Yes, I saw the message but haven't had a chance to refer to any of my manuals
to see what I can find out about that.
Sally in San Jose
Jill...
If Melange is still able to pass urine and is not straining and in much pain,
then his bladder is not yet completely clogged, so he should be able to
manage until Monday. If he were not able to urinate at all and straining and
in a
lot of pain and distress, I would consider that an em
Dear Jill:
Here is what Dr. Martin Goldstein, a holistic vet, has to say about FLUTD, or
cystitis/feline lower urinary tract disease, in general, and with regards to
a male cat, specifically.
Because the bladder is merely a container for urine, the problems it develops
are usually not its own,
Dear Faye:
I do hope Simba will reappear soon. If not, you might want to consider
consulting with an animal communicator. They can usually tell you if your
kitty is
still in his/her body and while a cat cannot give you an address or exact
location where to find them, they can usually let the
Dear Hideyo:
So glad to hear that Ginger is improving! I have Dr. Goldstein's book and
find it invaluable. I wish I could send a copy of it to everyone on the list.
I sent a letter to Dr. Goldstein asking for some feedback about further info
and ideas for treating FeLV+ kittys and am hoping he
Dear Michelle:
I had found and printed out an article about Immuno-regulin when I first
joined the list in May '03 after my first FeLV+ kitten was diagnosed with
non-regenative anemia. I remember that it was not a supportive treatment, but
only
indicated for a cat who presented serious sympto
Dear Hideyo:
Do you buy it from a distributor in your area at the marked up retail price,
or do you get it from a vet supply? I used to get mine from KV Vet Supply.
You can order it directly from the company on your own and I think all you
need to do is give them my distributor name/number (Sa
Dear Patti:
Thanks for the info. I will have to check it out. It's good to know they
have a naturopathic vet available to answer questions and to do consults at an
affordable rate. I have Dr. Pitcairn's book and have relied on it for a wealth
of info for a number of years, so it is nice to k
Dear Hideyo:
I can't really add anything to what Nina said and said so well.
I am a bit surprised, however, to hear that the vet sent her home with you so
soon after the surgery. Didn't you say she had only been awake for 100-15
min.??
I volunteer with an organization that does Spay/Neuter ev
Dear Patti:
If you haven't read Dr. Martin Goldstein's book, The Nature of Animal Healing
, I recommend it highly. He has much to say about the overuse of many drugs
(especially steroids), and the negative effects they can have long term on
immune function. While steroids may seem like a "magi
Dear Hideyo:
Whether or not Ginger's mom is FeLV+, if you are able to trap her and get her
spayed, that is imperative. The fact Ginger is positive would make one
suspicious and if her mom IS positive and that is why all or most of her
kittens are
not surviving, the continued stress of breeding
Dear Hideyo:
I did not mean to imply that you were wrong to want to pick Suzi up as soon
as possible. When I am taking a cat to a regular vet (as opposed to being
there, in person, and volunteering at one of our S/N events) I also want to
bring
my furkids home as soon as possible so I can mo
Michelle...
I do hope someone comes forward to give Charlie a loving home and the special
care he needs. Bless you (and Gray!) for being there to care for Charlie and
try to help him find a better situation.
Have a good visit and be sure to give your horse a carrot and a hug for me.
I hope h
Dear Cherie:
You need to keep in mind that with antibiotics, one size doesn't fit all.
Different antibiotics are indicated for different types of infections,
depending
on whether you are dealing with gram-negative or gram-posoitive bacteria, and
some abx seem to be more indicated for infectio
Dear Kathy:
Can't think of what kind of injection would be given in the throat as even
most IV injections are given in a leg vein as a first choice. I've had vets
draw blood from the juglar vein in the neck on occasion, but it is my
understanding that Vit.B injections are given subQ, so that i
Hi Kerry...
I can't remember if I ever sent you a message after Levi passed away. That
was a crazy weekend for me and then we were having so many problems with the
list and I was enduring my own kind of AOHell. When I couldn't log on, an
outsourced consultant told me my AOL software was damag
Dear Cherie:
If that is what your vet prescribes, I am sure he/she has reasons for
choosing that particular abx. It is an effective one and good for a wide range
of
applications as well as being and safer than some others. My mom is a licensed
wildlife rehabber and primarily involved with in
Dear Hideyo:
We are only able to treat the feral cats while we have them under anesthesia,
which is why we end up doing so much to them at one time, even though that is
a lot of stress for a cat to handle all at once -- surgery, vaccination,
defleaing, worming, etc. It is unlikely these cats w
Dear Kathy:
If you are concerned, it is never a stupid question. There is nothing you
can catch from Killian in the way of a virus that is related to her being FeLV+
or having a URI or something like that. Things like fleas and other external
parasites can certainly take up residence on human
Dear Kathy:
I know it seems drastic when the vet uses the vein in the neck. I will never
forget when I took my first FeLV+ kitten (didn't know yet she was positive)
to the vet when she suddenly presented symptoms. They had to stick Purrsia
three times in the neck before they could get a blood
I think she meant "sulphur."
Sally in San Jose
Dear Crystal:
I don't know how near Albany is to South Salem, NY but that is where Dr.
Martin Goldstein has his practice. He is a holistic vet and has written a
book,
The Nature of Animal Healing, that I recommend highly. His phone no. is :
(914) 533-6066.
There is a Source Guide in the back
Dear Cherie:
I would want to get a definitive diagnosis from a vet before I gave a kitten
something as potentially toxic as Fulvicin. Did the foster mom have this
kitten seen by a vet and did they do a flourescence test to confirm ringworm?
Or
is she just guessing and winging it? While what
Dear Cherie:
While Fulvicin is not horrendously toxic, any kind of chemical we put on our
pets can be potentially harmful, especially to young kittens and pups. I had
a cat once that crashed from a spot-on flea product and went into in toxic
shock, yet many cats tolerate such products quite we
Hey listmembers...
I'm also on the Holisticat list and a member of that list has sent two
e-mails about a friend's cat who is in very serious condition with liver
problems
including hepatic lipidosis. She is asking for advice about what kind of
feeding tube would be best, among other things.
Message no. 1
Sally in San Jose
--- Begin Message ---
A friend's cat is sick. These are the tests results. Does anyone have any ideas
how and what she can do for her cat. The cat won't eat and is bringing up. She
just picked it up at the vet's and brought it home. I believe the vet mentioned
Message no. 2
Sally in San Jose
--- Begin Message ---
Here is more info on my friend's cat who is ill. Does anyone have any ideas??
"Technically this is mainly Saturday night's update...But nonetheless...
They ran blood work again, and her electrolytes were down. So they went
with a different
Dear Chris:
If you are having weight problems, keep in mind that cats in nature are true
carnivores and do not consume carbs in any quantity, yet all dry cat food,
even the best brands are grain-based to a greater or lesser extent, with the
best
ones having more meat and less grain than the c
Dear Susan:
According to Dr. Pitcairn, in his book Natural Health for Dogs and Cats,
there are six stages of infection for FeLV. He indicates that cats are not
actively shedding the virus and infectious to other cats until they have
reached
stage five or six. Stage five is the point at which
Dear Shiela:
I am so very sorry to hear that you lost your Tipper, tragically, before he
could come back to you. I, too, know how heartbreaking it is to find a beloved
furkid who has gone missing and come to a tragic end.
I know it is too late, now, for anything to bring Tipper back to you,
Dear Shiela:
I don't know of a book specifically about dealing with the afterlife of
critters, but the books I've read about AC and mentioned to you do touch on it,
in
different ways, and I know that it is possible to communicate with a kitty's
spirit after it has crossed over. I will skim th
Dear Kerry:
Unless your kitty is struggling to breathe, or is congested and seems
distressed about it, I would not be terribly worried. You are right to want to
get
it checked out to find out WHY, but some cats do sort of snore. I have one
indoor diva, a longhair who may be part Persian...he
Dear Kathy:
What it probably means is that whatever else was going on with your cat at
the time he/she was diagnosed as FeLV, something was causing an elevation in
the
WBC, probably some sort of opportunistic infection due to the
immunosuppression as I am not aware that the FeLV virus, by itse
Dear Carrie:
My heart goes out to you for caring what happens to these unfortunate,
homeless cats. It is the irresponsibility of others that creates such problems
for
those of us like yourself who care enough to try and help.
Just because some of the cats have runny eyes and/or noses does not
Dear Kathy:
All stable, nonsymptomatic FeLV+ cats can be assumed to be infected with the
FeLV-A subgroup that causes immunosupression but not much else. As such they
are at increased risk due to whatever pathogens may be in the environment or
carried by other cats. The optimum situation for a
Dear Carrie:
My rescue work is mostly with TNR and ferals, but when I do trap kittens who
are young enough to readily socialize, or an older cat that was obviously
someone's pet at one time and is friendly, then I will test for FIV/FeLV in
addition to S/N and try to place the healthy, friendly
Dear Kerry:
Wow...that is a good question. How about a steam cleaner, like they use on
car engines? That certainly ought to be hot enough to kill anything. And
maybe when it is dry you can dust it with some boric acid powder (which is
non-toxic...add water and it makes eye wash) to kill any
Dear Steve:
I would guess it was a hairball problem, then, and hopefully if Loki has been
able t cough it up, finally, he will go back to eating normally. Most of my
kittys manage to cough up hairballs when they need to without a lot of
extraneous vomiting, but I do have one cat, not a longhai
Dear Kerry:
It is not unusual for an animal that is near death to seek isolation in a
quiet spot. A dying animal should not be fed, only offered water and vegetable
juices. Some will welcome the presence of their loving guardians, but they
should be protected from too much noise and lots of ac
Dear Melbeach:
You are right in assuming that the blood transfusion will only give Brissle a
temporary reprieve from the severe anemia. An HCT of 9 and below is
considered within the parameters of "non-regenerative" anemia, i.e. not enough
red
blood cells are being produced to make up for t
Dear Kerry:
The steam cleaner is only practical if you happen to have one or know someone
who does. I suppose you could rent one, but then that would add to the cost
and defeat the purpose of getting a used cat tree. Perhaps some
do-it-yourself car washes might have one. It is a way to get s
Dear Cherie:
Thanks for forwarding this message. I was already aware of much of what it
had to say, especially with regards to the need to take a moire holistic
approach with to medicine and much less dependance on allopathic drugs and
treatments. It reiterated what I have long believed about
Dear Hideyo:
You really have yourself a can of worms there, don't you? I have a friend
here in San Jose who is faced with a similar problem of feral cats
proliferating
around the company she works for...fortunately a pack of marauding dogs is
not also part of the problem.
Because of your fea
Hey Nina...
I don't call my rescue efforts Fantastic, Friendly, Formerly Feral Felines
for no reason. I hope I can borrow the book after you get through reading it!
Thanks for mentioning it Hideyo.
Sally in San Jose
Dear Mary Christine:
Yes, I do know Marta. She's genuine. She lives in the Sacramento area, I
believe, and has a book that came out not too long ago, but I don't remember
the
title offhand. A friend of mine went to one of her seminars and got the book
and Marta autographed it for her. Mart
Dear Hideyo:
I hear you loud and clear. If I ever had any "extra" dollars to spend, it
sure would be nice to do more than just dream about winning the lottery. When
I
think about all the good things I could do to help improve the lot of
critters in this world...Oh, wouldn't it be loverly?
A
Dear Anita:
If Anakin is severely anemic and you know he is FeLV+, did your vet do
anything to determine the cause of his anemia? You said the vet mentioned his
bone
marrow is not producing RBC...did they do a test to determine that or is that
just the vet's guesstimate? It is quite likely h
Dear Sally:
Did the cats test positive on both an ELISA and an IFA test? If they were
just tested with the ELISA (the in-house snap test), this test is much more
sensitive to the antigen produced by the replicating virus so it can be an
indication of an infection which may only be transitory a
Dear Kyle:
Seroconversion means that the cat has cleared the virus and is no longer
infected with it. That is the best possible news for a cat that was FeLV+.
Sally in San Jose
Dear Anita:
Tthe kelp or spirulina are for micronutrient and trace minerals; the iodine
in kelp can also stimulate the adrenals and it adds a slightly salty taste. If
you don't have a health food store in your area, you should be able to find
spriulina in the supplements for humans section of a
Dear Michelle:
How thoughtful of you to share some of your VO with Kyle. Is it helping?
Stockpiling the stuff is a good strategy, would that I could afford to do so.
For now it is all I can do just to afford the immune-boosting supplements.
Now if I could win that pie in the sky lottery (but
Dear Kyle:
A vet who isn't on the same page with you is a tough one. There is the
option of finding another vet who will be more cooperative but I can understand
your not wanting to seem ungrateful for the fact he cared enough to use his own
cat as the blood donor for Brissle.
I would definit
Dear Anita:
I am so sorry to hear that it was Anakin's time to leave you. From the time
he showed up on your doorstep, you did everything possible to give him a
chance. He knew what it was to have a home, to be loved and to have someone
who
was willing to give him the chance to get well if t
Dear Shiela:
You never know...Tiger may have missed Tippper and since he was getting up
there in years (his kidneys could have been going downhill for some time...they
will keep functioning even when 70-80% compromised) and he may have decided to
go be with Tipper and look out for him like a lo
Dear Hideyo:
Since the ELISA is very sensitive in detecting the antigen from replicating
virus (100 times moreso than the IFA) it is highly unlikely to get a truely
false negative, which would mean the test failed to detect antigen that was
actually present. A falsely negative result on an ELI
Dear Kyle:
Good to hear you are making progress with your vet. It sounds like he/she is
a least receptive to new ideas and is willing to learn. I dunno what to
suggest about the concurrent use of the VO and Immunogregulin...I don't know
enough about what the action either drug is supposed to
First of all I would ask if Mustache's FeLV status has been confirmed with an
IFA test which would indicate whether or not he is l ikely to remain
persistently viremic.
Secondly, I would adavise the person who is caring for Mustache NOT to give
him any vaccinations...this will only be an assaul
Dear Tad:
No, the FeLV vaccine will not cause cats to test positive on an ELISA...both
the ELISA and IFA test for presence of antigen from replicating virus, with
the former test being 100 times more sensitive than the latter so it will
detect very early stages of infection which may be transi
When I got the intereron alpha for my first FeLV+ kitty, I was told not to
give it with food, that it needs to be absorbed by the mucous membranes in the
mouth rather than taken into the GI tract where stomach acid will break it
down. If you can't give it to a cat by syringe (such as with a fer
Dear Gloria:
You are being too kind when you say that some vets are just more imperfect
than others, or is this meant as a sarcastic understatement?
I am still suffering a year later due to that Vet-from-Hell who forced me
into allowing her to euthanize a geriatric kitty of mine I had taken for
Dear Stephanie:
Cats who are FeLV+ should not be given any vaccines, as this represents a
significant stress to the immune system for even a healthy cat, and a cat who
has
a compromised immune system cannot respond normally as is expected. It is
possible for the stress of vaccination (or othe
I was absolutely astounded by what Tamara had to say about the case of the
woman being shot by an idiot of a hunter at a bus top and the hunter was not
held accountable because of the color of the woman's clothing. I do not
remember ever reading about that case and can't believe the hunter was
What Kerry and Tamara had to say about disreputable vet clinics or rescue
orgs they have come in contact with was appalling. I can't believe that some
major group like PETA or the National Humane Society who have significant
funding
and legal staff would not be interested in such cases. I do
Dear Kerry:
Go for it!
By any chance was your vet tech friend able to get the names/addresses or
phone nos. for some of the clients whose animals were abused? If there are
several, a class action suit might be an optioin. Did your vet tech friend
contact
the State Veterinary Medical Board??
I can't imagine what the legal reasoning would be that a jury could use to
acquit. First time or not, we all know that guns are meant to kill...this guy
was, after all out to kill a deer, right? So if this idiot was proven to be
the one who fired the gun, and it could be established the bullet
Dear Kerry:
I remember reading in one of my vet books that sometimes, in extreme cases, a
male kitty needs to have his plumbing surgically restructured to make the
urethral opening bigger if he becomes repeatedly blocked and neither dietary
modification nor any other type of therapy seems to b
Dear Kyle:
So sorry to hear that Brissle is crashing again. Please don't beat yourself
up what-iffing. At this point, what she has been eating and whether or not
she got Pet Tinic or some other supplements on a daily basis is a minor
consideration. Once an FeLV+ kitty "crashes" and has develo
Dear Sharon:
My most sincere condolences for the loss of your mom. Even though we are
able to talk to our human loved ones and express all that we feel a need to
share
while they are still here with us in corporeal form (unlike with our
furkids), it still leaves emptiness and emotional pain w
I always ask a vet WHY they choose a particular medication for one of my
furkids and I get better responses from some than others. I also look up
medication in the Merck manual or an online source to find out what is in it
(if I
don't already know) and what it is recommended for.
One vet I us
Dear Sharon:
Don't panic. This could just be a reaction to something Carolina ate, or it
could just be a further vaccine-related reaction. What vaccine was she given?
Is Carolina running a temp? If there are any health food stores in your
area, you could try getting some Thuja, dissolve a p
Dear Tonya:
Cats are MUCH more adept at picking up our thoughts and energy than we
are...they don't have to study and relearn telepathic communication as we do.
They
are able to receive our thoughts and are sponges for our emotions, especially
of the negative sort. So, if you are going to tak
Dear Sue:
It is always cause for serious concern when an FeLV+ cat becomes symptomatic
for ANY reason, but the diarrhea and vomiting could be something as simple as
something she ate that did not agree with her GI tract...remember that
diarrhea and vomiting are the body's way of getting irrit
Dear Jenn:
Do you have a dripbag of LRS and are you able to give her subQ fluids? If
not, then use Pedialyte (fluid w/electrolytes for babies, the non-flavored
sort)
available at most supermarkets and give her fluids orally with a syringe, a
little (5-10 ml) at a time every hour or so. Give he
On behalf of all the FeLV+ furkids who may be trying to "say" something, but
whose humans are on a different wavelength and wondering, I think it would be
a purrfectly pawsome idea!!!
Sally in San Jose
Dear Shiela:
Can understand your dilemma. Will Bubba allow you to comb him for fleas??
If so, use one of the fine-toothed metal flea combs (the plastic ones don't
work as well) and a bowl of water with a bit of dish detergent to rinse the
fleas
from the comb...the surfacants in the detergent
Dear Mary Christine:
You surely get my vote for cat-mom this year! I would not worry too much
about the liklihood of a healthy mom cat becoming postive from exposure to
nursing a positive kitten, but her other kittens might be at some risk. You
say the
kittens are orphans...is it known how t
Dear Stephanie:
If you e-mail the info to me, I can pass it on to Dr. Dana Gleason the vet
who started our local Spay/Neuter project for ferals...I've found her to be
very
helpful with my own questions about drugs and dosages in that she realizes we
who do rescue ferals are not able to take th
Dear Terrie:
Bless you for making Ling's final months of life ones in which he was able to
know love and receive the care he needed. There is a limit to what we can
do, however, and when that time comes, sometimes the kindest thing we can do is
help them across. Even if his previous guardian
Dear Stephanie:
I am not usually able to get pics on my old and ailing computer, and don't
know how accurately one could tell from a photo as to size of syringe, etc. Do
the syringes have no markings on them as to how many cc are in them?? It seems
odd for a syringe not to have a scale printed
Dear Susan:
The fact the kittens tested a "faint positive" (an ELISA, right?) is probably
an indication of exposure and some virus present (both the ELISA and IFA
detect anitgen from replicating virus) but may still be an earlier stage of
infection so there is a chance with good diet and immune
Dear Michelle L.:
Haven't been onlist for a while due to computer problems and just getting to
(trying to, anyhow) a ton of (900+) e-messages.
Have you considered having Bramble evaluated by an accupuncturist to see if
that might help mediate or clarify his neurological problems?? I don't have
Dear Michelle L.:
You are so lucky to live where you can get the VO (feline-specific
interferon)...is it as expensive in England as it is here? I am curious as to
why you
would want to obtain interferon-alpha (human type) when you can get the VO? I
did not find the
I-a to be of any benefit f
Dear Michelle L.:
There is no point (and much risk) in vaccinating an immune-compromised cat
who is FIV+ or FeLV+. Vaccinations are an assault of sorts to the immune
system
and can be detrimental to even a cat with a normal immune system. There is
much good info about the risks of vaccines o
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