We were giving all 6 kittens Interferon once a day 1cc orally. After the 4 brothers passed, we went to 2x a day after reading that it doesn't keep the virus from multiplying the full 24 hours. Plus, our cats have never had a reaction to taking it once a day, they even come in the kitchen and sit when it's time for the little squirt. We are all just scrambling for any hope. I am lucky that our vet really cares for our kitties and supports us in obtaining the LTCI for us and is just a phone call away. Here is the passage from that document on Interferon: ----------
#1) NEVER give with food. Inteferon breaks down in the stomach with stomach acid. Always squirt it directly into the mouth where it is absorbed in the mouth and throat lining. #2) ALWAYS keep refridgerated. It's useless if it hits room temperature. Keep unused dilutions frozen until needed. It's unknown how long Interferon stays effective in the fridge. Keep unused dilutions frozen until needed. #3) It's USELESS to do on/off dosing. It MUST be given every 24 hours to maintain consistent levels in the bloodstream. (See excerpts below regarding peaks and valleys). It must be kept in the blood at all times. On/Off protocols are worthless because it progresses forward in times of no intervention. It is relatively new, and being used "off-label" which means no studies were done for FDA approval in animals. The use of Interferon for feline viruses was experimental and the results that vets who use it are seeing are being shared and tried by others. Most of the medications used in veterinary practise are "off-label" human medications that have FDA approvals based on human trials and you will not find specific studies done on cats or dogs unless the drug was specifically developed for, and tested in animals for FDA approval. Interferon is Interferon. It acts the same way in cats as it does in humans. The recent understanding that low doses can be as effective as the higher, more toxic doses and a better understanding of diluting and freezing the Interferon to extend its shelf life has meant great strides in it's use in veterinary medicine. The purpose of low dose Interferon in cats is to mimic the same levels that are naturally produced in response to a viral attack. Many people ask what is the connection between human viral treatments and feline, and why should I care? The connection is this. Viruses all work the same way. They may be species specific, but their biochemical mechanisms are the same. Just as we use human Amoxycillin to treat bacterial infections in both humans and cats, so too can human anti-virals work to help reduce viral loads in cats. Interferon works the same way against the Hepatitis C virus in humans. If you read the La Roche link you will see that the primary functions of Interferon are: anti-viral, anti-proliferative and immunomodulatory. It "interferes" with the virus replication. By keeping the level of the virus down in the host's system it allows the cat's own weakened immune system to help suppress symptoms. The lower dose in veterinary practise is not designed to eradicate the virus as it is with Hepatitis C. Cats chronically infected with FIV or Herpes will always have the virus, so the high dosage therapy is of really no use. The idea is to either replace or supplement the levels of natural Interferon the cat is either not producing or not producing enough of. Interferons are natural virus killers. There are definitely some immune boosting benefits to Interferon but it's primary function is to keep the viral load in the system down. WHY IS DAILY DOSING BETTER? Jere Hough Three Times Weekly Is A Terribly Poor Way to Dose Interferon.... This is a great article and also discusses the development of longer acting pegylated interferons to better manage the peak and valley effects of the current generation of Interferons: “PEAKS AND VALLEYS - Because interferon has a half-life in serum of only about 7 -10 hours. This means it peaks in the body at about 12 hours and is then rapidly metabolized and excreted. At 24 hours after injection it is barely measurable. By 36 hours it is not detectable with current measurements. During this peak the is a rapid, dramatic drop in viral load. As the levels of interferons quickly drop to negligible levels at about 24 hours viral loads start rapidly climbing again. By 48 or especially 72 hours much of the gain in viral reduction has been lost. In other words, viral loads in the body fluctuate directly and rapidly along with levels of interferon in serum, and when plotted on a graph look like a sine wave, or a roller coaster. This graph, along with a description of this phenomena, can be viewed on many websites and texts on the subject, including the http://www.roche-hepc.com/ page. These peaks and valleys have been followed for days in human subjects, and are invariably similar in those who respond to IFN. As interferon levels go up viral loads go down immediately. Then as IFN levels drop, viral loads increase again rapidly. In the period from 24 to 48 hours viral loads peak to erase most of the gains made. In standard TIW dosing the increase in viral loads is even more pronounced during the 72 hour break once each week.” -------------- _______________________________________________ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
