Re: [Felvtalk] virus has finally caught up with her
Dear Jennifer, You did the right thing. I have had many FelV cats, and other than giving fluids to make them more comfortable or taking care of something like an infection that a vet can treat, I will NOT put a cat of mine thru any heroic measures. I have tried assist feeding, and I've watched them gag and try to get away from me. This is pure torture for them as well as for me, the torturer. I know a lot of you will disagree with me, but when a FelV cat becomes desperately ill I put them down. I give my FelV cats as good a life as I can while they are alive and well, but when they are dying I let them go. Thank you for making the brave decision you made. You will miss Sasha terribly, but you did the kindest thing you could for her. Hugs for you from Lorrie On 10-10, Jennifer Ballew wrote: Put Sasha down today. I think it was time. :-( ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
Re: [Felvtalk] virus has finally caught up with her
Lorrie- Thank you for the kind words. I debated back and forth, and after a lnng discussion with the vet I decided putting her down was the best thing for her. I did what you did: gave her the best life I could, but let her go when it was time. Thanks again, Jennifer On Oct 11, 2013 5:41 AM, Lorrie felineres...@frontier.com wrote: Dear Jennifer, You did the right thing. I have had many FelV cats, and other than giving fluids to make them more comfortable or taking care of something like an infection that a vet can treat, I will NOT put a cat of mine thru any heroic measures. I have tried assist feeding, and I've watched them gag and try to get away from me. This is pure torture for them as well as for me, the torturer. I know a lot of you will disagree with me, but when a FelV cat becomes desperately ill I put them down. I give my FelV cats as good a life as I can while they are alive and well, but when they are dying I let them go. Thank you for making the brave decision you made. You will miss Sasha terribly, but you did the kindest thing you could for her. Hugs for you from Lorrie On 10-10, Jennifer Ballew wrote: Put Sasha down today. I think it was time. :-( ___ 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] virus has finally caught up with her
Jennifer I'm so sorry you had to go through this (both you and Sasha). May it be of comfort to know she is no longer suffering. Peace Bonnie From: Felvtalk [mailto:felvtalk-boun...@felineleukemia.org] On Behalf Of Jennifer Ballew Sent: Friday, October 11, 2013 4:16 AM To: felvtalk Subject: Re: [Felvtalk] virus has finally caught up with her Lorrie- Thank you for the kind words. I debated back and forth, and after a lnng discussion with the vet I decided putting her down was the best thing for her. I did what you did: gave her the best life I could, but let her go when it was time. Thanks again, Jennifer On Oct 11, 2013 5:41 AM, Lorrie felineres...@frontier.com wrote: Dear Jennifer, You did the right thing. I have had many FelV cats, and other than giving fluids to make them more comfortable or taking care of something like an infection that a vet can treat, I will NOT put a cat of mine thru any heroic measures. I have tried assist feeding, and I've watched them gag and try to get away from me. This is pure torture for them as well as for me, the torturer. I know a lot of you will disagree with me, but when a FelV cat becomes desperately ill I put them down. I give my FelV cats as good a life as I can while they are alive and well, but when they are dying I let them go. Thank you for making the brave decision you made. You will miss Sasha terribly, but you did the kindest thing you could for her. Hugs for you from Lorrie On 10-10, Jennifer Ballew wrote: Put Sasha down today. I think it was time. :-( ___ 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] virus has finally caught up with her
Jennifer, Thank you for writing. I wish everyone would give a kind gentle death to their pets with an incurable disease. It is the quality of life that matters, not seeing how long you can keep a pet alive. I wish people could also have a gentle death when they are dying, but only three states allow this. Lorrie On 10-11, Jennifer Ballew wrote: Lorrie- Thank you for the kind words. I debated back and forth, and after a lnng discussion with the vet I decided putting her down was the best thing for her. I did what you did: gave her the best life I could, but let her go when it was time. Thanks again, Jennifer On Oct 11, 2013 5:41 AM, Lorrie [1]felineres...@frontier.com wrote: Dear Jennifer, You did the right thing. I have had many FelV cats, and other than giving fluids to make them more comfortable or taking care of something like an infection that a vet can treat, I will NOT put a cat of mine thru any heroic measures. I have tried assist feeding, and I've watched them gag and try to get away from me. This is pure torture for them as well as for me, the torturer. I know a lot of you will disagree with me, but when a FelV cat becomes desperately ill I put them down. I give my FelV cats as good a life as I can while they are alive and well, but when they are dying I let them go. Thank you for making the brave decision you made. You will miss Sasha terribly, but you did the kindest thing you could for her. Hugs for you from Lorrie ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
Re: [Felvtalk] virus has finally caught up with her
It kills a part of me every time I have to make that decision. Just today an elderly dog I cared for a great deal had to be helped across the Rainbow Bridge because he had lost all control of his hindquarters and could no longer pee or poop. Rowdy was only with our rescue a year or so after his humans could no longer deal with him but during that year he was a very happy and loved old goof ball and I really think the attention he finally received and the joy he had in his last year of life were a present we were able to give to him. In return he loved the heck out of us and life. So, while it hurts, remember the love you gave and the love you received and be content in the belief you didn't allow it to drag on to where she would have gone over the bridge with unhappy experiences being her last. You did the loving thing. Thank you. Kat On Friday, October 11, 2013, Lorrie wrote: Dear Jennifer, You did the right thing. I have had many FelV cats, and other than giving fluids to make them more comfortable or taking care of something like an infection that a vet can treat, I will NOT put a cat of mine thru any heroic measures. I have tried assist feeding, and I've watched them gag and try to get away from me. This is pure torture for them as well as for me, the torturer. I know a lot of you will disagree with me, but when a FelV cat becomes desperately ill I put them down. I give my FelV cats as good a life as I can while they are alive and well, but when they are dying I let them go. Thank you for making the brave decision you made. You will miss Sasha terribly, but you did the kindest thing you could for her. Hugs for you from Lorrie On 10-10, Jennifer Ballew wrote: Put Sasha down today. I think it was time. :-( ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org javascript:; http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
Re: [Felvtalk] virus has finally caught up with her
Well said, Kat. From: Felvtalk [mailto:felvtalk-boun...@felineleukemia.org] On Behalf Of katskat1 Sent: Friday, October 11, 2013 8:53 PM To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Subject: Re: [Felvtalk] virus has finally caught up with her It kills a part of me every time I have to make that decision. Just today an elderly dog I cared for a great deal had to be helped across the Rainbow Bridge because he had lost all control of his hindquarters and could no longer pee or poop. Rowdy was only with our rescue a year or so after his humans could no longer deal with him but during that year he was a very happy and loved old goof ball and I really think the attention he finally received and the joy he had in his last year of life were a present we were able to give to him. In return he loved the heck out of us and life. So, while it hurts, remember the love you gave and the love you received and be content in the belief you didn't allow it to drag on to where she would have gone over the bridge with unhappy experiences being her last. You did the loving thing. Thank you. Kat On Friday, October 11, 2013, Lorrie wrote: Dear Jennifer, You did the right thing. I have had many FelV cats, and other than giving fluids to make them more comfortable or taking care of something like an infection that a vet can treat, I will NOT put a cat of mine thru any heroic measures. I have tried assist feeding, and I've watched them gag and try to get away from me. This is pure torture for them as well as for me, the torturer. I know a lot of you will disagree with me, but when a FelV cat becomes desperately ill I put them down. I give my FelV cats as good a life as I can while they are alive and well, but when they are dying I let them go. Thank you for making the brave decision you made. You will miss Sasha terribly, but you did the kindest thing you could for her. Hugs for you from Lorrie On 10-10, Jennifer Ballew wrote: Put Sasha down today. I think it was time. :-( ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org javascript:; http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
Re: [Felvtalk] virus has finally caught up with her :-(
That is good. You can offer Pedialyte with the water. On Wed, Oct 9, 2013 at 6:27 PM, Jennifer Ballew wrote: Well she is still drinking water for now, albeit not very much. So I guess that's something. Jennifer On Oct 9, 2013 6:07 PM, katskat1 katsk...@gmail.com wrote: Good info Margo. You definitely have to hydrate and keep hydrating quickly Jennifer and force feed if necessary. Keep Amoxcillan (sp) on hand at the very least but I suggest talk to your vet and buy/keep several different types on hand with his/her help on determining which to start and when. Good luck. On Wednesday, October 9, 2013, Margo wrote: Hi Jennifer, My first thought is to get her immediately on sub-q fluids, and join the yahoo CRF list http://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/Feline-CRF-Support/info . If you think about what a hangover feels like (or have someone who has over-imbibed explain the feeling) then you understand how dehydration makes her feel. Can you be a bit more specific about her blood counts? Is she anemic? Are her white cells low? What else is out of whack? Not everything that happens to an FeLV cat is FeLV related, but we do have to react faster, as they can't fight of even minor illness like a non-FeLV cat can. My + cats are on Interferon and DMG, probably for the duration. Anything else that pops up we treat very aggressively, and I have antibiotics on hand, which I often start even before we get to the Vet, with her blessing. Jennifer, it's unlikely she'll come out of it by herself. Just resolving the dehydration may be key to getting her going again, it can make a HUGE difference. I'd ask the Vet if it's possible that she has an infection that might be causing some of this with her kidneys, and if an antibiotic could be tried. I watch my positives carefully. When Gribble was first diagnosed, I was sure I would lose him. He had a fever of 107, which we brought down with ice and ketoprofen, and then his temp went down to 97. I did not expect him to live thru the night, so sat with him and moved him between bags of frozen veggies and a heating pad. He was about 2 at that time, early March of last year. He was assist fed, on two antibiotics (there wasn't time for a CS) and started on Interferon ASAP. You might consider Immunoregulin, we bought it, but it's still on hold in case he relapses and doesn't respond to anything else. Mako also occasionally has some issues, and we treat with antibiotics and/or antivirals. The truth is that I don;t know if they get better because of that, or in spite of my efforts. My advice would be to try to resolve the dehydration, get some food into her, and request an antibiotic from the Vet (I use Zenequin, but others might be more appropriate). Keep her warm and quiet, and love her. All the best, Margo -Original Message- From: Jennifer Ballew ** Sent: Oct 9, 2013 4:48 PM To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Subject: [Felvtalk] Fwd: virus has finally caught up with her :-( Hey all- This is the first time I have posted to the forum. I have two FeLV positive cats, one two and one three years old. The older cat has never had any issues with illness whatsoever, but the younger has only recently started showing signs that her illness has caught up with her. Just within the last few days she has become very lethargic, stopped eating (and only drinks a small amount) and whenever she stands or walks she seems very unsteady and wobbly. I took her to the vet yesterday; they checked her blood counts which were low and said her kidney enzymes were elevated. They also said they could hear a heart murmur which is probably related to possibly being dehydrated. They gave her a B12 shot and I took her home. I already said if worst came to worst I wouldn't put her through any unnecessary treatments or subject her to any painful procedures and that I would strive only to provide the best supportive care for her while she was alive so that she would have the best chances. I'm just wondering if any of you have gone through the same thing and if I can expect her to pull out of this on her own, or, if she doesn't, how long she might have left. I'm sincerely heartbroken. I really thought I had nursed her through the most risky part of her illness (kittenhood) and that she would now go on to live a halfway long life. In any case, if anyone has any advice or information I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks all, Jennifer -- To love is to risk not being loved in return. To hope is to risk pain. To try is to risk failure, But risk must be taken, Because the greatest hazard in life Is to risk nothing. --Leo Buscaglia ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
Re: [Felvtalk] virus has finally caught up with her :-(
Well she is still drinking water for now, albeit not very much. So I guess that's something. Jennifer On Oct 9, 2013 6:07 PM, katskat1 katsk...@gmail.com wrote: Good info Margo. You definitely have to hydrate and keep hydrating quickly Jennifer and force feed if necessary. Keep Amoxcillan (sp) on hand at the very least but I suggest talk to your vet and buy/keep several different types on hand with his/her help on determining which to start and when. Good luck. On Wednesday, October 9, 2013, Margo wrote: Hi Jennifer, My first thought is to get her immediately on sub-q fluids, and join the yahoo CRF list http://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/Feline-CRF-Support/info . If you think about what a hangover feels like (or have someone who has over-imbibed explain the feeling) then you understand how dehydration makes her feel. Can you be a bit more specific about her blood counts? Is she anemic? Are her white cells low? What else is out of whack? Not everything that happens to an FeLV cat is FeLV related, but we do have to react faster, as they can't fight of even minor illness like a non-FeLV cat can. My + cats are on Interferon and DMG, probably for the duration. Anything else that pops up we treat very aggressively, and I have antibiotics on hand, which I often start even before we get to the Vet, with her blessing. Jennifer, it's unlikely she'll come out of it by herself. Just resolving the dehydration may be key to getting her going again, it can make a HUGE difference. I'd ask the Vet if it's possible that she has an infection that might be causing some of this with her kidneys, and if an antibiotic could be tried. I watch my positives carefully. When Gribble was first diagnosed, I was sure I would lose him. He had a fever of 107, which we brought down with ice and ketoprofen, and then his temp went down to 97. I did not expect him to live thru the night, so sat with him and moved him between bags of frozen veggies and a heating pad. He was about 2 at that time, early March of last year. He was assist fed, on two antibiotics (there wasn't time for a CS) and started on Interferon ASAP. You might consider Immunoregulin, we bought it, but it's still on hold in case he relapses and doesn't respond to anything else. Mako also occasionally has some issues, and we treat with antibiotics and/or antivirals. The truth is that I don;t know if they get better because of that, or in spite of my efforts. My advice would be to try to resolve the dehydration, get some food into her, and request an antibiotic from the Vet (I use Zenequin, but others might be more appropriate). Keep her warm and quiet, and love her. All the best, Margo -Original Message- From: Jennifer Ballew ** Sent: Oct 9, 2013 4:48 PM To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Subject: [Felvtalk] Fwd: virus has finally caught up with her :-( Hey all- This is the first time I have posted to the forum. I have two FeLV positive cats, one two and one three years old. The older cat has never had any issues with illness whatsoever, but the younger has only recently started showing signs that her illness has caught up with her. Just within the last few days she has become very lethargic, stopped eating (and only drinks a small amount) and whenever she stands or walks she seems very unsteady and wobbly. I took her to the vet yesterday; they checked her blood counts which were low and said her kidney enzymes were elevated. They also said they could hear a heart murmur which is probably related to possibly being dehydrated. They gave her a B12 shot and I took her home. I already said if worst came to worst I wouldn't put her through any unnecessary treatments or subject her to any painful procedures and that I would strive only to provide the best supportive care for her while she was alive so that she would have the best chances. I'm just wondering if any of you have gone through the same thing and if I can expect her to pull out of this on her own, or, if she doesn't, how long she might have left. I'm sincerely heartbroken. I really thought I had nursed her through the most risky part of her illness (kittenhood) and that she would now go on to live a halfway long life. In any case, if anyone has any advice or information I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks all, Jennifer -- To love is to risk not being loved in return. To hope is to risk pain. To try is to risk failure, But risk must be taken, Because the greatest hazard in life Is to risk nothing. --Leo Buscaglia ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org
Re: [Felvtalk] virus has finally caught up with her :-(
Sub-q is definitely best, but I have syringed water (slowly and only about 1.5 ml at a time) to Ember when I was concerned about her. She's been given interferon orally for years, so she's used to it, but if she were actually dehydrated, I would do sub-q in a heartbeat. I've read it makes them feel amazingly better. Best wishes and hopes for your cat, Jennifer. Lance On Oct 9, 2013, at 6:27 PM, Jennifer Ballew balle...@gmail.com wrote: Well she is still drinking water for now, albeit not very much. So I guess that's something. Jennifer On Oct 9, 2013 6:07 PM, katskat1 katsk...@gmail.com wrote: Good info Margo. You definitely have to hydrate and keep hydrating quickly Jennifer and force feed if necessary. Keep Amoxcillan (sp) on hand at the very least but I suggest talk to your vet and buy/keep several different types on hand with his/her help on determining which to start and when. Good luck. ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
