[Felvtalk] Question about FeLV/FIV testing
What's the earliest that testing using a SNAP test for FeLV/FIV can be done so that it is accurate? I know that if it is done early on, it can be inaccurate. The reason I asked is that we adopted out a 10 week old kitten July 16. We did not test. I don't like testing before 16 weeks. We pulled the kitten and her sister from another state. Mom was in a high kill shelter. She was PTS before we could rescue her. The rest of the litter was PTS. Miles and Journey were the only ones left. Today, the kitten (Miles) tested positive for leukemia and was PTS (the ill informed vet used scare tactics on the owner and made the owner think that her dogs could get it). I was called after the fact. What is proper testing protocol? Vaccination protcol? I use a 4 way with feline leukemia, killed virus. --Beth ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
Re: [Felvtalk] Rehoming positive kittens
I kept my Felv kittens. Keeping them segregated from the other cats in the home. On Thu, Aug 8, 2013 at 12:56 PM, Katherine Kershaw kaths...@gmail.comwrote: Has anyone had luck with rehoming kittens who test positive for FeLV? I have been fostering healthy kittens successfully for a number of years with a local rescue group here in North Carolina. In May I got a litter of 4 when they were 2 weeks old. Mom tested negative so we didn't test the babies until last month. They all turned up positive on ELISA and IFA tests. Mom has since been adopted. The rescue group I foster with does not officially adopt out FIV/FeLV kittens so I am independently trying to rehome the kittens (the org funded all testing, shots, microchips, spay/neutering, etc so nothing has been out of pocket for me so far except litter). Otherwise they are all healthy, happy and very friendly. They have been fixed, microchipped and vaccinated and are 4 months old now. I have posted them on a couple of rescue sites and plan to put up flyers around town. I know the chances of them finding homes are slim since it's hard enough to find homes for healthy kittens but I have to try. To complicate things (or simplify depending on how you look at it), my 10 year old cat became ill and tested positive for FeLV last month as well. I have no way to know if he was a latent carrier all along and gave it to the kittens, or if they got it from their dad and gave it to him, or if it's just a coincidence that they all had it. His health has been up and down since and I have started him on LTCI injections and am keeping him and the kittens separate from each other. If anyone has any rehoming tips, ideas or success stories I'd love to hear them. Thanks! Katherine ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org -- *Bailley's Pet Care and Sitting Services* *Treating your pets just like my own* www.bailleyspetcare.com ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
Re: [Felvtalk] Homemade food for FeLV cats
I feed a balanced raw diet to my 10 month old. He gets a mixture of cornish game hen (with bone), liver, chicken (with bone), turkey, beef and pork. He's thriving on it. I don't follow a recipe per say because I've been feeding my 10 year old IBD kitty a raw diet for 3 years and have managed to figure out what I need to feed and when and in what portions. I make sure that the meals balance within a 2 week time frame. I get my meats from the local grocery store (non chain as they buy local meats-which seem to be the only ones my IBD kitty can handle). On Fri, Jun 7, 2013 at 8:04 AM, Maryam Ulomi ava...@gmail.com wrote: Hello, Do you use dr. Lisa Pearson or Dr. Pitcarns recipes for homemade food for cats? I'm planning on starting to feed homemade food to Kitty, 11month FeLV positive girl I rescued . Any suggestions? I have their recipes but any other suggestions are welcome, Thanks, Mally and Kitty Sent from my iPhone. On Jun 7, 2013, at 7:17, Margo toomanykitti...@earthlink.net wrote: Hi Chris, It's very possible to make your own cat food, and I have/do. It isn't as simple as chicken + a cat vitamin, but it isn't that difficult either. Google Home prepared cat food and start reading recipes. I use no grain and very few (if any) veggies and fruits. Essential are taurine and calcium, unless you're feeding raw with bone, then you can skip the Ca. I liked the list, as well, as it gave me new foods to look into, but I was disappointed in most of them when I looked at the ingredients. The only one I use from there is Hound and Gatos. The other canned varieties seem to have too many extraneous ingredients, and I don't feed raw to the FeLV group, not even my own preparation. Tiki is way too expensive for me to even consider (I think the Hound and Gatos is too high, as well, but I do keep it in the mix) and most varieties have fish, which may not be good for my FLUTD/FeLV boys. I confess that I feed some lpw-end foods, simply beause I like the ingredient lists better than some of the high end ones. It's all a choice :) HTH Margo -Original Message- From: cer...@new.rr.com Sent: Jun 6, 2013 9:53 PM To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Subject: Re: [Felvtalk] New To Group-Lance That’s a great site-thanks! I’ve been feeding mine Tiki Cat, and I was wondering...in looking at it and reading the ingredients list, wouldn’t it be a lot cheaper and just as good to boil some chicken and add a cat vitamin? Chris C. *From:* Lance lini...@fastmail.fm *Sent:* Thursday, June 06, 2013 6:32 PM *To:* felvtalk@felineleukemia.org *Subject:* Re: [Felvtalk] New To Group-Lance Ember was four years old when she tested positive, but she must have had the disease prior to that. She might have been as young as two or three years old when the infection became persistent. We still don't know how the virus got into the house, whether through Ember herself or a stray kitten my parents took in who was later euthanized due to symptoms a year and a half later. About lymphoma, please join the feline lymphoma Yahoo! group. The support there is amazing, and a vet frequently comments there. I'm glad that the others aren't showing symptoms. My Ember has thankfully had very few issues with the virus. Her main symptoms are: low white blood cell count, anisocoria (one pupil is fully open all the time), and some very minor bouts of diarrhea (not in the last few years) and upper respiratory infections. For the most part, she gets sick like a normal cat. You may want to check this blog post that covers cat food: http://www.naturalcatcareblog.com/2010/12/the-7-best-natural-commercial-cat-foods-so-far/ Ember eats Tiki Cat these days, which is the priciest stuff, but other brands like Hound Gatos and Great Life Essentials are more affordable. On Jun 6, 2013, at 5:33 PM, kasia mosko kasia...@yahoo.com wrote: Hi Lance, Are any of your FeLV+ cats showing symptoms? ***Besides Jack, who has lymphoma, none of the other cats show any symptoms. Lance, when was your girl diagnosed with it? Kasia ___ ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
Re: [Felvtalk] Clavamox aka Augmentin
I buy fish antibiotics for my feral cats (my vet knows this). I only treat minor infections on my own with my vet's guidance. With infections that require a vet visit, I start conservative treatment until the time the appointment is (which could be up to 3 days away). I buy the 500mg pills. I always have amoxicillin, keflex and cipro on hand. I make a suspension out of the pill depending on the strength (in mgs) I need to fit into 1ml of liquid. Anyways, is there any otc/off labeled brands of augmentin I can get? Thank you! --Beth On Thu, Jun 6, 2013 at 4:14 PM, Lorrie felineres...@frontier.com wrote: Actually I keep the human form, Augmentin, on hand for myself. Then all I need is a tetanus booster if I get bitten. If a cat bite swells up I start myself on Augmenin. I also have Clavamox for the cats, but it is not the correct strength for humans. I also keep Zithromax and other Abx on hand, and I get all of them on line without an Rx. Lorrie On 06-06, Margo wrote: Hi Lorrie, Yes, I know, my point was that I always have Clavamox (and other Abx) on hand for the critters, so don't feel the need to keep the human form :). Since I get most of my drugs by the bottle, I often find that what I'm giving is actually labeled for human use. Margo ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
[Felvtalk] Introduction
Hi. My name is Beth. I run a feral cat rescue. That's how I ended up with Mozart, a 10 month old kitten. April 18, I took him to a spay clinic to get neutered, his rabies vaccination and for a Felv/FIV test. He tested positive for Felv. It was recommended that he immediately be euthanized. I refused. I contacted my vet. She agreed with my decision to allow him to live out his life. She retested him May 17. Again, he tested positive. This surprised me because he is a healthy cat. No symptoms at all. None of his brothers tested positive. His mom took off with his two sisters when he was 5 weeks old. Mom was feral. Have not found her or the missing kittens. My vet is awesome (which is great because my rescue takes in cats with medical issues and behavioral issues as well as ferals that cannot stay where they are). That's a lot for me to say since I have a general distrust of vets for various reasons. Anyways, she is looking for another felv cat for me to introduce to Mozart as a playmate. Mozart is locked in my bedroom. Other cats in my home were tested. They were negative. We are vaccinating with a 4 way vaccine with leukemia. I am in the process of ordering more vaccination-with and without leukemia. I have him on a raw diet. Been raw feeding for over 3 years-not the least bit concerned about bacteria. I feel as if it is safe and beneficial to feed Mozart this diet. I am looking into this treatment for him: http://tcyte.com/cat-owner-information/ Anyone have any luck with it? Anyone hear of it? Does anyone have any advice they can give to me? Also, what about vaccines? I am concerned about the increase chance of vaccine related sarcomas. Thank you! --Beth Laubenthal ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
Re: [Felvtalk] Introduction
Thank you. I love that group! Stephanie is wonderful! Thank you for the link. As for vaccinating, I order two different vaccines: with and without-4 ways. I found a cheaper source. From a vet catalog. Local pet store-the owner is a vet tech and she offers vaccinations at her store. Running a cat rescue, I cannot afford to have the vet vaccinate the 30 cats we have in our care. We're foster based. With Mozart, I just want the best for him. I still have a hard time accepting that he has feline leukemia. At least now I know it is not a death sentence. My vet is research T-Cyte therapy for me. She never heard of it. I hope it can be of use for Mozart. --Beth On Mon, May 20, 2013 at 3:21 PM, Margo toomanykitti...@earthlink.netwrote: Hi Beth, Welcome, but sorry you have to be here. Just have time for a quick note, but I'll be back later when I have a bit more time. As for the vaccines, I have chosen to go with the Merial recombinant FeLV vaccine, and i'll link to some articles which will help explain why. If you go back to fanciers and search for rFeLV, you should get Stephanie's amazing discussions...Oh! I saved it G http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/fanciershealth/message/141570 I'm in the same situation, but I just get more confused as I learn more. Warning, if you try to but the vaccine yourself, it's VERY expensive. Through a Vet it seems to be much less. HTH, Margo ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
Re: [Felvtalk] Introduction
Amanda (and everyone else), Have you heard of RetroMAD1? A friend of mine suggested it. http://blog.lepak.com/2011/02/au-tests-retromad1-new-wonder-drug.html Maybe I'm grasping at straws, but I cannot give up without a good fight. There has got to be something that works. --Beth ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
