, fluids, maybe potassium? If you've got a decent vet a bag of fluid and the set up for sub q should be less than $10. t t wendy [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Hey Michelle, I can't imagine how you felt with them telling you to pay up front while you're holding your sick cat! That just sounds bad! I just started working a second job, so as soon as we get any money at all, then I will probably take Stretch in for the tests and if affordable, to get X-rays, and the fluid drained. Do X-rays show cancer tumors and/or fluid? Also, how often do you give the dex/depo shot (if it is lymphoma)? I could not really tell if the dex shot helped much. Stretch isn't breathing as heavily as she was, but her breathing is still somewhat labored. Also, where do you get the bags and needles to do sub-Q fluids? Is there anything else I need to do sub-Q? Do you just use water? Thanks, Wendy __ Yahoo! DSL – Something to write home about. Just $16.99/mo. or less. dsl.yahoo.com __ Yahoo! DSL – Something to write home about. Just $16.99/mo. or less. dsl.yahoo.com
Re: Need your help with Stretch
Wendy~ Have a vet tech demonstrate.. It sounds rather frightening, but in fact it isn't bad. You pull up a "flap" of skin put the needle in the "tent". The amount of fluids administered depends on weight of cat, and how often it is done, Ix Day or 2X day. Fluids can be lactated ringers, which is basically sterile saline with electrolytes. Then there's Nacl, some with dextrose Vet will advise. Often, lactated ringers is used for re-hydration. Also, the cost should be very minimal. (A bag of fluids is usually 1000 ml.) Good Luck, Hugs, Patti
Re: Need your help with Stretch-fluids
In a message dated 1/4/06 1:02:29 P.M. Eastern Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: My regular vet charges $20. We've found other vets here who charge $5 (yeaa!). Yes, that's because vets purchase aCASE of lactated ringers for under $20.00. It's a damn shame some vets have to "mark up" such necessary products..
Re: Need your help with Stretch
Wendy, Bailey is currently getting fluids it is fairly easy. It seems to make it less uncomfortable for the cat if you heat it to room temperature. I usually take my bag and lay it in the sink in fairly warm water for about 10 or so minutes. You can feel the water after you give the bag a few minutes to cool off, it should be tepid. I pinch the skin right behind Bailey shoulder blades, by pinch I mean pull it up kind of like when you are checking for dehydration, and put the needle in about half way. Bailey just lays there and purrs. You will feel a bulge build up in the area, that is the fluid going in. Bailey was initially getting 150cc's (the bag is divided into 10 sections of 100cc's each) he now gets anywhere from 50 to 100cc's depending on how well he seems to be feeling. He will usually eat a bit afterwards. There is a white wheel thing, not sure waht it is called but when you roll it up to the bigger end the fluids are stopped, once you have your needle in roll it down towards the smaller end and the fluids will start to flow, then just roll it back up when you have put in the amount you decide to give. I hope that isn't too confusing. -- 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: Need your help with Stretch
Hi. X-rays canoften show tumors, though not always. Ultrasound can when x-rays can't, but is way more expensive. The dex/depo shot is given as needed. Depending on how early in the cancer you start, they can sometimes go a month in-between shots at first. It gets less and and less time in-between shots as they progress, and in the end is every few days, at least with the dex. Dex is out of the system within 24 hours, so she probably does not have any dex in her now, but may still be benefitting if she has a tumor and it shrank the tumor some. Prayers, Michelle In a message dated 1/4/2006 11:00:47 A.M. Eastern Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: Hey Michelle,I can't imagine how you felt with them telling you topay up front while you're holding your sick cat! Thatjust sounds bad! I just started working a second job,so as soon as we get any money at all, then I willprobably take Stretch in for the tests and ifaffordable, to get X-rays, and the fluid drained. DoX-rays show cancer tumors and/or fluid? Also, howoften do you give the dex/depo shot (if it islymphoma)? I could not really tell if the dex shothelped much. Stretch isn't breathing as heavily asshe was, but her breathing is still somewhat labored. Also, where do you get the bags and needles to dosub-Q fluids? Is there anything else I need to dosub-Q? Do you just use water?Thanks,Wendy
Re: Bailey is anemic - Wendy-- how epogen works
My understanding is that it is a synthetic version of a hormone that the kidneys normally excrete which tells the bone marrow to produce red blood cells. If the hormone is low, the bone marrow stops producing. The epogen replaces the hormone and sends a signal to the bone marrow to start making cells again, and if it works they do. Michelle In a message dated 1/4/2006 11:28:23 A.M. Eastern Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: So hopefully the epogen will either kick start him or make enough to sustain him, I'm really not that clear on how it works, just praying it does.
RE: Need your help with Stretch
Dear Wendy I am sorry you are having to go through this pain, and so soon after losing your darling Cricket. Try to remind yourself Stretch knows that he is loved by you, that you have nothing but his welfare and best interests at heart, and that you will do whatever is within your means and power to help him and minimize his suffering. That's what I've always forced myself to remember when I've been in a similar situation (which sadly most of us on the list have been). How do you guys afford expensive treatments when you just don't have the money? We can only do what we can do, and it's a sad fact of life that the cost of the treatment is often what determines the next step. Over the last couple of years I've racked up my credit cards, used one of those credit card checks you get in the mail, and then last summer Flavia's treatment, and the subsequent euthanization and individual cremation costs for Flavia and Snowball, forced me to take a chunk of money from my paltry retirement fund. I can still hear the unspoken thoughts of the broker when I explained it was for vet fees...this woman is a total nut/loser. I told only one friend, and he was clearly shocked -- told me not to do anything stupid. I know I can't do it again, anyway, tho, because I won't be in a position to help any cat if I wind up destitute in my old age (which is not that far away!). Only you guys understand. And we surely understand the anguish you feel, Wendy, in not having a limitless budget for treatment. I would think most us are in much the same boat; and beating ourselves up because of it. That's what's so wonderful about this group--we realize we're not alone; everyone faces the same problems and heartache at one time or another. And everyone does whatever they can to help one another cope and do the best for their furbabies. Sending zillions of positive, healing vibes, Wendy, for sweet Stretch's recovery. love and hugs to you both Kerry -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of wendy Sent: Tuesday, January 03, 2006 9:31 PM To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Subject: Re: Need your help with Stretch Hi Michelle, Thank you for the info. I am going to give another day or two to see how things go before taking Stretch back to the doc. Frankly, we are tapped out on money. We are not wealthy by any stretch of the imagination, and after spending hundreds of dollars trying to save Cricket, and with Christmas just passed, we are a bit broke. I had to put the $85 visit to the vet yesterday on a credit card that didn't have $85 dollars on it. I will do all I can for Stretch, but if it's cancer, I am not going to draw it out. We just can't afford the treatments. I feel so frustrated right now. I don't want Stretch to go through this. I don't want my nephew to go through losing his cat; he's been through so much as it is. And my attitude isn't it's normal hopeful self after losing Cricket. I feel it's too soon after Cricket; I don't think I can go through this again. I am praying for a miracle right now. If Stretch can just pull through this, and give us a little time, we will be better able to afford treatments in six months. I hope that some of you understand being in this place. How do you guys afford expensive treatments when you just don't have the money? Thanks, Wendy __ Yahoo! DSL - Something to write home about. Just $16.99/mo. or less. dsl.yahoo.com hr IRS CIRCULAR 230 NOTICE. Any advice expressed above as to tax matters was neither written nor intended by the sender or Mayer, Brown, Rowe Maw LLP to be used and cannot be used by any taxpayer for the purpose of avoiding tax penalties that may be imposed under U.S. tax law. If any person uses or refers to any such tax advice in promoting, marketing or recommending a partnership or other entity, investment plan or arrangement to any taxpayer, then (i) the advice was written to support the promotion or marketing (by a person other than Mayer, Brown, Rowe Maw LLP) of that transaction or matter, and (ii) such taxpayer should seek advice based on the taxpayers particular circumstances from an independent tax advisor hr This email and any files transmitted with it are intended solely for the use of the individual or entity to whom they are addressed. If you have received this email in error please notify the system manager. If you are not the named addressee you should not disseminate, distribute or copy this e-mail.
Re: OT: I Stole Your Dog Today
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Re: Need your help with Stretch
I just noticed your reference to the expensive treatments. I really think that sometimes the home treatments, not so expensive, are as useful and effective as the expensive ones. Learning to do fluids, for example, is so helpful. Gloria On Jan 4, 2006, at 12:28 PM, MacKenzie, Kerry N. wrote: ... How do you guys afford expensive treatments when you just don't have the money? We can only do what we can do, and it's a sad fact of life that the cost of the treatment is often what determines the next step. Over the last couple of years I've racked up my credit cards, used one of those credit card checks you get in the mail, and then last summer Flavia's treatment, and the subsequent euthanization and individual cremation costs for Flavia and Snowball, forced me to take a chunk of money from my paltry retirement fund. I can still hear the unspoken thoughts of the broker when I explained it was for vet fees...this woman is a total nut/loser. I told only one friend, and he was clearly shocked -- told me not to do anything stupid. I know I can't do it again, anyway, tho, because I won't be in a position to help any cat if I wind up destitute in my old age (which is not that far away!). Only you guys understand. And we surely understand the anguish you feel, Wendy, in not having a limitless budget for treatment. I would think most us are in much the same boat; and beating ourselves up because of it. That's what's so wonderful about this group--we realize we're not alone; everyone faces the same problems and heartache at one time or another. And everyone does whatever they can to help one another cope and do the best for their furbabies. Sending zillions of positive, healing vibes, Wendy, for sweet Stretch's recovery. love and hugs to you both Kerry -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of wendy Sent: Tuesday, January 03, 2006 9:31 PM To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Subject: Re: Need your help with Stretch Hi Michelle, Thank you for the info. I am going to give another day or two to see how things go before taking Stretch back to the doc. Frankly, we are tapped out on money. We are not wealthy by any stretch of the imagination, and after spending hundreds of dollars trying to save Cricket, and with Christmas just passed, we are a bit broke. I had to put the $85 visit to the vet yesterday on a credit card that didn't have $85 dollars on it. I will do all I can for Stretch, but if it's cancer, I am not going to draw it out. We just can't afford the treatments. I feel so frustrated right now. I don't want Stretch to go through this. I don't want my nephew to go through losing his cat; he's been through so much as it is. And my attitude isn't it's normal hopeful self after losing Cricket. I feel it's too soon after Cricket; I don't think I can go through this again. I am praying for a miracle right now. If Stretch can just pull through this, and give us a little time, we will be better able to afford treatments in six months. I hope that some of you understand being in this place. How do you guys afford expensive treatments when you just don't have the money? Thanks, Wendy __ Yahoo! DSL - Something to write home about. Just $16.99/mo. or less. dsl.yahoo.com hr IRS CIRCULAR 230 NOTICE. Any advice expressed above as to tax matters was neither written nor intended by the sender or Mayer, Brown, Rowe Maw LLP to be used and cannot be used by any taxpayer for the purpose of avoiding tax penalties that may be imposed under U.S. tax law. If any person uses or refers to any such tax advice in promoting, marketing or recommending a partnership or other entity, investment plan or arrangement to any taxpayer, then (i) the advice was written to support the promotion or marketing (by a person other than Mayer, Brown, Rowe Maw LLP) of that transaction or matter, and (ii) such taxpayer should seek advice based on the taxpayers particular circumstances from an independent tax advisor hr This email and any files transmitted with it are intended solely for the use of the individual or entity to whom they are addressed. If you have received this email in error please notify the system manager. If you are not the named addressee you should not disseminate, distribute or copy this e-mail.
RE: Need your help with Stretch
Kerry, It does make me feel so much better to know that many here have stressed over the financial aspect of caring for their furbabies. It doesn't seem fair to have to choose. I guess this just fuels the fire more for me to get out of debt. My husband and I just started doing Dave Ramsey's Total Money Makeover (it's a book), and hopefully will be debt free except for our house by the end of this year. I highly recommend his plan, btw, especially for those of you who are like me, broke. lol. I guess we'll just have to sit tight until then. I didn't even tell my husband that we spent $85 at the vet when he asked (not part of the plan, btw, lol). I said $50, which he freaked out on anyway. I can't blame him. He doesn't feel the same about the kitties as I do. Thanks for the kind words and encouragement Kerry. We'll do the best we can for Stretch, and I guess that's all we can do. I'll keep you posted. :) Wendy __ Yahoo! DSL Something to write home about. Just $16.99/mo. or less. dsl.yahoo.com
Re: Need your help with Stretch
Thank you to everyone who is helping me learn about sub-Q fluids. All the information is invaluable. I shudder to think that I would have had to learn about the procedure from a book! --- Gloria Lane [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: I just noticed your reference to the expensive treatments. I really think that sometimes the home treatments, not so expensive, are as useful and effective as the expensive ones. Learning to do fluids, for example, is so helpful. Gloria On Jan 4, 2006, at 12:28 PM, MacKenzie, Kerry N. wrote: ... How do you guys afford expensive treatments when you just don't have the money? We can only do what we can do, and it's a sad fact of life that the cost of the treatment is often what determines the next step. Over the last couple of years I've racked up my credit cards, used one of those credit card checks you get in the mail, and then last summer Flavia's treatment, and the subsequent euthanization and individual cremation costs for Flavia and Snowball, forced me to take a chunk of money from my paltry retirement fund. I can still hear the unspoken thoughts of the broker when I explained it was for vet fees...this woman is a total nut/loser. I told only one friend, and he was clearly shocked -- told me not to do anything stupid. I know I can't do it again, anyway, tho, because I won't be in a position to help any cat if I wind up destitute in my old age (which is not that far away!). Only you guys understand. And we surely understand the anguish you feel, Wendy, in not having a limitless budget for treatment. I would think most us are in much the same boat; and beating ourselves up because of it. That's what's so wonderful about this group--we realize we're not alone; everyone faces the same problems and heartache at one time or another. And everyone does whatever they can to help one another cope and do the best for their furbabies. Sending zillions of positive, healing vibes, Wendy, for sweet Stretch's recovery. love and hugs to you both Kerry -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of wendy Sent: Tuesday, January 03, 2006 9:31 PM To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Subject: Re: Need your help with Stretch Hi Michelle, Thank you for the info. I am going to give another day or two to see how things go before taking Stretch back to the doc. Frankly, we are tapped out on money. We are not wealthy by any stretch of the imagination, and after spending hundreds of dollars trying to save Cricket, and with Christmas just passed, we are a bit broke. I had to put the $85 visit to the vet yesterday on a credit card that didn't have $85 dollars on it. I will do all I can for Stretch, but if it's cancer, I am not going to draw it out. We just can't afford the treatments. I feel so frustrated right now. I don't want Stretch to go through this. I don't want my nephew to go through losing his cat; he's been through so much as it is. And my attitude isn't it's normal hopeful self after losing Cricket. I feel it's too soon after Cricket; I don't think I can go through this again. I am praying for a miracle right now. If Stretch can just pull through this, and give us a little time, we will be better able to afford treatments in six months. I hope that some of you understand being in this place. How do you guys afford expensive treatments when you just don't have the money? Thanks, Wendy __ Yahoo! DSL - Something to write home about. Just $16.99/mo. or less. dsl.yahoo.com hr IRS CIRCULAR 230 NOTICE. Any advice expressed above as to tax matters was neither written nor intended by the sender or Mayer, Brown, Rowe Maw LLP to be used and cannot be used by any taxpayer for the purpose of avoiding tax penalties that may be imposed under U.S. tax law. If any person uses or refers to any such tax advice in promoting, marketing or recommending a partnership or other entity, investment plan or arrangement to any taxpayer, then (i) the advice was written to support the promotion or marketing (by a person other than Mayer, Brown, Rowe Maw LLP) of that transaction or matter, and (ii) such taxpayer should seek advice based on the taxpayers particular circumstances from an independent tax advisor hr This email and any files transmitted with it are intended solely for the use of the individual or entity to whom they are addressed. If you have received this email in error please notify the system manager. If you are not the named addressee you should not disseminate, distribute or copy this e-mail. __ Yahoo! DSL
Please wish Patches good luck! and Lucy too!
I was already fretting about Patches because she has been having a little trouble eating and the gums above her two broken canines are really swollen, so I made an appointment with a dentist for her tomorrow and was pretty sure he was going to say they have to come out. She is FeLV+ and at least 5 years old, so surgery freaks me out. But today she was running around the house meowing and sqatting and peeing little drops of bloody urine, so I scooped her up and took her to the vet. She has crystals again, they think (second time) and was given antibiotics and pain killer. They also did an FeLV test to confirm her status, and guess what-- yes, she has FeLV, but she also has FIV. I had not known this. AND he could not get blood from her because she had such a stress reaction to him trying that she started panting and almost collapsed. I have never had blood drawn from her before. He insisted the only way to get the blood (necessary for pre-surgery workup anyway, but I wanted to see if anything else is going on with her) was to give her isoflourine gas (i.e. anesthesia) for 5 minutes and get the blood that way. This was a new vet to me, and I never heard of such a thing, and did not want to do it. Gray convinced me to do it because she needs blood drawn, is going to have to get anesthesia to get the teeth out anyway next week, and she had been so stressed by the attempt to get blood from her that he thought such stress could do as much damage as the 5 minutes of gas. So I did it, and she was ok, but I was really upset about it. This is already the 2nd vet office I am trying in the area since moving her in August. I thought I would like them because they carry Purevax vaccines, unlike most places, and because the vet I saw there when I took Quincy for his Purevax FeLV vaccine was really great. But this was the other vet there. And of course vet started quoting the statistic to me that 80% of cats with FeLV die within 3 years of contracting it, and my remaining three have all had it at least 4 years or so and probably longer, so although I know these stats are skewed from so many positives being euthanized on testing positive, I started feeling really depressed about their prospects for having much more time. ANYWAY, having had anesthesia gas and some painkiller and dex, Patches is quite calm and happy now and basking in the sun on the bed, but I probably need anti-anxiety meds now. Please say a prayer for her to get through all of this, the urinary tract problems and the dental surgery, without problems. Also please pray for Lucy, who seems to have IBD now and is on steroids (she is also FeLV+). I am going to start making home-made diets for them to see if that helps. I want to try raw but am worried because some people say that immune-compromised cats can have problems with the increased bacteria load in raw, so I think I may try a lightly cooked version of a raw diet. Michelle
Re: Please wish Patches good luck! and Lucy too!
Hi Michelle, prayers coming for Patches and Lucy! I know you have a lot os stress trying to keep them well. In my opinion, different vets will say a lot if different, diverse things about FELV - much just based on their feelings, not necessarily based on research or solid evidence. My friend Susan has several FELV cats that just last and last and last - going to be old age kitties. Hope yours live long too! Gloria On Jan 4, 2006, at 1:14 PM, [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: I was already fretting about Patches because she has been having a little trouble eating and the gums above her two broken canines are really swollen, so I made an appointment with a dentist for her tomorrow and was pretty sure he was going to say they have to come out. She is FeLV+ and at least 5 years old, so surgery freaks me out. But today she was running around the house meowing and sqatting and peeing little drops of bloody urine, so I scooped her up and took her to the vet. She has crystals again, they think (second time) and was given antibiotics and pain killer. They also did an FeLV test to confirm her status, and guess what-- yes, she has FeLV, but she also has FIV. I had not known this. AND he could not get blood from her because she had such a stress reaction to him trying that she started panting and almost collapsed. I have never had blood drawn from her before. He insisted the only way to get the blood (necessary for pre-surgery workup anyway, but I wanted to see if anything else is going on with her) was to give her isoflourine gas (i.e. anesthesia) for 5 minutes and get the blood that way. This was a new vet to me, and I never heard of such a thing, and did not want to do it. Gray convinced me to do it because she needs blood drawn, is going to have to get anesthesia to get the teeth out anyway next week, and she had been so stressed by the attempt to get blood from her that he thought such stress could do as much damage as the 5 minutes of gas. So I did it, and she was ok, but I was really upset about it. This is already the 2nd vet office I am trying in the area since moving her in August. I thought I would like them because they carry Purevax vaccines, unlike most places, and because the vet I saw there when I took Quincy for his Purevax FeLV vaccine was really great. But this was the other vet there. And of course vet started quoting the statistic to me that 80% of cats with FeLV die within 3 years of contracting it, and my remaining three have all had it at least 4 years or so and probably longer, so although I know these stats are skewed from so many positives being euthanized on testing positive, I started feeling really depressed about their prospects for having much more time. ANYWAY, having had anesthesia gas and some painkiller and dex, Patches is quite calm and happy now and basking in the sun on the bed, but I probably need anti-anxiety meds now. Please say a prayer for her to get through all of this, the urinary tract problems and the dental surgery, without problems. Also please pray for Lucy, who seems to have IBD now and is on steroids (she is also FeLV+). I am going to start making home-made diets for them to see if that helps. I want to try raw but am worried because some people say that immune-compromised cats can have problems with the increased bacteria load in raw, so I think I may try a lightly cooked version of a raw diet. Michelle
Re: Please wish Patches good luck! and Lucy too!
Thanks, Gloria. That really does help. I just have become so paranoid and fatalistic from losing so many animals in the last few years, that statistics like the one the vet citedjust put me over the edge a little bit. But Gray showed me that the vet also has a chart in the office, put out by Hills, saying that a 17 year old cat is equivalent to a 100 year-old human. Now I know 17 is old for a cat, but that would make our cat Percy, who lived to a month short of 20, about 120 in human years! Which is a bit ridiculous. It also had dogs over 55 pounds being equivalent to 100 human years at age 11. This made Gray feel better because we lost our three large dogs at 9, 10, and 11 and felt like they were young when they died. But we have also known a few large dogs who lived to 15, which would make them 140 in human terms according to the chart! So all of these numbers are a bit bizarre when you sit down to think about them. Sorry if I seem so anxious when I write. The vet told me that he thought Patches was anemic, before the HCT results were done, and I almost passed out. But her HCT was 37, thank god. I am just always so sure the other shoe will drop. Everyone tells me I am completely the wrong type of person to have adopted 6 FeLV+ cats. I know they are right. But I also love them so much I can't imagine not having done it. Michelle In a message dated 1/4/2006 2:23:10 P.M. Eastern Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: Hi Michelle, prayers coming for Patches and Lucy! I know you have a lot os stress trying to keep them well. In my opinion, different vets will say a lot if different, diverse things about FELV - much just based on their feelings, not necessarily based on research or solid evidence. My friend Susan has several FELV cats that just last and last and last - going to be old age kitties. Hope yours live long too!Gloria
Re: Please wish Patches good luck! and Lucy too!
Best wishes for Patches and Lucy! I am new to the FELV world, and hearing that FELV is not an automatic death sentence w/in 2 years (what I was told before) is inspiring to me! Marissa On 1/4/06, [EMAIL PROTECTED] [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Thanks, Gloria. That really does help. I just have become so paranoid and fatalistic from losing so many animals in the last few years, that statistics like the one the vet citedjust put me over the edge a little bit. But Gray showed me that the vet also has a chart in the office, put out by Hills, saying that a 17 year old cat is equivalent to a 100 year-old human. Now I know 17 is old for a cat, but that would make our cat Percy, who lived to a month short of 20, about 120 in human years! Which is a bit ridiculous. It also had dogs over 55 pounds being equivalent to 100 human years at age 11. This made Gray feel better because we lost our three large dogs at 9, 10, and 11 and felt like they were young when they died. But we have also known a few large dogs who lived to 15, which would make them 140 in human terms according to the chart! So all of these numbers are a bit bizarre when you sit down to think about them. Sorry if I seem so anxious when I write. The vet told me that he thought Patches was anemic, before the HCT results were done, and I almost passed out. But her HCT was 37, thank god. I am just always so sure the other shoe will drop. Everyone tells me I am completely the wrong type of person to have adopted 6 FeLV+ cats. I know they are right. But I also love them so much I can't imagine not having done it. Michelle In a message dated 1/4/2006 2:23:10 P.M. Eastern Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: Hi Michelle, prayers coming for Patches and Lucy! I know you have a lot os stress trying to keep them well. In my opinion, different vets will say a lot if different, diverse things about FELV - much just based on their feelings, not necessarily based on research or solid evidence. My friend Susan has several FELV cats that just last and last and last - going to be old age kitties. Hope yours live long too!Gloria
Re: Please wish Patches good luck! and Lucy too!
Well, I don't know what the right kind of person is (or wrong), but you have great respect and dedication and intent, so sounds good to me. I have 5 FELV cats - have lost 3 in the last 2 years, along with several non-FELV cats. Of the 5 FELV cats I have now, 2 are between 2 and 3 years old (fingers crossed), and 3 are over three years (like 5 or 6, I'll have to check). I just picked up these three within the last year, from someone who had to rehome them. All are on interferon, all doing great. It does make one paranoid, losing them. I've lost two non-FELV fosters in the last month, plus one that someone adopted from me was euthanized (not for a good reason). IT hurts. But when you try to do what's best for them, and give them a good life, and make things better than they were, what more can you ask for. It's a great gift. Gloria On Jan 4, 2006, at 1:29 PM, [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Thanks, Gloria. That really does help. I just have become so paranoid and fatalistic from losing so many animals in the last few years, that statistics like the one the vet cited just put me over the edge a little bit. But Gray showed me that the vet also has a chart in the office, put out by Hills, saying that a 17 year old cat is equivalent to a 100 year-old human. Now I know 17 is old for a cat, but that would make our cat Percy, who lived to a month short of 20, about 120 in human years! Which is a bit ridiculous. It also had dogs over 55 pounds being equivalent to 100 human years at age 11. This made Gray feel better because we lost our three large dogs at 9, 10, and 11 and felt like they were young when they died. But we have also known a few large dogs who lived to 15, which would make them 140 in human terms according to the chart! So all of these numbers are a bit bizarre when you sit down to think about them. Sorry if I seem so anxious when I write. The vet told me that he thought Patches was anemic, before the HCT results were done, and I almost passed out. But her HCT was 37, thank god. I am just always so sure the other shoe will drop. Everyone tells me I am completely the wrong type of person to have adopted 6 FeLV+ cats. I know they are right. But I also love them so much I can't imagine not having done it. Michelle In a message dated 1/4/2006 2:23:10 P.M. Eastern Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: Hi Michelle, prayers coming for Patches and Lucy! I know you have a lot os stress trying to keep them well. In my opinion, different vets will say a lot if different, diverse things about FELV - much just based on their feelings, not necessarily based on research or solid evidence. My friend Susan has several FELV cats that just last and last and last - going to be old age kitties. Hope yours live long too! Gloria
Re: Please wish Patches good luck! and Lucy too!
Hey Michelle, I am sending warm fuzzies your way. Hopefully, they will rub off on Patches and Lucy. My Siamese is a LuLu, named after her mom Lucy, who was named after I Love Lucy (my best friend's daughter loves I Love Lucy). lol. Don't let the vet (or statistics) get you down Michelle. Your kitties could live a long life with FeLV, just like some here have. Worrying is only going to take energy from you, so try not to (I am one to talk, huh?) I bet Patches will sail right through getting the teeth removed, just like Hideyo's (I think) kitty did recently. Let me know how the cooked diet goes. I am going to boil some chicken tonight for Stretch and see if that doesn't peak her interest. And I will keep Patches and Lucy in my prayers. Keep us posted. :) Wendy __ Yahoo! DSL Something to write home about. Just $16.99/mo. or less. dsl.yahoo.com
Re: Please wish Patches good luck! and Lucy too!
Wendy, I can't believe you have the energy to send prayers and try to talk me out of anxiety when you are going through what you are going through with Stretch. Thank you. Michelle In a message dated 1/4/2006 3:14:10 P.M. Eastern Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: Hey Michelle,I am sending warm fuzzies your way. Hopefully, theywill rub off on Patches and Lucy. My Siamese is aLuLu, named after her mom Lucy, who was named after ILove Lucy (my best friend's daughter loves I LoveLucy). lol. Don't let the vet (or statistics) getyou down Michelle. Your kitties could live a longlife with FeLV, just like some here have. Worrying isonly going to take energy from you, so try not to (Iam one to talk, huh?) I bet Patches will sail rightthrough getting the teeth removed, just like Hideyo's(I think) kitty did recently. Let me know how thecooked diet goes. I am going to boil some chickentonight for Stretch and see if that doesn't peak herinterest. And I will keep Patches and Lucy in myprayers. Keep us posted.:)Wendy
Re: Please wish Patches good luck! and Lucy too!
I'm with you. I saw that same Hill's chart and I don't think those charts are very accurate. We have a 16.5 year old kitty that is doing great. She's considered geriatric, but I never saw a geriatric human race around the house like she does. LOLOLOL. Never been sick a day in her life. Her name is Julie. I got my dog when I was 17, and she died when I was 33, so she lived 16/17 years. She was part grey wolf, part german shepherd or something else, not sure. I think she would have lived a lot longer had an elderly friend of ours not run over her and her leg had to be amputated, which led to her not being able to get around as well when she got older. There is just no good set of rules for things like age. I mean look at Sean Connery, for goodness sakes. Maybe you aren't the wrong person to adopt these kitties. Maybe they are teaching you something you need to know, whatever it may be. I know I'm learning from mine that I can't control everything! And to enjoy life as it finds us, as much as we can. :) Wendy __ Yahoo! DSL Something to write home about. Just $16.99/mo. or less. dsl.yahoo.com
RE: Please wish Patches good luck! and Lucy too!
I say hell with the statistics if it does not work on your favor - I had decided a long time ago to believe in statistic information only when it work on my favor, if it does not, I completely ignore it - I have tons high corona titer cats - and according to statistics, considering how multi-cat house hold my house is, I am supposed to have lost about 20 cats to FIP - and have not - actually lost O - I think there are so many variables and you can't just simply put in one statistical information --- -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Gloria Lane Sent: Wednesday, January 04, 2006 12:44 PM To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Subject: Re: Please wish Patches good luck! and Lucy too! Well, I don't know what the right kind of person is (or wrong), but you have great respect and dedication and intent, so sounds good to me. I have 5 FELV cats - have lost 3 in the last 2 years, along with several non-FELV cats. Of the 5 FELV cats I have now, 2 are between 2 and 3 years old (fingers crossed), and 3 are over three years (like 5 or 6, I'll have to check). I just picked up these three within the last year, from someone who had to rehome them. All are on interferon, all doing great. It does make one paranoid, losing them. I've lost two non-FELV fosters in the last month, plus one that someone adopted from me was euthanized (not for a good reason). IT hurts. But when you try to do what's best for them, and give them a good life, and make things better than they were, what more can you ask for. It's a great gift. Gloria On Jan 4, 2006, at 1:29 PM, [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Thanks, Gloria. That really does help. I just have become so paranoid and fatalistic from losing so many animals in the last few years, that statistics like the one the vet cited just put me over the edge a little bit. But Gray showed me that the vet also has a chart in the office, put out by Hills, saying that a 17 year old cat is equivalent to a 100 year-old human. Now I know 17 is old for a cat, but that would make our cat Percy, who lived to a month short of 20, about 120 in human years! Which is a bit ridiculous. It also had dogs over 55 pounds being equivalent to 100 human years at age 11. This made Gray feel better because we lost our three large dogs at 9, 10, and 11 and felt like they were young when they died. But we have also known a few large dogs who lived to 15, which would make them 140 in human terms according to the chart! So all of these numbers are a bit bizarre when you sit down to think about them. Sorry if I seem so anxious when I write. The vet told me that he thought Patches was anemic, before the HCT results were done, and I almost passed out. But her HCT was 37, thank god. I am just always so sure the other shoe will drop. Everyone tells me I am completely the wrong type of person to have adopted 6 FeLV+ cats. I know they are right. But I also love them so much I can't imagine not having done it. Michelle In a message dated 1/4/2006 2:23:10 P.M. Eastern Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: Hi Michelle, prayers coming for Patches and Lucy! I know you have a lot os stress trying to keep them well. In my opinion, different vets will say a lot if different, diverse things about FELV - much just based on their feelings, not necessarily based on research or solid evidence. My friend Susan has several FELV cats that just last and last and last - going to be old age kitties. Hope yours live long too! Gloria
Fu's severe anemia and folic acid
I bought some folic acid for Fu; I called the the vet who said just give a little bit. I didn't think to ask how much is a little bit - how much should I give him. I'm thinking of putting it in his a/d which I am syringe feeding him. The vet has also called the vet school about epogen. They asked that Fu's records be faxed to them. So I'll know more later. Thanks everyone, Bonnie and the Foozer www.elephants.com
Re: Fu's severe anemia and folic acid
Look at the email about Bandy. I think she said she gives him 800 micrograms (smaller than miligrams) but am not sure. Michelle In a message dated 1/4/2006 3:27:27 P.M. Eastern Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: I bought some folic acid for Fu; I called the the vet who said just givea little bit. I didn't think to ask how much is a little bit - how muchshould I give him. I'm thinking of putting it in his a/d which I amsyringe feeding him.The vet has also called the vet school about epogen. They asked thatFu's records be faxed to them. So I'll know more later.Thanks everyone,Bonnie and the Foozer
RE: Please wish Patches good luck! and Lucy too!
Michelle also dont put too much weight on FIV result its probably false positive I took one of my older boy, OB for a blood work and I accidentally found out that he was tested for FIV positive, which did not make sense to me (he had always been negative and never been around of positives) anyway, I had sent it out for WB for confirmation, and it came back negatives - - FIV false positives happened to 3 out of 7 of my cats in the past. From: Hideyo Yamamoto Sent: Wednesday, January 04, 2006 12:49 PM To: 'felvtalk@felineleukemia.org' Subject: RE: Please wish Patches good luck! and Lucy too! Hi, Michelle I can completely relate to your worry. Having tons of feral kitties at my house, I often have to put them on iso gas just to draw a blood I think they call it plain anesthesia just enough to draw a blood and they are not completely sleep and already awake when they are done with drawing blood I hate to do it for the same reason as you are concerned.. but its still safer than having them go through a long surgery without checking their blood work first, I guess. I had to have the dental done for Hannibal a couple of weeks ago, and was so freaking worried about it because of his CRF condition, and him being so older.. and the vet thought that he had FIP and stuff but he came out ok --- Tsubomi, my felK also had to go through spaying surgery, and it went ok, too so, I am sure that your baby Patches will be just fine!!! Michelle, I will be praying very hard for both Patches and Lucy and will be sending lots of healing energy please ask your vet not to use any sedatives or injectable prior or during or after the surgery, but only to use ISO gas they recover much faster without injectables and injectables can cause complications.. my vets had suggested and we never use any injectables on my kitties any more and its amazing how much sooner they recover without it so, just to avoid any risks, I would recommend that they only use ISO gas on Patches (also, because I think, my Suzi had a reaction from injectables from pain killer during the spaying surgery and she died from it and I decided not to use it on any of my cats anymore) --- Hideyo From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Wednesday, January 04, 2006 12:14 PM To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Subject: Please wish Patches good luck! and Lucy too! I was already fretting about Patches because she has been having a little trouble eating and the gums above her two broken canines are really swollen, so I made an appointment with a dentist for her tomorrow and was pretty sure he was going to say they have to come out. She is FeLV+ and at least 5 years old, so surgery freaks me out. But today she was running around the house meowing and sqatting and peeing little drops of bloody urine, so I scooped her up and took her to the vet. She has crystals again, they think (second time) and was given antibiotics and pain killer. They also did an FeLV test to confirm her status, and guess what-- yes, she has FeLV, but she also has FIV. I had not known this. AND he could not get blood from her because she had such a stress reaction to him trying that she started panting and almost collapsed. I have never had blood drawn from her before. He insisted the only way to get the blood (necessary for pre-surgery workup anyway, but I wanted to see if anything else is going on with her) was to give her isoflourine gas (i.e. anesthesia) for 5 minutes and get the blood that way. This was a new vet to me, and I never heard of such a thing, and did not want to do it. Gray convinced me to do it because she needs blood drawn, is going to have to get anesthesia to get the teeth out anyway next week, and she had been so stressed by the attempt to get blood from her that he thought such stress could do as much damage as the 5 minutes of gas. So I did it, and she was ok, but I was really upset about it. This is already the 2nd vet office I am trying in the area since moving her in August. I thought I would like them because they carry Purevax vaccines, unlike most places, and because the vet I saw there when I took Quincy for his Purevax FeLV vaccine was really great. But this was the other vet there. And of course vet started quoting the statistic to me that 80% of cats with FeLV die within 3 years of contracting it, and my remaining three have all had it at least 4 years or so and probably longer, so although I know these stats are skewed from so many positives being euthanized on testing positive, I started feeling really depressed about their prospects for having much more time. ANYWAY, having had anesthesia gas and some painkiller and dex, Patches is quite calm and happy now and basking in the sun on the bed, but I probably need anti-anxiety meds now. Please say a prayer for her to get through all of this, the urinary tract problems and
Re: Please wish Patches good luck! and Lucy too!
Michelle, You've been so good about helping all of us, I wouldn't dream of passing up the opportunity to help you out. Besides, I am sitting at my desk at work trying to get myself fired by being on the computer all day. Maybe then I will be forced to find a job I actually like! lol. Seriously though, if I sit and worry over Stretch, I will drive myself crazy, like I did with Cricket, so I try to keep myself busy. I hope you are finding something to take your mind off Patches as well. :) Wendy --- [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Wendy, I can't believe you have the energy to send prayers and try to talk me out of anxiety when you are going through what you are going through with Stretch. Thank you. Michelle In a message dated 1/4/2006 3:14:10 P.M. Eastern Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: Hey Michelle, I am sending warm fuzzies your way. Hopefully, they will rub off on Patches and Lucy. My Siamese is a LuLu, named after her mom Lucy, who was named after I Love Lucy (my best friend's daughter loves I Love Lucy). lol. Don't let the vet (or statistics) get you down Michelle. Your kitties could live a long life with FeLV, just like some here have. Worrying is only going to take energy from you, so try not to (I am one to talk, huh?) I bet Patches will sail right through getting the teeth removed, just like Hideyo's (I think) kitty did recently. Let me know how the cooked diet goes. I am going to boil some chicken tonight for Stretch and see if that doesn't peak her interest. And I will keep Patches and Lucy in my prayers. Keep us posted. :) Wendy __ Yahoo! DSL Something to write home about. Just $16.99/mo. or less. dsl.yahoo.com
Re: Fu's severe anemia and folic acid
Great elephant link... thanks - On Jan 4, 2006, at 2:27 PM, BONNIE J KALMBACH wrote: I bought some folic acid for Fu; I called the the vet who said just give a little bit. I didn't think to ask how much is a little bit - how much should I give him. I'm thinking of putting it in his a/d which I am syringe feeding him. The vet has also called the vet school about epogen. They asked that Fu's records be faxed to them. So I'll know more later. Thanks everyone, Bonnie and the Foozer www.elephants.com
Re: Please wish Patches good luck! and Lucy too!
Michelle,my thoughts and prayers are with your Patches and lucy Sherry[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: I was already fretting about Patches because she has been having a little trouble eating and the gums above her two broken canines are really swollen, so I made an appointment with a dentist for her tomorrow and was pretty sure he was going to say they have to come out. She is FeLV+ and at least 5 years old, so surgery freaks me out. But today she was running around the house meowing and sqatting and peeing little drops of bloody urine, so I scooped her up and took her to the vet. She has crystals again, they think (second time) and was given antibiotics and pain killer. They also did an FeLV test to confirm her status, and guess what-- yes, she has FeLV, but she also has FIV. I had not known this. AND he could not get blood from her because she had such a stress reaction to him trying that she started panting and almost collapsed. I have never had blood drawn from her before. He insisted the only way to get the blood (necessary for pre-surgery workup anyway, but I wanted to see if anything else is going on with her) was to give her isoflourine gas (i.e. anesthesia) for 5 minutes and get the blood that way. This was a new vet to me, and I never heard of such a thing, and did not want to do it. Gray convinced me to do it because she needs blood drawn, is going to have to get anesthesia to get the teeth out anyway next week, and she had been so stressed by the attempt to get blood from her that he thought such stress could do as much damage as the 5 minutes of gas. So I did it, and she was ok, but I was really upset about it. This is already the 2nd vet office I am trying in the area since moving her in August. I thought I would like them because they carry Purevax vaccines, unlike most places, and because the vet I saw there when I took Quincy for his Purevax FeLV vaccine was really great. But this was the other vet there.And of course vet started quoting the statistic to me that 80% of cats with FeLV die within 3 years of contracting it, and my remaining three have all had it at least 4 years or so and probably longer, so although I know these stats are skewed from so many positives being euthanized on testing positive, I started feeling really depressed about their prospects for having much more time.ANYWAY, having had anesthesia gas and some painkiller and dex, Patches is quite calm and happy now and basking in the sun on the bed, but I probably need anti-anxiety meds now. Please say a prayer for her to get through all of this, the urinary tract problems and the dental surgery, without problems. Also please pray for Lucy, who seems to have IBD now and is on steroids (she is also FeLV+). I am going to start making home-made diets for them to see if that helps. I want to try raw but am worried because some people say that immune-compromised cats can have problems with the increased bacteria load in raw, so I think I may try a lightly cooked version of a raw diet.Michelle Yahoo! Photos Ring in the New Year with Photo Calendars. Add photos, events, holidays, whatever.
Hardy
I just wanted to thank you all for your kind words.It is hard losing such precious babies,but I am happy to have been one of the last people to say tha I loved him. Sherry Yahoo! DSL Something to write home about. Just $16.99/mo. or less
Re: Marylyn
Just because you chose not to take certain steps does not mean you put the animal down. Allow the cat/dog/elephant to tell you if and when she needs help leaving this world. Put aside your own feelings and sit very quietly with your friend, talk to her as though she was a person and ask her help. Ask what she wants and needs (unfortunately they may not be the same thing). Allow her to guide you. Know the difference between discomfort and true lasting pain. And allow your nephew to be a part of this. Do not exclude him because you want to save him the hurt. You will prevent him from giving and receiving true love, the love an animal gives us unconditionally. Have no regrets about Cricket. We all question ourselves but act with true love for the critter entrusted to your care and not to make things easier for yourself. I promise you, it would have been a lot easier for me to have done what the specialists wanted with Kitty but it would not have been an act of love. Luckily, I have a set of vets that understand the value of life as well as quality of life (I wish a lot of physicians understood this) and we talked about what each of us would want in the situation. Perhaps that is what you need to do, ask Stretch to help you understand what you would truly want. Maybe that is her special job on earth. My prayers are with you and I am asking my angels to help you, your nephew and your four legged friends who have been, are, and will be. - Original Message - From: wendy [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Sent: Wednesday, January 04, 2006 9:52 AM Subject: Marylyn Marylyn, Thank you for the advice. I hadn't thought to ask Stretch what she wants, and will do that tonight. I don't know how much I will understand from her (or her me) without using a communicator, but maybe I will get lucky. She has been really good about taking the food I have fed her twice now, although this morning she wasn't as happy about it. Maybe that is a good sign though; maybe the food is making her feel better. You make a good point about treatments maybe not being what an animal wants. I have pondered this a lot after I lost Cricket. I often wonder how I would have felt had I just taken him in to be pts, which was the original plan. Instead, after someone caringly suggested that a feeding tube might help save him or at least give him a little more time, which I thought was a great idea, to have one inserted. Part of why he was going downhill so fast was that he wasn't eating. Also, I selfishly wasn't ready to let him go, and I did want him to feel better and get some food on his stomach; no one feels good when they are starving. I do and don't regret my decision to insert the feeding tube. I would probably do the same thing given the same circumstances, yet I will never forget the last time we looked at each other with him being lucid, which was through the glass of the anesthesia gas box. He had that look like don't leave me and I told him it would be ok, and it wasn't. But you know, had he come out of it and not died that night and lived longer feeling better, I would have been elated that he had gotten the feeding tube. And that could have been the sitution given a different cat or had Cricket been in a little healthier place. We can never make all the right decisions, because we don't know all the variables and can't see into the future. Living with those decisions that don't turn out the way we would have liked can be hard. Thank you for taking the time to write. I will keep everyone posted on Stretch. Please keep us in your prayers. :) Wendy __ Yahoo! DSL - Something to write home about. Just $16.99/mo. or less. dsl.yahoo.com
Re: Please wish Patches good luck! and Lucy too!
Michelle, I'm sorry you are having problems too, I hope the furkids start feeling better. I just wanted to tell you Bailey has been eating raw (homemade) for about 6 months or so and he really thrived until this anemia hit, he went up to 11 pounds, he was always eating, I was in heaven. As part of trying to find out what is going on now he was tested for parasites and is clean so the raw didn't cause any problems for us. -- 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: Need your help with Stretch
Kitty's x-rays showed the cancer. They maybe less expensive than some of the tests. Level with your vet re money. He knows you are a caring person. - Original Message - From: wendy [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Sent: Wednesday, January 04, 2006 10:00 AM Subject: Re: Need your help with Stretch Hey Michelle, I can't imagine how you felt with them telling you to pay up front while you're holding your sick cat! That just sounds bad! I just started working a second job, so as soon as we get any money at all, then I will probably take Stretch in for the tests and if affordable, to get X-rays, and the fluid drained. Do X-rays show cancer tumors and/or fluid? Also, how often do you give the dex/depo shot (if it is lymphoma)? I could not really tell if the dex shot helped much. Stretch isn't breathing as heavily as she was, but her breathing is still somewhat labored. Also, where do you get the bags and needles to do sub-Q fluids? Is there anything else I need to do sub-Q? Do you just use water? Thanks, Wendy __ Yahoo! DSL - Something to write home about. Just $16.99/mo. or less. dsl.yahoo.com
Re: Need your help with Stretch
It is very easy to do the sub q's but get your vet to show you. And they do not appear to feel a thing (honest). - Original Message - From: wendy [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Sent: Wednesday, January 04, 2006 11:54 AM Subject: Re: Need your help with Stretch Thanks Tonya. I think I will go that route if I don't see an improvement in eating/drinking very soon. It's a little scary though. I've never stuck a needle into another living being, unless you count getting splinters out, so I am a bit nervous about trying this. Do you give the cat the whole bag? And where and how do you stick the needle? Thanks, Wendy --- catatonya [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Wendy, The fluid is already in the bags you buy. You don't fill them yourselves. I don't know what all is in them. I suppose electrolytes, fluids, maybe potassium? If you've got a decent vet a bag of fluid and the set up for sub q should be less than $10. t t wendy [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Hey Michelle, I can't imagine how you felt with them telling you to pay up front while you're holding your sick cat! That just sounds bad! I just started working a second job, so as soon as we get any money at all, then I will probably take Stretch in for the tests and if affordable, to get X-rays, and the fluid drained. Do X-rays show cancer tumors and/or fluid? Also, how often do you give the dex/depo shot (if it is lymphoma)? I could not really tell if the dex shot helped much. Stretch isn't breathing as heavily as she was, but her breathing is still somewhat labored. Also, where do you get the bags and needles to do sub-Q fluids? Is there anything else I need to do sub-Q? Do you just use water? Thanks, Wendy __ Yahoo! DSL - Something to write home about. Just $16.99/mo. or less. dsl.yahoo.com __ Yahoo! DSL - Something to write home about. Just $16.99/mo. or less. dsl.yahoo.com
Re: Fu's red cell blood count
Fu's been on it for 3 1/2 years. Bonnie www.elephants.com - Original Message - From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Date: Tuesday, January 3, 2006 10:39 pm Subject: Re: Fu's red cell blood count To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Bonnie~ The anemia may be a result of the methimazole. (Check out _www.vetinfo.com/cthyroidtreat.html_ (http://www.vetinfo.com/cthyroidtreat.html) ). How long has Fu been on the methimazole? I agree, 19 is a risky age for the surgery. Another side effect from methimazole use is damage to the kidneys... It's so hard when our babies get on in years. Your damned if you do, and damned if you don't. My Felix, who suffered IBD was diagnosed with CRF at 17. After fighting with him with meds and special prescription diet, I decided to just give him subq fluids and homeopathic supplements, and let him eat what ever he wanted Dear boy, lived another 2 and 1/2 years. Best wishes for Fu and you. Patti
Re: Bailey is anemic
Belinda I am behind on my emailsmy prayers are with you and Bailey. I feel like I know the furkid since you posted about him for years.. Bless you for all you do see our available orphans at:http://members.petfinder.org/~TX418/index.htmlKaren 817-453-4888
OT: A Dog Named Lucky!
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Re: Need your help with Stretch
I will keep Stretch in my prayers. Yes, keep me posted. may
Re: Bailey is anemic
Hi Belinda, I haven't posted Bandy's anemia problems at the yahoo group yet, but I have read alot of things at that group..They have some really good info on anemia just in case you haven't checked it out yet...They have alot of posts and info on epogen... I hope this will help... You 2 are in our prayers, Kerry and Bandy Yahoo! DSL Something to write home about. Just $16.99/mo. or less
