Re: Ember and the Scary Mistake
On this: Numerous years ago my vet called in a prescription for Ebony Thomas Katt.the drugstore got the dose wrong big time. (Yes, I am sure it was the drugstore). A year or so the vet called in a drug for worms for my ferals. The drugstore (another one to be sure) copied down a drug for cancer. I suspect we need to double check and then check again when it comes to our furry family members. If you have men who will exclude any of God's creatures from the shelter of compassion and pity, you will have men who will deal likewise with their fellow man. St. Francis - Original Message - From: Jane Lyons [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Sent: Saturday, January 26, 2008 8:34 AM Subject: Re: Ember and the Scary Mistake Computer error??? It sounds as though the vet made a 'scary mistake' and rather than honesty and responsibility, she is playing defense, which is equally scary. I would stop the Metronidazole. It seems that Ember had a violent reaction to the overdose and needs time to process that assault. Also, why Metronidazole? Wasn't her last stool normal? I do not understand why the vet is prescribing it. Did she run tests on her stool? What was her diagnosis? I wish your trusted vet were available to you (and Ember). Is there any way you can contact her or get a referral for a vet who has experience with FeLK. I would not trust someone who resorts to the 'computer error' card. How is Ember now? How have her stools been? Fingers still crossed. Jane On Jan 25, 2008, at 9:27 PM, Lance wrote: I talked to the vet we saw last night to ask about the odd exhaling Ember did. We discussed it for awhile, and she really couldn't say with any certainty what might have caused it. She said that Ember's lungs sounded good, and I would think that a lung problem would be a likely component in causing something like that. I'll just be paying close attention to see if it happens again. It's a really good thing I called, because I found out that Ember had been over-prescribed. Frankly, the whole thing sounds a little fishy to me, though I want to trust this vet. The label printed out and placed on the Metronidazole bottle was for two 50mg pills twice a day. The vet told me that should be for only 1 50mg pill twice a day. She also indicated that this is a small dose. She said that this is a computer error, but she also *told* me before I left that it was two pills twice a day. I wonder when she was planning on calling me about this! I gave Ember two pills last night and two this morning, but I will not give her any meds tonight, and I'm really not sure of what to do in general. I hate to critique someone who has vast amounts of education and experience over me. But, I'm concerned that this vet is not exactly sure of what's going on. When Ember had diarrhea a year and a half ago, another vet (who is now our normal vet) prescribed one 50mg Metronidazole once a day, and she only gave me five or so to give (i never did). Since Metronidazole is considered a potential carcinogen in people, and has, in admittedly rare cases, essentially destroyed an animal's nervous system, I'm really wishing I had a second opinion. I just don't want to haul Ember to another vet. Any thoughts? Lance
Re: Ember and the Scary Mistake
Computer error??? It sounds as though the vet made a 'scary mistake' and rather than honesty and responsibility, she is playing defense, which is equally scary. I would stop the Metronidazole. It seems that Ember had a violent reaction to the overdose and needs time to process that assault. Also, why Metronidazole? Wasn't her last stool normal? I do not understand why the vet is prescribing it. Did she run tests on her stool? What was her diagnosis? I wish your trusted vet were available to you (and Ember). Is there any way you can contact her or get a referral for a vet who has experience with FeLK. I would not trust someone who resorts to the 'computer error' card. How is Ember now? How have her stools been? Fingers still crossed. Jane On Jan 25, 2008, at 9:27 PM, Lance wrote: I talked to the vet we saw last night to ask about the odd exhaling Ember did. We discussed it for awhile, and she really couldn't say with any certainty what might have caused it. She said that Ember's lungs sounded good, and I would think that a lung problem would be a likely component in causing something like that. I'll just be paying close attention to see if it happens again. It's a really good thing I called, because I found out that Ember had been over-prescribed. Frankly, the whole thing sounds a little fishy to me, though I want to trust this vet. The label printed out and placed on the Metronidazole bottle was for two 50mg pills twice a day. The vet told me that should be for only 1 50mg pill twice a day. She also indicated that this is a small dose. She said that this is a computer error, but she also *told* me before I left that it was two pills twice a day. I wonder when she was planning on calling me about this! I gave Ember two pills last night and two this morning, but I will not give her any meds tonight, and I'm really not sure of what to do in general. I hate to critique someone who has vast amounts of education and experience over me. But, I'm concerned that this vet is not exactly sure of what's going on. When Ember had diarrhea a year and a half ago, another vet (who is now our normal vet) prescribed one 50mg Metronidazole once a day, and she only gave me five or so to give (i never did). Since Metronidazole is considered a potential carcinogen in people, and has, in admittedly rare cases, essentially destroyed an animal's nervous system, I'm really wishing I had a second opinion. I just don't want to haul Ember to another vet. Any thoughts? Lance
Re: Ember and loose stools
Lance, I hope this message finds Ember feeling better. Sometimes cats just get diarrhea from something they ate and it takes a while to get their system back on track. t Lance [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Hi everyone, Last Saturday night, I came home to find a very large, very odorous, completely unformed poop in the box. Other than having soiled pants, Ember seemed fine. I held back food for about twelve hours, and then gave her a normal can but a small amount of dry food. She had another, similar bm on Monday morning, though the smell was greatly reduced. I stopped the dry food, but kept her on her Wellness cans. I'm just feeding more of it to make up for the loss of dry food. Tuesday, I spoke with my usual vet's husband (who is also a vet; my vet just had a baby), and he thought it might be bacterial overgrowth or something caused by Ember eating something she shouldn't have. The latter is certainly possible, as Ember sometimes seems to like to eat bits of fluff and fuzz off the floor (and *someone* doesn't vacuum as regularly as he should... that would be me). He suggested pumpkin, which I've been stirring into her Wellness. She's eating it pretty well, which leads me to mention that her appetite is good. Last night, Ember had a smaller, unformed poop. I looked a lot more closely at this one. There was a little dot of bright red blood, but that was all I could find. The color was a dark brown green. This poop was less smelly than either of the last two. I was so hopeful that the pumpkin would take care of this, or at least give her stools some form. I should mention that Ember is not acting differently in any way. She eats normally, and she's affectionate and very playful. So, right now I'm pretty nervous. I've made an appointment to see the vet, but I obviously can't see the vet who really knows Ember, and her husband is booked solid today. The vet we'll be seeing is someone I don't even know. Any thoughts on what I should ask or try to have her tested for? I'll definitely have a CBC, as Ember's due for that. Also, the vet mentioned treating with antibiotic, but he also mentioned treating with something with activated charcoal in it (it started with a d). What should I be expecting? I also ask that you keep Ember and I in your thoughts and prayers. Lance -- Lance Linimon [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: Ember and the Scary Mistake
I had a call in to the same vet late yesterday afternoon, and she got back to me earlier this morning. I wanted to clarify the doses, after doing some reading that alarmed me about Metronidazole. I don't want to give Ember more than she needs (or any, if it can be helped). I'm mostly okay with the outcome of the conversation. The vet wants me to only give Ember one 50mg pill a day, and only through Monday. I gave her the dose for today, so she only has two more. That seems more realistic to me. Given that Ember showed high bacterial overgrowth on her test, it will hopefully help to alleviate that, but it won't be going for so long (and with doses so high) as I'd originally been told. Ember is doing well as far as her behavior goes. I'm hoping to get her to snuggle down for a nap in a few minutes. She had a small but solid bm last night, and I'll probably try to get her back on a little dry food tomorrow. I'm really glad she likes to eat pumpkin! Thanks to all for your concern. It's a comfort to have you on my side when things aren't going so well. Lance On Jan 26, 2008, at 8:34 AM, Jane Lyons wrote: Computer error??? It sounds as though the vet made a 'scary mistake' and rather than honesty and responsibility, she is playing defense, which is equally scary. I would stop the Metronidazole. It seems that Ember had a violent reaction to the overdose and needs time to process that assault. Also, why Metronidazole? Wasn't her last stool normal? I do not understand why the vet is prescribing it. Did she run tests on her stool? What was her diagnosis? I wish your trusted vet were available to you (and Ember). Is there any way you can contact her or get a referral for a vet who has experience with FeLK. I would not trust someone who resorts to the 'computer error' card. How is Ember now? How have her stools been? Fingers still crossed. Jane On Jan 25, 2008, at 9:27 PM, Lance wrote: I talked to the vet we saw last night to ask about the odd exhaling Ember did. We discussed it for awhile, and she really couldn't say with any certainty what might have caused it. She said that Ember's lungs sounded good, and I would think that a lung problem would be a likely component in causing something like that. I'll just be paying close attention to see if it happens again. It's a really good thing I called, because I found out that Ember had been over-prescribed. Frankly, the whole thing sounds a little fishy to me, though I want to trust this vet. The label printed out and placed on the Metronidazole bottle was for two 50mg pills twice a day. The vet told me that should be for only 1 50mg pill twice a day. She also indicated that this is a small dose. She said that this is a computer error, but she also *told* me before I left that it was two pills twice a day. I wonder when she was planning on calling me about this! I gave Ember two pills last night and two this morning, but I will not give her any meds tonight, and I'm really not sure of what to do in general. I hate to critique someone who has vast amounts of education and experience over me. But, I'm concerned that this vet is not exactly sure of what's going on. When Ember had diarrhea a year and a half ago, another vet (who is now our normal vet) prescribed one 50mg Metronidazole once a day, and she only gave me five or so to give (i never did). Since Metronidazole is considered a potential carcinogen in people, and has, in admittedly rare cases, essentially destroyed an animal's nervous system, I'm really wishing I had a second opinion. I just don't want to haul Ember to another vet. Any thoughts? Lance
Re: Ember and the Scary Mistake
Lance I am so happy to hear Ember ( I love her name) is feeling a bit better. My Tristan who is not felv+ had a problem with loose stool and he gets a fiber capsule every night and it is normal now.Dr. Jen said it it IBS irritable bowel syndrome.Take care of your baby girl and I will keep thinking good thoughts for you. Sherry and my 5 beautiful furkids,Rafferty,CousCous,Xander,Tristan abd Mystique :) Lance [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: I had a call in to the same vet late yesterday afternoon, and she got back to me earlier this morning. I wanted to clarify the doses, after doing some reading that alarmed me about Metronidazole. I don't want to give Ember more than she needs (or any, if it can be helped). I'm mostly okay with the outcome of the conversation. The vet wants me to only give Ember one 50mg pill a day, and only through Monday. I gave her the dose for today, so she only has two more. That seems more realistic to me. Given that Ember showed high bacterial overgrowth on her test, it will hopefully help to alleviate that, but it won't be going for so long (and with doses so high) as I'd originally been told. Ember is doing well as far as her behavior goes. I'm hoping to get her to snuggle down for a nap in a few minutes. She had a small but solid bm last night, and I'll probably try to get her back on a little dry food tomorrow. I'm really glad she likes to eat pumpkin! Thanks to all for your concern. It's a comfort to have you on my side when things aren't going so well. Lance On Jan 26, 2008, at 8:34 AM, Jane Lyons wrote: Computer error??? It sounds as though the vet made a 'scary mistake' and rather than honesty and responsibility, she is playing defense, which is equally scary. I would stop the Metronidazole. It seems that Ember had a violent reaction to the overdose and needs time to process that assault. Also, why Metronidazole? Wasn't her last stool normal? I do not understand why the vet is prescribing it. Did she run tests on her stool? What was her diagnosis? I wish your trusted vet were available to you (and Ember). Is there any way you can contact her or get a referral for a vet who has experience with FeLK. I would not trust someone who resorts to the 'computer error' card. How is Ember now? How have her stools been? Fingers still crossed. Jane On Jan 25, 2008, at 9:27 PM, Lance wrote: I talked to the vet we saw last night to ask about the odd exhaling Ember did. We discussed it for awhile, and she really couldn't say with any certainty what might have caused it. She said that Ember's lungs sounded good, and I would think that a lung problem would be a likely component in causing something like that. I'll just be paying close attention to see if it happens again. It's a really good thing I called, because I found out that Ember had been over-prescribed. Frankly, the whole thing sounds a little fishy to me, though I want to trust this vet. The label printed out and placed on the Metronidazole bottle was for two 50mg pills twice a day. The vet told me that should be for only 1 50mg pill twice a day. She also indicated that this is a small dose. She said that this is a computer error, but she also *told* me before I left that it was two pills twice a day. I wonder when she was planning on calling me about this! I gave Ember two pills last night and two this morning, but I will not give her any meds tonight, and I'm really not sure of what to do in general. I hate to critique someone who has vast amounts of education and experience over me. But, I'm concerned that this vet is not exactly sure of what's going on. When Ember had diarrhea a year and a half ago, another vet (who is now our normal vet) prescribed one 50mg Metronidazole once a day, and she only gave me five or so to give (i never did). Since Metronidazole is considered a potential carcinogen in people, and has, in admittedly rare cases, essentially destroyed an animal's nervous system, I'm really wishing I had a second opinion. I just don't want to haul Ember to another vet. Any thoughts? Lance - Be a better friend, newshound, and know-it-all with Yahoo! Mobile. Try it now.
RE: Ember
Kenzie and Caroline, I'll be watching Ember like a hawk to see what happens. I'm waiting to hear back from the vet to see what I should do. Unfortunately for me, my vet is still on leave, and her husband (who she'd designated to take her place while away) was booked yesterday. I'm okay with the vet she saw, but would have liked it to have been my original vet. The sound Ember made was weird. Thinking about it, it wasn't like an inhale-exhale-inhale panting, but more like a long, loud exhale, almost like trying to push something out of her throat. It was an hour or so after I gave her the Flagyl, so I'm really baffled. She got off the bed, didn't look too good (tail down) then walked over to the food bowl and started eating. I'm really ready to get home to see her... Lance On Fri, 25 Jan 2008 13:16:05 -0500, Caroline Kaufmann [EMAIL PROTECTED] said: Lance: I would just say to keep a close eye on that panting. When I was in high school, we had an overweight, long haired older cat that started panting like a dog. Problem was, it was mid-July and a very hot one at that. My dad was still practicing veterinary medicine part-time at that point and I kept trying to get him to pay attention to it, but he kept blowing me off. Ultimately, the cat died on us within a few days. We found out later that he was having liver failure. Another vet told us that panting in a cat should never be blown off like that or blamed on heat, etc. Basically, sustained panting in a cat CAN be a very serious situation, so keep that in mind and be vigilant (which I already know you are with her). (Side note- yes, that cat's death caused an even bigger rift in our family due to what we all thought was my dad's veterinary malpractice on our own cat. I threw a fit. I know it seems that might be nice to have a vet in the family, but keep in mind that it depends on the vet! Since we weren't paying customers sometimes, horribly, we got ignored. Sigh). caroline From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Subject: Re: Ember Date: Fri, 25 Jan 2008 07:43:42 -0600 Hi Jane, Thanks for thinking of us. Tests seemed to indicate that it's an issue of bacterial overgrowth in the GI tract. Vet prescribed 10 days of metronidazole for Ember. Ironically, Ember had a formed bowel movement only a few hours after we got home. I also discovered that Ember likes to eat pumpkin without it being stirred in to her food. That might come in handy. My only concern is with something Ember did last night, probably an hour or more after her first dose. She made a strange panting sound for about ten seconds. It was a deep, breathy noise. I didn't hear it at all the rest of the night, though I was asleep for most of it, so I might have missed a reoccurrence. I'm carbon copying the list on my reply to you, in case anyone else might have an idea. Lance On Fri, 25 Jan 2008 07:34:45 -0500, Jane Lyons said: Lance how is she ? I'm thinking of you, with fingers crossed. Jane -- Lance Linimon [EMAIL PROTECTED] _ Need to know the score, the latest news, or you need your Hotmail®-get your fix. http://www.msnmobilefix.com/Default.aspx -- Lance Linimon [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: Ember
Lance, could it be that it was the Flagyl that was lodged in her throat? Since her last stool was normal, maybe you should hold off on the Flagyl and just make sure that it wasn't panting, but rather trying to expel a pill. Don't panic...it could be the Flagyl (pill). Jane On Jan 25, 2008, at 2:49 PM, Lance wrote: Kenzie and Caroline, I'll be watching Ember like a hawk to see what happens. I'm waiting to hear back from the vet to see what I should do. Unfortunately for me, my vet is still on leave, and her husband (who she'd designated to take her place while away) was booked yesterday. I'm okay with the vet she saw, but would have liked it to have been my original vet. The sound Ember made was weird. Thinking about it, it wasn't like an inhale-exhale-inhale panting, but more like a long, loud exhale, almost like trying to push something out of her throat. It was an hour or so after I gave her the Flagyl, so I'm really baffled. She got off the bed, didn't look too good (tail down) then walked over to the food bowl and started eating. I'm really ready to get home to see her... Lance On Fri, 25 Jan 2008 13:16:05 -0500, Caroline Kaufmann [EMAIL PROTECTED] said: Lance: I would just say to keep a close eye on that panting. When I was in high school, we had an overweight, long haired older cat that started panting like a dog. Problem was, it was mid-July and a very hot one at that. My dad was still practicing veterinary medicine part-time at that point and I kept trying to get him to pay attention to it, but he kept blowing me off. Ultimately, the cat died on us within a few days. We found out later that he was having liver failure. Another vet told us that panting in a cat should never be blown off like that or blamed on heat, etc. Basically, sustained panting in a cat CAN be a very serious situation, so keep that in mind and be vigilant (which I already know you are with her). (Side note- yes, that cat's death caused an even bigger rift in our family due to what we all thought was my dad's veterinary malpractice on our own cat. I threw a fit. I know it seems that might be nice to have a vet in the family, but keep in mind that it depends on the vet! Since we weren't paying customers sometimes, horribly, we got ignored. Sigh). caroline From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Subject: Re: Ember Date: Fri, 25 Jan 2008 07:43:42 -0600 Hi Jane, Thanks for thinking of us. Tests seemed to indicate that it's an issue of bacterial overgrowth in the GI tract. Vet prescribed 10 days of metronidazole for Ember. Ironically, Ember had a formed bowel movement only a few hours after we got home. I also discovered that Ember likes to eat pumpkin without it being stirred in to her food. That might come in handy. My only concern is with something Ember did last night, probably an hour or more after her first dose. She made a strange panting sound for about ten seconds. It was a deep, breathy noise. I didn't hear it at all the rest of the night, though I was asleep for most of it, so I might have missed a reoccurrence. I'm carbon copying the list on my reply to you, in case anyone else might have an idea. Lance On Fri, 25 Jan 2008 07:34:45 -0500, Jane Lyons said: Lance how is she ? I'm thinking of you, with fingers crossed. Jane -- Lance Linimon [EMAIL PROTECTED] _ Need to know the score, the latest news, or you need your Hotmail®- get your fix. http://www.msnmobilefix.com/Default.aspx -- Lance Linimon [EMAIL PROTECTED]
RE: Ember
Lance: I would just say to keep a close eye on that panting. When I was in high school, we had an overweight, long haired older cat that started panting like a dog. Problem was, it was mid-July and a very hot one at that. My dad was still practicing veterinary medicine part-time at that point and I kept trying to get him to pay attention to it, but he kept blowing me off. Ultimately, the cat died on us within a few days. We found out later that he was having liver failure. Another vet told us that panting in a cat should never be blown off like that or blamed on heat, etc. Basically, sustained panting in a cat CAN be a very serious situation, so keep that in mind and be vigilant (which I already know you are with her). (Side note- yes, that cat's death caused an even bigger rift in our family due to what we all thought was my dad's veterinary malpractice on our own cat. I threw a fit. I know it seems that might be nice to have a vet in the family, but keep in mind that it depends on the vet! Since we weren't paying customers sometimes, horribly, we got ignored. Sigh). caroline From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Subject: Re: Ember Date: Fri, 25 Jan 2008 07:43:42 -0600 Hi Jane, Thanks for thinking of us. Tests seemed to indicate that it's an issue of bacterial overgrowth in the GI tract. Vet prescribed 10 days of metronidazole for Ember. Ironically, Ember had a formed bowel movement only a few hours after we got home. I also discovered that Ember likes to eat pumpkin without it being stirred in to her food. That might come in handy. My only concern is with something Ember did last night, probably an hour or more after her first dose. She made a strange panting sound for about ten seconds. It was a deep, breathy noise. I didn't hear it at all the rest of the night, though I was asleep for most of it, so I might have missed a reoccurrence. I'm carbon copying the list on my reply to you, in case anyone else might have an idea. Lance On Fri, 25 Jan 2008 07:34:45 -0500, Jane Lyons said: Lance how is she ? I'm thinking of you, with fingers crossed. Jane -- Lance Linimon [EMAIL PROTECTED] _ Need to know the score, the latest news, or you need your Hotmail®-get your fix. http://www.msnmobilefix.com/Default.aspx
Re: Ember
Hi Jane, Thanks for thinking of us. Tests seemed to indicate that it's an issue of bacterial overgrowth in the GI tract. Vet prescribed 10 days of metronidazole for Ember. Ironically, Ember had a formed bowel movement only a few hours after we got home. I also discovered that Ember likes to eat pumpkin without it being stirred in to her food. That might come in handy. My only concern is with something Ember did last night, probably an hour or more after her first dose. She made a strange panting sound for about ten seconds. It was a deep, breathy noise. I didn't hear it at all the rest of the night, though I was asleep for most of it, so I might have missed a reoccurrence. I'm carbon copying the list on my reply to you, in case anyone else might have an idea. Lance On Fri, 25 Jan 2008 07:34:45 -0500, Jane Lyons said: Lance how is she ? I'm thinking of you, with fingers crossed. Jane -- Lance Linimon [EMAIL PROTECTED]
RE: Ember and (now) weight gain
I feed mine Wellness wet--- have two who just put on the pounds if they so much look at food. But I also have 3 who must have some dry food and I did try the Wellness dry. None of them really liked it--and I tried twice. I feed wet primarily but give them a bit of dry in the late evening. Christiane Biagi 914-632-4672 Cell: 914-720-6888 [EMAIL PROTECTED] Katrina Animal Reunion Team (KART) www.findkpets.org Join Us Help Reunite Katrina-displaced Families with their Animals -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Lance Sent: Monday, November 19, 2007 12:49 PM To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Subject: Ember and (now) weight gain Hello List, As you may recall, I posted a few weeks back about my FeLV+ girl, Ember, having lost weight since last January. I'd taken her off of EVO dry due to serious diarrhea. I don't think EVO is a bad food, and she did very well on it for many months before the diarrhea. Unfortunately, when I pulled dry food, Ember dropped almost 1.5 pounds over nine months or so. I've put Ember on one of the Wellness dry formulas, and she's gained about 8/10ths of a pound back. I'm pretty pleased. I'm curious to know what people think of Wellness, specifically of the pouched chunky food vs. the canned. Also, I purchased some Wellness CORE, but I'm a bit concerned it'll be too much for her. She's just getting the standard Wellness chicken dry food for now. I've found that Ember's appetite is easily stimulated with Kitty Kaviar, and at someone's suggestion, I've been putting just a bit of salt on the wet EVO that she still gets, and this seems to help. I'm very relived that dry food did the trick, and my vet is, too. This has been a Fluffy Pants status update. Lance -- Lance Linimon [EMAIL PROTECTED]
RE: Ember and (now) weight gain
I LOOOVE the Wellness! All my cats are on it- personal cats and fosters. I have some foster kittens under 1 year old, so they are on Wellness canned kitten (at night) and the Wellness chicken dry that is for kittens and adults. They love love love it. I have one cat that is 1 year and 2 months and she eats the dry wellness with the kittens and then regular adult wellness canned at night. I did have her on Wellness Core for months. She came to me as a rescued owner surrender to metro AC and altho she was already a spayed, declawed, indoor house cat, she seems skinny and teeny for her age- at that time, almost 1 year. Her neck was really small and she looked funny/frail- altho she's a tortie- she seemed to have a siamese face- and I realized now it's b/c she was just slightly undernourished, but not so much to have affected her skin and coat yet. She packed on muscle after being with me only 2 weeks. Now, she's a super healthy 1 year old and she's beefy- but doesn't have an once of fat on her. I really think the months of Core really beefed her up. However, when I started taking in more kittens and feeding them the regular wellness dry, she started trying to always eat it. She liked the Core, but she PREFERRED the regular wellness more. Eventually, I had to transition her to wellness dry as it was easier to keep everyone on the same food and the kittens really shouldn't be eating non-kitten food like Core. So, I think either is good. While I suspect the Core- being that it's based on the raw food diet for cats- would be the most protein-packed, the regular wellness that is for kittens and adults is still really really good. You can put Ember on kitten wet food since you are worried about her weight loss and caloric intake. It doesn't matter how old she is...if she had lost weight and needs to beef up, the extra calories in kitten food is essential. I would feed her Wellness kitten. Mine love it and it's just so high-qual- you can tell just by looking at it. I have had kittens turn down Science Diet kitten wet, but none so far can resist the wellness! I have given the new wellness pouches only to my 1 year old tortie as a treat meal about once a week. They do have a lot of gravy and you will notice the canned wellness is not swimming in gravy, so I didn't want her to get fat. I think kitten wet wellness would be preferable to feed Ember than a diet of the pouches, but that's just me. I think they are nice as a special treat, but my tortie doesn't seem to care, as she loves any wellness wet- whether from a can or a pouch! You can also try adding some supplements to the wet food like Nutrical- to get in even more calories. The biggest danger with a cat with weight loss is fatty liver disease and Nutrical alone (for a cat not eating at all), can stave this off. I have added it to the food of the starving, malnourished outside cat I found a while ago and it worked well. Other supplements I use on foster kittens who need to beef up and get extra calories and help fighting off URIs are: Brewer's yeast (but start adding it very slowly for a cat- just a sprinkle and work your way up from there); Just Born with Colostrum- which you can order online. It can be used as a supplement for kittens and adult cats- sprinkle and mix into wet food- it's not just a powdered milk formula for baby kitties. Since Ember is Felv+, if you aren't already using this, you need to b/c of the colostrum that's in it. One container lasts a long long time, so it's worth it; also, L-Lysine; and Salmon oil. I don't use all supplements in each meal- I alternate them. I find the cats actually like the Brewer's yeast the most being added to their food-- they can tell when it's in there and when I forgot to add it/was being lazy. My tortie will not eat all her wet food unless she has some BY in it! I think a lot of this info is a repeat of past posts, so if you want more detailed info about Brewer's Yeast and/or colostrum and Just Born, you can look thru the archives for emails with these topic headlines b/c I know they were discussed back over the past summer and fall. You can also look for my ?'s and answers I received to my posts about my malnorished rescue cat from the summer. There should be info there about beefing up a cat with weight loss -Caroline From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Subject: Ember and (now) weight gain Date: Mon, 19 Nov 2007 11:49:13 -0600 Hello List, As you may recall, I posted a few weeks back about my FeLV+ girl, Ember, having lost weight since last January. I'd taken her off of EVO dry due to serious diarrhea. I don't think EVO is a bad food, and she did very well on it for many months before the diarrhea. Unfortunately, when I pulled dry food, Ember dropped almost 1.5 pounds over nine months or so. I've put Ember on one of the Wellness dry formulas, and she's gained about
Re: Ember and (now) weight gain
Hi Lance Glad that Ember is gaining weight ...that is really good news. The Whole Dog Journal does a yearly evaluation of commercial pet food and they always rate Wellness very highly. I discovered Petguard (wet) which is the Whole Foods label. It is the first food that MeMe really loves and it has helped her kick her Fancy Feast habit and to gain almost two (needed) pounds. Lance, where do you get Maitake DMG liquid? We are coming to the end of a large bottle that we got from the vet and I need to order more. Thanks always for your help. Jane On Nov 19, 2007, at 12:49 PM, Lance wrote: Hello List, As you may recall, I posted a few weeks back about my FeLV+ girl, Ember, having lost weight since last January. I'd taken her off of EVO dry due to serious diarrhea. I don't think EVO is a bad food, and she did very well on it for many months before the diarrhea. Unfortunately, when I pulled dry food, Ember dropped almost 1.5 pounds over nine months or so. I've put Ember on one of the Wellness dry formulas, and she's gained about 8/10ths of a pound back. I'm pretty pleased. I'm curious to know what people think of Wellness, specifically of the pouched chunky food vs. the canned. Also, I purchased some Wellness CORE, but I'm a bit concerned it'll be too much for her. She's just getting the standard Wellness chicken dry food for now. I've found that Ember's appetite is easily stimulated with Kitty Kaviar, and at someone's suggestion, I've been putting just a bit of salt on the wet EVO that she still gets, and this seems to help. I'm very relived that dry food did the trick, and my vet is, too. This has been a Fluffy Pants status update. Lance -- Lance Linimon [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Update Re: Ember and weight loss
Thank you Jane, MC, Marylyn, Caroline, Tonya, Belinda and Wendy for your thoughts and advice. I wanted to wait for a week or so in order to report back what I hoped would be a uptick in Ember's weight. Unfortunately, she's still hanging around the general 9 1/12 pounds area. Probably optimistic of me to think that just more regular Sheba would push it up. I picked up a baby scale last week so that I can weigh her here at home. I ordered small bags of Wellness CORE, Wellness Adult Complete Health Chicken and EVO based on what y'all said. I'm going to try the EVO again in smaller portions, and since it's something of a kitten food, I'm hoping it'll help put some weight back on. If there's a problem with it, I have the Wellness options to fall back on. Marylyn, I looked at Just Born and may pick up some. I'm just unsure about mixing that and Transfer Factor, since TF has colostrum (or something colostrum-esque). Looked interesting, though, especially since they mentioned giving it to pregnant or nursing adults. Once I get the dry food (hopefully by the end of the week), I'm going to give Ember a few more weeks before I take her back in, hoping that her weight will go up. If not, I'll definitely look into the thyroid tests. My vet didn't seem to think the thyroid could be the problem, and the symptoms I've read about for kitty thyroid issues don't seem to match what's going on here, but I'd rather be safe than sorry. Thank you all again for your replies. Lance
Re: Ember and weight loss
Yes, if you go this route ask for a full thyroid panel. There is a 'basic' test. I don't remember which one.. which can come out negative when your cat really does have a thyroid problem. t wendy [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Hey Lance, Checking the thyroid is a good idea because cats with thyroid issues often can't gain weight no matter how much they eat. Let us know how the test goes. The test is called a T4, and some vets also take a free T4. I don't know what else to tell you about the weight loss. Did your vet offer any other possible explanations? You could try to introduce the Evo back slowly as you said. If she has another reaction, maybe she has an allergy to something in the food, which would be good for you to know. :) Wendy Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world - indeed it is the only thing that ever has! ~~~ Margaret Meade ~~~ - Original Message From: Lance To: Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Sent: Thursday, September 27, 2007 5:39:01 PM Subject: Ember and weight loss Ember went to the vet today for a CBC. We go roughly every three months. For the last eight or nine months, Ember has been losing weight. This particular problem started around last Christmas, when Ember developed diarrhea, and I had no idea of how to get rid of it. Pumpkin helped a little, but I was reluctant to try anything else, especially since it really didn't seem to be an infection. I decided to take Ember off of Innova EVO dry, and the diarrhea almost promptly went away. Since then, Ember has been dropping weight. She's lost about 1.8 pounds since that time until today, when she weighed 9.5 pounds. Now, this might be my fault. I hope it is, as that would be the easiest thing to fix. I've only been giving her a can of EVO a day for most of the time, and that might not be enough. In the last few weeks, I've also given her two cans of Sheba a week as treats. Ember's CBC was normal, which, in her case, means good red blood cell count, and just below normal white blood cell count. The vet doesn't think that this is thyroid-related, but I might have her run that test on Ember in a few weeks. Ember eats well (especially the Sheba). She is playful and loving as always. Should I try a brand new bag of EVO dry to see what adding that back might do? I would add that *very slowly*. Would it be okay for me to bump up Sheba, and has anyone fed much Sheba? The vet wanted Ember to come back in to be weighed in a few weeks, but I'd rather do that at home. Is there a postal or baby scale with which anyone here has had good results? Thank you, Lance Don't let your dream ride pass you by. Make it a reality with Yahoo! Autos. http://autos.yahoo.com/index.html
Re: Ember and weight loss
FreeT4 is the test you want to do if there is any possibility of the T4 being incorrect. Fred's T4 was normal but his FreeT4 showed he was in the early stages of hyperthyroid, so we caught it early and he only needed a very low dose of iodine when he had the treatment and I got to bring him home the next day. -- Belinda happiness is being owned by cats ... Be-Mi-Kitties http://bemikitties.com Post Adoptable FeLV/FIV/FIP Cats/Kittens http://adopt.bemikitties.com FeLV Candlelight Service http://bemikitties.com/cls HostDesign4U.com [affordable hosting web design] http://HostDesign4U.com BMK Designs [non-profit animals websites] http://bmk.bemikitties.com
Re: Ember and weight loss
Hey Lance, Checking the thyroid is a good idea because cats with thyroid issues often can't gain weight no matter how much they eat. Let us know how the test goes. The test is called a T4, and some vets also take a free T4. I don't know what else to tell you about the weight loss. Did your vet offer any other possible explanations? You could try to introduce the Evo back slowly as you said. If she has another reaction, maybe she has an allergy to something in the food, which would be good for you to know. :) Wendy Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world - indeed it is the only thing that ever has! ~~~ Margaret Meade ~~~ - Original Message From: Lance [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Sent: Thursday, September 27, 2007 5:39:01 PM Subject: Ember and weight loss Ember went to the vet today for a CBC. We go roughly every three months. For the last eight or nine months, Ember has been losing weight. This particular problem started around last Christmas, when Ember developed diarrhea, and I had no idea of how to get rid of it. Pumpkin helped a little, but I was reluctant to try anything else, especially since it really didn't seem to be an infection. I decided to take Ember off of Innova EVO dry, and the diarrhea almost promptly went away. Since then, Ember has been dropping weight. She's lost about 1.8 pounds since that time until today, when she weighed 9.5 pounds. Now, this might be my fault. I hope it is, as that would be the easiest thing to fix. I've only been giving her a can of EVO a day for most of the time, and that might not be enough. In the last few weeks, I've also given her two cans of Sheba a week as treats. Ember's CBC was normal, which, in her case, means good red blood cell count, and just below normal white blood cell count. The vet doesn't think that this is thyroid-related, but I might have her run that test on Ember in a few weeks. Ember eats well (especially the Sheba). She is playful and loving as always. Should I try a brand new bag of EVO dry to see what adding that back might do? I would add that *very slowly*. Would it be okay for me to bump up Sheba, and has anyone fed much Sheba? The vet wanted Ember to come back in to be weighed in a few weeks, but I'd rather do that at home. Is there a postal or baby scale with which anyone here has had good results? Thank you, Lance Don't let your dream ride pass you by. Make it a reality with Yahoo! Autos. http://autos.yahoo.com/index.html
Re: Ember and weight loss
What were his creatinine, BUN, phosphorus, potassium and HCT, those are the big numbers concerning CRF? What lab were they sent to? -- Belinda happiness is being owned by cats ... Be-Mi-Kitties http://bemikitties.com Post Adoptable FeLV/FIV/FIP Cats/Kittens http://adopt.bemikitties.com FeLV Candlelight Service http://bemikitties.com/cls HostDesign4U.com [affordable hosting web design] http://HostDesign4U.com BMK Designs [non-profit animals websites] http://bmk.bemikitties.com
Re: Ember and weight loss
I don't know. I was floored recently to get two totally different reads on Bob's cbc's when I took him to a new vet. You might try going for a second opinion. My 'old' vet said cbc looked fine. My 'new' vet said the values showed the beginnings of crf and wants to start fluids and medications. I know it's expensive, but I was really floored at the different diagnoses I received within 2 weeks on the same cat and same symptoms. tonya Lance [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Ember went to the vet today for a CBC. We go roughly every three months. For the last eight or nine months, Ember has been losing weight. This particular problem started around last Christmas, when Ember developed diarrhea, and I had no idea of how to get rid of it. Pumpkin helped a little, but I was reluctant to try anything else, especially since it really didn't seem to be an infection. I decided to take Ember off of Innova EVO dry, and the diarrhea almost promptly went away. Since then, Ember has been dropping weight. She's lost about 1.8 pounds since that time until today, when she weighed 9.5 pounds. Now, this might be my fault. I hope it is, as that would be the easiest thing to fix. I've only been giving her a can of EVO a day for most of the time, and that might not be enough. In the last few weeks, I've also given her two cans of Sheba a week as treats. Ember's CBC was normal, which, in her case, means good red blood cell count, and just below normal white blood cell count. The vet doesn't think that this is thyroid-related, but I might have her run that test on Ember in a few weeks. Ember eats well (especially the Sheba). She is playful and loving as always. Should I try a brand new bag of EVO dry to see what adding that back might do? I would add that *very slowly*. Would it be okay for me to bump up Sheba, and has anyone fed much Sheba? The vet wanted Ember to come back in to be weighed in a few weeks, but I'd rather do that at home. Is there a postal or baby scale with which anyone here has had good results? Thank you, Lance
Re: Ember and weight loss
there are a couple of websites you can find with just normal searches that explain what all the test values should be, so you can help evaluate your vet's evaluation. i think i found them through a, feline blood test results search. (i'm still not back on my main computer, so can't find half my stuff.) even some of the standards are different--i think it seemed as if they might have changed in the past years? so some vets may be working with older guidelines. and it's not ALWAYS the numbers--it's the constellation of symptoms that count. a cat can have HORRIBLE numbers, but be so strong, or have more things to accomplish on its journey here, that it stays around way longer than it should--likewise, a kitty who tests out fine can crash in less than 24 hours. learn what values are most important in what conditions: belinda listed the ones for kidney problems; there's a different set for liver. that way, if you vet says your cat's bun is really high, and it's 36, you can say, um, well perhaps the most valuable thing this list can teach us is NOT to assume that our veterinarians know everything, or have encountered everything. what matters is their willingness to learn, to be open to our questions and the information we bring them from our own sources, and their commitment to we, their clients, and our cats. MC On 9/28/07, Belinda [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: What were his creatinine, BUN, phosphorus, potassium and HCT, those are the big numbers concerning CRF? What lab were they sent to? -- Belinda happiness is being owned by cats ... Be-Mi-Kitties http://bemikitties.com Post Adoptable FeLV/FIV/FIP Cats/Kittens http://adopt.bemikitties.com FeLV Candlelight Service http://bemikitties.com/cls HostDesign4U.com [affordable hosting web design] http://HostDesign4U.com BMK Designs [non-profit animals websites] http://bmk.bemikitties.com -- Spay Neuter Your Neighbors! Maybe That'll Make The Difference MaryChristine AIM / YAHOO: TenHouseCats MSN: [EMAIL PROTECTED] ICQ: 289856892
Re: Ember and weight loss
Hi Lance, Nina suggested I try feeding dry 'kitten' food (any decent brand) because the caloric value is much higher. I did, and MeMe has been eating it and steadily gaining weight. If Ember likes Sheba, I would bump it up. If she needs to gain weight I'd offer her anything (again, decent quality) that she will eat. I had to give up the notion of feeding a species appropriate diet. I am just grateful that she is eating dry kitten and gaining weight. I give her Sheba and a variety of 'quality' wet food that she sometimes tolerates if it is covered with warm water and 'lapable'. Hope she can pack some ounces back on. Jane On Sep 27, 2007, at 6:39 PM, Lance wrote: Ember went to the vet today for a CBC. We go roughly every three months. For the last eight or nine months, Ember has been losing weight. This particular problem started around last Christmas, when Ember developed diarrhea, and I had no idea of how to get rid of it. Pumpkin helped a little, but I was reluctant to try anything else, especially since it really didn't seem to be an infection. I decided to take Ember off of Innova EVO dry, and the diarrhea almost promptly went away. Since then, Ember has been dropping weight. She's lost about 1.8 pounds since that time until today, when she weighed 9.5 pounds. Now, this might be my fault. I hope it is, as that would be the easiest thing to fix. I've only been giving her a can of EVO a day for most of the time, and that might not be enough. In the last few weeks, I've also given her two cans of Sheba a week as treats. Ember's CBC was normal, which, in her case, means good red blood cell count, and just below normal white blood cell count. The vet doesn't think that this is thyroid-related, but I might have her run that test on Ember in a few weeks. Ember eats well (especially the Sheba). She is playful and loving as always. Should I try a brand new bag of EVO dry to see what adding that back might do? I would add that *very slowly*. Would it be okay for me to bump up Sheba, and has anyone fed much Sheba? The vet wanted Ember to come back in to be weighed in a few weeks, but I'd rather do that at home. Is there a postal or baby scale with which anyone here has had good results? Thank you, Lance
Re: Ember and weight loss
i think that many of us have found, no matter what WE might have thought, that sometimes the best diet for a cat--especially one with an underlying problem--is whatever the heck they'll eat we all know 20-year-old cats who've never seen anything but meowmix, after all. sigh. wondering if you did any probiotics stuff when she had the diarrhea--i know that i've heard that sometimes the EVO can cause it, but so MANY things can cause diarrhea that it's often hard to track down. for my kids, i do a slurry of pumpkin and yogurt--they love it (well, jess doesn't even wait for the yogurt to be added--or for the pumpkin to be out of the can, for that matter), it's good for them, it adds in good gut flora (it's cheap) if the sheba is making her happy, well, i'd go for it. i'm also with nina on dry kitten food in terms of calories, but it's so rich that for SOME adults, it can cause the runs as well ember's being happy and playful is really the most important thing, tho... unfortunately, i have no answers, but sometimes the numbers aren't the most important things... MC On 9/27/07, Lance [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Ember went to the vet today for a CBC. We go roughly every three months. For the last eight or nine months, Ember has been losing weight. This particular problem started around last Christmas, when Ember developed diarrhea, and I had no idea of how to get rid of it. Pumpkin helped a little, but I was reluctant to try anything else, especially since it really didn't seem to be an infection. I decided to take Ember off of Innova EVO dry, and the diarrhea almost promptly went away. Since then, Ember has been dropping weight. She's lost about 1.8 pounds since that time until today, when she weighed 9.5 pounds. Now, this might be my fault. I hope it is, as that would be the easiest thing to fix. I've only been giving her a can of EVO a day for most of the time, and that might not be enough. In the last few weeks, I've also given her two cans of Sheba a week as treats. Ember's CBC was normal, which, in her case, means good red blood cell count, and just below normal white blood cell count. The vet doesn't think that this is thyroid-related, but I might have her run that test on Ember in a few weeks. Ember eats well (especially the Sheba). She is playful and loving as always. Should I try a brand new bag of EVO dry to see what adding that back might do? I would add that *very slowly*. Would it be okay for me to bump up Sheba, and has anyone fed much Sheba? The vet wanted Ember to come back in to be weighed in a few weeks, but I'd rather do that at home. Is there a postal or baby scale with which anyone here has had good results? Thank you, Lance -- Spay Neuter Your Neighbors! Maybe That'll Make The Difference MaryChristine AIM / YAHOO: TenHouseCats MSN: [EMAIL PROTECTED] ICQ: 289856892
RE: Ember and weight loss
We had a 19 year old cat that ate nothing but wet Whiskas (microwaved!) her entire life!!! My mom and I laugh and laugh about that now that we are spending so much money on Wellness and supplements! Who knows?! I try to tell her that now with the proper food and supplements, maybe our normal- non-Felv cats- will live to be 30! -Caroline Date: Thu, 27 Sep 2007 19:32:59 -0400From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]: [EMAIL PROTECTED]: Re: Ember and weight lossi think that many of us have found, no matter what WE might have thought, that sometimes the best diet for a cat--especially one with an underlying problem--is whatever the heck they'll eat we all know 20-year-old cats who've never seen anything but meowmix, after all. sigh. wondering if you did any probiotics stuff when she had the diarrhea--i know that i've heard that sometimes the EVO can cause it, but so MANY things can cause diarrhea that it's often hard to track down. for my kids, i do a slurry of pumpkin and yogurt--they love it (well, jess doesn't even wait for the yogurt to be added--or for the pumpkin to be out of the can, for that matter), it's good for them, it adds in good gut flora (it's cheap) if the sheba is making her happy, well, i'd go for it. i'm also with nina on dry kitten food in terms of calories, but it's so rich that for SOME adults, it can cause the runs as well ember's being happy and playful is really the most important thing, tho... unfortunately, i have no answers, but sometimes the numbers aren't the most important things... MC On 9/27/07, Lance [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Ember went to the vet today for a CBC. We go roughly every three months. For the last eight or nine months, Ember has been losingweight. This particular problem started around last Christmas, whenEmber developed diarrhea, and I had no idea of how to get rid of it.Pumpkin helped a little, but I was reluctant to try anything else, especially since it really didn't seem to be an infection. I decidedto take Ember off of Innova EVO dry, and the diarrhea almost promptlywent away.Since then, Ember has been dropping weight. She's lost about 1.8pounds since that time until today, when she weighed 9.5 pounds. Now,this might be my fault. I hope it is, as that would be the easiestthing to fix. I've only been giving her a can of EVO a day for most of the time, and that might not be enough. In the last few weeks,I've also given her two cans of Sheba a week as treats.Ember's CBC was normal, which, in her case, means good red blood cellcount, and just below normal white blood cell count. The vet doesn't think that this is thyroid-related, but I might have her run thattest on Ember in a few weeks.Ember eats well (especially the Sheba). She is playful and loving asalways. Should I try a brand new bag of EVO dry to see what adding that back might do? I would add that *very slowly*. Would it be okayfor me to bump up Sheba, and has anyone fed much Sheba? The vetwanted Ember to come back in to be weighed in a few weeks, but I'drather do that at home. Is there a postal or baby scale with which anyone here has had good results?Thank you,Lance-- Spay Neuter Your Neighbors!Maybe That'll Make The DifferenceMaryChristine AIM / YAHOO: TenHouseCatsMSN: [EMAIL PROTECTED]: 289856892 _ Explore the seven wonders of the world http://search.msn.com/results.aspx?q=7+wonders+worldmkt=en-USform=QBRE
Re: Ember and weight loss
I'm a big believer in Just Born with Colostrum..high quality/high calorie in powder or pre- mixed. I frequently add it to food for Dixie as well as for the ferals who are going into the winter and need to bulk up. Dixie and the Royal Princess Kitty Katt enjoy(ed) the pre-mixed for snacks/treats. Dixie really enjoys full fat yogurt too. PC (who knows his history) enjoys yogurt (full of probiotics) too. If you have men who will exclude any of God's creatures from the shelter of compassion and pity, you will have men who will deal likewise with their fellow man. St. Francis - Original Message - From: Jane Lyons [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Sent: Thursday, September 27, 2007 6:22 PM Subject: Re: Ember and weight loss Hi Lance, Nina suggested I try feeding dry 'kitten' food (any decent brand) because the caloric value is much higher. I did, and MeMe has been eating it and steadily gaining weight. If Ember likes Sheba, I would bump it up. If she needs to gain weight I'd offer her anything (again, decent quality) that she will eat. I had to give up the notion of feeding a species appropriate diet. I am just grateful that she is eating dry kitten and gaining weight. I give her Sheba and a variety of 'quality' wet food that she sometimes tolerates if it is covered with warm water and 'lapable'. Hope she can pack some ounces back on. Jane On Sep 27, 2007, at 6:39 PM, Lance wrote: Ember went to the vet today for a CBC. We go roughly every three months. For the last eight or nine months, Ember has been losing weight. This particular problem started around last Christmas, when Ember developed diarrhea, and I had no idea of how to get rid of it. Pumpkin helped a little, but I was reluctant to try anything else, especially since it really didn't seem to be an infection. I decided to take Ember off of Innova EVO dry, and the diarrhea almost promptly went away. Since then, Ember has been dropping weight. She's lost about 1.8 pounds since that time until today, when she weighed 9.5 pounds. Now, this might be my fault. I hope it is, as that would be the easiest thing to fix. I've only been giving her a can of EVO a day for most of the time, and that might not be enough. In the last few weeks, I've also given her two cans of Sheba a week as treats. Ember's CBC was normal, which, in her case, means good red blood cell count, and just below normal white blood cell count. The vet doesn't think that this is thyroid-related, but I might have her run that test on Ember in a few weeks. Ember eats well (especially the Sheba). She is playful and loving as always. Should I try a brand new bag of EVO dry to see what adding that back might do? I would add that *very slowly*. Would it be okay for me to bump up Sheba, and has anyone fed much Sheba? The vet wanted Ember to come back in to be weighed in a few weeks, but I'd rather do that at home. Is there a postal or baby scale with which anyone here has had good results? Thank you, Lance
To Lance: Re: Ember update
Hi Lance, It sounds like you had some mixed news at the vets, some good, some bad. I think it's fantastic that Ember is not anemic. I would much rather be dealing with WBC issues than RBC issues, since low WBC could be so many different things, some easily corrected. I don't know of any vets who have had VO experience, but you might post that as the subject heading if you don't get good response to this post. I think you are doing exactly the right thing by doing your own research and looking to talk with people who have experience with the VO. I think people from the UK have an advantage on us when it comes to that. I could cross post this if you'd like me to on the hyperT site I belong to. There are a lot of UK members there that might be able to help you out or cross post elsewhere. You might also consider calling or writing to one of the veterinary colleges about this. I wrote Dr. August at Texas AM University concerning the overdosing of newly diagnosed hyperthyroid kitties back in February, and he called me. He's over feline internal medicine, very active in the veterinary community, a very nice man, and might be able to point you in the right direction. I had to write to him because they would not put me through to his voicemail when I called because I was not a student or a vet. It was a bit frustrating, but since I'm a better writer than speaker, it probably worked out better. Keep us posted on Ember. I bet she will gain her weight back in no time! :) Wendy Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world - indeed it is the only thing that ever has! ~~~ Margaret Meade ~~~ __ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com
Re: Ember update
Lance, All my prayers and good wishes that whatever is causing Ember's weight loss and lowered wbc is transitory and that she continues to be her perfect little self in every way. I really respect my Internist and her office did help me get my VO, but I don't think I'd call them experts on it's use. They were the ones that made up the vet info package for the FDA dispensation, so I know they are willing to help other vets. You or your vet's office could contact my vet's liaison, Michelle Rose, at Veterinary Medical and Surgical Group in Ventura CA (805-339-2290) and see if they can help. Blessings, Nina Lance wrote: First, thank you Nina and Wendy for your thoughts on the VO situation. Ember had an appt. today, and we got some disappointing results. She's lost 7/10ths of a pound since her last visit in February. I think some of that can be attributed to my switching foods and some schedule changes. Hopefully, there isn't anything serious causing that particular issue. Unfortunately, her WBC is down again to 4.7 from 5.5 two months ago. Fortunately, she is not anemic this time. Her RBC is still hanging at the mid-normal point (I think it was 36.2 or 36.5). I'm fairly certain that we'll be ordering the VO soon, since there is a symptom (low WBC). Does anyone happen to know a vet who has had lots of experience with VO and immune system issues, including FeLV? I'd like to set up a consult call with someone knowledgeable of the road we're preparing to take. Lance
Re: Ember update: wbc back to normal
Lance, Thank you for keeping us posted about Ember. It sounds like you are giving her the very best of care. I'm so glad she is better. Love and hugs to you both. elizabeth In a message dated 11/24/06 15:16:02 Central Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: I've been meaning to write about this for a week now. Last Thursday, Ember went back to the vet for a CBC. She had a low white blood cell count a month before (3.6 or 3.7). Her wbc was back to low-normal (I think it was a 5 or 5.1), and her platelets were up. Overall, our vet was very happy with her bloodwork. She has lost about a half pound of weight, though the vet said (and I hoped/agreed) that it was because I'd tinkered with her food to get her supplements in. She weighs 10.5 lbs., and as he put it, I'm happy with that weight, so if she's not losing next month, we're in good shape for now. For those wanting to know, I put Ember on several supplements over the month between her two CBCs. I started her on VetriScience's Liquid DMG, using the recommended dose. I also started her on Transfer Factor Plus Advanced, putting one capsule worth in her food a day. She has been on interferon alpha, but I forgot to order it until we were almost out, and the vet somehow didn't order it in time, so we missed a few doses. She's back on the five on/five off protocol. Just an FYI. Lance
Re: Ember and IR
This is just from my own experience so far with Smokey. The first CBC he had done with the old vet showed low wbc and platelets. This is when they decided to test him again for feline leukemia. I started him on the immuno-regulin and had another CBC done about a month 1/2 ago and all of his blood work was in the normal range this time. So I don't know if it was the immuno-regulin or not. All I do know is that his blood work was better this last time and he hasn't had anymore fevers since March of this year. I hope this might. Cindy Reasoner --- Nina [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Okay, I think I found it. Unfortunately it doesn't give us much information, but it does give a little hope: [EMAIL PROTECTED] mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] (Chris) When my Tucson was first diagnosed last year, her white blood cell count was very low. Vet gave her a series of immuno-regulin shots it shot back up. She developed a UTI months later again her wbc went down-another series of shots it went back up. He also put her on some vitamins, immuno-support vitamin c. Don't know what did it but it worked. I have not seen any posts about immuno-regulin but my vet seems to like it has found it useful I too would like to hear about anyone else's experiences with it... Nina wrote: I sent this yesterday, but it never showed up in my inbox. I sent it off list to Lance, but I haven't heard from him. Did anyone get this message? I'm going to look through the posts I've saved on IR and see if I can find the post that Michelle's talking about. It makes sense that it might boost wbc, depending on what is causing the problem. Big hugs and prayers to Lance and Ember, Nina __ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com
Re: Ember and IR
Hi Nina and Cindy, Thanks for the info and anecdotal experience. I know that my vet uses IR with dogs. I'm assuming he uses it for the skin problem that is its on label purpose. I'm not sure if he'd go for IR with Ember, but if we don't see better results in a month, I'm going to press him on it. I might actually call him this week to get his mind on it. Thank you, Lance
Re: Ember and Wellness DMG
Lance, Fabulous news about Ember feeling her old self again! Hooray! You didn't even have to cook her a turkey! I've heard about DMG, in fact I gave it to my positives for a while. I don't have any experience with Wellness WellDefense. I remember there was a precaution about an ingredient, or additive to avoid when selecting DMG, but off hand can't remember what it was. I could probably look it up for you. I'm sure I posted about it to the list. If you can't find it by doing a search on DMG in the archives, let me know. Nina Lance wrote: Ember is back to her normal self. I'm not sure what caused her digestive problems. Lots of prayers and love undoubtedly brought her back to health. I did not give her the flagyl. As long as I can avoid using antibiotics on her, I will. Does anyone have experience with the Wellness WellDefense DMG chewable tablets? Prayers for Samantha, MK, Hannibal, Bandy and all of our feline friends. God bless you all. Lance
Re: Ember and Wellness DMG
Lance I am so glad that Ember is feeling better and is her normal self. Sherry P.S. THANK YOU!!Lance [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Ember is back to her normal self. I'm not sure what caused her digestive problems. Lots of prayers and love undoubtedly brought her back to health. I did not give her the flagyl. As long as I can avoid using antibiotics on her, I will.Does anyone have experience with the Wellness WellDefense DMG chewable tablets?Prayers for Samantha, MK, Hannibal, Bandy and all of our feline friends. God bless you all.Lance How low will we go? Check out Yahoo! Messengers low PC-to-Phone call rates.
Re: Ember, intestinal issues and flagyl
When my Lucy, who is positive, starting having loose stool, I was really scared it was intestinal lymphoma, which positives are prone to. But she has IBD. Which can turn into lymphoma if not controlled (or maybe even if it is controlled, I don't know). The only thing that has helped her is switching her to a raw turkey diet. I buy premixed supplements from Feline Futures and mix it with Stelton's ground turkey from the health food store and Omah's ground turkey organs. Sometimes she still has some trouble, either because she gets some of Patches' food or just because she has trouble, I don't know. So I keep her on a very low dose of prednisone as well. I had her down to 1.25 mg every three days, and tried to stop entierly, but she got loose stools again so now she is on 2.5 mg every other day. I hope to be able to wean her again, but if she needs it I will keep giving it to her. No food works with her at this point other than the raw turkey diet. Michelle In a message dated 6/12/2006 7:58:30 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: Ember is still not doing so great with her bowel movements. I've tried a few things: switching to California Natural Chicken and Brown Rice canned, giving her a bit of Eagle Pack Holistic Solution... and have had no luck. She had a small, fairly loose stool Saturday, and nothing since. She hasn't been eating well. I'm not sure if it's the California Natural or what.Anyway, with her last bm on Saturday, I took her to the vet today. I had them run a fairly full spectrum of tests, including blood panel (thankfully, no anemia) and stool check. Ember has lost over half a pound since the vet visit some months ago before this started (she's down to 10.1 lbs from 10.7). Last visit, she palpitated Ember and found no hint of lumps. The vet, again, looked for parasites, including giardia, and found none. She also said it looked like Ember would need to use the box sometime fairly soon. The good news is, she did just a minute ago. :) It was a fairly normal "incident," for the first time in awhile.The vet prescribed flagyl for five days, so we have that here. However, I'm just not sure I want to do that. I've read that it's a harsh antibiotic, and while I trust my vet (one of two allopathic vets who have treated Ember recently), I just wonder if I shouldn't wait for another day or two to see what happens.I'm going to give Ember a little tuna (in water, not vegetable oil). I'm hoping to find some other options that will help her get her appetite back. I need to order some more Innova EVO for her, too. I'm also considering getting her some Prescription Diet w/d, despite the fact that I really dislike Hill's.Any thoughts on the flagyl or the inappetence would be very helpful.Thanks,Lance
Re: Ember and diarrhea
Lance, I'm so sorry Ember is still having problems. I don't know enough to give suggestions, but I certainly do understand the dilima about work. I've sat up all night with some of my 'children' beforeand I know it's so hard to break away and go to work when you must. The normal behavior must bea positive sign. Please keep us posted - I hope she is much better soon and that you get some rest. elizabeth -Original Message-From: Lance [EMAIL PROTECTED]To: Felvtalk@felineleukemia.orgSent: Mon, 5 Jun 2006 05:52:39 -0500Subject: Ember and diarrhea Unfortunately, it seems like Ember still is having digestive problems. On Thursday, the vet gave her the injection (of what, I'm unsure), and I gave her a Centrine pill the next day. For Friday and Saturday, she seemed to eat and drink fairly normally. No BMs in the box until Sunday, however, and it seemed that the first visit to the box yielded loose stool, while the second was definitely diarrhea. She still has an appetite, and I believe she's been drinking water normally. She wouldn't touch the soft Felidae I had out earlier, but just an hour ago, she ate some dry Innova EVO. I gave her another Centrine pill, and have picked up the wet food, leaving out only the dry and her water.Earlier on Sunday, I did give her a very small bit of Kitty Kaviar. I gave her two treats of Kitty Kaviar on Wednesday. I'm wondering if she's having a problem with that? Ember has really enjoyed the KK when I've bought it before, though it may have caused one loose stool once. However, about a month ago, she managed to get into a can I had just opened, and ate virtually the entire can! I didn't see ANY problems after all of that, which I thought was strange. Anyway, she certainly won't be getting any for a long time.I apologize for giving such a blow-by-blow account. I haven't gotten any sleep, and I'm trying to decide what to do about work, since I took off two days last week when she was ill. The one promising thing is that she has not had the odd, listless behavior she had when this all started on Thursday. She's been behaving normally, so that would seem to be good.Oh, how I wish I could work at home!Sleepily,Lance
Re: Ember and diarrhea
Hi Lance, I'm sorry Ember is still having some problems. If she has a delicate digestive system, the best first course of action is to put her on one type of quality canned food, (see if you can find a single protein) and take her off the dry, (it's harder to digest). Stay away from grains and by products. If she likes the EVO, you could give her a few pieces of kibble as treats, but I know that my IBD girl, Gypsy, has relapses whenever she eats anything other than the turkey mush I make for her, (I'll send you the recipe off list, it's really helped her). Gypsy was very near death when I started feeding her a raw diet that saved her life. Unfortunately my little girl is very finicky and she started to refuse the raw. She's now doing very well and has been on the cooked turkey for months. I'm so hoping that this is something transitory and that her system will re-adjust. You should get her on a probiotics too. They make a pet formula acidophilous that you can find at the health food store. Start with small amounts at first. You might want to mix in a bit of plain whole milk yogurt in with her food too. They also sell something called Benebac (sp?), at Petsmart type places for kittens to balance the good bacteria. I understand your anguish at not being able to stay with her all the time. What can we do? Someone has to earn the cat food! It sounds like she's doing pretty well, except for the continuing stool problems. Sending prayers, good wishes and calming energy to you and Ember, Nina Lance wrote: Unfortunately, it seems like Ember still is having digestive problems. On Thursday, the vet gave her the injection (of what, I'm unsure), and I gave her a Centrine pill the next day. For Friday and Saturday, she seemed to eat and drink fairly normally. No BMs in the box until Sunday, however, and it seemed that the first visit to the box yielded loose stool, while the second was definitely diarrhea. She still has an appetite, and I believe she's been drinking water normally. She wouldn't touch the soft Felidae I had out earlier, but just an hour ago, she ate some dry Innova EVO. I gave her another Centrine pill, and have picked up the wet food, leaving out only the dry and her water. Earlier on Sunday, I did give her a very small bit of Kitty Kaviar. I gave her two treats of Kitty Kaviar on Wednesday. I'm wondering if she's having a problem with that? Ember has really enjoyed the KK when I've bought it before, though it may have caused one loose stool once. However, about a month ago, she managed to get into a can I had just opened, and ate virtually the entire can! I didn't see ANY problems after all of that, which I thought was strange. Anyway, she certainly won't be getting any for a long time. I apologize for giving such a blow-by-blow account. I haven't gotten any sleep, and I'm trying to decide what to do about work, since I took off two days last week when she was ill. The one promising thing is that she has not had the odd, listless behavior she had when this all started on Thursday. She's been behaving normally, so that would seem to be good. Oh, how I wish I could work at home! Sleepily, Lance
Re: Ember
I know what you mean about having to isolate one of your cats. I found out my Smokey was felv+ after he had been around a few of my other cats. He had been hanging around our house and the neighbor's across the street. I just knew 1 day I would come home and find where he had been hit by a car. So, I got him and took him straight to the vet. I had him tested for feline leukemia and it was negative only to find out in about 2 months when they tested him again he was positive at that time. All the other cats had been vaccinated and do not go outside. So, I am hoping they are O.K. I had them tested a month ago they were still negatvie. I have to wait 3 months to have them tested 1 more time. I worry about Smokey getting lonely. I have a bunch of toys in his room and try to spend as much time as I can with him. he seems like he is happy. He wakes me up in the morning jumping on the door in his room. He is wanting to be fed. I think some cats like being by themselves. Good luck to you and Ember. Cindy --- Lance [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Thanks to all of you for your comforting words. I really appreciate them. I'm also glad you liked Ember's pictures. Our family has had several black cats over the years, but Ember was our first fluffy, black kitty. About a year after I adopted Ember in Madison, my parents took in Sidney, who looks like a giant Ember with a longer tail. Bonnie, when the Sun shines on Ember, I can see very dark brown, along with her stripes. Wendy, Cricket's pictures are great. He was a beautiful kitty. I especially liked the bad Cricket picture. Sometimes they're at their best when they're making mischief. I'm finally getting used to keeping Ember isolated, and I think she is too. It never caused her much stress. I'm finding that having her by herself allows me to monitor food/water/litterbox habits better than if she was out and about. She does sometimes wake up at night, seemingly with the intent to get into something. I need to pick up a few more toys that we can play with together. Since the boys tested negative, I'd worry a lot less about them (especially since they're now vaccinated) than I would that Ember might pick up something from our outdoor cat. I'll talk to the vet about this to see what he thinks. Wendy, I would definitely like your FeLV post collection. The info that you, Nina and others have given me has been very helpful. Congrats on adopting the little girl. You'll have to post some pictures soon. Take care, all. Lance __ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com
Re: Ember
Lance, Your Ember looks just like my Cricket and the new kitten I just adopted yesterday! She's precious!!! Here are pics of my Cricket: http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/stefffi_c/album?.dir=/78ab.src=ph.tok=phta56DBby6d5vYY :) Wendy __ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com
Re: Ember
Thanks to all of you for your comforting words. I really appreciate them. I'm also glad you liked Ember's pictures. Our family has had several black cats over the years, but Ember was our first fluffy, black kitty. About a year after I adopted Ember in Madison, my parents took in Sidney, who looks like a giant Ember with a longer tail. Bonnie, when the Sun shines on Ember, I can see very dark brown, along with her stripes. Wendy, Cricket's pictures are great. He was a beautiful kitty. I especially liked the bad Cricket picture. Sometimes they're at their best when they're making mischief. I'm finally getting used to keeping Ember isolated, and I think she is too. It never caused her much stress. I'm finding that having her by herself allows me to monitor food/water/litterbox habits better than if she was out and about. She does sometimes wake up at night, seemingly with the intent to get into something. I need to pick up a few more toys that we can play with together. Since the boys tested negative, I'd worry a lot less about them (especially since they're now vaccinated) than I would that Ember might pick up something from our outdoor cat. I'll talk to the vet about this to see what he thinks. Wendy, I would definitely like your FeLV post collection. The info that you, Nina and others have given me has been very helpful. Congrats on adopting the little girl. You'll have to post some pictures soon. Take care, all. Lance
Re: Ember
Sherry, Thank you for sharing, though it's a sad story. I hope you are doing better today. Thank you, also, for your prayers and thoughts for Ember and I. Lance -- Pictures of Ember: http://homepage.mac.com/linimon
Re: Ember
Lance, Ember is really beautiful She looks like she has a dark brown undercoat. Bonnie - Original Message - From: Lance [EMAIL PROTECTED] Date: Monday, March 27, 2006 4:55 pm Subject: Re: Ember To: Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Sherry, Thank you for sharing, though it's a sad story. I hope you are doing better today. Thank you, also, for your prayers and thoughts for Ember and I. Lance -- Pictures of Ember: http://homepage.mac.com/linimon
Re: Ember
Lance,Ember is a beautiful cat!! SherryBONNIE J KALMBACH [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Lance,Ember is really beautiful She looks like she has a dark brown undercoat.Bonnie- Original Message -From: Lance <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>Date: Monday, March 27, 2006 4:55 pmSubject: Re: EmberTo: Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Sherry, Thank you for sharing, though it's a sad story. I hope you are doing better today. Thank you, also, for your prayers and thoughts for Ember and I. Lance -- Pictures of Ember: Yahoo! Messenger with Voice. Make PC-to-Phone Calls to the US (and 30+ countries) for 2¢/min or less.
Re: Ember
Lance wrote: Three weeks ago, my mom took her 2 year old cat, Sadie, to the vet. Sadie had not been eating as well as usual, was getting noticeably thinner, and was listless. This had only been going on for a week or so. She obviously didn't feel good. Sadie tested positive for feline leukemia. The prospects, according to the vet, weren't good. I don't know what was said, other than that her life could only be prolonged a bit, and that she'd have to be isolated. My mom was as upset as I've ever seen her when she came to pick me up from work. She'd had Sadie put to sleep. I couldn't grieve for Sadie right then. Not only was it too much, but I became immediately worried about my cat, Ember. I'm so sorry about Sadie. It's a real hot button issue with me how most vets immediately recommend pts as soon as cat is diagnosed. What happened is so sad, but no matter what we do, there are always doubts and questions. We always wonder if there was something else we could have done, or did something we shouldn't have. We'll never know, but perhaps your mom's decision saved Sadie what might have been needless suffering. Please tell her how sorry I am for your mutual loss. Ember is almost 4 years old. She tested negative for FeLV as a kitten. I don't know that she'd ever been vaccinated for it. We'd lived in an apartment in Madison, Wisconsin for several years, and I decided we should move back to my hometown in Arkansas for a number of reasons. We moved in with my parents, who had, a month before, taken in Sadie. Sadie wasn't tested for FeLV. I don't think my dad knew to ask, and the vet apparently didn't volunteer. Ember and Sadie were good buddies. Ember is petite for an adult female, and Sadie used to jump on her and bite her. They loved to play. I'm guessing that this was the mode of transmission, as, an hour or so after Sadie was put to sleep, I took Ember to the vet. She tested positive. We have three other cats. Two of them, a 2 year old male and a 13 year old male, are indoor only, while a 6 year old male is indoor/ outdoor. All tested negative, despite grooming each other (Sidney would groom Sadie at times), eating from the same dishes and sharing sleeping spots on occasion. Ember and I went to another vet a week later. She still tested positive (not faint and not strong; right in the middle). Her white blood cell count was at the lowest end of normal possible. The rest of her blood work was good. She had (has?) a slight rasp in her throat. Otherwise, no problems. Not even stress-related fever. She's eating and drinking well, and enjoys the games we've started playing, now that she's isolated in my room. Ember might very well be in the process of fighting off the virus and could later test neg, (even without being vaccinated many healthy adult cats will contract the virus and then clear it from their system). That would explain the slightly lower wbc. Kittens, geriatrics, and generally infirm cats are the ones that felv hits the hardest. The fact that she's already 4 years old and is lively bodes well for her. The folks on the list have discussed mixing negs and pos many times. If you do a search on the archives you'll see that many mix without problems. Of course the safest thing to do is to keep them separate, but if your guys have been living together for any length of time and the negs have now been vaccinated, you might want to reconsider their living arrangements. Esp if it is causing Ember any distress. The vet put her on interferon (1cc/day, five days on/five days off). I stopped feeding her Prescription Diet t/d dry food, and switched her to "Chicken Soup for the Cat Lover's Soul" dry and Felidae canned. I'm hoping to get her on Innova EVO dry and canned in the next few weeks. I regret that it took FeLV for me to find out that Hill's is not the best thing to be feeding any pet. The "pulse" protocol method (on again, off again), is used to help combat building resistance to the interferon's benefits. It is thought that Interferon Omega, which is derived from feline DNA rather than human, isn't susceptible to this. I used the IA as well as the IO and would give them the IA daily if they "didn't seem themselves", upping the dose based on their level of symptoms/illness. When they were acting normal and healthy, I'd take them off it all together. Some think that keeping them on the pulse method indefinitely will benefit their immune response and keep them from getting sick in the first place. There are just too many things that we don't know. You have to follow your gut when your sifting through all the options. A good diet, keeping stress to the absolute minimum and immune support are the best ways to keep our asymptomatic pos healthy. It sounds like you're doing all the right things. I used to give my guys Vita C, L-lysine and something called Transfer Factor as well as Interferon A. I also used Interferon Omega when they were symptomatic. I'm going to call a holistic vet
Re: Ember
Lance my prayers and thoughts are with you and Ember (pretty name).Felv is such a sad thing to go through,at least for me and Maizee it was.But I have heard stories on here of cats with felv living long happy lives.I hope Ember can be one of the lucky ones. When I found out Maizee was felv+ I was devastated,she was only 8 months old when I found out,and she had a massive lymphoma crushing her airway to where she could not swallow hardly at all and her breathing was heavy.We started her on chemo and within 3 days she was eating and breathing normally.She went through chemo for 6 months before she went down hill again.I decided not to put her through anymore.she was such a trooper.We had a very special bond that developed in the 6 months of treatments,I believe she knew that everthing I did I did because I loved her so much,at least I hope she did.I had to give her a pill everyday,vitamins every morning.And most of the time she just went along with the program.I believe she saved it all for the vet,she sure gave then hell when she was there.she got a lot of attitude out in such a short life(15 months).One thing I know I'm sure of,is that no matter how much stress,money and heartache I went through for my beautiful Maizee,it was all worth it to have her with me as long as I was able.Sometimes I can look at all the pictures of her and smile and laugh,then times all I do is cry.My heart does ache for her very much.tHank you for letting me share this with you.I will have you and Ember in my prayers.Bless you. SherryLance [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Three weeks ago, my mom took her 2 year old cat, Sadie, to the vet. Sadie had not been eating as well as usual, was getting noticeably thinner, and was listless. This had only been going on for a week or so. She obviously didn't feel good. Sadie tested positive for feline leukemia. The prospects, according to the vet, weren't good. I don't know what was said, other than that her life could only be prolonged a bit, and that she'd have to be isolated. My mom was as upset as I've ever seen her when she came to pick me up from work. She'd had Sadie put to sleep. I couldn't grieve for Sadie right then. Not only was it too much, but I became immediately worried about my cat, Ember.Ember is almost 4 years old. She tested negative for FeLV as a kitten. I don't know that she'd ever been vaccinated for it. We'd lived in an apartment in Madison, Wisconsin for several years, and I decided we should move back to my hometown in Arkansas for a number of reasons. We moved in with my parents, who had, a month before, taken in Sadie. Sadie wasn't tested for FeLV. I don't think my dad knew to ask, and the vet apparently didn't volunteer. Ember and Sadie were good buddies. Ember is petite for an adult female, and Sadie used to jump on her and bite her. They loved to play. I'm guessing that this was the mode of transmission, as, an hour or so after Sadie was put to sleep, I took Ember to the vet. She tested positive.We have three other cats. Two of them, a 2 year old male and a 13 year old male, are indoor only, while a 6 year old male is indoor/ outdoor. All tested negative, despite grooming each other (Sidney would groom Sadie at times), eating from the same dishes and sharing sleeping spots on occasion.Ember and I went to another vet a week later. She still tested positive (not faint and not strong; right in the middle). Her white blood cell count was at the lowest end of normal possible. The rest of her blood work was good. She had (has?) a slight rasp in her throat. Otherwise, no problems. Not even stress-related fever. She's eating and drinking well, and enjoys the games we've started playing, now that she's isolated in my room.The vet put her on interferon (1cc/day, five days on/five days off). I stopped feeding her Prescription Diet t/d dry food, and switched her to "Chicken Soup for the Cat Lover's Soul" dry and Felidae canned. I'm hoping to get her on Innova EVO dry and canned in the next few weeks. I regret that it took FeLV for me to find out that Hill's is not the best thing to be feeding any pet.I'm going to call a holistic vet that's nearby sometime this week. I'm trying to decide if I should seek a third opinion in the more traditional medicine area, but I really like my current vet. He at least offers hope, and he's experienced.That's where things stand for Ember and I now. I've cried more in the last two weeks than I think I've cried total in my life. As you all who are attached know, they're are kids. Ember is my child. Anything I can do to help her, I will. If anyone has a suggestion or a thought, I look forward to it. To those so inclined, I ask for your prayers.Lance Yahoo! Messenger with Voice. PC-to-Phone calls for ridiculously low rates.
