Re: FeLV Help for a 5 year old male cat
I'm sorry you're going through this with Whisper. If it were me I would take Whisper to another vet for a second opinion before I made a decision. tonya Vila Ash [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: I sent this by my other email. I got a message back saying its pending due to my email address not being a member. SO PLEASE reply to this one. We dont know how much longer he will go on like this. PLEASE HELP!! I have had my cat, Whisper, for about 5 years now he use to weigh 18lbs (a year ago), now he weighs about 7-10lbs. He is the oldest of 3 other cats. A month ago we found out he has Leukemia. We never knew what was wrong with him, we never thought it to be Leukemia. About a year ago we took him to the vet, for vomiting and drooling, the vet laughed at us because he thought whisper was in really good health.Well a year went by with out any treatment or even knowing some this was wrong with him.We took him to the vet about a month or so ago for his eyes ( he had an infection in his eyes, and was not eating), they ran a blood test and they told us he has Leukemia. They kept him over night to start the treatments right a way. They gave us Clacamox Drops (very pricey), Neo/Poly/Dex Ophthalmic drops, and the Interferon. He seemed to be getting worse.We took him to the vet today to get them to do a check up on him ( he hasnt been eating, been having to force feed him, he wont get up much, excessive drooling.) and get more of his medication, they believe he has ulcers in his mouth which is causing him to not eat and make him drool. Well now they think he has some other disease kind of like Leukemia that is causing the ulcers, lack of appetite, and causing the medications to not work. So they want to run MORE test and give him MORE medication, etc. We are not sure what we want to do. He seems to be suffering so much, and he also seems to know he does not have much longer to live. We are all talking about either keeping him on his medication, let him live out his life without his medication, or taking him off his medication and see if he will do better, and if he does not do better then we will put him down. BUT, what I dont understand is that the vet cant fully explain to us about: what is going on, why cant they help us more, what is the other possible disease, how long might he live more, etc. It just seems like all they want is money, money and more money. One of his medication they sell for about $26 and we can get it from 1-800-PETMEDS for about $10, its the same bottle, same size, same doses. The test for leukemia is $55, and so is the other test. I dont understand what is going on. Whisper is my baby, I would give every thing to help him, but with the vet confusing us we really dont know what to do. Can you possibly explain every thing a bit better? Sincerely, Gina Whisper Boardwalk for $500? In 2007? Ha! Play Monopoly Here and Now (it's updated for today's economy) at Yahoo! Games. http://get.games.yahoo.com/proddesc?gamekey=monopolyherenow
RE: FeLV Help for a 5 year old male cat
Probably true, but you could get copies of all the tests your vet has run and avoid repeating at least a few of them. I don't know. With what I've been going through with changing vets I'm appalled at how different they are in how they approach things. For example my old vet said bloodwork was fine, but my new vet said bloodwork pointed to the beginnings of crf and ran additional bloodwork that turned out that she was correct. (Bloodwork within 1 week's difference)... t Chris Behnke [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Another thing to think about, is that if you switch vets now, the new vet will want to run all the same tests over again. Chris -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Chris Behnke Sent: Sunday, September 30, 2007 8:10 PM To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Subject: RE: FeLV Help for a 5 year old male cat Sometimes it is hard to completely diagnose what is going on with a cat with leukemia. There are so many factors to consider. Not to mention, sometimes the symptoms may point to too many things instead of narrowing it down. I recently lost one of my cats to a tumor in the eye and nasal cavity. She started getting sick earlier this spring, but we didn't find out about the tumor until it was too late. This was no ones fault. We, the vet and I, ran a lot of test, had her in for exams at least 3 times a month. We tried many medications but nothing helped her to get better. The vet really cared and wasn't just trying to make money. But the symptoms weren't enough, nor were the blood tests. It sounds like Whisper could have Herpes. This is common with FeLV+ and is usually treatable. But, once again, the symptoms for herpes are also the same for other diseases/viruses. Basically I am just trying to say that it may seem as if all the vet cares about is money, but this may not be the case. I would do some research on the web about Whisper's symptoms and then talk with the vet again and see what he says about what you found out. Chris -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Vila Ash Sent: Sunday, September 30, 2007 7:37 PM To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Subject: FeLV Help for a 5 year old male cat I sent this by my other email. I got a message back saying its pending due to my email address not being a member. SO PLEASE reply to this one. We dont know how much longer he will go on like this. PLEASE HELP!! I have had my cat, Whisper, for about 5 years now he use to weigh 18lbs (a year ago), now he weighs about 7-10lbs. He is the oldest of 3 other cats. A month ago we found out he has Leukemia. We never knew what was wrong with him, we never thought it to be Leukemia. About a year ago we took him to the vet, for vomiting and drooling, the vet laughed at us because he thought whisper was in really good health.Well a year went by with out any treatment or even knowing some this was wrong with him.We took him to the vet about a month or so ago for his eyes ( he had an infection in his eyes, and was not eating), they ran a blood test and they told us he has Leukemia. They kept him over night to start the treatments right a way. They gave us Clacamox Drops (very pricey), Neo/Poly/Dex Ophthalmic drops, and the Interferon. He seemed to be getting worse.We took him to the vet today to get them to do a check up on him ( he hasnt been eating, been having to force feed him, he wont get up much, excessive drooling.) and get more of his medication, they believe he has ulcers in his mouth which is causing him to not eat and make him drool. Well now they think he has some other disease kind of like Leukemia that is causing the ulcers, lack of appetite, and causing the medications to not work. So they want to run MORE test and give him MORE medication, etc. We are not sure what we want to do. He seems to be suffering so much, and he also seems to know he does not have much longer to live. We are all talking about either keeping him on his medication, let him live out his life without his medication, or taking him off his medication and see if he will do better, and if he does not do better then we will put him down. BUT, what I dont understand is that the vet cant fully explain to us about: what is going on, why cant they help us more, what is the other possible disease, how long might he live more, etc. It just seems like all they want is money, money and more money. One of his medication they sell for about $26 and we can get it from 1-800-PETMEDS for about $10, its the same bottle, same size, same doses. The test for leukemia is $55, and so is the other test. I dont understand what is going on. Whisper is my baby, I would give every thing to help him, but with the vet confusing us we really dont know what to do. Can you possibly explain every thing a bit better? Sincerely, Gina Whisper
RE: FeLV Help for a 5 year old male cat
I am wondering what Whisper's RBC/packed cell volume is. I am also wondering if the drooling you are describing is thick, stringy saliva? If so, this is possibly an indication of dehydration. When we discovered our cat was felv+, she had the classic anemia leading to lethargy and unwillingness to eat. This was addressed with ONLY prednisone injection and pills, which pushed the virus into remission and she was perfectly healthy for about 2 1/2 yrs., had a mild bout with anemia, then another severe bout with anemia about 6 months after that. This time they tried Depo-Medrol (we had moved and had another vet), which did NOTHING. We also tried Interferon, which did nothing. I insisted on another prednisolone injection, and she immediately went into remission again. That was almost 4 years ago, and she hasn't come out of remission since. So she's lived for over 7 years after being diagnosed positive. And she was 8 when she was diagnosed. Also, I was told that a first test for leukemia may not be accurate and that a second should always be done. I don't remember if that depends on the kind of test, or what. If it was me, I would do my own research the best I could, ask questions, perhaps get a second opinion but definitely pursue finding the cause. Personally, to me, it does sound like it could be something other than leukemia. I wish you luck. I know the stress you are under worrying about your kitty and what is best to do, and who to trust. On Sat 10/6/2007 2:20 PM, catatonya [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote : Probably true, but you could get copies of all the tests your vet has run and avoid repeating at least a few of them. I don't know. With what I've been going through with changing vets I'm appalled at how different they are in how they approach things. For example my old vet said bloodwork was fine, but my new vet said bloodwork pointed to the beginnings of crf and ran additional bloodwork that turned out that she was correct. (Bloodwork within 1 week's difference)... t Chris Behnke [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Another thing to think about, is that if you switch vets now, the new vet will want to run all the same tests over again. Chris -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Chris Behnke Sent: Sunday, September 30, 2007 8:10 PM To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Subject: RE: FeLV Help for a 5 year old male cat Sometimes it is hard to completely diagnose what is going on with a cat with leukemia. There are so many factors to consider. Not to mention, sometimes the symptoms may point to too many things instead of narrowing it down. I recently lost one of my cats to a tumor in the eye and nasal cavity. She started getting sick earlier this spring, but we didn't find out about the tumor until it was too late. This was no ones fault. We, the vet and I, ran a lot of test, had her in for exams at least 3 times a month. We tried many medications but nothing helped her to get better. The vet really cared and wasn't just trying to make money. But the symptoms weren't enough, nor were the blood tests. It sounds like Whisper could have Herpes. This is common with FeLV+ and is usually treatable. But, once again, the symptoms for herpes are also the same for other diseases/viruses. Basically I am just trying to say that it may seem as if all the vet cares about is money, but this may not be the case. I would do some research on the web about Whisper's symptoms and then talk with the vet again and see what he says about what you found out. Chris -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Vila Ash Sent: Sunday, September 30, 2007 7:37 PM To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Subject: FeLV Help for a 5 year old male cat I sent this by my other email. I got a message back saying its pending due to my email address not being a member. SO PLEASE reply to this one. We dont know how much longer he will go on like this. PLEASE HELP!! I have had my cat, Whisper, for about 5 years now he use to weigh 18lbs (a year ago), now he weighs about 7-10lbs. He is the oldest of 3 other cats. A month ago we found out he has Leukemia. We never knew what was wrong with him, we never thought it to be Leukemia. About a year ago we took him to the vet, for vomiting and drooling, the vet laughed at us because he thought whisper was in really good health.Well a year went by with out any treatment or even knowing some this was wrong with him.We took him to the vet about a month or so ago for his eyes ( he had an infection in his eyes, and was not eating), they ran a blood test and they told us he has Leukemia. They kept him over night to start the treatments right a way. They gave us Clacamox Drops (very pricey), Neo/Poly/Dex Ophthalmic drops, and the Interferon. He seemed to be getting worse.We took him
Re: FeLV Help for a 5 year old male cat
Gina, Take a breath and then seriously consider taking Whisper to another vet, this vet doesn't seem to have a clue. Do you have Whispers blood work results, if so can you post his HCT, RBC, HGB? Has his teeth been checked, drooling can mean bad teeth, stomach upset among other things? Bailey had teeth problems towards the end of his life and had to have all his teeth pulled, it helped get him eating again. He did fine without teeth. Teenye my negative baby girl also ate fine without teeth and she liked dry food! If you are in an area big enough, go through the phone book and call around to different vets and let them know you are looking for a new vet. Ask them to have the vet call you to ask a few questions, if they call, interview them, explain your circumstances and let them know what you are looking for in a vet. If they don't call you they aren't worth bothering with. It sounds like what Bailey was doing when he had his teeth problems, any vet should be able to spot this easily. -- 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: FeLV Help for a 5 year old male cat
You should be able to get copies of the tests to take to any new vet or have the old vet transfer them, my guess is the old vet will want to charge a fee to do this, which is acceptable as long as it isn't ridiculous. Another thing to think about, is that if you switch vets now, the new vet will want to run all the same tests over again. -- 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: FeLV Help for a 5 year old male cat
It sounds to me as if you should try a different vet--since this one laughed at you (totally unacceptable) and now is not able to explain Whisper's condition to you--just wants to run more tests (more $). Some vets, unfortunately, care more about money than animals. (I had the misfortune to know one of those.) I would strongly suggest another clinic--perhaps you could ask friends with animals who they would recommend. My very best to you. Pat - Original Message - From: Vila Ash [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Sent: Sunday, September 30, 2007 7:36 PM Subject: FeLV Help for a 5 year old male cat I sent this by my other email. I got a message back saying its pending due to my email address not being a member. SO PLEASE reply to this one. We dont know how much longer he will go on like this. PLEASE HELP!! I have had my cat, Whisper, for about 5 years now he use to weigh 18lbs (a year ago), now he weighs about 7-10lbs. He is the oldest of 3 other cats. A month ago we found out he has Leukemia. We never knew what was wrong with him, we never thought it to be Leukemia. About a year ago we took him to the vet, for vomiting and drooling, the vet laughed at us because he thought whisper was in really good health.Well a year went by with out any treatment or even knowing some this was wrong with him.We took him to the vet about a month or so ago for his eyes ( he had an infection in his eyes, and was not eating), they ran a blood test and they told us he has Leukemia. They kept him over night to start the treatments right a way. They gave us Clacamox Drops (very pricey), Neo/Poly/Dex Ophthalmic drops, and the Interferon. He seemed to be getting worse.We took him to the vet today to get them to do a check up on him ( he hasnt been eating, been having to force feed him, he wont get up much, excessive drooling.) and get more of his medication, they believe he has ulcers in his mouth which is causing him to not eat and make him drool. Well now they think he has some other disease kind of like Leukemia that is causing the ulcers, lack of appetite, and causing the medications to not work. So they want to run MORE test and give him MORE medication, etc. We are not sure what we want to do. He seems to be suffering so much, and he also seems to know he does not have much longer to live. We are all talking about either keeping him on his medication, let him live out his life without his medication, or taking him off his medication and see if he will do better, and if he does not do better then we will put him down. BUT, what I dont understand is that the vet cant fully explain to us about: what is going on, why cant they help us more, what is the other possible disease, how long might he live more, etc. It just seems like all they want is money, money and more money. One of his medication they sell for about $26 and we can get it from 1-800-PETMEDS for about $10, its the same bottle, same size, same doses. The test for leukemia is $55, and so is the other test. I dont understand what is going on. Whisper is my baby, I would give every thing to help him, but with the vet confusing us we really dont know what to do. Can you possibly explain every thing a bit better? Sincerely, Gina Whisper Boardwalk for $500? In 2007? Ha! Play Monopoly Here and Now (it's updated for today's economy) at Yahoo! Games. http://get.games.yahoo.com/proddesc?gamekey=monopolyherenow
RE: FeLV Help for a 5 year old male cat
Sometimes it is hard to completely diagnose what is going on with a cat with leukemia. There are so many factors to consider. Not to mention, sometimes the symptoms may point to too many things instead of narrowing it down. I recently lost one of my cats to a tumor in the eye and nasal cavity. She started getting sick earlier this spring, but we didn't find out about the tumor until it was too late. This was no ones fault. We, the vet and I, ran a lot of test, had her in for exams at least 3 times a month. We tried many medications but nothing helped her to get better. The vet really cared and wasn't just trying to make money. But the symptoms weren't enough, nor were the blood tests. It sounds like Whisper could have Herpes. This is common with FeLV+ and is usually treatable. But, once again, the symptoms for herpes are also the same for other diseases/viruses. Basically I am just trying to say that it may seem as if all the vet cares about is money, but this may not be the case. I would do some research on the web about Whisper's symptoms and then talk with the vet again and see what he says about what you found out. Chris -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Vila Ash Sent: Sunday, September 30, 2007 7:37 PM To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Subject: FeLV Help for a 5 year old male cat I sent this by my other email. I got a message back saying its pending due to my email address not being a member. SO PLEASE reply to this one. We dont know how much longer he will go on like this. PLEASE HELP!! I have had my cat, Whisper, for about 5 years now he use to weigh 18lbs (a year ago), now he weighs about 7-10lbs. He is the oldest of 3 other cats. A month ago we found out he has Leukemia. We never knew what was wrong with him, we never thought it to be Leukemia. About a year ago we took him to the vet, for vomiting and drooling, the vet laughed at us because he thought whisper was in really good health.Well a year went by with out any treatment or even knowing some this was wrong with him.We took him to the vet about a month or so ago for his eyes ( he had an infection in his eyes, and was not eating), they ran a blood test and they told us he has Leukemia. They kept him over night to start the treatments right a way. They gave us Clacamox Drops (very pricey), Neo/Poly/Dex Ophthalmic drops, and the Interferon. He seemed to be getting worse.We took him to the vet today to get them to do a check up on him ( he hasnt been eating, been having to force feed him, he wont get up much, excessive drooling.) and get more of his medication, they believe he has ulcers in his mouth which is causing him to not eat and make him drool. Well now they think he has some other disease kind of like Leukemia that is causing the ulcers, lack of appetite, and causing the medications to not work. So they want to run MORE test and give him MORE medication, etc. We are not sure what we want to do. He seems to be suffering so much, and he also seems to know he does not have much longer to live. We are all talking about either keeping him on his medication, let him live out his life without his medication, or taking him off his medication and see if he will do better, and if he does not do better then we will put him down. BUT, what I dont understand is that the vet cant fully explain to us about: what is going on, why cant they help us more, what is the other possible disease, how long might he live more, etc. It just seems like all they want is money, money and more money. One of his medication they sell for about $26 and we can get it from 1-800-PETMEDS for about $10, its the same bottle, same size, same doses. The test for leukemia is $55, and so is the other test. I dont understand what is going on. Whisper is my baby, I would give every thing to help him, but with the vet confusing us we really dont know what to do. Can you possibly explain every thing a bit better? Sincerely, Gina Whisper Boardwalk for $500? In 2007? Ha! Play Monopoly Here and Now (it's updated for today's economy) at Yahoo! Games. http://get.games.yahoo.com/proddesc?gamekey=monopolyherenow No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.5.488 / Virus Database: 269.13.35/1039 - Release Date: 9/29/2007 9:46 PM No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.5.488 / Virus Database: 269.13.35/1039 - Release Date: 9/29/2007 9:46 PM
RE: FeLV Help for a 5 year old male cat
Another thing to think about, is that if you switch vets now, the new vet will want to run all the same tests over again. Chris -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Chris Behnke Sent: Sunday, September 30, 2007 8:10 PM To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Subject: RE: FeLV Help for a 5 year old male cat Sometimes it is hard to completely diagnose what is going on with a cat with leukemia. There are so many factors to consider. Not to mention, sometimes the symptoms may point to too many things instead of narrowing it down. I recently lost one of my cats to a tumor in the eye and nasal cavity. She started getting sick earlier this spring, but we didn't find out about the tumor until it was too late. This was no ones fault. We, the vet and I, ran a lot of test, had her in for exams at least 3 times a month. We tried many medications but nothing helped her to get better. The vet really cared and wasn't just trying to make money. But the symptoms weren't enough, nor were the blood tests. It sounds like Whisper could have Herpes. This is common with FeLV+ and is usually treatable. But, once again, the symptoms for herpes are also the same for other diseases/viruses. Basically I am just trying to say that it may seem as if all the vet cares about is money, but this may not be the case. I would do some research on the web about Whisper's symptoms and then talk with the vet again and see what he says about what you found out. Chris -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Vila Ash Sent: Sunday, September 30, 2007 7:37 PM To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Subject: FeLV Help for a 5 year old male cat I sent this by my other email. I got a message back saying its pending due to my email address not being a member. SO PLEASE reply to this one. We dont know how much longer he will go on like this. PLEASE HELP!! I have had my cat, Whisper, for about 5 years now he use to weigh 18lbs (a year ago), now he weighs about 7-10lbs. He is the oldest of 3 other cats. A month ago we found out he has Leukemia. We never knew what was wrong with him, we never thought it to be Leukemia. About a year ago we took him to the vet, for vomiting and drooling, the vet laughed at us because he thought whisper was in really good health.Well a year went by with out any treatment or even knowing some this was wrong with him.We took him to the vet about a month or so ago for his eyes ( he had an infection in his eyes, and was not eating), they ran a blood test and they told us he has Leukemia. They kept him over night to start the treatments right a way. They gave us Clacamox Drops (very pricey), Neo/Poly/Dex Ophthalmic drops, and the Interferon. He seemed to be getting worse.We took him to the vet today to get them to do a check up on him ( he hasnt been eating, been having to force feed him, he wont get up much, excessive drooling.) and get more of his medication, they believe he has ulcers in his mouth which is causing him to not eat and make him drool. Well now they think he has some other disease kind of like Leukemia that is causing the ulcers, lack of appetite, and causing the medications to not work. So they want to run MORE test and give him MORE medication, etc. We are not sure what we want to do. He seems to be suffering so much, and he also seems to know he does not have much longer to live. We are all talking about either keeping him on his medication, let him live out his life without his medication, or taking him off his medication and see if he will do better, and if he does not do better then we will put him down. BUT, what I dont understand is that the vet cant fully explain to us about: what is going on, why cant they help us more, what is the other possible disease, how long might he live more, etc. It just seems like all they want is money, money and more money. One of his medication they sell for about $26 and we can get it from 1-800-PETMEDS for about $10, its the same bottle, same size, same doses. The test for leukemia is $55, and so is the other test. I dont understand what is going on. Whisper is my baby, I would give every thing to help him, but with the vet confusing us we really dont know what to do. Can you possibly explain every thing a bit better? Sincerely, Gina Whisper Boardwalk for $500? In 2007? Ha! Play Monopoly Here and Now (it's updated for today's economy) at Yahoo! Games. http://get.games.yahoo.com/proddesc?gamekey=monopolyherenow No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.5.488 / Virus Database: 269.13.35/1039 - Release Date: 9/29/2007 9:46 PM No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.5.488 / Virus Database: 269.13.35/1039 - Release Date: 9/29/2007 9:46 PM No virus found in this incoming message
Re: FeLV Help for a 5 year old male cat
Hi Gina, I am sorry that Whisper is going through what he is, poor baby. But you have found a good place for info. and encouragement. I have a few questions for you: is Whisper eating at all? If not, you have to get him to eat, even if you have to syringe feed him chicken baby food (without onion in the ingredient) or whatever he will eat. Cats HAVE to eat. They can't go long without food or they develop fatty liver disease. It's true that he may have mouth ulcers which might be hurting him (probably a result of Stomatis), but you can still syringe feed him the creamy baby food and water. He will feel better if he gets food in his tummy. Is he drinking any water? You might consider going to see an Internal Specialist Veterinarian. They seem to give the most help when it comes to treating FeLV. What large city do you live closest to? You might post with the city in the subject line and that you are looking for a good vet; maybe someone here will know one already. So many vets are ignorant (I mean that in the nicest way) when it comes to FeLV. Either they don't have any/much experience or they just write kitty off as soon as they see the positive test. I would start calling tomorrow morning. Lysine is a very good natural antiviral. It's used for a lot of eye conditions and you can buy it at the health food store for about $10. I would start giving Whisper 500 mg. 2x per day in his wet food (or syringed food). Buy only PURE lysine. Did the vet run a CBC/HCT/PCV on Whisper? If so, do you know what the results were? If not, can you get a copy of the blood work? You need to know how his blood/heart/kidneys/etc. are doing so you can make informed decisions about his health care. I would keep him on Interferon. It helps a lot of the time. Does Whisper have a temperature? Does he seem dehydrated (sticky gums)? If he is, he will feel terrible until he gets subQ fluids, which your vet should have done if he was dehydrated. The more I think about what you said about your vet, I would only go there once more, to get copies of all his records, and then find another vet asap. How old did you say Whisper was? It's not time to give up yet Gina. Arm yourself with info. and you'll be better equipped to make the right decisions for Whisper, whether it be to keep fighting or let him go. Please keep us posted. :) Wendy Dallas, TX Building a website is a piece of cake. Yahoo! Small Business gives you all the tools to get online. http://smallbusiness.yahoo.com/webhosting
Re: FeLV Help for a 5 year old male cat
Not necessarily true if she has the records in hand. 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: Chris Behnke [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Sent: Sunday, September 30, 2007 7:24:14 PM Subject: RE: FeLV Help for a 5 year old male cat Another thing to think about, is that if you switch vets now, the new vet will want to run all the same tests over again. Chris -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Chris Behnke Sent: Sunday, September 30, 2007 8:10 PM To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Subject: RE: FeLV Help for a 5 year old male cat Sometimes it is hard to completely diagnose what is going on with a cat with leukemia. There are so many factors to consider. Not to mention, sometimes the symptoms may point to too many things instead of narrowing it down. I recently lost one of my cats to a tumor in the eye and nasal cavity. She started getting sick earlier this spring, but we didn't find out about the tumor until it was too late. This was no ones fault. We, the vet and I, ran a lot of test, had her in for exams at least 3 times a month. We tried many medications but nothing helped her to get better. The vet really cared and wasn't just trying to make money. But the symptoms weren't enough, nor were the blood tests. It sounds like Whisper could have Herpes. This is common with FeLV+ and is usually treatable. But, once again, the symptoms for herpes are also the same for other diseases/viruses. Basically I am just trying to say that it may seem as if all the vet cares about is money, but this may not be the case. I would do some research on the web about Whisper's symptoms and then talk with the vet again and see what he says about what you found out. Chris -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Vila Ash Sent: Sunday, September 30, 2007 7:37 PM To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Subject: FeLV Help for a 5 year old male cat I sent this by my other email. I got a message back saying its pending due to my email address not being a member. SO PLEASE reply to this one. We dont know how much longer he will go on like this. PLEASE HELP!! I have had my cat, Whisper, for about 5 years now he use to weigh 18lbs (a year ago), now he weighs about 7-10lbs. He is the oldest of 3 other cats. A month ago we found out he has Leukemia. We never knew what was wrong with him, we never thought it to be Leukemia. About a year ago we took him to the vet, for vomiting and drooling, the vet laughed at us because he thought whisper was in really good health.Well a year went by with out any treatment or even knowing some this was wrong with him.We took him to the vet about a month or so ago for his eyes ( he had an infection in his eyes, and was not eating), they ran a blood test and they told us he has Leukemia. They kept him over night to start the treatments right a way. They gave us Clacamox Drops (very pricey), Neo/Poly/Dex Ophthalmic drops, and the Interferon. He seemed to be getting worse.We took him to the vet today to get them to do a check up on him ( he hasnt been eating, been having to force feed him, he wont get up much, excessive drooling.) and get more of his medication, they believe he has ulcers in his mouth which is causing him to not eat and make him drool. Well now they think he has some other disease kind of like Leukemia that is causing the ulcers, lack of appetite, and causing the medications to not work. So they want to run MORE test and give him MORE medication, etc. We are not sure what we want to do. He seems to be suffering so much, and he also seems to know he does not have much longer to live. We are all talking about either keeping him on his medication, let him live out his life without his medication, or taking him off his medication and see if he will do better, and if he does not do better then we will put him down. BUT, what I dont understand is that the vet cant fully explain to us about: what is going on, why cant they help us more, what is the other possible disease, how long might he live more, etc. It just seems like all they want is money, money and more money. One of his medication they sell for about $26 and we can get it from 1-800-PETMEDS for about $10, its the same bottle, same size, same doses. The test for leukemia is $55, and so is the other test. I dont understand what is going on. Whisper is my baby, I would give every thing to help him, but with the vet confusing us we really dont know what to do. Can you possibly explain every thing a bit better? Sincerely, Gina Whisper Boardwalk for $500? In 2007? Ha! Play Monopoly Here and Now (it's updated for today's economy) at Yahoo! Games. http
Re: FeLV Help for a 5 year old male cat
Yogurt may feel good to the gums and give him some probiotics. Something salty like ham helped the Royal Princess Kitty Katt eat when she wanted nothing..thin sliced deli ham. Just Born with Colostrum is also a favorite with several cats I have regular contact with including Dixie who lives with me. She particularly likes the boxed, ready mixed when she is feeling off. I mix the powder in food at other times. Good luck. 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: wendy [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Sent: Sunday, September 30, 2007 9:30 PM Subject: Re: FeLV Help for a 5 year old male cat Hi Gina, I am sorry that Whisper is going through what he is, poor baby. But you have found a good place for info. and encouragement. I have a few questions for you: is Whisper eating at all? If not, you have to get him to eat, even if you have to syringe feed him chicken baby food (without onion in the ingredient) or whatever he will eat. Cats HAVE to eat. They can't go long without food or they develop fatty liver disease. It's true that he may have mouth ulcers which might be hurting him (probably a result of Stomatis), but you can still syringe feed him the creamy baby food and water. He will feel better if he gets food in his tummy. Is he drinking any water? You might consider going to see an Internal Specialist Veterinarian. They seem to give the most help when it comes to treating FeLV. What large city do you live closest to? You might post with the city in the subject line and that you are looking for a good vet; maybe someone here will know one already. So many vets are ignorant (I mean that in the nicest way) when it comes to FeLV. Either they don't have any/much experience or they just write kitty off as soon as they see the positive test. I would start calling tomorrow morning. Lysine is a very good natural antiviral. It's used for a lot of eye conditions and you can buy it at the health food store for about $10. I would start giving Whisper 500 mg. 2x per day in his wet food (or syringed food). Buy only PURE lysine. Did the vet run a CBC/HCT/PCV on Whisper? If so, do you know what the results were? If not, can you get a copy of the blood work? You need to know how his blood/heart/kidneys/etc. are doing so you can make informed decisions about his health care. I would keep him on Interferon. It helps a lot of the time. Does Whisper have a temperature? Does he seem dehydrated (sticky gums)? If he is, he will feel terrible until he gets subQ fluids, which your vet should have done if he was dehydrated. The more I think about what you said about your vet, I would only go there once more, to get copies of all his records, and then find another vet asap. How old did you say Whisper was? It's not time to give up yet Gina. Arm yourself with info. and you'll be better equipped to make the right decisions for Whisper, whether it be to keep fighting or let him go. Please keep us posted. :) Wendy Dallas, TX Building a website is a piece of cake. Yahoo! Small Business gives you all the tools to get online. http://smallbusiness.yahoo.com/webhosting
