Re: [Felvtalk] Re anemia and negative IFA (Dave)
And the big problem is, is that the majority of the public isn't informed and hang on every word a vet says. They trust them for the best advice. It's up to us to spread the word as much as possible. Marcia Sent from my iPad that my most awesome kids surprised me with, Christmas 2010. On Feb 7, 2013, at 9:33 PM, Alev Durmus alev_dur...@yahoo.com wrote: What is wrong with the vets? I was not as lucky as David, neither my River :((( Mine was killed by a no-kill animal shelter...Some of you might remember... By the way I sent a complaint letter, called a few of their top supporters, Executive Director called me and I was VERY accurate and not accepting their bs, the director of the faclities stepped down a while ago. I don't know if it is related but I hope the new one is better... I think this starts with vets, they know the facts and they are rushing to kill animals, if they behave that way, what do we expect from the rest of the society...I am open to start a petition etc. whatever comes to your minds. I am new and unfortunately I found this site after the fact, but I will never forget the support I got from all of you, thank you again. Alev From: David Arthurs arthurs.da...@gmail.com To: felvtalk felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Sent: Thursday, February 7, 2013 11:53 AM Subject: Re: [Felvtalk] Re anemia and negative IFA (Dave) Only IFA. I'll ask that she be retested with the Elisa too. Thanks for pointing that out. I thought the IFA was the definitive test but may not be positive right away when acute symptoms present. Also a clarification, my Tux as a kitten story was 5 years ago. She's now an adult. Even back then the vet was ready to destroy her if that snap test came back positive. Of course the current vet wanted to put her down at the first positive snap test with anemia. She may not even be infected with FeLV...but even if she were infected we wouldn't consider that option until her quality of life was so bad to warrant that (and treating her condition to give her a fighting chance at some recovery). Thanks. again. Dave On Thu, Feb 7, 2013 at 7:01 AM, Beth create_me_...@yahoo.com wrote: Dave was she just retested on the IFA, or on the Snap test also? A positive Snap with a negative IFA is still a positive cat. If both tests were negative then she is negative. Beth Don't Litter, Fix Your Critter! http://www.furkids.org/ From: Dave Arthurs arthurs.da...@gmail.com To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Sent: Wednesday, February 6, 2013 9:34 PM Subject: Re: [Felvtalk] Re anemia and negative IFA (Dave) Update on Tux. Recap: She tested positive for felv on the snap test in December and negative on ifa. She is a felv vaccinated house cat that presented with immune mediated hemolytic anemia. She was treated with prednisolone and doxycycline. She responded well to treatment tho no cause was identified because the vet was convinced she was felv+. This week we retested her. Weight is up 1 lb. and red blood cell count is normal. Negative on ifa. The cause of her anemia is still unknown but the vet has let the felv diagnosis go now. Thank you everyone so much for all the advice. It's heartbreaking to read about the struggles we all go through on this forum for the love of our pets. When we got tux the vet tested her for felv. She said if she was positive that she had to be put down right away. She was very insistent. I knew in my heart that was wrong and wouldn't let her do it. Of course if she were suffering that would be different...but I could never destroy a healthy kitten. I am very happy to see an entire community on this forum that feels as I did (and reinforces what I thought was right at the time). Unfortunately most people will do what the vet says...and that is very sad. Very best wishes to everyone and your furry companions! I will stay subscribed to the forum because you raise a wide array of topics and I may be able to help someone. Thx. Dave On Dec 28, 2012, at 5:50 PM, Beth create_me_...@yahoo.com wrote: Be careful about letting get too much exercise. If she is amemic she is not getting enough oxygen to her cells as it is David Arthurs arthurs.da...@gmail.com wrote: The official diagnosis/condition from the pathologist is immune mediated hemolytic anemia/IMHA. We don't know the cause yet. We're treating for parasites (doxycycline)...and with prednisone to suppress the immune response. We'll repeat the IFA in a month. She is responding very well to treatment...the immune response to her own blood has diminished, gained back 1/4 pound, her CBC increased 50% and her new blood cell count was up 5x. We get another blood test tomorrow. She was still barely below the recommended CBC for transfusion...but is doing well despite everything. She's active though she won't play. There are a couple
Re: [Felvtalk] Re anemia and negative IFA (Dave)
Dave was she just retested on the IFA, or on the Snap test also? A positive Snap with a negative IFA is still a positive cat. If both tests were negative then she is negative. Beth Don't Litter, Fix Your Critter! www.Furkids.org From: Dave Arthurs arthurs.da...@gmail.com To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Sent: Wednesday, February 6, 2013 9:34 PM Subject: Re: [Felvtalk] Re anemia and negative IFA (Dave) Update on Tux. Recap: She tested positive for felv on the snap test in December and negative on ifa. She is a felv vaccinated house cat that presented with immune mediated hemolytic anemia. She was treated with prednisolone and doxycycline. She responded well to treatment tho no cause was identified because the vet was convinced she was felv+. This week we retested her. Weight is up 1 lb. and red blood cell count is normal. Negative on ifa. The cause of her anemia is still unknown but the vet has let the felv diagnosis go now. Thank you everyone so much for all the advice. It's heartbreaking to read about the struggles we all go through on this forum for the love of our pets. When we got tux the vet tested her for felv. She said if she was positive that she had to be put down right away. She was very insistent. I knew in my heart that was wrong and wouldn't let her do it. Of course if she were suffering that would be different...but I could never destroy a healthy kitten. I am very happy to see an entire community on this forum that feels as I did (and reinforces what I thought was right at the time). Unfortunately most people will do what the vet says...and that is very sad. Very best wishes to everyone and your furry companions! I will stay subscribed to the forum because you raise a wide array of topics and I may be able to help someone. Thx. Dave On Dec 28, 2012, at 5:50 PM, Beth create_me_...@yahoo.com wrote: Be careful about letting get too much exercise. If she is amemic she is not getting enough oxygen to her cells as it is David Arthurs arthurs.da...@gmail.com wrote: The official diagnosis/condition from the pathologist is immune mediated hemolytic anemia/IMHA. We don't know the cause yet. We're treating for parasites (doxycycline)...and with prednisone to suppress the immune response. We'll repeat the IFA in a month. She is responding very well to treatment...the immune response to her own blood has diminished, gained back 1/4 pound, her CBC increased 50% and her new blood cell count was up 5x. We get another blood test tomorrow. She was still barely below the recommended CBC for transfusion...but is doing well despite everything. She's active though she won't play. There are a couple of times she tried to rough-house with her sister and gave up (it was actually funny to watch...after a few minutes of chase, she gave up and laid on her back...her sister came over and gave her a very gentle little nip on the butt...to which Tux let out a whine of indignation). Our vet admitted some doubt about FeLV but is sticking with it for now. I read online that for 60% of IMHA cases it is never determined what the cause was. The cats did act like they had fleas about six months ago (and we treated, though we never saw any fleas). Tux is also the garbage collector...she eats everything on the floor...so it's also possible she at something toxic. Thanks again everyone. I will follow up with any new findings. Dave ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
Re: [Felvtalk] Re anemia and negative IFA (Dave)
Only IFA. I'll ask that she be retested with the Elisa too. Thanks for pointing that out. I thought the IFA was the definitive test but may not be positive right away when acute symptoms present. Also a clarification, my Tux as a kitten story was 5 years ago. She's now an adult. Even back then the vet was ready to destroy her if that snap test came back positive. Of course the current vet wanted to put her down at the first positive snap test with anemia. She may not even be infected with FeLV...but even if she were infected we wouldn't consider that option until her quality of life was so bad to warrant that (and treating her condition to give her a fighting chance at some recovery). Thanks. again. Dave On Thu, Feb 7, 2013 at 7:01 AM, Beth create_me_...@yahoo.com wrote: Dave was she just retested on the IFA, or on the Snap test also? A positive Snap with a negative IFA is still a positive cat. If both tests were negative then she is negative. Beth Don't Litter, Fix Your Critter! www.Furkids.org http://www.furkids.org/ -- *From:* Dave Arthurs arthurs.da...@gmail.com *To:* felvtalk@felineleukemia.org felvtalk@felineleukemia.org *Sent:* Wednesday, February 6, 2013 9:34 PM *Subject:* Re: [Felvtalk] Re anemia and negative IFA (Dave) Update on Tux. Recap: She tested positive for felv on the snap test in December and negative on ifa. She is a felv vaccinated house cat that presented with immune mediated hemolytic anemia. She was treated with prednisolone and doxycycline. She responded well to treatment tho no cause was identified because the vet was convinced she was felv+. This week we retested her. Weight is up 1 lb. and red blood cell count is normal. Negative on ifa. The cause of her anemia is still unknown but the vet has let the felv diagnosis go now. Thank you everyone so much for all the advice. It's heartbreaking to read about the struggles we all go through on this forum for the love of our pets. When we got tux the vet tested her for felv. She said if she was positive that she had to be put down right away. She was very insistent. I knew in my heart that was wrong and wouldn't let her do it. Of course if she were suffering that would be different...but I could never destroy a healthy kitten. I am very happy to see an entire community on this forum that feels as I did (and reinforces what I thought was right at the time). Unfortunately most people will do what the vet says...and that is very sad. Very best wishes to everyone and your furry companions! I will stay subscribed to the forum because you raise a wide array of topics and I may be able to help someone. Thx. Dave On Dec 28, 2012, at 5:50 PM, Beth create_me_...@yahoo.com wrote: Be careful about letting get too much exercise. If she is amemic she is not getting enough oxygen to her cells as it is David Arthurs arthurs.da...@gmail.com wrote: The official diagnosis/condition from the pathologist is immune mediated hemolytic anemia/IMHA. We don't know the cause yet. We're treating for parasites (doxycycline)...and with prednisone to suppress the immune response. We'll repeat the IFA in a month. She is responding very well to treatment...the immune response to her own blood has diminished, gained back 1/4 pound, her CBC increased 50% and her new blood cell count was up 5x. We get another blood test tomorrow. She was still barely below the recommended CBC for transfusion...but is doing well despite everything. She's active though she won't play. There are a couple of times she tried to rough-house with her sister and gave up (it was actually funny to watch...after a few minutes of chase, she gave up and laid on her back...her sister came over and gave her a very gentle little nip on the butt...to which Tux let out a whine of indignation). Our vet admitted some doubt about FeLV but is sticking with it for now. I read online that for 60% of IMHA cases it is never determined what the cause was. The cats did act like they had fleas about six months ago (and we treated, though we never saw any fleas). Tux is also the garbage collector...she eats everything on the floor...so it's also possible she at something toxic. Thanks again everyone. I will follow up with any new findings. Dave ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http
Re: [Felvtalk] Re anemia and negative IFA (Dave)
Yes, an IFA only tests if it is circulating in the bone marrow, which means they are beyond the point of being able to throw it off. A positive Snap still means they have FeLV, as long as it is administered correctly. There seems to be a lot of confusion about that. Still, thank you for keeping her.I currently have 4 FeLV's wouldn't trade them for the world! Beth Don't Litter, Fix Your Critter! www.Furkids.org From: David Arthurs arthurs.da...@gmail.com To: felvtalk felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Sent: Thursday, February 7, 2013 11:53 AM Subject: Re: [Felvtalk] Re anemia and negative IFA (Dave) Only IFA. I'll ask that she be retested with the Elisa too. Thanks for pointing that out. I thought the IFA was the definitive test but may not be positive right away when acute symptoms present. Also a clarification, my Tux as a kitten story was 5 years ago. She's now an adult. Even back then the vet was ready to destroy her if that snap test came back positive. Of course the current vet wanted to put her down at the first positive snap test with anemia. She may not even be infected with FeLV...but even if she were infected we wouldn't consider that option until her quality of life was so bad to warrant that (and treating her condition to give her a fighting chance at some recovery). Thanks. again. Dave On Thu, Feb 7, 2013 at 7:01 AM, Beth create_me_...@yahoo.com wrote: Dave was she just retested on the IFA, or on the Snap test also? A positive Snap with a negative IFA is still a positive cat. If both tests were negative then she is negative. Beth Don't Litter, Fix Your Critter! www.Furkids.org From: Dave Arthurs arthurs.da...@gmail.com To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Sent: Wednesday, February 6, 2013 9:34 PM Subject: Re: [Felvtalk] Re anemia and negative IFA (Dave) Update on Tux. Recap: She tested positive for felv on the snap test in December and negative on ifa. She is a felv vaccinated house cat that presented with immune mediated hemolytic anemia. She was treated with prednisolone and doxycycline. She responded well to treatment tho no cause was identified because the vet was convinced she was felv+. This week we retested her. Weight is up 1 lb. and red blood cell count is normal. Negative on ifa. The cause of her anemia is still unknown but the vet has let the felv diagnosis go now. Thank you everyone so much for all the advice. It's heartbreaking to read about the struggles we all go through on this forum for the love of our pets. When we got tux the vet tested her for felv. She said if she was positive that she had to be put down right away. She was very insistent. I knew in my heart that was wrong and wouldn't let her do it. Of course if she were suffering that would be different...but I could never destroy a healthy kitten. I am very happy to see an entire community on this forum that feels as I did (and reinforces what I thought was right at the time). Unfortunately most people will do what the vet says...and that is very sad. Very best wishes to everyone and your furry companions! I will stay subscribed to the forum because you raise a wide array of topics and I may be able to help someone. Thx. Dave On Dec 28, 2012, at 5:50 PM, Beth create_me_...@yahoo.com wrote: Be careful about letting get too much exercise. If she is amemic she is not getting enough oxygen to her cells as it is David Arthurs arthurs.da...@gmail.com wrote: The official diagnosis/condition from the pathologist is immune mediated hemolytic anemia/IMHA. We don't know the cause yet. We're treating for parasites (doxycycline)...and with prednisone to suppress the immune response. We'll repeat the IFA in a month. She is responding very well to treatment...the immune response to her own blood has diminished, gained back 1/4 pound, her CBC increased 50% and her new blood cell count was up 5x. We get another blood test tomorrow. She was still barely below the recommended CBC for transfusion...but is doing well despite everything. She's active though she won't play. There are a couple of times she tried to rough-house with her sister and gave up (it was actually funny to watch...after a few minutes of chase, she gave up and laid on her back...her sister came over and gave her a very gentle little nip on the butt...to which Tux let out a whine of indignation). Our vet admitted some doubt about FeLV but is sticking with it for now. I read online that for 60% of IMHA cases it is never determined what the cause was. The cats did act like they had fleas about six months ago (and we treated, though we never saw any fleas). Tux is also the garbage collector...she eats everything on the floor...so it's also possible she at something toxic. Thanks again everyone. I will follow up with any new findings. Dave
Re: [Felvtalk] Re anemia and negative IFA (Dave)
What is wrong with the vets? I was not as lucky as David, neither my River :((( Mine was killed by a no-kill animal shelter...Some of you might remember... By the way I sent a complaint letter, called a few of their top supporters, Executive Director called me and I was VERY accurate and not accepting their bs, the director of the faclities stepped down a while ago. I don't know if it is related but I hope the new one is better... I think this starts with vets, they know the facts and they are rushing to kill animals, if they behave that way, what do we expect from the rest of the society...I am open to start a petition etc. whatever comes to your minds. I am new and unfortunately I found this site after the fact, but I will never forget the support I got from all of you, thank you again. Alev From: David Arthurs arthurs.da...@gmail.com To: felvtalk felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Sent: Thursday, February 7, 2013 11:53 AM Subject: Re: [Felvtalk] Re anemia and negative IFA (Dave) Only IFA. I'll ask that she be retested with the Elisa too. Thanks for pointing that out. I thought the IFA was the definitive test but may not be positive right away when acute symptoms present. Also a clarification, my Tux as a kitten story was 5 years ago. She's now an adult. Even back then the vet was ready to destroy her if that snap test came back positive. Of course the current vet wanted to put her down at the first positive snap test with anemia. She may not even be infected with FeLV...but even if she were infected we wouldn't consider that option until her quality of life was so bad to warrant that (and treating her condition to give her a fighting chance at some recovery). Thanks. again. Dave On Thu, Feb 7, 2013 at 7:01 AM, Beth create_me_...@yahoo.com wrote: Dave was she just retested on the IFA, or on the Snap test also? A positive Snap with a negative IFA is still a positive cat. If both tests were negative then she is negative. Beth Don't Litter, Fix Your Critter! http://www.furkids.org/ From: Dave Arthurs arthurs.da...@gmail.com To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Sent: Wednesday, February 6, 2013 9:34 PM Subject: Re: [Felvtalk] Re anemia and negative IFA (Dave) Update on Tux. Recap: She tested positive for felv on the snap test in December and negative on ifa. She is a felv vaccinated house cat that presented with immune mediated hemolytic anemia. She was treated with prednisolone and doxycycline. She responded well to treatment tho no cause was identified because the vet was convinced she was felv+. This week we retested her. Weight is up 1 lb. and red blood cell count is normal. Negative on ifa. The cause of her anemia is still unknown but the vet has let the felv diagnosis go now. Thank you everyone so much for all the advice. It's heartbreaking to read about the struggles we all go through on this forum for the love of our pets. When we got tux the vet tested her for felv. She said if she was positive that she had to be put down right away. She was very insistent. I knew in my heart that was wrong and wouldn't let her do it. Of course if she were suffering that would be different...but I could never destroy a healthy kitten. I am very happy to see an entire community on this forum that feels as I did (and reinforces what I thought was right at the time). Unfortunately most people will do what the vet says...and that is very sad. Very best wishes to everyone and your furry companions! I will stay subscribed to the forum because you raise a wide array of topics and I may be able to help someone. Thx. Dave On Dec 28, 2012, at 5:50 PM, Beth create_me_...@yahoo.com wrote: Be careful about letting get too much exercise. If she is amemic she is not getting enough oxygen to her cells as it is David Arthurs arthurs.da...@gmail.com wrote: The official diagnosis/condition from the pathologist is immune mediated hemolytic anemia/IMHA. We don't know the cause yet. We're treating for parasites (doxycycline)...and with prednisone to suppress the immune response. We'll repeat the IFA in a month. She is responding very well to treatment...the immune response to her own blood has diminished, gained back 1/4 pound, her CBC increased 50% and her new blood cell count was up 5x. We get another blood test tomorrow. She was still barely below the recommended CBC for transfusion...but is doing well despite everything. She's active though she won't play. There are a couple of times she tried to rough-house with her sister and gave up (it was actually funny to watch...after a few minutes of chase, she gave up and laid on her back...her sister came over and gave her a very gentle little nip on the butt...to which Tux let out a whine of indignation). Our vet admitted some doubt about FeLV but is sticking with it for now. I read online
Re: [Felvtalk] Re anemia and negative IFA (Dave)
Update on Tux. Recap: She tested positive for felv on the snap test in December and negative on ifa. She is a felv vaccinated house cat that presented with immune mediated hemolytic anemia. She was treated with prednisolone and doxycycline. She responded well to treatment tho no cause was identified because the vet was convinced she was felv+. This week we retested her. Weight is up 1 lb. and red blood cell count is normal. Negative on ifa. The cause of her anemia is still unknown but the vet has let the felv diagnosis go now. Thank you everyone so much for all the advice. It's heartbreaking to read about the struggles we all go through on this forum for the love of our pets. When we got tux the vet tested her for felv. She said if she was positive that she had to be put down right away. She was very insistent. I knew in my heart that was wrong and wouldn't let her do it. Of course if she were suffering that would be different...but I could never destroy a healthy kitten. I am very happy to see an entire community on this forum that feels as I did (and reinforces what I thought was right at the time). Unfortunately most people will do what the vet says...and that is very sad. Very best wishes to everyone and your furry companions! I will stay subscribed to the forum because you raise a wide array of topics and I may be able to help someone. Thx. Dave On Dec 28, 2012, at 5:50 PM, Beth create_me_...@yahoo.com wrote: Be careful about letting get too much exercise. If she is amemic she is not getting enough oxygen to her cells as it is David Arthurs arthurs.da...@gmail.com wrote: The official diagnosis/condition from the pathologist is immune mediated hemolytic anemia/IMHA. We don't know the cause yet. We're treating for parasites (doxycycline)...and with prednisone to suppress the immune response. We'll repeat the IFA in a month. She is responding very well to treatment...the immune response to her own blood has diminished, gained back 1/4 pound, her CBC increased 50% and her new blood cell count was up 5x. We get another blood test tomorrow. She was still barely below the recommended CBC for transfusion...but is doing well despite everything. She's active though she won't play. There are a couple of times she tried to rough-house with her sister and gave up (it was actually funny to watch...after a few minutes of chase, she gave up and laid on her back...her sister came over and gave her a very gentle little nip on the butt...to which Tux let out a whine of indignation). Our vet admitted some doubt about FeLV but is sticking with it for now. I read online that for 60% of IMHA cases it is never determined what the cause was. The cats did act like they had fleas about six months ago (and we treated, though we never saw any fleas). Tux is also the garbage collector...she eats everything on the floor...so it's also possible she at something toxic. Thanks again everyone. I will follow up with any new findings. Dave ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
Re: [Felvtalk] Re anemia and negative IFA (Dave)
Thank you for not putting Tux down. Somehow the word has to get out there that it is totally unnecessary to euthanize positive cats. I tell everyone I know that has cats and hope they spread the word. This forum is awesome. They are intelligent, informed loving people that give hope when it is needed. And HOPE is so important with this disease. Good luck with Tux. My wish for her is a long happy life(-: Sent from my iPhone On Feb 6, 2013, at 8:34 PM, Dave Arthurs arthurs.da...@gmail.com wrote: Update on Tux. Recap: She tested positive for felv on the snap test in December and negative on ifa. She is a felv vaccinated house cat that presented with immune mediated hemolytic anemia. She was treated with prednisolone and doxycycline. She responded well to treatment tho no cause was identified because the vet was convinced she was felv+. This week we retested her. Weight is up 1 lb. and red blood cell count is normal. Negative on ifa. The cause of her anemia is still unknown but the vet has let the felv diagnosis go now. Thank you everyone so much for all the advice. It's heartbreaking to read about the struggles we all go through on this forum for the love of our pets. When we got tux the vet tested her for felv. She said if she was positive that she had to be put down right away. She was very insistent. I knew in my heart that was wrong and wouldn't let her do it. Of course if she were suffering that would be different...but I could never destroy a healthy kitten. I am very happy to see an entire community on this forum that feels as I did (and reinforces what I thought was right at the time). Unfortunately most people will do what the vet says...and that is very sad. Very best wishes to everyone and your furry companions! I will stay subscribed to the forum because you raise a wide array of topics and I may be able to help someone. Thx. Dave On Dec 28, 2012, at 5:50 PM, Beth create_me_...@yahoo.com wrote: Be careful about letting get too much exercise. If she is amemic she is not getting enough oxygen to her cells as it is David Arthurs arthurs.da...@gmail.com wrote: The official diagnosis/condition from the pathologist is immune mediated hemolytic anemia/IMHA. We don't know the cause yet. We're treating for parasites (doxycycline)...and with prednisone to suppress the immune response. We'll repeat the IFA in a month. She is responding very well to treatment...the immune response to her own blood has diminished, gained back 1/4 pound, her CBC increased 50% and her new blood cell count was up 5x. We get another blood test tomorrow. She was still barely below the recommended CBC for transfusion...but is doing well despite everything. She's active though she won't play. There are a couple of times she tried to rough-house with her sister and gave up (it was actually funny to watch...after a few minutes of chase, she gave up and laid on her back...her sister came over and gave her a very gentle little nip on the butt...to which Tux let out a whine of indignation). Our vet admitted some doubt about FeLV but is sticking with it for now. I read online that for 60% of IMHA cases it is never determined what the cause was. The cats did act like they had fleas about six months ago (and we treated, though we never saw any fleas). Tux is also the garbage collector...she eats everything on the floor...so it's also possible she at something toxic. Thanks again everyone. I will follow up with any new findings. Dave ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
Re: [Felvtalk] Re anemia and negative IFA (Dave)
Made a mistake. It was doxycycline that was the treatment for Hemobartonella. So many diseases, so many drugs, so few brain cells working. Spay and Neuter your cats and dogs and your weird relatives and nasty neighbors too! From: Beth create_me_...@yahoo.com To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Sent: Friday, December 28, 2012 7:47 PM Subject: Re: [Felvtalk] Re anemia and negative IFA (Dave) The Doxy is for suspected Hemobartonella. Glad she is doing better! Beth ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
Re: [Felvtalk] Re anemia and negative IFA (Dave)
The official diagnosis/condition from the pathologist is immune mediated hemolytic anemia/IMHA. We don't know the cause yet. We're treating for parasites (doxycycline)...and with prednisone to suppress the immune response. We'll repeat the IFA in a month. She is responding very well to treatment...the immune response to her own blood has diminished, gained back 1/4 pound, her CBC increased 50% and her new blood cell count was up 5x. We get another blood test tomorrow. She was still barely below the recommended CBC for transfusion...but is doing well despite everything. She's active though she won't play. There are a couple of times she tried to rough-house with her sister and gave up (it was actually funny to watch...after a few minutes of chase, she gave up and laid on her back...her sister came over and gave her a very gentle little nip on the butt...to which Tux let out a whine of indignation). Our vet admitted some doubt about FeLV but is sticking with it for now. I read online that for 60% of IMHA cases it is never determined what the cause was. The cats did act like they had fleas about six months ago (and we treated, though we never saw any fleas). Tux is also the garbage collector...she eats everything on the floor...so it's also possible she at something toxic. Thanks again everyone. I will follow up with any new findings. Dave ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
Re: [Felvtalk] Re anemia and negative IFA (Dave)
The Doxy is for suspected Hemobartonella. Glad she is doing better! Beth David Arthurs arthurs.da...@gmail.com wrote: The official diagnosis/condition from the pathologist is immune mediated hemolytic anemia/IMHA. We don't know the cause yet. We're treating for parasites (doxycycline)...and with prednisone to suppress the immune response. We'll repeat the IFA in a month. She is responding very well to treatment...the immune response to her own blood has diminished, gained back 1/4 pound, her CBC increased 50% and her new blood cell count was up 5x. We get another blood test tomorrow. She was still barely below the recommended CBC for transfusion...but is doing well despite everything. She's active though she won't play. There are a couple of times she tried to rough-house with her sister and gave up (it was actually funny to watch...after a few minutes of chase, she gave up and laid on her back...her sister came over and gave her a very gentle little nip on the butt...to which Tux let out a whine of indignation). Our vet admitted some doubt about FeLV but is sticking with it for now. I read online that for 60% of IMHA cases it is never determined what the cause was. The cats did act like they had fleas about six months ago (and we treated, though we never saw any fleas). Tux is also the garbage collector...she eats everything on the floor...so it's also possible she at something toxic. Thanks again everyone. I will follow up with any new findings. Dave ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
Re: [Felvtalk] Re anemia and negative IFA (Dave)
Be careful about letting get too much exercise. If she is amemic she is not getting enough oxygen to her cells as it is David Arthurs arthurs.da...@gmail.com wrote: The official diagnosis/condition from the pathologist is immune mediated hemolytic anemia/IMHA. We don't know the cause yet. We're treating for parasites (doxycycline)...and with prednisone to suppress the immune response. We'll repeat the IFA in a month. She is responding very well to treatment...the immune response to her own blood has diminished, gained back 1/4 pound, her CBC increased 50% and her new blood cell count was up 5x. We get another blood test tomorrow. She was still barely below the recommended CBC for transfusion...but is doing well despite everything. She's active though she won't play. There are a couple of times she tried to rough-house with her sister and gave up (it was actually funny to watch...after a few minutes of chase, she gave up and laid on her back...her sister came over and gave her a very gentle little nip on the butt...to which Tux let out a whine of indignation). Our vet admitted some doubt about FeLV but is sticking with it for now. I read online that for 60% of IMHA cases it is never determined what the cause was. The cats did act like they had fleas about six months ago (and we treated, though we never saw any fleas). Tux is also the garbage collector...she eats everything on the floor...so it's also possible she at something toxic. Thanks again everyone. I will follow up with any new findings. Dave ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
Re: [Felvtalk] Re anemia and negative IFA (Dave)
Thanks for your reply Beth. I'm an engineer and I'm trying to make sense out of the tests...and what you said isn't all making sense to me yet :). The kittens had been separated from their mother for most of their lives. The mother was an outside-cat and died/disappeared right after the kittens were born. My nephew hand-fed the litter and we adopted two of five original kittens. They would have been un-exposed to other cats for more than six months before we tested them originally. The original Elisa should have been positive because we had them for 90 days before spaying them and they were in my nephew's care for many more months before that. The vet also latches onto that period as originating their exposure to the virus...because nothing else makes sense. The cat community lives in my sister's barn in a rural section of Wisconsin...she has put many cats up for adoption and has never had a case of FeLV in any of the their cats to date. The IFA detects viral protein either in the blood or blood cells. If Tux had anemia from FeLV itself then the virus would have to be very active in the bone marrow and blood, or, her immune system was compromised and she got a parasitic infection...also involving FeLV in the bone marrow. In both cases, with something as severe as anemia presenting, the IFA would be positive. It doesn't make sense that the IFA could be negative under these circumstances. From what I read you don't get anemia on initial exposure to the virus...the anemia is a side effect of serious infection of the bone marrow and white blood cells. Here is what I read about the snap test online (considering the source): 1) There is room for interpretation of the results by the technician (color detection). Sometimes the color is very faint or an over-zealous tech can see a faint color when there is none. 2) Some other antibodies in the blood can cross-react with the elisa...giving a false positive. 3) First two issues aside, the test is 95% accurate. IFA is over 99% accurate. Thanks again for your reply...I guess I'm having a hard time understanding why the IFA was negative in such a severe case of anemia and how Tux could ever have been exposed to the virus. Thanks. Dave ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
Re: [Felvtalk] Re anemia and negative IFA (Dave)
Well, the SNAP could indeed be wrong, Most vets now use the 3-way SNAP tests - FIV+FeLV+Heart Worm. Our shelter had horrible problems with these tests producing false negatives. We stopped using them. We got ahold of the old tests. Is the anemia better now? I think you said it was up to 15% from 10%, thought it's my understanding that that can vary, too by whether or not the cat is being given fluids. Beth Don't Litter, Fix Your Critter! www.Furkids.org From: David Arthurs arthurs.da...@gmail.com To: felvtalk felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Sent: Thursday, December 27, 2012 1:02 PM Subject: Re: [Felvtalk] Re anemia and negative IFA (Dave) Thanks for your reply Beth. I'm an engineer and I'm trying to make sense out of the tests...and what you said isn't all making sense to me yet :). The kittens had been separated from their mother for most of their lives. The mother was an outside-cat and died/disappeared right after the kittens were born. My nephew hand-fed the litter and we adopted two of five original kittens. They would have been un-exposed to other cats for more than six months before we tested them originally. The original Elisa should have been positive because we had them for 90 days before spaying them and they were in my nephew's care for many more months before that. The vet also latches onto that period as originating their exposure to the virus...because nothing else makes sense. The cat community lives in my sister's barn in a rural section of Wisconsin...she has put many cats up for adoption and has never had a case of FeLV in any of the their cats to date. The IFA detects viral protein either in the blood or blood cells. If Tux had anemia from FeLV itself then the virus would have to be very active in the bone marrow and blood, or, her immune system was compromised and she got a parasitic infection...also involving FeLV in the bone marrow. In both cases, with something as severe as anemia presenting, the IFA would be positive. It doesn't make sense that the IFA could be negative under these circumstances. From what I read you don't get anemia on initial exposure to the virus...the anemia is a side effect of serious infection of the bone marrow and white blood cells. Here is what I read about the snap test online (considering the source): 1) There is room for interpretation of the results by the technician (color detection). Sometimes the color is very faint or an over-zealous tech can see a faint color when there is none. 2) Some other antibodies in the blood can cross-react with the elisa...giving a false positive. 3) First two issues aside, the test is 95% accurate. IFA is over 99% accurate. Thanks again for your reply...I guess I'm having a hard time understanding why the IFA was negative in such a severe case of anemia and how Tux could ever have been exposed to the virus. Thanks. Dave ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
Re: [Felvtalk] Re anemia and negative IFA (Dave)
Dave, I have to agree with you. I have fostered many FeLV kittens who were positive from birth. Most died before they were 2 yrs old. Only one survived until 4 yo. In my experience kittens born to a positive mom test positive from the get go Shayrl From: David Arthurs arthurs.da...@gmail.com To: felvtalk felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Sent: Thursday, December 27, 2012 1:02 PM Subject: Re: [Felvtalk] Re anemia and negative IFA (Dave) Thanks for your reply Beth. I'm an engineer and I'm trying to make sense out of the tests...and what you said isn't all making sense to me yet :). The kittens had been separated from their mother for most of their lives. The mother was an outside-cat and died/disappeared right after the kittens were born. My nephew hand-fed the litter and we adopted two of five original kittens. They would have been un-exposed to other cats for more than six months before we tested them originally. The original Elisa should have been positive because we had them for 90 days before spaying them and they were in my nephew's care for many more months before that. The vet also latches onto that period as originating their exposure to the virus...because nothing else makes sense. The cat community lives in my sister's barn in a rural section of Wisconsin...she has put many cats up for adoption and has never had a case of FeLV in any of the their cats to date. The IFA detects viral protein either in the blood or blood cells. If Tux had anemia from FeLV itself then the virus would have to be very active in the bone marrow and blood, or, her immune system was compromised and she got a parasitic infection...also involving FeLV in the bone marrow. In both cases, with something as severe as anemia presenting, the IFA would be positive. It doesn't make sense that the IFA could be negative under these circumstances. From what I read you don't get anemia on initial exposure to the virus...the anemia is a side effect of serious infection of the bone marrow and white blood cells. Here is what I read about the snap test online (considering the source): 1) There is room for interpretation of the results by the technician (color detection). Sometimes the color is very faint or an over-zealous tech can see a faint color when there is none. 2) Some other antibodies in the blood can cross-react with the elisa...giving a false positive. 3) First two issues aside, the test is 95% accurate. IFA is over 99% accurate. Thanks again for your reply...I guess I'm having a hard time understanding why the IFA was negative in such a severe case of anemia and how Tux could ever have been exposed to the virus. Thanks. Dave ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
Re: [Felvtalk] Re anemia and negative IFA (Dave)
It's rather unlikely but not impossible that there was a false negative in the ELISA test, especially given the history of the cats. The IFA test is not perfect either. Have you considered any other possibility, such as Hemobartonella, which can be treated with doses of Baytril? I have had two cats who suffered from hemobartonella. It's difficult to diagnose but some of Tux's symptoms seem to be those of this disease. Fleas spread hemobartonella so you might want to treat Jet with Frontline Plus or Advantage for Cats. Tests can come up with all sorts of incorrect results. Several of my adult cats off the street tested positive for FeLv but had so many other issues like URI, mange, etc. that their immune systems were overwhelmed. After treatment for the other problems and after three months these cats tested negative for FeLv. You need to retest both cats but first bring the problem with Tux under control. Maybe you should seek a second opinion from another vet not associated with the woman who seems to test for a pre-determined opinion she has. Spay and Neuter your cats and dogs and your weird relatives and nasty neighbors too! From: Dave Arthurs arthurs.da...@gmail.com To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Cc: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Sent: Tuesday, December 25, 2012 6:40 PM Subject: Re: [Felvtalk] Re anemia and negative IFA (Dave) Thanks for the info. We've had Tux and her litter mate, Jet, since they were around 6 months old. Both were tested and negative when they were spayed at 9 months. If they were exposed it had to be 4.5 years ago and then they both had false negative elisa tests. We are going to test Jet. I'll share those results when we get them. Based on the flow chart we'll re-test Tux with IFA in 30 and 60 days. If those tests are negative then we'll accept the negative diagnosis. Yes, the blood antibody test may indicate an auto immune disorder. This test will also be positive for blood-specific antigens (parasites and FeLV). We didn't want to take any more blood so we just started treatment for parasites without confirmation. The vet indicated that the antibiotic would be prescribed for FeLV anyway to ward off secondary infections. I read that elisa can be false positive for a lot of reasons. In this case technician error is at the top of my thoughts. I think the vet had decided on the diagnosis and read the elisa wrong. Thanks again for sharing your thoughts and experiences with FeLV. Dave On Dec 25, 2012, at 4:00 PM, Lori felineres...@frontier.com wrote: ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
Re: [Felvtalk] Re anemia and negative IFA (Dave)
The antibiotics are usually because they are treating for Hemobartonella, whether they know the cat has it or not - I guess it can be hard to see. Hemobartoella is supposedly more common in FeLV cats, though I had a negative cat who had it. Usually if a cat tests positive on a SNAP test they re-do it, to make sure the test was done correctly. Your cat could easily have been exposed to the virus before the original SNAP test years ago. It can take 3 months after exposure for a cat to test positive. If you re-test on the SNAP Tux still tests positive, you can have an IFA done. The IFA is done to see what the progression of the virus is. If the IFA is positive it means the virus is replicating in the bone marrow cannot be thrown off. A negative IFA with a positive SNAP test does NOT mean the cat is negative the SNAP test is wrong. It simply means the cat still has a chance of throwing off the virus. Good luck. If Tux does have Hemobartonella she should respond quickly to the antibiotics. Beth Don't Litter, Fix Your Critter! www.Furkids.org From: Dave Arthurs arthurs.da...@gmail.com To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Cc: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Sent: Tuesday, December 25, 2012 7:40 PM Subject: Re: [Felvtalk] Re anemia and negative IFA (Dave) Thanks for the info. We've had Tux and her litter mate, Jet, since they were around 6 months old. Both were tested and negative when they were spayed at 9 months. If they were exposed it had to be 4.5 years ago and then they both had false negative elisa tests. We are going to test Jet. I'll share those results when we get them. Based on the flow chart we'll re-test Tux with IFA in 30 and 60 days. If those tests are negative then we'll accept the negative diagnosis. Yes, the blood antibody test may indicate an auto immune disorder. This test will also be positive for blood-specific antigens (parasites and FeLV). We didn't want to take any more blood so we just started treatment for parasites without confirmation. The vet indicated that the antibiotic would be prescribed for FeLV anyway to ward off secondary infections. I read that elisa can be false positive for a lot of reasons. In this case technician error is at the top of my thoughts. I think the vet had decided on the diagnosis and read the elisa wrong. Thanks again for sharing your thoughts and experiences with FeLV. Dave On Dec 25, 2012, at 4:00 PM, Lori felineres...@frontier.com wrote: Dave, I'm no expert by any means, but I have had a bit of experience with FelV as I have 16 cats at home and more in my own rescue shelter in a building I bought in 2004 and made into a cageless sanctuary for cats. I have several FelV cats there. The only thing I can think of regarding Tux is that she may have been exposed to the virus before you adopted her. It can take about 6 weeks after exposure to the virus before the Elisa test shows a definite positive or negative. Anemia is something several of my FelV cats have died from, and a few of them were positive as long as 5 years before showing any symptoms. Usually positive kittens die within the first year, but not always. Approximately 1/3 of all positive cats carry the virus and never show symptoms, 1/3 die, and the other 1/3 have immune systems strong enough to kill the virus. As for the vaccine preventing FelV, if Tux had already been exposed before you adopted her the vaccine would not have kept her from developing FelV. At this time I have a litter of four 7 month old rescued kittens who all tested positive. There mother was feral and probably FelV positive. Sadly, one died last week and the other three still appear very healthy. I will retest them in a couple weeks and hopefully they will be negative. The difference in your Elisa test and your IFA test is puzzling. You wrote that her blood test showed she was having an immune reaction to her own blood, and this appears (to me) to be more of an auto-immune problem rather than FelV. Please keep us updated on Tux. Lorrie On 12-25, David Arthurs wrote: Our female cat, Tux, is 5 years old and is recovering from acute anemia...we are 2-cat household...both house cats, not allowed outside and no exposure to other cats as far as we know. Both were tested at the age of spaying (~9 mos) for FeLV (Elisa) and were negative and vaccinated against it...and boostered 2 years ago. Tux's blood chem was normal except for severe anemia (10% RBC). She had lost 2 lbs off her normal weight (sudden)...had a positive snap test and negative IFA for FeLV. Her blood also tested positive for immune reaction to her own blood. We started treatment on prednisone and antibiotics and she has gained 1/4 pound and boosted her new RBC count by 5x, now RBC is at 15% by blood volume...all in one week's time. The vet
[Felvtalk] Re anemia and negative IFA (Dave)
Dave, I'm no expert by any means, but I have had a bit of experience with FelV as I have 16 cats at home and more in my own rescue shelter in a building I bought in 2004 and made into a cageless sanctuary for cats. I have several FelV cats there. The only thing I can think of regarding Tux is that she may have been exposed to the virus before you adopted her. It can take about 6 weeks after exposure to the virus before the Elisa test shows a definite positive or negative. Anemia is something several of my FelV cats have died from, and a few of them were positive as long as 5 years before showing any symptoms. Usually positive kittens die within the first year, but not always. Approximately 1/3 of all positive cats carry the virus and never show symptoms, 1/3 die, and the other 1/3 have immune systems strong enough to kill the virus. As for the vaccine preventing FelV, if Tux had already been exposed before you adopted her the vaccine would not have kept her from developing FelV. At this time I have a litter of four 7 month old rescued kittens who all tested positive. There mother was feral and probably FelV positive. Sadly, one died last week and the other three still appear very healthy. I will retest them in a couple weeks and hopefully they will be negative. The difference in your Elisa test and your IFA test is puzzling. You wrote that her blood test showed she was having an immune reaction to her own blood, and this appears (to me) to be more of an auto-immune problem rather than FelV. Please keep us updated on Tux. Lorrie On 12-25, David Arthurs wrote: Our female cat, Tux, is 5 years old and is recovering from acute anemia...we are 2-cat household...both house cats, not allowed outside and no exposure to other cats as far as we know. Both were tested at the age of spaying (~9 mos) for FeLV (Elisa) and were negative and vaccinated against it...and boostered 2 years ago. Tux's blood chem was normal except for severe anemia (10% RBC). She had lost 2 lbs off her normal weight (sudden)...had a positive snap test and negative IFA for FeLV. Her blood also tested positive for immune reaction to her own blood. We started treatment on prednisone and antibiotics and she has gained 1/4 pound and boosted her new RBC count by 5x, now RBC is at 15% by blood volume...all in one week's time. The vet is certain she has FeLV...even though we're having a hard time understanding how she could possibly have been exposed...and if exposed why the vaccine didn't prevent infection (it seems like a real long shot that she would have caught FeLV). I am also trying to understand how the IFA test could be negative...the low RBC count seems to indicate that this is secondary viremia...and infecting her bone marrow (which should lead to a positive IFA). The vet keeps suggesting implausible ways she may have caught the virus in order to maintain the diagnosis as FeLV. Please let me know your experiences and please be honest if you think we're in denial. From online research I've been able to determine that the snap test is about 90-95% reliable (and prone to technician error if faintly positive) and the IFA is 99.9% accurate...but may not register right away if she has an initial infection. Thanks for any advice you can share. Dave -- Dave Arthurs 415.518.9960 mobile 415.344.6546 office ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
Re: [Felvtalk] Re anemia and negative IFA (Dave)
Thanks for the info. We've had Tux and her litter mate, Jet, since they were around 6 months old. Both were tested and negative when they were spayed at 9 months. If they were exposed it had to be 4.5 years ago and then they both had false negative elisa tests. We are going to test Jet. I'll share those results when we get them. Based on the flow chart we'll re-test Tux with IFA in 30 and 60 days. If those tests are negative then we'll accept the negative diagnosis. Yes, the blood antibody test may indicate an auto immune disorder. This test will also be positive for blood-specific antigens (parasites and FeLV). We didn't want to take any more blood so we just started treatment for parasites without confirmation. The vet indicated that the antibiotic would be prescribed for FeLV anyway to ward off secondary infections. I read that elisa can be false positive for a lot of reasons. In this case technician error is at the top of my thoughts. I think the vet had decided on the diagnosis and read the elisa wrong. Thanks again for sharing your thoughts and experiences with FeLV. Dave On Dec 25, 2012, at 4:00 PM, Lori felineres...@frontier.com wrote: Dave, I'm no expert by any means, but I have had a bit of experience with FelV as I have 16 cats at home and more in my own rescue shelter in a building I bought in 2004 and made into a cageless sanctuary for cats. I have several FelV cats there. The only thing I can think of regarding Tux is that she may have been exposed to the virus before you adopted her. It can take about 6 weeks after exposure to the virus before the Elisa test shows a definite positive or negative. Anemia is something several of my FelV cats have died from, and a few of them were positive as long as 5 years before showing any symptoms. Usually positive kittens die within the first year, but not always. Approximately 1/3 of all positive cats carry the virus and never show symptoms, 1/3 die, and the other 1/3 have immune systems strong enough to kill the virus. As for the vaccine preventing FelV, if Tux had already been exposed before you adopted her the vaccine would not have kept her from developing FelV. At this time I have a litter of four 7 month old rescued kittens who all tested positive. There mother was feral and probably FelV positive. Sadly, one died last week and the other three still appear very healthy. I will retest them in a couple weeks and hopefully they will be negative. The difference in your Elisa test and your IFA test is puzzling. You wrote that her blood test showed she was having an immune reaction to her own blood, and this appears (to me) to be more of an auto-immune problem rather than FelV. Please keep us updated on Tux. Lorrie On 12-25, David Arthurs wrote: Our female cat, Tux, is 5 years old and is recovering from acute anemia...we are 2-cat household...both house cats, not allowed outside and no exposure to other cats as far as we know. Both were tested at the age of spaying (~9 mos) for FeLV (Elisa) and were negative and vaccinated against it...and boostered 2 years ago. Tux's blood chem was normal except for severe anemia (10% RBC). She had lost 2 lbs off her normal weight (sudden)...had a positive snap test and negative IFA for FeLV. Her blood also tested positive for immune reaction to her own blood. We started treatment on prednisone and antibiotics and she has gained 1/4 pound and boosted her new RBC count by 5x, now RBC is at 15% by blood volume...all in one week's time. The vet is certain she has FeLV...even though we're having a hard time understanding how she could possibly have been exposed...and if exposed why the vaccine didn't prevent infection (it seems like a real long shot that she would have caught FeLV). I am also trying to understand how the IFA test could be negative...the low RBC count seems to indicate that this is secondary viremia...and infecting her bone marrow (which should lead to a positive IFA). The vet keeps suggesting implausible ways she may have caught the virus in order to maintain the diagnosis as FeLV. Please let me know your experiences and please be honest if you think we're in denial. From online research I've been able to determine that the snap test is about 90-95% reliable (and prone to technician error if faintly positive) and the IFA is 99.9% accurate...but may not register right away if she has an initial infection. Thanks for any advice you can share. Dave -- Dave Arthurs 415.518.9960 mobile 415.344.6546 office ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org
