Re: Anemia - My Cat Arlo has severe anemia - PLEASE HELP
Hi Chris,It sounds like you are doing everything you can. The report from the doctor sounds like he/she knows what they are doing.I hope others have some ideas for you. I only know to tell you to hope that this IS hemobartonella. If it is it can be cured.I don't know that I would bother with more leukemia tests right away. The doctor is right that it is either hiding in the marrow, or Arlo should respond to the doxy. I hope that's what it turns out to be. If it is nonregenerative anemia there's not a lot the doctor can do. A lot of people give iron supplements for the anemia, but others say they don't help if it's nonregenerative. That would be something you might try. Just a good quality vitamin might help a little. Please keep us posted, and I hope Arlo recovers on the regimen you've started.tonya[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Hello Group:I just got back from the vet where my 11 month old cat "Arlo" wasgiven a blood transfusion and a battery of tests. The prognosis isnot good..PROBALLY FelV...so I wanted to get some feedback from the group ifthere is anything else I can try if the meds I am giving don't work --I am all earsI really want my little guy to make it.His PCV/TS (on presentation) was 7%/8.0 g/dLHis PCV/TS (AFTER THE TRANSFUSION) IT was . : 10%/6.6 g/dL. He came back negative for FelV/FIV , his kidneys are fine, so is hiswhite blood cell count. But the Vet believes that he does have FelV, it's just hiding out in the bone marrow. Theyhave given me meds to treat him for IMHA and Hemobart but nothing specifically forFelV.What about interferon?What about Immuno regulin?Please help me sort this out. I am bringing him back to the vet on Monday or Tuesday and would like to have a plan or at least more info then I have now.Here's the summary of the Vets prognosis:"Presentation: On presentation, Arlo was quiet, but alert and responsive. MM - Pale, CRT - unable to get. Heart Rate - 200 bpm, Resp Rate - 50 bpm, Temp - 99.8 F, Blood pressure - 115 mmHg. Arlo was tachycardic with a graqe VI heart murmur was auscultated. Lungs auscltated clear and eupneic. His pulses were fair and urine was staining his perineum. The remainder of his physical exam was within normal limits.Because of the mild clinical signs relative to the severity of theanemia, this anemia is most likely chronic in nature. The CBC resultsand reticulocyte count reveal that the. anemia is non-regenerative.Even though the FelV/FIV test was negative, this doesn't rule out FelVas a cause of the chronic non-regenerative anemia. Other causes of achronic anemia include red blood cell parasites such as hemobartonella(typically regenerative). We highly recommend that a bone marrowaspirate and cytology be performed in order to definitively rule outFeIV. As this was not an option (for financial reasons), we plan totreat for a potential hemobartonella infection with Doxycycline (anantibiotic). There is no effective treatment for Feline Leukemia Virus.Another potential cause of the anemia is IMHA (immune-mediatedhemolytic anemia) which results when the body attacks its own redblood cells (RBCs). This is a less likely differential as bloodworkresults usually show a regenerative response in spite of thedestruction of red blood cells. Additionally, bilirubin levels arecommonly increased with this syndrome. The hemolysis is also usuallyevident when performing the PCV/TS. There was no evidence of hemolysisat this time. Treatment of IMHA involves steroid therapy to suppressthe immune systein and prevent its attack on the RBCs. If Arlo doeshave hemobartonellosis, steroid therapy could .potentially make itworse. .While the heart murmur is most likely secondary. to the anemia, aprimary cardiac cause cannot be ruled out without chest radiographs+1- echocardiogram. The murmur improved after administering the bloodtransfusion. Chest and abdominal x-rays would also help to evaluatefor lymph node enlargement and/or organ enlargement (common in felineleukemia virus). .Discharge Instructions:Please schedule a recheck appointment either through your regularveterinarian or through the medicine service at FA VS in 2-3 days toevaluate his response to therapy. This may entail performing repeatbloodwork to evaluate the anemia. If he becomes acutely much morelethargic or depressed or inappetant and his gums appear pale, pleasebring him back immediately as he may require another blood transfusion.1. Doxycycline (Vibramycin) (5 mglml solution): Please give 6 ml bymouth once dailyfor the next 8 days. A dose was already given intravenously today. 2. BaytriI (68 mg tablet): Please give 'l4 tablet by mouth once dailyfor 14 days. 3. Prednisone (5 mg tablet): Please give 1 tablet by mouth twice dailyindefinitely.Response to therapy will be re-evaluated. If IMHA is the cause of theanemia, Arlo will require long term steroid therapy."Please if there is anything that the Vet missed or that I can try Iwould be so grateful.Chris
Re: Anemia - My Cat Arlo has severe anemia - PLEASE HELP
Your vet seems good. However, knowing the FeLV status will not help you treat this. FeLV itself is not a diagnosis regarding the anemia. It might be the reason your boy got whatever he has that is causing the anemia, but that is not so relevant now. What is relevant is whether the anemia is from hemobartonella, auto-immune reaction, lymphoma, or leukemia (the cancer, not the virus, which is more common in cats with FeLV but is not the same as FeLV). The treatments are all different. If it is auto-immune response, he may need stronger steroids than prednisone, like depomedrol. I would definitely try the Immuno-regulin if your vet will give it to him (it is given via IV injections). I doubt it can hurt, and the case study articles suggest it sometimes helps with severe anemia in cats who are FeLV+. Epogen sometimes helps with anemia, when the anemia is related to a hormone not being secreted by the kidneys. You can ask about this. There are a few cats on this list who have made a comeback from very severe anemia, though I do not know if their counts got quite this low.It is worth fighting though. My cat Simon got 3 transfusions before they finally kicked in, though he was getting chemo at the same time, which is what actually helped him for a while. The transfusions just helped him hang in there until the chemo kicked in. I am praying for your baby. Michelle
RE: Anemia - My Cat Arlo has severe anemia - PLEASE HELP
Did they do that test that checks to see if there are all stages of the RBC development? It's some kind of stain test, something Blue. I wish I could remember it--when one of my cats got several anemic, he was determined to have Hemobart (he was FeLV+) and so I said we would treat that since I don't PTS just for FeLV+. But then when another vet check him, they did this "stain" test which showed that his marrow was no producing any new RBCs and probably hadn't for some time. So it was really an unfixable situation. I let Leroy go soon after that bec. even if he fought the Hembart, his body wasn't making RBCs. The test sounds like "methyl...blue...something. Tracy Weese [EMAIL PROTECTED] - Original Message - From: To: Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Sent: 10/15/2005 9:44:06 AM Subject: Anemia - My Cat Arlo has severe anemia - PLEASE HELP Hello Group:I just got back from the vet where my 11 month old cat "Arlo" wasgiven a blood transfusion and a battery of tests. The prognosis isnot good..PROBALLY FelV...so I wanted to get some feedback from the group ifthere is anything else I can try if the meds I am giving don't work --I am all earsI really want my little guy to make it.His PCV/TS (on presentation) was 7%/8.0 g/dLHis PCV/TS (AFTER THE TRANSFUSION) IT was . : 10%/6.6 g/dL. He came back negative for FelV/FIV , his kidneys are fine, so is hiswhite blood cell count. But the Vet believes that he does have FelV, it's just hiding out in the bone marrow. Theyhave given me meds to treat him for IMHA and Hemobart but nothing specifically forFelV. What about interferon? What about Immuno regulin? Please help me sort this out. I am bringing him back to the vet on Monday or Tuesday and would like to have a plan or at least more info then I have now.Here's the summary of the Vets prognosis: "Presentation: On presentation, Arlo was quiet, but alert and responsive. MM - Pale, CRT - unable to get. Heart Rate - 200 bpm, Resp Rate - 50 bpm, Temp - 99.8 F, Blood pressure - 115 mmHg. Arlo was tachycardic with a graqe VI heart murmur was auscultated. Lungs auscltated clear and eupneic. His pulses were fair and urine was staining his perineum. The remainder of his physical exam was within normal limits. Because of the mild clinical signs relative to the severity of theanemia, this anemia is most likely chronic in nature. The CBC resultsand reticulocyte count reveal that the. anemia is non-regenerative.Even though the FelV/FIV test was negative, this doesn't rule out FelVas a cause of the chronic non-regenerative anemia. Other causes of achronic anemia include red blood cell parasites such as hemobartonella(typically regenerative). We highly recommend that a bone marrowaspirate and cytology be performed in order to definitively rule outFeIV. As this was not an option (for financial reasons), we plan totreat for a potential hemobartonella infection with Doxycycline (anantibiotic). There is no effective treatment for Feline Leukemia Virus.Another potential cause of the anemia is IMHA (immune-mediatedhemolytic anemia) which results when the body attacks its own redblood cells (RBCs). This is a less likely differential as bloodworkresults usually show a regenerative response in spite of thedestruction of red blood cells. Additionally, bilirubin levels arecommonly increased with this syndrome. The hemolysis is also usuallyevident when performing the PCV/TS. There was no evidence of hemolysisat this time. Treatment of IMHA involves steroid therapy to suppressthe immune systein and prevent its attack on the RBCs. If Arlo doeshave hemobartonellosis, steroid therapy could .potentially make itworse. .While the heart murmur is most likely secondary. to the anemia, aprimary cardiac cause cannot be ruled out without chest radiographs+1- echocardiogram. The murmur improved after administering the bloodtransfusion. Chest and abdominal x-rays would also help to evaluatefor lymph node enlargement and/or organ enlargement (common in felineleukemia virus). .Discharge Instructions:Please schedule a recheck appointment either through your regularveterinarian or through the medicine service at FA VS in 2-3 days toevaluate his response to therapy. This may entail performing repeatbloodwork to evaluate the anemia. If he becomes acutely much morelethargic or depressed or inappetant and his gums appear pale, pleasebring him back immediately as he may require another blood transfusion.1. Doxycycline (Vibramycin) (5 mglml solution): Please give 6 ml bymouth once dailyfor the next 8 days. A dose was already given intravenously today. 2. BaytriI (68 mg tablet): Please give 'l4 tablet by mouth once dailyfor 14 days. 3. Prednisone (5 mg tablet): Please give 1 tablet by mouth twice dailyindefinitely.Response to therapy will be re-evaluated. If IMHA is the cause of theanemia, Arlo will require long term steroid therapy."Please if there is anything that the Vet missed or that I can try Iwould be so grateful.Chris [EMAIL
Re: Anemia - My Cat Arlo has severe anemia - PLEASE HELP
What grade is his heart murmur? The roman numeral you posted makes NO sense. That would be my first major concern. there are so many drugs that vets use that are not safe to use on cats with severe heart murmurs. Starting treatments for hemobart is the right thing to do, hopefully that is what it is, and it will help! Has you vet sent off a sample to a lab to do the IFA feline leukemia test? Certainly, starting him on Interferon would not hurt, even if he is felv negative. I would hold off on the immuno-regulin until I knew how bad his heart murmur is. Anything over grade 4 needs to be handled carefully. Jennhttp://ucat.ushttp://ucat.us/domesticcatlinks.htmlAdopt a cat from UCAT rescue:http://ucat.us/adopt.html Adopt a FIV+ cat: http://ucat.us/AWrescue/FIV/http://ucat.us/FIVadopt.htmlAdopt a FELV+ cat:http://ucat.us/FELVadopt.html"Saving one animal won't make a difference in the world, but it will make a world of difference for that one animal."~~~I collect KMR kitten formula labels for Bazil, a 3 yr old special needs cat who must live on a liquid diet for the rest of his life.Bazil's caretaker collects labels and sends them to KMR, where they add up until she earns a free can of formula!PLEASE save your KMR kitten formula labels for Bazil! If you use KMR, even just one can, please ask me for the mailing address you can send them to, to help feed Bazil! No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Anti-Virus. Version: 7.0.344 / Virus Database: 267.12.0/134 - Release Date: 10/14/2005
Re: Anemia - My Cat Arlo has severe anemia - PLEASE HELP
When they are not producing RBC's, Epogen or Procrit sometimes helps. This is because failure to produce RBC's sometimes comes from the kidneys not sending a hormone they are supposed to send out that tells the bone marrow to produce RBC's. Procrit and Epogen are synthetic copies of that hormone. Michelle In a message dated 10/15/2005 8:57:01 A.M. Central Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: Did they do that test that checks to see if there are all stages of the RBC development? It's some kind of stain test, something Blue. I wish I could remember it--when one of my cats got several anemic, he was determined to have Hemobart (he was FeLV+) and so I said we would treat that since I don't PTS just for FeLV+. But then when another vet check him, they did this "stain" test which showed that his marrow was no producing any new RBCs and probably hadn't for some time. So it was really an unfixable situation. I let Leroy go soon after that bec. even if he fought the Hembart, his body wasn't making RBCs. The test sounds like "methyl...blue...something.
