[Felvtalk] Aggie Introduction Part 1
This is the first of two posts--my wordy self had originally tried to post one long email, but I was over the limit. So, I thought it was a good idea to break it up. Without further ado--here is part 1--part 2 is being posted momentarily. Hi all, I've been following for awhile, but never actually joined. So, first and foremost--thank you for all of your wonderful information and kindness you show to each other on a daily basis. It is truly inspiring. Prepare thyselves for a VERY long email Second, while I am new to the list, I am not new to FELV as I've had a wonderful FELV + kitty (Aggie) that my wife and I raised from a kitten since 2004. We found her and her siblings, less than a year after we got married, under the dumpster of the apartment complex where we used to live. We got them cleaned up, adopted out, and then the one person who adopted two of them called to let us know that they were going to have one of them put down due to testing positive for FELV. So, despite not being a cat person--as I've always had dogs and birds, we became a cat family. So, I've been living with the disease, knowing full well what it could do, for over 6 years now. She's tested positive throughout the years on Elisa and IFA on multiple occasions. Aggie Lucky Trouble has given us so much joy since day one. I have loved every minute of having her in my life—within ten minutes of her being “mine” she had me wrapped around her little paw and she became the matriarch of a long line of cats that I’m sure my family will have throughout the years. For the first 5 years of Aggie's life, she took daily Alpha Interferon from a dropper (it is still the highlight of her day--she loves the stuff!), went to the vet twice a year for wellness checkups and she wasn't sick a day in her life. In the summer of 2009, however, I noticed a bump behind her right ear. Long story short, it was an adenocarcinoma of the parotid salivary gland. Vets at UC Davis said it was encapsulated, and they got all the cancer they could see, with a very small, but clean margin. We opted not to do radiation, as we didn't want to stress her little system and get the FELV into active mode. We diligently checked for regrowths, had her lungs x-rayed every few months, and had bloodwork run a few times a year. No return of the adenocarcinoma that we know of. Spring of 2010, she's active and playful as normal, but her bloodwork, and weight started to decline. Everything looked good other than WBC 3.8, neutrophils 2000, and platelets (est 50-120)were a bit low. On followup tests, the WBC and neutrophils were even a bit lower (3.6 and 1800, respectively). So, we went the LTCI route. After 3 weekly shots, things had declined further (WBC 2.8 and Neutrophils 1200), but we had read this would happen initially as the stuff killed off the infected cells. Went to every other week on the stuff, and things had improved (WBC 4.0, Neutophils 2800, and Platelets 120-Normal--not as worried about platelets as she is VERY difficult to get a sample from--it usually takes everyone in the office and she gives everybody heck). Subsequent tests (still at every two weeks) and WBC had risen to 4.8, Neutrophils to 3800, and same platelets). All was good until a month or so ago, when I noticed her weight was down a bit, so I gave her a quarter pill of an appetite stimulant--mirazapine--and a half hour later she was seizing (lasted 30 seconds, but it seemed like hours). This was also the time when we tried to stretch her LTCI to every three weeks. Rushed her to the e-vet, where she was her normal, wild self--leaping on the vet's keyboard and getting in the way. Didn't run any tests, as the e-vet thought it would be less expensive at our regular vet's office. Two days later, she had another, milder seizure--still standing, responsive to her name, but drooling and twitching, and contorted. Lots of loud meows and a bit spacey afterword for a few minutes, but back to normal after that. Told that the mirtaziprine will be in the system for at least 72 hours, so it is possible that it lowered the threshold for her body to have a seizure. This would make sense, as her last seizure was about 68 hours after her first seizure. She has had no seizures since. Our regular vet wanted to refer us out to UC Davis, but overall costs for diagnostic tests were going to be almost $5000, which we couldn't afford. So, we did a compromise, and our regular vet did a chest x-ray to see if there was some sort of systemic cancer, and we ran blood to see if there was something there that might indicate a seizure. The only weird thing was that her bloodwork looked great (for her anyway--still 4.8 WBC, and good neutrophils and everything else). Nothing in the lungs either. ___ Felvtalk mailing list
[Felvtalk] Aggie Introduction Part 2
Our story continues with Aggie introduction, part 2.. At this point, I would have chalked the seizure up to the mirtaziprine if it wasn't for the fact that the day before we gave her the drug, Aggie was meowing very loudly and had thrown up a bit of a clear liquid. While my wife didn't see it, she wasn't covered in drool and wasn't disoriented like after the two known seizures. So, we really don't know what happened, but suspect it was a milder seizure type incident, and the mirtaziprine made everything worse. My vet, nor the vet I consulted with at UC Davis, thinks the mirtaziprine was the major cause, though they did admit that it might be what triggered the grand mal, and the later, smaller seizure. So, to be on the safe side, she has been on phenobarbitol for about a month now, with no further seizures (my wife is home with our 3 month old baby, so she would know). The first three weeks on it were rough--sluggish, lots of sleeping, and incoordinated with weakness in her hind legs. (Cat, not the wife, for those of you still reading!) As of now, she is pretty much back to normal, with just a little residual weakness. Nowhere near where it was, though. At present, still getting interferon every day, reloaded her with LTCI weekly for three weeks, and now moving back to what had become the sweet spot of every 2 weeks (next shot is this Saturday) and hoping for the best. When we next test her blood in a few weeks, we might see if we can screen for toxoplasmosis and cryptococcus (I know I misspelled this!) but didn’t have the cash to do it the first time around. Another possibility is that she might have been exposed to insecticide, as we had the outside of our home sprayed for wasps a month or so ago. The day of the first incident it had rained, and she was sitting for most of the day at the screen door looking out into the yard. She was sitting over the door jam (but still behind the screen, mere inches from an area that had been heavily sprayed, as it was a problem area, and the recent rain could have easily washed some of the toxins through the screen for her to breathe or even lick. Could have gotten to her paws, and she could have licked them--I don't know. Other possibilities are of course, a brain tumor, the FELV crossing the blood brain barrier, lymphoma of the gut that had metastatized (probably misspelled this one too) into her brain but avoided the lungs and hasn’t swelled up her lymph nodes enough that the vet can feel, or the aforementioned poisoning, crypto, and toxoplasmosis. Our other cat, who has lived with us for five years (and is FELV negative but vaccinated) was a cat that settled on the front porch of the house we had just moved into. So, it is possible he brought it in, but her immune system was strong enough to deal with it for 5 years. At this point, Aggie seems happy, weight is alright, appetite is good, and her zest for life is apparent. She doesn't mind being around the baby at all, and we are trying to make every day a party for as long as we have her. She is the protypical cat, in that she is alternatingly spunky, sweet, and antisocial and loves to chase my wife's hair clips all over the house. She'll ignore almost every other toy, but not those hair bands. Our FELV negative boy--Crookshanks, is the sweetest animal known to humanity. He loves the baby, and (supervised of course) will sit with her and occasionally nuzzle her feet. He will sit on the couch above me as I hold the baby, and groom my head with his tongue. He does the same to my wife, if he isn’t in her lap. He would love to groom the baby too, but that is a bit much! So—that is one long introduction! In all likelihood, we are on the downhill slope of our time together, but who knows—she is a spunky girl and we’ve been lucky to have her for so long. I’ll keep you posted as we go through the rest of our journey together. Even though we never met, all of you have given me so much hope and inspiration. To those of you who have lost cats, my deepest condolences--and know that I will continue to send good thoughts and purrayers, as Alice likes to say, your way. Peace, Andy ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
[Felvtalk] LTCI reply for nephew's FELV + kitten
Hi all, This is in reply to the poster who asked about anyone with recent successes with LTCI. My 6 year old FELV + (since birth) cat, Aggie, has been on LTCI since June and her bloodwork has improved a great deal. For the first time in her life, her WBC is firmly in the normal range. Prior to this, low normal of 4.2 was the best we had, and that was not often that it was that high. Usually 3.8 or 4.0 when we would run tests. It was 4.8 as of the last test a month or two ago (up from 2.0) two months prior. She gets a shot every two weeks. We started her when aspects of her bloodwork started going steadily downhill: neutrophils, WBC, and platelets. We were going to stretch it out to monthly, but she had a seizure when we went longer (though now I suspect it might have been the insecticide that was sprayed outside the house a few days before, --and she likes to sit at the screen door) and it is two weeks for the forseeable future. No seizures in 3 months (knock on wood), weight is good, and most recent bloodwork has been the best of her life. She also gets Alpha interferon daily (since birth--so for 6 and a half years now), and I mix a little bit of astragalus into her wet food every night (for the last year--since her surgery to remove an adenocarcinoma of the salivary gland in July of 2009). While I don't think the LTCI is a cure, we did notice an improvement in bloodwork, and the weight she started to lose came back. I think it is probably keeping her head above water. I get weird when I talk about her success--I'm always afraid I'm going to jinx her or something. Stupid, I know. I'm sorry I don't post more--when I try to hit the reply button at the bottom of the archives page, it tells me it can't process my request. But hopefully this answers some of your questions! Happy to answer any more you may have. Andy ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
Re: [Felvtalk] LTCI, and FELV Fevers and Treatments
Re: :LTCH--I've had reasonable success with LTCI. If you do a search in the archives, you can read what I've written about my journey with my cat, Aggie. She's still kicking at 6 and a half years. I've had her on Alpha Interferon every day of her life, 1 cc every morning (and after she suffered a seizure of unknown cause, every morning and evening). She's also been on LTCI every two weeks since her WBC and neutrophils went downhill last Spring. Her bloodwork has rebounded nicely, and she is currently asymptomatic, and very playful with a fine appetite and attitude. I know this won't continue on forever, but for now--every day is a party with her. About the interferon, Aggie has been on it every day of her life from the time we adopted her. She had zero symptoms of anything FELV related until she developed adenocarcinoma of the salivary gland (cancer) at the age of 5. We had that removed in the Summer of 09, and as I mentioned above--she's still here. I think the Interferon may have played a role in keeping her healthy for so long. It isn't terribly expensive, at any rate. ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
Re: [Felvtalk] LTCI, and FELV Fevers and Treatments
While Aggie doesn't have symptoms outwardly at present, she has always tested positive on bothe Elisa test and IFA tests from the time she was 3 months old. We've had her tested no less than 7 or 8 time--the most recent being after her cancer surgery in 2009. She's been on LTCI every two weeks since June, so if she's still kicking in March or April of 2011, we might have her retested for the heck of it. I doubt she will have seroconverted, but as you will know from 910 pets and others on this blog--it has apparently happened with others. Not counting on it, but that sure would be nice. If that did happen, I would still consider her as a positive, jut that there isn't enough virus to show up on tests. ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
Re: [Felvtalk] Interferon
Hi Brenda, I had zero intention of being sarcastic! I know you are just researching what is best for your baby, and I know how scary this is. I meant no disrespect to you, or anyone else. In thinking back over Aggie's life, I was honestly trying to think of anything that might be considered a side effect, and couldn't think of anything, so I wrote the only thing that came to mind as a joke. That's the problem with the written word--it is impossible to see tone on the page that if spoken in a conversation wouldn't even be an issue. I am truly sorry for offending you during what is obviously a very difficult time. Andy ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
Re: [Felvtalk] LTCI Injections
Hi, The LTCI injection that Aggie gets are given in her hind leg area. Not up on the medical lingo--but it looks just like a regular vaccination type shot. It is not given intravenously, or under the skin like fluids. Hope this helps. Andy ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
[Felvtalk] Mick and Spanky
Just a quick note of condolence to Stacy and Sherry--know that I'm thinking of both of you at this difficult time. I hope time and the good memories of your critters bring you peace. Andy ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
Re: [Felvtalk] LTCI injections
Hi Shannon, It isn't intravenous at all. When I said it wasn't under the skin like like fluids, I just meant that it wasn't done between shoulder blades. It is usually given in her hind flank. Here is the info from the product insert: Lymphocyte T-Cell Immunomodulator is administered by subcutaneous injection of 1 ml upon diagnosis of the presence of FIV or FeLV disease. I know a great many people who give the shot themselves--and it isn't into the veins. Sorry I was so darn confusing! Hopefully the second time is the charm! Andy ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
Re: [Felvtalk] Purrayers for our Rosie
Oh Alice--I'm sending good thoughts for Rosie! The neck is where we discovered Aggie's lump in the summer of 09, but it was Adenocarcinoma of the Salivary gland--not lymphoma. Hoping it is just an infected gland or a cyst or a nothing at all though! Stay strong Rosie! ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
Re: [Felvtalk] Rosie's mass has returned
Alice, I am so sorry to hear Rosie's mass has returned. Could this be to the decrease in pred? If so, could an increase help things out again? I am so sorry to hear that this is happening. Little Rosie, and Pirate Miso and Sachi are in my thoughts and prayers (and you too, of course!) Andy ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
[Felvtalk] LTCI answer
Hi Sean, Our vet just ordered LTCI directly from the company, and it was about $100 cheaper for the ten pack then the previous outside distributor. So glad it is working for you! We've used it with our almost 7 year old Aggie (FELV+ since birth) since June of last year, and had some good results in terms of bloodwork improvements. She's gone downhill in the last month or so, as we've struggled to get her seizures under control when I stupidly, dumbly, like an idiot (you get the idea) reduced her anti-seizure medicine more than she could take, and didn't increase it up fast enough so as to create even more problems. But, I'm hopeful because she's still here 7 full months after her first seizure, and whatever is causing them hasn't killed her yet. I will have hope as long as she's still her spunky little self. But I do believe the LTCI helped her a great deal when her WBCs, Neutrophils and Platelets started to decline. Anyhoo, the website for the company is: http://tcyte.com/ The contact info is there, and your vet shouldn't have too much trouble ordering from there. Good luck. Andy ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
Re: [Felvtalk] Time to step down from rescuing for a time being
Terrie, You have done so much for so many, and it is good that you are taking this break to be with your husband. Know that you and your husband are in my thoughts and prayers for the foreseeable future. Peace to you, Andy ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
[Felvtalk] Please add Aggie to the CLS
Hi all, I know I haven't posted in awhile, but I wanted to offer an update to those of you who followed our story with our little bundle of spunk, Aggie. We helped Aggie cross over this morning, and it was one of the hardest things I've had to do. It was also the right thing to do. Her anemia caused her to gasp for air since yesterday evening, and she was starting to involuntarily shake, could no longer walk, make it to the litter box, and could barely raise her head to watch the lizards running around our patio. She was my little valiant fighter for 7 years, but ultimately FELV took her from me. We tried everything short of a transfusion, and it just wasn't enough. I firmly believe that LTCI bought us about a year of good quality time. Her bloodwork was taking a VERY marked decline last June, and LTCI reversed it. Unfortunately, FELV is a tough nut to crack and there was only so much we could do. It was very peaceful, she just went to sleep while we sang her song to her , and told her what a blessing she has been in our life. If love could heal, she'd have been the healthiest cat ever. But right now, she's not in any pain, no more seizures, no more force feeding, no more shots, and only peace. There is a void in my home, and my heart right now. But I am so, so thankful to have had her at all. I didn't even like cats before I met her, and now I'm a sucker for them! Thank you for your advice, your collective knowledge, and more importantly, for the kindness you show to everyone who is dealing with this nasty disease. Peace to all of you, and good luck on your journeys with your beloved fuzzbuckets. Andy ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
Re: [Felvtalk] LTCI
Hi Pam, LTCI is short for lymphocyte t-cell immune modulator. It is supposed to increase the body's production of t-cells, the killer cells who fight viruses. It ain't cheap, but it worked for us when we needed it last summer and I believe it bought us some good quality time with Aggie. We started it when her WBCs were in decline, and after a brief, expected dip--all levels went into the normal range. I don't know if it will work for everyone, but I sure loved my last year with my Aggie cat that I believe LTCI gave to us. More information is available on this site: http://tcyte.com/ Andy ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
Re: [Felvtalk] LTCI
Contact your vet and bring them the information on the site. If you have them order it directly through the company as opposed to a distributor, you will save some money. It was about $45 a shot through T-cyte the last time I ordered it. Your vet can show you how to give the shots at home to save a little more money. Good luck Pam, I'm thinking of you and your cat. Andy ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
