Re: Updates on Cassidy - vaccines
The intranasals are very effective and work quickly. The shelter I used to work with sometimes gave them to kittens. The vet did say, however, that there was more risk of URI with them and since the vaccine was live, they could sneeze it onto other cats. I don't know how true that is. My vet had started to use the FeLV gun, which is supposed to have fewer side effects. One of my cats did get extremely lethargic after being vaccinated, but she also had the FVRCP with it. When she was re-vaccinated at the shelter with regular vaccines, she didin't have a reaction. I do thinks the gun is better, but I would not give 2 vaccines at the same time any more. Beth [EMAIL PROTECTED] [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Just a side note... there are effective intra-nasal FVRCP vaccines which do not require any injection, thus NO RISK of sarcoma. Then there are non-adjuvanted rabies and FELV vaccines, which are less apt to cause sarcoma, even though they are injected (well, the FELV vaccine is actually jetted without a needle through the skin). I have all this info and more on my vaccine info page at: http://ucat.us/vaccines.html (recommended brands are almost exactly halfway down the page) Phaewryn http://ucat.us/domesticcatlinks.html Special Needs Cat Resources - Don't pick lemons. See all the new 2007 cars at Yahoo! Autos.
Re: Updates on Cassidy - vaccines
Just a side note... there are effective intra-nasal FVRCP vaccines which do not require any injection, thus NO RISK of sarcoma. Then there are non-adjuvanted rabies and FELV vaccines, which are less apt to cause sarcoma, even though they are injected (well, the FELV vaccine is actually jetted without a needle through the skin). I have all this info and more on my vaccine info page at: http://ucat.us/vaccines.html (recommended brands are almost exactly halfway down the page) Phaewryn http://ucat.us/domesticcatlinks.html Special Needs Cat Resources
Updates on Cassidy
It's the newbie again. I'm not sure if I'm using this mailing list correctly-please advise me if I'm not! And I apologize for being wordy-I'm an English major/instructor who just can seem to mince her words! Cassidy is getting spayed today. She's very healthy considering what she's gone through with her lame foot, and her tail seems to not know where it's at sometimes due to the nerve damage. I forgot the digital camera again today, so the vet's going to take a picture of her for my adoption posting. Yesterday I did copious amounts of research, and I've been emailing places all over Nebraska. I'm going to work on South Dakota and the Twin Cities area (Minnesota) today since these areas are relatively close to where I live. I've been astonished by the outpouring of support. Even though I haven't found a home for her, I'm now convinced that I could never euthanize her. There just wasn't any support around here for my passion for cats, so I was feeling a little desperate! I know I'll find a home for her eventually. I've received other reports of people housing their FeLV positives with the negatives. I'm just not sure I can do that just yet. Plus, my youngest (less than a year old) is not vaccinated because my vet did not recommend it. He said that the vaccine has a 1 in 10,000 chance of causing a sarcoma which would lead to amputation and chemotherapy. I certainly cannot afford that emotionally or financially! My vet doesn't vaccinate his house cats against FeLV either since (like mine) they never go outside or even occasionally escape. I have mixed feelings about getting my youngest, Smokey, vaccinated after reading more about FeLV. I haven't decided yet what to do. If I didn't have her, I believe the older cats (5 and 10 years of age) would be resistant to the disease. Crazy enough-another cat found me last night! I've named her Ashley since she looks like my Smokey and they are about the same age (smoke/ash, get it?). Luckily, her test came back negative for FeLV (the Elisa test). She's getting spayed Wednesday, and I'll pick both her and Cassidy up on Thursday. I think I'll be able to find a home quite easily for Ashley. I talked to my vet about having another test. He strongly suggested the better test (IFA is it?) that others have also advised me on. If I still have Cassidy in a couple weeks, I'll get her tested. If she comes back negative then, I'll consider getting Smokey vaccinated and keeping them all together, that is if my husband doesn't kick us all out before then! No, he's very tolerant, but if I ever got his baby Smokey sick from another cat, he'd be very upset (as would I). In defense of my vet, he's very knowledgeable-much more so than any vet we've had in these areas when it comes to pets (cows and pigs are the thing here)-but I think he's used to dealing with penny-pinchers around these parts who won't even consider spending money on cats like these-so he wasn't expecting that I'd be so open to alternatives. I've let him know that I'm going to make up a handout for his clients who might bring in an FeLV positive cat in the future. He was very pleased and luckily very supportive. I hate it when vets are condescending or think that people shouldn't save strays. He's discussed doing a feral trap and spay/neuter project-I'll work on that with him for the summer. If you'd like, I'll keep you posted on Cassidy. Again, sorry about the length of this email! Melissa
RE: Updates on Cassidy
Melissa -- Thanks for the update! I'm glad Cassidy is going in for her zipper, vibes that all goes well. I know you're kind of crunched for time, but it would really be better to wait longer to retest her -- if the first test was a true positive (which of course you don't know) you should give her some time to lose the FeLV herself before retesting. (The theory here is, she may have gotten it from her mom at birth, but will defeat it herself in time as her body's natural defenses mature.) I'm excited and impressed about your vet! Maybe he's been bored stiff with the cows and pigs, and really wants to know and do more! The TNR program would be a huge boon to everybody in your area. Best of luck with that! Diane R. From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Melissa Lind Sent: Tuesday, April 03, 2007 10:51 AM To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Subject: Updates on Cassidy It's the newbie again. I'm not sure if I'm using this mailing list correctly-please advise me if I'm not! And I apologize for being wordy-I'm an English major/instructor who just can seem to mince her words! Cassidy is getting spayed today. She's very healthy considering what she's gone through with her lame foot, and her tail seems to not know where it's at sometimes due to the nerve damage. I forgot the digital camera again today, so the vet's going to take a picture of her for my adoption posting. Yesterday I did copious amounts of research, and I've been emailing places all over Nebraska. I'm going to work on South Dakota and the Twin Cities area (Minnesota) today since these areas are relatively close to where I live. I've been astonished by the outpouring of support. Even though I haven't found a home for her, I'm now convinced that I could never euthanize her. There just wasn't any support around here for my passion for cats, so I was feeling a little desperate! I know I'll find a home for her eventually. I've received other reports of people housing their FeLV positives with the negatives. I'm just not sure I can do that just yet. Plus, my youngest (less than a year old) is not vaccinated because my vet did not recommend it. He said that the vaccine has a 1 in 10,000 chance of causing a sarcoma which would lead to amputation and chemotherapy. I certainly cannot afford that emotionally or financially! My vet doesn't vaccinate his house cats against FeLV either since (like mine) they never go outside or even occasionally escape. I have mixed feelings about getting my youngest, Smokey, vaccinated after reading more about FeLV. I haven't decided yet what to do. If I didn't have her, I believe the older cats (5 and 10 years of age) would be resistant to the disease. Crazy enough-another cat found me last night! I've named her Ashley since she looks like my Smokey and they are about the same age (smoke/ash, get it?). Luckily, her test came back negative for FeLV (the Elisa test). She's getting spayed Wednesday, and I'll pick both her and Cassidy up on Thursday. I think I'll be able to find a home quite easily for Ashley. I talked to my vet about having another test. He strongly suggested the better test (IFA is it?) that others have also advised me on. If I still have Cassidy in a couple weeks, I'll get her tested. If she comes back negative then, I'll consider getting Smokey vaccinated and keeping them all together, that is if my husband doesn't kick us all out before then! No, he's very tolerant, but if I ever got his baby Smokey sick from another cat, he'd be very upset (as would I). In defense of my vet, he's very knowledgeable-much more so than any vet we've had in these areas when it comes to pets (cows and pigs are the thing here)-but I think he's used to dealing with penny-pinchers around these parts who won't even consider spending money on cats like these-so he wasn't expecting that I'd be so open to alternatives. I've let him know that I'm going to make up a handout for his clients who might bring in an FeLV positive cat in the future. He was very pleased and luckily very supportive. I hate it when vets are condescending or think that people shouldn't save strays. He's discussed doing a feral trap and spay/neuter project-I'll work on that with him for the summer. If you'd like, I'll keep you posted on Cassidy. Again, sorry about the length of this email! Melissa This electronic mail transmission and any attachments are confidential and may be privileged. They should be read or retained only by the intended recipient. If you have received this transmission in error, please notify the sender immediately and delete the transmission from your system. In addition, in order to comply with Treasury Circular 230, we are required to inform you that unless we have specifically stated to the contrary in writing, any advice we provide in this email or any attachment concerning federal tax issues or submissions is not intended
Re: Updates on Cassidy
Hey Melissa, Imagine...meeting a fellow English teacher and cat lover here...lol. I think books and cats just go together. You are using this mailing list perfectly. This is what we are here for. And imo, it's the best place to be for FeLV info. And we're so glad that you aren't going to euthanize Cassidy. You will not regret it. You are right to be weary of mixing your youngest with Cassidy. Kittens are more susceptible, we think, but are not sure. Their immune systems are not fully developed. Your vet sounds like he knows what he's doing. He is right about the sarcoma. Of course, sarcoma's can be associated with all sorts of vaccinations, not just FeLV. That's why we recommend using a back leg for the vaccinations, alternating legs between vaccinations. If a sarcoma does happen, the leg can be removed, and kitty can still live a long life, albeit a bit wobbly at first. Sarcomas in the neck are much less treatable. Most of us here do not vaccinate our inside cats either, unless they mix, and then some do and some don't. Good luck finding Ashley a home. You sound like a cat magnet. lol. I'm sure your husband just loves that about you. My husband wasn't really a cat person, but after meeting me, he's warmed up quite a bit. He still loves his dogs best though. If he had his way, we'd have a backyard full of every breed of dog imaginable to man. I think it's wonderful you are going to make up a handout for FeLV for your vet. I'm going to talk to my vet about doing the same thing. And possibly other vets around here who I know. And I think it's wonderful you are going to do the tnr project with him this summer. Again, he sounds like a FANTASTIC vet. If only they all were that knowledgeable and open to suggestions. Yes, we would love to be updated on Cassidy. I just know this is going to turn out great for her with you in her corner. :) Wendy Dallas, Tx (currently reading the Janet Evanovich series with Miss Stephanie Plum; great series) 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 ~~~ Don't pick lemons. See all the new 2007 cars at Yahoo! Autos. http://autos.yahoo.com/new_cars.html
