Re: [Felvtalk] Blood transfusion
Hi Avakyn, Was this an "in house" test? Any other numbers out of range?I sure wouldn't be talking transfusion with those numbers. At 1 month old, I'm surprised you could even get enough blood to do the testing, but those numbers are not that bad. Weight loss at that age is very concerning, so something is going on. Of course, some labs have different ranges, but we'd need those to judge. Here's a pretty good explanation; http://www.cat-world.com.au/complete-blood-count Soby those ranges, her PCV is about 4 points low, but RBC is Within Normal Limits.Has a fecal for parasites been done? Were any other numbers out of range?I'd try doing some iron and B vitamins at least, and in this situation I'd be more interested in what the -holistic Vet has to say. AND I'd be looking for a new "regular" Vet. It might be important to find the cause of the lower PCV, and there could well be something very treatable going on. A transfusion in any cat is a big deal, and not something to be taken lightly. In a month old kitten, not even sure how it could be accomplished safely. And with those numbers, it's just NOT warranted. Wishing you and Kitty the best, Margo Original Message- From: Avaykn <ava...@gmail.com>Sent: Feb 27, 2014 6:45 PM To: felvpositivec...@yahoogroups.com, felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Subject: [Felvtalk] Blood transfusion Hello,Took Kitty, 1 months old FeLV positive cat to the vet a holistic vet has to say. hours ago because she was not eating very much. She had lost a little weigh, her temperature was at 101, we did a blood panel and her PCV is at 21.7 and her red blood cell at 5.28.Her holistic vet is recommending a remedy to help and her regular vet is recommending a blood transfusion.What are your experiences with these routes ?__._,_.___ ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
[Felvtalk] Blood transfusion
Hello, Took Kitty, 1 months old FeLV positive cat to the vet a few hours ago because she was not eating very much. She had lost a little weigh, her temperature was at 101, we did a blood panel and her PCV is at 21.7 and her red blood cell at 5.28. Her holistic vet is recommending a remedy to help and her regular vet is recommending a blood transfusion. What are your experiences with these routes ? __._,_.__ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
Re: [Felvtalk] Blood transfusion
I have never heard a transfusion recommended at PCV of 21. That is considered moderate anemia, not severe, and transfusions are usually reserved for severe (under 15 or even 13). Part of the reason is that cats can have allergic or auto-immune reactions to transfusions so they normally only give them when needed to preserve life, and part of the reason is the limited availability of blood. I have gotten transfusions for 2 cats in the past, both when their PCV was below 13. In both cases they helped for a very short time. In the first case, it helped keep a cat alive (who was FeLV+) long enough for chemo to kick in at which point his count went up for a while until the chemo stopped working. The second cat was Bear, who I lost recently, who was FIV+ and had hemolytic anemia, where he was killing off his red blood cells. He got 2 transfusions on one day and another a 5 days later. In both cases the transfusions raised his PCV a little for a couple days and then he started killing of the transfused blood too, and he died 3 days after the last transfusion. If the anemia is from something less serious or slower moving, a transfusion can last longer. But because of the associated risks, vets normally wait longer to do it. At 21.7, her anemia could be from some systemic issue like an infection or cancer. They get anemia when they are very sick from something else and if that thing is resolved the anemia resolves. So it may not get worse if you can solve whatever else is going on or treat it at least temporarily. Or she could have nonregenerative anemia and it will slowly get worse. But in that case she should adjust to the lower count after a few day and not be floored by it until it gets much lower. So I think I would go another route other than transfusion at first, and see if you can determine and treat whatever else is going on. 101 is not a fever for a cat, it's in the middle of normal, so she is not feverish. What is her white blood cell count? But if you do not do the transfusion, I would get her blood count rechecked soon to make sure it is not going down very fast, in which case you may need to soon. Is she really only 4 weeks old? You said 1 months, so I don't know if the 1 is the typo or the plural months. If she is 4 weeks old, it's possible that this changes things and vets would transfuse faster. But I also never heard of a kitten that young getting a transfusion. Michelle -Original Message- From: Avaykn ava...@gmail.com To: FeLVPositiveCats felvpositivec...@yahoogroups.com; felvtalk felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Sent: Thu, Feb 27, 2014 6:45 pm Subject: [Felvtalk] Blood transfusion Hello, Took Kitty, 1 months old FeLV positive cat to the vet a few hours ago because she was not eating very much. She had lost a little weigh, her temperature was at 101, we did a blood panel and her PCV is at 21.7 and her red blood cell at 5.28. Her holistic vet is recommending a remedy to help and her regular vet is recommending a blood transfusion. What are your experiences with these routes ? __._,_.___ ___ 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] Blood transfusion
There's a feline anemia yahoo group too, which may have more insights. Michelle -Original Message- From: Avaykn ava...@gmail.com To: FeLVPositiveCats felvpositivec...@yahoogroups.com; felvtalk felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Sent: Thu, Feb 27, 2014 6:45 pm Subject: [Felvtalk] Blood transfusion Hello, Took Kitty, 1 months old FeLV positive cat to the vet a few hours ago because she was not eating very much. She had lost a little weigh, her temperature was at 101, we did a blood panel and her PCV is at 21.7 and her red blood cell at 5.28. Her holistic vet is recommending a remedy to help and her regular vet is recommending a blood transfusion. What are your experiences with these routes ? __._,_.___ ___ 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] Blood transfusion
She is 18 months Sent from my iPhone. On Feb 27, 2014, at 18:55, lernermiche...@aol.com wrote: I have never heard a transfusion recommended at PCV of 21. That is considered moderate anemia, not severe, and transfusions are usually reserved for severe (under 15 or even 13). Part of the reason is that cats can have allergic or auto-immune reactions to transfusions so they normally only give them when needed to preserve life, and part of the reason is the limited availability of blood. I have gotten transfusions for 2 cats in the past, both when their PCV was below 13. In both cases they helped for a very short time. In the first case, it helped keep a cat alive (who was FeLV+) long enough for chemo to kick in at which point his count went up for a while until the chemo stopped working. The second cat was Bear, who I lost recently, who was FIV+ and had hemolytic anemia, where he was killing off his red blood cells. He got 2 transfusions on one day and another a 5 days later. In both cases the transfusions raised his PCV a little for a couple days and then he started killing of the transfused blood too, and he died 3 days after the last transfusion. If the anemia is from something less serious or slower moving, a transfusion can last longer. But because of the associated risks, vets normally wait longer to do it. At 21.7, her anemia could be from some systemic issue like an infection or cancer. They get anemia when they are very sick from something else and if that thing is resolved the anemia resolves. So it may not get worse if you can solve whatever else is going on or treat it at least temporarily. Or she could have nonregenerative anemia and it will slowly get worse. But in that case she should adjust to the lower count after a few day and not be floored by it until it gets much lower. So I think I would go another route other than transfusion at first, and see if you can determine and treat whatever else is going on. 101 is not a fever for a cat, it's in the middle of normal, so she is not feverish. What is her white blood cell count? But if you do not do the transfusion, I would get her blood count rechecked soon to make sure it is not going down very fast, in which case you may need to soon. Is she really only 4 weeks old? You said 1 months, so I don't know if the 1 is the typo or the plural months. If she is 4 weeks old, it's possible that this changes things and vets would transfuse faster. But I also never heard of a kitten that young getting a transfusion. Michelle -Original Message- From: Avaykn ava...@gmail.com To: FeLVPositiveCats felvpositivec...@yahoogroups.com; felvtalk felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Sent: Thu, Feb 27, 2014 6:45 pm Subject: [Felvtalk] Blood transfusion Hello, Took Kitty, 1 months old FeLV positive cat to the vet a few hours ago because she was not eating very much. She had lost a little weigh, her temperature was at 101, we did a blood panel and her PCV is at 21.7 and her red blood cell at 5.28. Her holistic vet is recommending a remedy to help and her regular vet is recommending a blood transfusion. What are your experiences with these routes ? __._,_.___ ___ 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] (Fwd) Blood transfusion on Felv+ cat
I don't know where you live, or the nature of the transfusion, it could be more involved that the usual. But I've had transfusions for a couple of my FELV cats, and they did extend their lives a bit. Just have to say that $800 sounds like an awfully expensive transfusion. Gloria On Jan 23, 2009, at 4:55 AM, catatonya wrote: I'm sorry, Jennifer. tonya James G Wilson phaed...@charter.net wrote: --- Forwarded message follows --- From: Jennifer Dykhouse To: Subject: Blood transfusion on Felv+ cat Date sent: Wed, 21 Jan 2009 14:17:45 -0500 Hello everyone, I thought I'd let you know how the blood transfusion helped/didn't help my Felv+ cat, so that if you need to reach that decision, you can see my example. The day before we did the blood transfusion, Mr. Darcy's hematocrit count was at 7 (I was told that 30 is the lowest you can be and still be healthy). He was extremely lethargic and as a result would eat. He lost 2 pounds in a month (even with us assist feeding him) and he was starting to catch a respiratory bug. Right after the transfusion, which cost 800 dollars and took about 5 hours, his hematocrit was at 17. That's great, but I am upset. I was thinking he'd be brought up to a healthy level, not just a slightly better level. He had perked up and he is eating turkey baby food now, but he still is extremely tired and now he has balance troubles. What I am most upset with was the lack of information from my vet and the animal hospital. When told about the blood transfusion by my normal vet, she made it sound like he'd be back at a healthy level and that it could work for months and that it was perfectly safe. When we were handing him over to the vet at the hospital, he finally told me that Mr. Darcy could die during the procedure and that it may only last a few hours, days. I am furious. It makes me feel like money is more important then informing the owner. I have decided to not do any more transfusions due to the fact that he's in the last stage of his illness and going to the vet really stresses him out. He won't eat for the rest of the day and since the transfusion may only give him days, I would rather have him enjoy his last days/weeks. So right now, we're at the point where the most we can do is get him to eat and sleep and to pet him and love him as much as we can. Now, your cat may have a different experience, but I just wanted to tell my story. Jennifer and Mr. Darcy __ ___ 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] (Fwd) Blood transfusion on Felv+ cat
transfusions work and they don't work. when my red count got to 3.4, the doctor ordered transfusions in addition to procrit. they did not work because the Gemzar was wiping out my bone marrow and it could not produce cells faster than the Gemzar was killing them off. the only solution was to stop the chemo. i then bounced back and didn't look like a ghost. if meds are not causing the low count, then i would ask a lot of questions before i would do this to my baby. sometimes the cure is worse than the illness. it is hard, you want them to hang on because you do not want to lose them. that is the way it was with my father. i wanted so for him to live and i think he kept trying to for me. finally, he just could not go on anymore. he kept asking me if i was getting tired of taking care of him. cats can't ask us if we are tired of taking care of them, we just have to pay attention to them and read their body language. dorlis catatonya catato...@yahoo.com wrote: I'm sorry, Jennifer. tonya James G Wilson phaed...@charter.net wrote: --- Forwarded message follows --- From: Jennifer Dykhouse To: Subject: Blood transfusion on Felv+ cat Date sent: Wed, 21 Jan 2009 14:17:45 -0500 Hello everyone, I thought I'd let you know how the blood transfusion helped/didn't help my Felv+ cat, so that if you need to reach that decision, you can see my example. The day before we did the blood transfusion, Mr. Darcy's hematocrit count was at 7 (I was told that 30 is the lowest you can be and still be healthy). He was extremely lethargic and as a result would eat. He lost 2 pounds in a month (even with us assist feeding him) and he was starting to catch a respiratory bug. Right after the transfusion, which cost 800 dollars and took about 5 hours, his hematocrit was at 17. That's great, but I am upset. I was thinking he'd be brought up to a healthy level, not just a slightly better level. He had perked up and he is eating turkey baby food now, but he still is extremely tired and now he has balance troubles. What I am most upset with was the lack of information from my vet and the animal hospital. When told about the blood transfusion by my normal vet, she made it sound like he'd be back at a healthy level and that it could work for months and that it was perfectly safe. When we were handing him over to the vet at the hospital, he finally told me that Mr. Darcy could die during the procedure and that it may only last a few hours, days. I am furious. It makes me feel like money is more important then informing the owner. I have decided to not do any more transfusions due to the fact that he's in the last stage of his illness and going to the vet really stresses him out. He won't eat for the rest of the day and since the transfusion may only give him days, I would rather have him enjoy his last days/weeks. So right now, we're at the point where the most we can do is get him to eat and sleep and to pet him and love him as much as we can. Now, your cat may have a different experience, but I just wanted to tell my story. Jennifer and Mr. Darcy __ ___ 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] (Fwd) Blood transfusion on Felv+ cat
hi, i think that would be the way i would go. sometimes, we want to do all we can for them and all we are really doing is causing more suffering. have 5 new babies (that is all i can afford financially and physically to support), 1 felv+. so far, all is well, Annie shows no signs of illness. there has been some stress for her when the others came home since she is an alpha female and so is Casey, but we are down to a low growl when we pass one another. dorlis MacKenzie wrote: I am very sorry that you had such a bad experience, Jennifer. It's really unforgivable that a vet should be so unclear about what to expect from a transfusion for a kitty with nonregenerative anemia. I had my FeLV kitty, Flavia, given a transfusion after she was diagnosed with nonregenerative anemia and her hematocrit dropped to 7.5. Unlike Jennifer's careless (unethical?) vet, mine did tell me it would give her (only) an extra couple of weeks at most. I wanted those extra weeks to try to find a way to prolong her life significantly. I obtained immunoregulin for her but too late, so I didn't get a chance to try it. Nonetheless, in the same circumstances, I would not do a transfusion again. It was tremendously stressful for Flavia, it was very expensive ($1000 total for transfusion plus drawing my healthy cat's blood) and it gave her only 10 days extra (her HCT went up to 23), when her HCT plummeted again to 13. Like Jennifer, I would much rather concentrate on doing everything possible to ensure my cat enjoys every moment of the rest of her time, however long that may be, in the comfort of her own home. Kerry M. -Original Message- From: felvtalk-boun...@felineleukemia.org [mailto:felvtalk-boun...@felineleukemia.org] On Behalf Of James G Wilson Sent: Wednesday, January 21, 2009 9:05 PM To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Subject: [Felvtalk] (Fwd) Blood transfusion on Felv+ cat --- Forwarded message follows --- From: Jennifer Dykhouse redg...@hotmail.com To: felvtalk-ow...@felineleukemia.org Subject: Blood transfusion on Felv+ cat Date sent:Wed, 21 Jan 2009 14:17:45 -0500 Hello everyone, I thought I'd let you know how the blood transfusion helped/didn't help my Felv+ cat, so that if you need to reach that decision, you can see my example. The day before we did the blood transfusion, Mr. Darcy's hematocrit count was at 7 (I was told that 30 is the lowest you can be and still be healthy). He was extremely lethargic and as a result would eat. He lost 2 pounds in a month (even with us assist feeding him) and he was starting to catch a respiratory bug. Right after the transfusion, which cost 800 dollars and took about 5 hours, his hematocrit was at 17. That's great, but I am upset. I was thinking he'd be brought up to a healthy level, not just a slightly better level. He had perked up and he is eating turkey baby food now, but he still is extremely tired and now he has balance troubles. What I am most upset with was the lack of information from my vet and the animal hospital. When told about the blood transfusion by my normal vet, she made it sound like he'd be back at a healthy level and that it could work for months and that it was perfectly safe. When we were handing him over to the vet at the hospital, he finally told me that Mr. Darcy could die during the procedure and that it may only last a few hours, days. I am furious. It makes me feel like money is more important then informing the owner. I have decided to not do any more transfusions due to the fact that he's in the last stage of his illness and going to the vet really stresses him out. He won't eat for the rest of the day and since the transfusion may only give him days, I would rather have him enjoy his last days/weeks. So right now, we're at the point where the most we can do is get him to eat and sleep and to pet him and love him as much as we can. Now, your cat may have a different experience, but I just wanted to tell my story. Jennifer and Mr. Darcy __ ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org _ IRS CIRCULAR 230 NOTICE. Any tax advice expressed above by Mayer Brown LLP was not intended or written to be used, and cannot be used, by any taxpayer to avoid U.S. federal tax penalties. If such advice was written or used to support the promotion or marketing of the matter addressed above, then each offeree should seek advice from an independent tax advisor. This email and any files transmitted with it are intended solely for the use of the individual or entity to whom they are addressed. If you have received this email in error please
Re: [Felvtalk] (Fwd) Blood transfusion on Felv+ cat
Jennifer, you and Mr. Darcy are in my thoughts and prayers. I think you are doing the best thing for your precious boy. God bless, Laurie From: Jennifer Dykhouse To: Subject: Blood transfusion on Felv+ cat Date sent: Wed, 21 Jan 2009 14:17:45 -0500 I have decided to not do any more transfusions due to the fact that he's in the last stage of his illness and going to the vet really stresses him out. He won't eat for the rest of the day and since the transfusion may only give him days, I would rather have him enjoy his last days/weeks. So right now, we're at the point where the most we can do is get him to eat and sleep and to pet him and love him as much as we can. Now, your cat may have a different experience, but I just wanted to tell my story. Jennifer and Mr. Darcy __ ___ 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] (Fwd) Blood transfusion on Felv+ cat
My vets and I made the decision not to transfuse Dixie Louise for the reasons you gave. I am very grateful that my vets were very up front about the situation and, while they made it an option and assured me they would arrange it, they would not put their own cats thru it (given Dixie's condition and total dislike of vets). She spent quite a bit of time with her holistic vet (to whom my regular vets had referred me years before with a little beagle and who saw all m critters since) but that did not seem to stress her the way a transfusion at a strange place wold have. All my vets let me stay with my friends no matter what is going on. Many specialists won't. Another reason we didn't do the transfusions. You did what you thought was best and Mr. Darcy loves you for that. However, I am sure he approves of your decision to let him wind down without the added stress. Blessings to you. On Jan 21, 2009, at 9:04 PM, James G Wilson wrote: --- Forwarded message follows --- From: Jennifer Dykhouse redg...@hotmail.com To: felvtalk-ow...@felineleukemia.org Subject:Blood transfusion on Felv+ cat Date sent: Wed, 21 Jan 2009 14:17:45 -0500 Hello everyone, I thought I'd let you know how the blood transfusion helped/didn't help my Felv+ cat, so that if you need to reach that decision, you can see my example. The day before we did the blood transfusion, Mr. Darcy's hematocrit count was at 7 (I was told that 30 is the lowest you can be and still be healthy). He was extremely lethargic and as a result would eat. He lost 2 pounds in a month (even with us assist feeding him) and he was starting to catch a respiratory bug. Right after the transfusion, which cost 800 dollars and took about 5 hours, his hematocrit was at 17. That's great, but I am upset. I was thinking he'd be brought up to a healthy level, not just a slightly better level. He had perked up and he is eating turkey baby food now, but he still is extremely tired and now he has balance troubles. What I am most upset with was the lack of information from my vet and the animal hospital. When told about the blood transfusion by my normal vet, she made it sound like he'd be back at a healthy level and that it could work for months and that it was perfectly safe. When we were handing him over to the vet at the hospital, he finally told me that Mr. Darcy could die during the procedure and that it may only last a few hours, days. I am furious. It makes me feel like money is more important then informing the owner. I have decided to not do any more transfusions due to the fact that he's in the last stage of his illness and going to the vet really stresses him out. He won't eat for the rest of the day and since the transfusion may only give him days, I would rather have him enjoy his last days/weeks. So right now, we're at the point where the most we can do is get him to eat and sleep and to pet him and love him as much as we can. Now, your cat may have a different experience, but I just wanted to tell my story. Jennifer and Mr. Darcy __ ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org Marylyn, Copper Thomas ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
Re: [Felvtalk] (Fwd) Blood transfusion on Felv+ cat
I am very sorry that you had such a bad experience, Jennifer. It's really unforgivable that a vet should be so unclear about what to expect from a transfusion for a kitty with nonregenerative anemia. I had my FeLV kitty, Flavia, given a transfusion after she was diagnosed with nonregenerative anemia and her hematocrit dropped to 7.5. Unlike Jennifer's careless (unethical?) vet, mine did tell me it would give her (only) an extra couple of weeks at most. I wanted those extra weeks to try to find a way to prolong her life significantly. I obtained immunoregulin for her but too late, so I didn't get a chance to try it. Nonetheless, in the same circumstances, I would not do a transfusion again. It was tremendously stressful for Flavia, it was very expensive ($1000 total for transfusion plus drawing my healthy cat's blood) and it gave her only 10 days extra (her HCT went up to 23), when her HCT plummeted again to 13. Like Jennifer, I would much rather concentrate on doing everything possible to ensure my cat enjoys every moment of the rest of her time, however long that may be, in the comfort of her own home. Kerry M. -Original Message- From: felvtalk-boun...@felineleukemia.org [mailto:felvtalk-boun...@felineleukemia.org] On Behalf Of James G Wilson Sent: Wednesday, January 21, 2009 9:05 PM To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Subject: [Felvtalk] (Fwd) Blood transfusion on Felv+ cat --- Forwarded message follows --- From: Jennifer Dykhouse redg...@hotmail.com To: felvtalk-ow...@felineleukemia.org Subject:Blood transfusion on Felv+ cat Date sent: Wed, 21 Jan 2009 14:17:45 -0500 Hello everyone, I thought I'd let you know how the blood transfusion helped/didn't help my Felv+ cat, so that if you need to reach that decision, you can see my example. The day before we did the blood transfusion, Mr. Darcy's hematocrit count was at 7 (I was told that 30 is the lowest you can be and still be healthy). He was extremely lethargic and as a result would eat. He lost 2 pounds in a month (even with us assist feeding him) and he was starting to catch a respiratory bug. Right after the transfusion, which cost 800 dollars and took about 5 hours, his hematocrit was at 17. That's great, but I am upset. I was thinking he'd be brought up to a healthy level, not just a slightly better level. He had perked up and he is eating turkey baby food now, but he still is extremely tired and now he has balance troubles. What I am most upset with was the lack of information from my vet and the animal hospital. When told about the blood transfusion by my normal vet, she made it sound like he'd be back at a healthy level and that it could work for months and that it was perfectly safe. When we were handing him over to the vet at the hospital, he finally told me that Mr. Darcy could die during the procedure and that it may only last a few hours, days. I am furious. It makes me feel like money is more important then informing the owner. I have decided to not do any more transfusions due to the fact that he's in the last stage of his illness and going to the vet really stresses him out. He won't eat for the rest of the day and since the transfusion may only give him days, I would rather have him enjoy his last days/weeks. So right now, we're at the point where the most we can do is get him to eat and sleep and to pet him and love him as much as we can. Now, your cat may have a different experience, but I just wanted to tell my story. Jennifer and Mr. Darcy __ ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org _ IRS CIRCULAR 230 NOTICE. Any tax advice expressed above by Mayer Brown LLP was not intended or written to be used, and cannot be used, by any taxpayer to avoid U.S. federal tax penalties. If such advice was written or used to support the promotion or marketing of the matter addressed above, then each offeree should seek advice from an independent tax advisor. This email and any files transmitted with it are intended solely for the use of the individual or entity to whom they are addressed. If you have received this email in error please notify the system manager. If you are not the named addressee you should not disseminate, distribute or copy this e-mail. ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
Re: [Felvtalk] (Fwd) Blood transfusion on Felv+ cat
Wow, that is an extremely high cost for a transfusion, they are rip offs, where do you live? I have gotten transfusions for under $200.00. You may ask your vet about trying epogen, procrit or arsnap all help with anemia. Bailey my positive was on epogen and prednisolone when he was anemic. His HCT went from a low of 15 to 40 in 6 weeks. He remained in the mid 30's the rest of his life. He died from undiagnosed pancreatic cancer. Do they know what is causing the anemia? Has he ever been on doxycycline for 4 weeks minimum? Hemobartonella is almost impossible to test for and many cats have been saved by being put on doxy even thought they tested negative for hemo. From other lists I'm on I know of several cats tested 4 or 5 times testing negative being put on doxy and recovering ... obviously they had hemo but were testing negative. There are other drugs in the tetroclycline family if Darcy can't tolerate doxy, doxy is just thought to work the best. Prayers coming to little Darcy and your family. -- Belinda happiness is being owned by cats ... http://bemikitties.com http://BelindaSauro.com ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
Re: [Felvtalk] (Fwd) Blood transfusion on Felv+ cat
We transfused our cat Gray Kitty twice now. The lowest his hematocrit ever went was 9. After each transfusion he went up to around 30-35 which is in the normal range, then dipped down to 18-20 where he remains. From: phaed...@charter.net To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Date: Wed, 21 Jan 2009 21:04:36 -0600 Subject: [Felvtalk] (Fwd) Blood transfusion on Felv+ cat --- Forwarded message follows --- From: Jennifer Dykhouse redg...@hotmail.com To: felvtalk-ow...@felineleukemia.org Subject: Blood transfusion on Felv+ cat Date sent: Wed, 21 Jan 2009 14:17:45 -0500 Hello everyone, I thought I'd let you know how the blood transfusion helped/didn't help my Felv+ cat, so that if you need to reach that decision, you can see my example. The day before we did the blood transfusion, Mr. Darcy's hematocrit count was at 7 (I was told that 30 is the lowest you can be and still be healthy). He was extremely lethargic and as a result would eat. He lost 2 pounds in a month (even with us assist feeding him) and he was starting to catch a respiratory bug. Right after the transfusion, which cost 800 dollars and took about 5 hours, his hematocrit was at 17. That's great, but I am upset. I was thinking he'd be brought up to a healthy level, not just a slightly better level. He had perked up and he is eating turkey baby food now, but he still is extremely tired and now he has balance troubles. What I am most upset with was the lack of information from my vet and the animal hospital. When told about the blood transfusion by my normal vet, she made it sound like he'd be back at a healthy level and that it could work for months and that it was perfectly safe. When we were handing him over to the vet at the hospital, he finally told me that Mr. Darcy could die during the procedure and that it may only last a few hours, days. I am furious. It makes me feel like money is more important then informing the owner. I have decided to not do any more transfusions due to the fact that he's in the last stage of his illness and going to the vet really stresses him out. He won't eat for the rest of the day and since the transfusion may only give him days, I would rather have him enjoy his last days/weeks. So right now, we're at the point where the most we can do is get him to eat and sleep and to pet him and love him as much as we can. Now, your cat may have a different experience, but I just wanted to tell my story. Jennifer and Mr. Darcy __ ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org _ Windows Live™ Hotmail®:…more than just e-mail. http://windowslive.com/explore?ocid=TXT_TAGLM_WL_t2_hm_justgotbetter_explore_012009 ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
[Felvtalk] (Fwd) Blood transfusion on Felv+ cat
--- Forwarded message follows --- From: Jennifer Dykhouse redg...@hotmail.com To: felvtalk-ow...@felineleukemia.org Subject:Blood transfusion on Felv+ cat Date sent: Wed, 21 Jan 2009 14:17:45 -0500 Hello everyone, I thought I'd let you know how the blood transfusion helped/didn't help my Felv+ cat, so that if you need to reach that decision, you can see my example. The day before we did the blood transfusion, Mr. Darcy's hematocrit count was at 7 (I was told that 30 is the lowest you can be and still be healthy). He was extremely lethargic and as a result would eat. He lost 2 pounds in a month (even with us assist feeding him) and he was starting to catch a respiratory bug. Right after the transfusion, which cost 800 dollars and took about 5 hours, his hematocrit was at 17. That's great, but I am upset. I was thinking he'd be brought up to a healthy level, not just a slightly better level. He had perked up and he is eating turkey baby food now, but he still is extremely tired and now he has balance troubles. What I am most upset with was the lack of information from my vet and the animal hospital. When told about the blood transfusion by my normal vet, she made it sound like he'd be back at a healthy level and that it could work for months and that it was perfectly safe. When we were handing him over to the vet at the hospital, he finally told me that Mr. Darcy could die during the procedure and that it may only last a few hours, days. I am furious. It makes me feel like money is more important then informing the owner. I have decided to not do any more transfusions due to the fact that he's in the last stage of his illness and going to the vet really stresses him out. He won't eat for the rest of the day and since the transfusion may only give him days, I would rather have him enjoy his last days/weeks. So right now, we're at the point where the most we can do is get him to eat and sleep and to pet him and love him as much as we can. Now, your cat may have a different experience, but I just wanted to tell my story. Jennifer and Mr. Darcy __ ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
Re: blood transfusion
I do know of one cat that has had many transfusions, more than 5, I think it was one of Hideyo's cats, I seem to remember her posting it on the anemia list I'm on. I believe it was because the epogen quit working or her vet thought the cat had developed aiitbodies. I will write her and ask to double check, this cat is alive and well though still with an extremely low HCT, she is doing good. The vets can't figure out what is causing her anemia. Did you get the answers you needed? Speaking specifically about anemic cats who are FeLV+, blood transfusions are probably given every 10 days, and probably not more than 3 times. This is only knowledge I have gleaned from what I've seen here in the past two years and might not be completely right. Some vets won't even do more than 2 transfusions. -- 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: blood transfusion
The vet I was taking Monkee to wouldn't do more than 2 transfusions. We only did one. When it wore off, it wore off bad. I realize now that Monkee was suffering much more than he let on and I just didn't know it at the time because he was such a toughie, with a real zest for life. I think psychologically, when you have a very anemic cat, the blood transfusion effects can be really hard to deal with. Monkee had lymphosarcoma at the same time and I wonder now if that was causing him pain and difficulty more than the anemia. In the future, I personally would only consider multiple transfusions (ignoring the cost for the sake of my hypothetical) maybe if anemia is the only thing a cat is suffering from. In hindsight, I feel like we were keeping something going that shouldn't have kept going and I think the fact that he died in my arms before we could even get him to a vet exactly 14 days after the transfusion, was proof of that. His body literally was not making and red blood cells at all and he needed that replacement blood to even function. But it's just a replacement and the body uses it up. So psychologically, it was really hard on me to see this cat I loved more than anything be normal again for a while just because he'd been given some replacement blood. And then to witness the effects of the transfusion wearing off slowly...very hard to endure. I just think doing a blood transfusion really needs to be thought through, especially if you have a cat who's Felv and anemia is maybe the least of his problems...like it was in Monkee's case. -Caroline Date: Wed, 17 Oct 2007 06:05:48 -0700 From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Subject: Re: blood transfusion I do know of one cat that has had many transfusions, more than 5, I think it was one of Hideyo's cats, I seem to remember her posting it on the anemia list I'm on. I believe it was because the epogen quit working or her vet thought the cat had developed aiitbodies. I will write her and ask to double check, this cat is alive and well though still with an extremely low HCT, she is doing good. The vets can't figure out what is causing her anemia. Did you get the answers you needed? Speaking specifically about anemic cats who are FeLV+, blood transfusions are probably given every 10 days, and probably not more than 3 times. This is only knowledge I have gleaned from what I've seen here in the past two years and might not be completely right. Some vets won't even do more than 2 transfusions. -- 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 _ Boo! Scare away worms, viruses and so much more! Try Windows Live OneCare! http://onecare.live.com/standard/en-us/purchase/trial.aspx?s_cid=wl_hotmailnews
Re: blood transfusion
Caroline, I remember Monkee and all the heartache you guys went through. I would be doing all positives a disservice though if I didn't make a point about what my vet told me and I have personally seen happen with some cats on the lists I'm on. Sometimes for what ever reason it takes 2 or 3 or more transfusions to kick start a cats blood production, my vet told me she has done up to 5 transfusions on the same cat with no ill effects. Of course you still need to find out what is causing the anemia so you can hopefully fix it. Baileys anemia was his first symptom of the cancer we couldn't find until after he passed BUT we did reverse the non-regenerative anemia with epogen and prednisolone, his HCT was normal (33% from a low point of 15%) when the cancer took him.* * I didn't need to do a transfusion with Bailey because I did a bone marrow aspirate to find out what was causing the anemia and treated accordingly. Every cat I've lost has taught me something in hindsight that I and my vet missed at the time, I wish my guys weren't the ones that had to pay with their lives but I know one thing, if I ever hear of a cat having the same symptoms or God forbid I have a cat with like symptoms, I will know what to tell them to look for, doesn't mean they will but I will make the effort to let them know. -- 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: blood transfusion
I know, you are also right. But I didn't want to make Monkee go through the bone marrow aspirate because he'd already been through so much, since we did Chemo on him (which, in hindsight, I will NOT do again with another animal). I'm sure it's possible the chemo itself brought up the anemia, but he had the lump on his leg that was only getting bigger with chemo (which the Dr. was shocked by) and by the time we did the transfusion, he had lumps in his stomach and groin area, so the cancer was clearly spreading- despite chemo. The Doctor was almost positive it was the cancer causing the anemia and at the time, I was so disenchanted with her, I didn't really listen. But I'm sure now that she was right. We felt like a bone marrow aspirate would just tell us what we already knew, but didn't want to admit. I guess my point was really that the blood transfusions are so emotionally taxing. -Caroline Date: Wed, 17 Oct 2007 08:27:21 -0700From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]: [EMAIL PROTECTED]: Re: blood transfusion Caroline, I remember Monkee and all the heartache you guys went through.I would be doing all positives a disservice though if I didn't make a point about what my vet told me and I have personally seen happen with some cats on the lists I'm on.Sometimes for what ever reason it takes 2 or 3 or more transfusions to kick start a cats blood production, my vet told me she has done up to 5 transfusions on the same cat with no ill effects. Of course you still need to find out what is causing the anemia so you can hopefully fix it. Baileys anemia was his first symptom of the cancer we couldn't find until after he passed BUT we did reverse the non-regenerative anemia with epogen and prednisolone, his HCT was normal (33% from a low point of 15%) when the cancer took him. I didn't need to do a transfusion with Bailey because I did a bone marrow aspirate to find out what was causing the anemia and treated accordingly.Every cat I've lost has taught me something in hindsight that I and my vet missed at the time, I wish my guys weren't the ones that had to pay with their lives but I know one thing, if I ever hear of a cat having the same symptoms or God forbid I have a cat with like symptoms, I will know what to tell them to look for, doesn't mean they will but I will make the effort to let them know.-- 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 _ Boo! Scare away worms, viruses and so much more! Try Windows Live OneCare! http://onecare.live.com/standard/en-us/purchase/trial.aspx?s_cid=wl_hotmailnews
Re: blood transfusion
Similar with my vet - limited # of transfusions. But it didn't have any ill effects on mine, only positive, then after a time they went down again. Gloria On Oct 17, 2007, at 9:06 AM, Caroline Kaufmann wrote: The vet I was taking Monkee to wouldn't do more than 2 transfusions. We only did one. When it wore off, it wore off bad. I realize now that Monkee was suffering much more than he let on and I just didn't know it at the time because he was such a toughie, with a real zest for life. I think psychologically, when you have a very anemic cat, the blood transfusion effects can be really hard to deal with. Monkee had lymphosarcoma at the same time and I wonder now if that was causing him pain and difficulty more than the anemia. In the future, I personally would only consider multiple transfusions (ignoring the cost for the sake of my hypothetical) maybe if anemia is the only thing a cat is suffering from. In hindsight, I feel like we were keeping something going that shouldn't have kept going and I think the fact that he died in my arms before we could even get him to a vet exactly 14 days after the transfusion, was proof of that. His body literally was not making and red blood cells at all and he needed that replacement blood to even function. But it's just a replacement and the body uses it up. So psychologically, it was really hard on me to see this cat I loved more than anything be normal again for a while just because he'd been given some replacement blood. And then to witness the effects of the transfusion wearing off slowly...very hard to endure. I just think doing a blood transfusion really needs to be thought through, especially if you have a cat who's Felv and anemia is maybe the least of his problems...like it was in Monkee's case. -Caroline Date: Wed, 17 Oct 2007 06:05:48 -0700 From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Subject: Re: blood transfusion I do know of one cat that has had many transfusions, more than 5, I think it was one of Hideyo's cats, I seem to remember her posting it on the anemia list I'm on. I believe it was because the epogen quit working or her vet thought the cat had developed aiitbodies. I will write her and ask to double check, this cat is alive and well though still with an extremely low HCT, she is doing good. The vets can't figure out what is causing her anemia. Did you get the answers you needed? Speaking specifically about anemic cats who are FeLV+, blood transfusions are probably given every 10 days, and probably not more than 3 times. This is only knowledge I have gleaned from what I've seen here in the past two years and might not be completely right. Some vets won't even do more than 2 transfusions. -- 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 Boo! Scare away worms, viruses and so much more! Try Windows Live OneCare! Try now!
RE: blood transfusion
Blood transfusions really are emotionally taxing. Olive was only given one, because at the time I took her to the vet, I had no idea what was wrong with her. The vet discovered she was extremely anemic, but didn't know why, and said that if I wanted her to live, she needed one. I didn't know until a couple days after the transfusion, when she was doing so much better, that she was positive. And only a day or two after that, when she had become her normal, extremely playful, semi-annoying self once again, she started going downhill. It was the most heartwrenching thing I've ever experienced. I thought I had saved her life, but I had only given her an extra few days of feeling better before fading again. I considered another transfusion, but after doing extensive research, I figured it would be a lost cause. I didn't want to put her through any more pain. Transfusions are good in live-threatening situations, but with non-regenerative anemia, they only postpone the inevitable, and not for long. -Megan -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] on behalf of Caroline Kaufmann Sent: Wed 10/17/2007 11:46 AM To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Subject: RE: blood transfusion I know, you are also right. But I didn't want to make Monkee go through the bone marrow aspirate because he'd already been through so much, since we did Chemo on him (which, in hindsight, I will NOT do again with another animal). I'm sure it's possible the chemo itself brought up the anemia, but he had the lump on his leg that was only getting bigger with chemo (which the Dr. was shocked by) and by the time we did the transfusion, he had lumps in his stomach and groin area, so the cancer was clearly spreading- despite chemo. The Doctor was almost positive it was the cancer causing the anemia and at the time, I was so disenchanted with her, I didn't really listen. But I'm sure now that she was right. We felt like a bone marrow aspirate would just tell us what we already knew, but didn't want to admit. I guess my point was really that the blood transfusions are so emotionally taxing. -Caroline Date: Wed, 17 Oct 2007 08:27:21 -0700From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]: [EMAIL PROTECTED]: Re: blood transfusion Caroline, I remember Monkee and all the heartache you guys went through.I would be doing all positives a disservice though if I didn't make a point about what my vet told me and I have personally seen happen with some cats on the lists I'm on.Sometimes for what ever reason it takes 2 or 3 or more transfusions to kick start a cats blood production, my vet told me she has done up to 5 transfusions on the same cat with no ill effects. Of course you still need to find out what is causing the anemia so you can hopefully fix it. Baileys anemia was his first symptom of the cancer we couldn't find until after he passed BUT we did reverse the non-regenerative anemia with epogen and prednisolone, his HCT was normal (33% from a low point of 15%) when the cancer took him. I didn't need to do a transfusion with Bailey because I did a bone marrow aspirate to find out what was causing the anemia and treated accordingly.Every cat I've lost has taught me something in hindsight that I and my vet missed at the time, I wish my guys weren't the ones that had to pay with their lives but I know one thing, if I ever hear of a cat having the same symptoms or God forbid I have a cat with like symptoms, I will know what to tell them to look for, doesn't mean they will but I will make the effort to let them know.-- 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 _ Boo! Scare away worms, viruses and so much more! Try Windows Live OneCare! http://onecare.live.com/standard/en-us/purchase/trial.aspx?s_cid=wl_hotmailnews winmail.dat
RE: blood transfusion
Megan: I tried to prepare you for that when you first joined the list due to Olive's condition with relaying to you Monkee's experience. But it's never as bad as it is when you actually experience it yourself. Our experiences were similar in so many ways. -Caroline Subject: RE: blood transfusion Date: Wed, 17 Oct 2007 12:02:58 -0400 From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Blood transfusions really are emotionally taxing. Olive was only given one, because at the time I took her to the vet, I had no idea what was wrong with her. The vet discovered she was extremely anemic, but didn't know why, and said that if I wanted her to live, she needed one. I didn't know until a couple days after the transfusion, when she was doing so much better, that she was positive. And only a day or two after that, when she had become her normal, extremely playful, semi-annoying self once again, she started going downhill. It was the most heartwrenching thing I've ever experienced. I thought I had saved her life, but I had only given her an extra few days of feeling better before fading again. I considered another transfusion, but after doing extensive research, I figured it would be a lost cause. I didn't want to put her through any more pain. Transfusions are good in live-threatening situations, but with non-regenerative anemia, they only postpone the inevitable, and not for long. -Megan -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] on behalf of Caroline Kaufmann Sent: Wed 10/17/2007 11:46 AM To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Subject: RE: blood transfusion I know, you are also right. But I didn't want to make Monkee go through the bone marrow aspirate because he'd already been through so much, since we did Chemo on him (which, in hindsight, I will NOT do again with another animal). I'm sure it's possible the chemo itself brought up the anemia, but he had the lump on his leg that was only getting bigger with chemo (which the Dr. was shocked by) and by the time we did the transfusion, he had lumps in his stomach and groin area, so the cancer was clearly spreading- despite chemo. The Doctor was almost positive it was the cancer causing the anemia and at the time, I was so disenchanted with her, I didn't really listen. But I'm sure now that she was right. We felt like a bone marrow aspirate would just tell us what we already knew, but didn't want to admit. I guess my point was really that the blood transfusions are so emotionally taxing. -Caroline Date: Wed, 17 Oct 2007 08:27:21 -0700From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]: [EMAIL PROTECTED]: Re: blood transfusion Caroline, I remember Monkee and all the heartache you guys went through.I would be doing all positives a disservice though if I didn't make a point about what my vet told me and I have personally seen happen with some cats on the lists I'm on.Sometimes for what ever reason it takes 2 or 3 or more transfusions to kick start a cats blood production, my vet told me she has done up to 5 transfusions on the same cat with no ill effects. Of course you still need to find out what is causing the anemia so you can hopefully fix it. Baileys anemia was his first symptom of the cancer we couldn't find until after he passed BUT we did reverse the non-regenerative anemia with epogen and prednisolone, his HCT was normal (33% from a low point of 15%) when the cancer took him. I didn't need to do a transfusion with Bailey because I did a bone marrow aspirate to find out what was causing the anemia and treated accordingly.Every cat I've lost has taught me something in hindsight that I and my vet missed at the time, I wish my guys weren't the ones that had to pay with their lives but I know one thing, if I ever hear of a cat having the same symptoms or God forbid I have a cat with like symptoms, I will know what to tell them to look for, doesn't mean they will but I will make the effort to let them know.-- 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 _ Boo! Scare away worms, viruses and so much more! Try Windows Live OneCare! http://onecare.live.com/standard/en-us/purchase/trial.aspx?s_cid=wl_hotmailnews _ Boo! Scare away worms, viruses and so much more! Try Windows Live OneCare! http://onecare.live.com/standard/en-us/purchase/trial.aspx?s_cid=wl_hotmailnews
Re: blood transfusion
Not sure your vet knew this but the most reliable way to get all the cancer when it is on a limb is amputation of that limb and then possibly chemo. Animals do very well with missing limbs. -- 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
blood transfusion
Thank-you for the replies. My cat Sunny had follow-up bloodwork on Tuesday and has had modest improvement, which makes me very happy. He was diagnosed with feline leukemia just a week before. Neutered, fully vaccinated and before this completely healthy. I noticed his gums were pale and he lost a pound or two but I didn't think it was anything serious. I think I'm over the initial shock and just focusing on keeping him happy. He's on prednisone and interferon now. I hate being faced with unpredictability. The reason I asked about the transfusions was because the only other person I know who has a feline leukemia cat has had two years of good health after a transfusion. I'm realizing though that although the transfusion probably helped, that particular cat may have made it anyways. My Sunny is a shy guy, and before I subject him to the stress, I wanted to know if I'm really helping him. My vet said it's hard on their liver and suggested against it at this point. I have 4 other cats, who of course have now all been exposed, so I'm learning as much as I can and hoping for the best. Thank-you for your help. Sincerely, Angela - Be smarter than spam. See how smart SpamGuard is at giving junk email the boot with the All-new Yahoo! Mail
Re: blood transfusion
Hi Angela, Did you get the answers you needed? Speaking specifically about anemic cats who are FeLV+, blood transfusions are probably given every 10 days, and probably not more than 3 times. This is only knowledge I have gleaned from what I've seen here in the past two years and might not be completely right. Some vets won't even do more than 2 transfusions. Lance was right. The anemia has to be corrected and transfusions only buy time; they don't fix the problem. :) Wendy 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: Angela B. [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Sent: Saturday, October 13, 2007 10:48:05 AM Subject: blood transfusion I would like to know how often FELV cats are given blood transfusions and how successful are they? Be smarter than spam. See how smart SpamGuard is at giving junk email the boot with the All-new Yahoo! Mail 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: blood transfusion
Baileys anemia was Non regenerative and epogen and trednisolone brought it back to normal. For example, Epogen has been discussed on this list for FeLV+ cats with regenerative anemia. Someone will hopefully come along to give much better (and more specific) info than I have. -- 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: blood transfusion
And there you have it. The power of the list. On Mon, 15 Oct 2007 09:32:17 -0700, Belinda [EMAIL PROTECTED] said: Baileys anemia was Non regenerative and epogen and trednisolone brought it back to normal. For example, Epogen has been discussed on this list for FeLV+ cats with regenerative anemia. Someone will hopefully come along to give much better (and more specific) info than I have. -- 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 -- Lance Linimon [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: blood transfusion
I meant prednisolone epogen and trednisolone -- 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
blood transfusion
I would like to know how often FELV cats are given blood transfusions and how successful are they? - Be smarter than spam. See how smart SpamGuard is at giving junk email the boot with the All-new Yahoo! Mail
Re: blood transfusion
Angela, I have not had experience with transfusions and cats. From what I've read, transfusions are usually given to FeLV+ cats when they are severely anemic. The transfusion may be successful, in that the kitty will feel much better for awhile. Unfortunately, this doesn't clear up the anemia. It simply buys time, and the effects wear off. There are folks on this list with experience who can tell you their own stories, and a compassionate and experienced vet should be able to tell you when a transfusion is needed and what kind of success they've seen. I can tell you that you want to do what you can to boost red blood cell counts with other measures. For example, Epogen has been discussed on this list for FeLV+ cats with regenerative anemia. Someone will hopefully come along to give much better (and more specific) info than I have. Lance On Oct 13, 2007, at 10:48 AM, Angela B. wrote: I would like to know how often FELV cats are given blood transfusions and how successful are they? Be smarter than spam. See how smart SpamGuard is at giving junk email the boot with the All-new Yahoo! Mail
FW: [CRF] desperately need advice-blood transfusion
Hi, if anyone has an experience regarding transfusion, please respond immediately as supposedly she scheduled to put her kitty sleep tomorrow - -Original Message- From: Hideyo Yamamoto Sent: Tuesday, May 09, 2006 3:07 PM To: 'linda vann'; kschultz2006 Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: RE: [CRF] desperately need advice-blood transfusion Please don't give up yet - PCV 10 is definitely lower than we hope, but considering the fact that all other numbers are not that bad - I think you should definitely consider it. I know you can also use epogen but it will also take a couple of weeks to start building red cell through epogen, and it will be too long for your baby.. and when you get transfusion and you can start on epogen as well. I am also on Felk support group and I know people who have done transfusion for their kitties as well - I am copying the group here just in case you need to post them the message as well. felvtalk@felineleukemia.org -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of linda vann Sent: Tuesday, May 09, 2006 2:56 PM To: kschultz2006 Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: [CRF] desperately need advice-blood transfusion dear kathy, i have not been down this road but i was wondering if you belong to the anemia group. im sure you will find very experienced people there. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Feline_Anemia/ this is information from helens site http://felinecrf.org/anaemia.htm prayers for you and ollie. linda, angel fabians mom in texas --- kschultz2006 [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Ollie is 19 - CRF since october - we have been managing well with subQs and diet. Three days ago Ollie got very weak; not eating. At a new vet today, found out he is very anemic - PCV is 10! Other blood panel numbers not too bad. Question of doing a transfusion, then epogen or calling it the end and putting him to sleep (which the vet said she would do if it were her cat). I scheduled it for Wednesday, but wondering if it's the right thing. Can he pull out of this...just to have another crisis down the road...in how many days/months from now? Is this the end point of kidney failure. I'm crying so much - is now the time to let him go? He's weak, but still responsive to me, to touch. Please, has anyone else gone through a crisis like this? Kathy All messages sent to [EMAIL PROTECTED] are Copyright 2006 by the original author. Do not forward or excerpt to another group or nonmember without the author's permission. Any suggestions regarding medical matters are the opinion of the author. It is YOUR RESPONSIBILITY to verify all treatment descriptions and advice received with a qualified veterinarian. Yahoo! Groups Links http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Feline-CRF-Support/ [EMAIL PROTECTED] __ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com All messages sent to [EMAIL PROTECTED] are Copyright 2006 by the original author. Do not forward or excerpt to another group or nonmember without the author's permission. Any suggestions regarding medical matters are the opinion of the author. It is YOUR RESPONSIBILITY to verify all treatment descriptions and advice received with a qualified veterinarian. Yahoo! Groups Links * To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Feline-CRF-Support/ * To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] * Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
Re: FW: [CRF] desperately need advice-blood transfusion
Bailey had a transfusion a couple of hours before he passed, it did what we wanted it to do but for him it was too late. He needed it to get his platelets up. -- 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: [CRF] desperately need advice-blood transfusion
Flavia was down to between 6-7.5 on June 22/05 when she had her transfusion. The transfusion raised her PCV to 21 but it gradually dropped again over the next 2 weeks and she was euthanized when it reached 10 on July 6. The 2 weeks at least gave breathing space to try other measures. - Original Message - From: Hideyo Yamamoto [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Sent: Tuesday, May 09, 2006 4:14 PM Subject: FW: [CRF] desperately need advice-blood transfusion Hi, if anyone has an experience regarding transfusion, please respond immediately as supposedly she scheduled to put her kitty sleep tomorrow - -Original Message- From: Hideyo Yamamoto Sent: Tuesday, May 09, 2006 3:07 PM To: 'linda vann'; kschultz2006 Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: RE: [CRF] desperately need advice-blood transfusion Please don't give up yet - PCV 10 is definitely lower than we hope, but considering the fact that all other numbers are not that bad - I think you should definitely consider it. I know you can also use epogen but it will also take a couple of weeks to start building red cell through epogen, and it will be too long for your baby.. and when you get transfusion and you can start on epogen as well. I am also on Felk support group and I know people who have done transfusion for their kitties as well - I am copying the group here just in case you need to post them the message as well. felvtalk@felineleukemia.org -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of linda vann Sent: Tuesday, May 09, 2006 2:56 PM To: kschultz2006 Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: [CRF] desperately need advice-blood transfusion dear kathy, i have not been down this road but i was wondering if you belong to the anemia group. im sure you will find very experienced people there. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Feline_Anemia/ this is information from helens site http://felinecrf.org/anaemia.htm prayers for you and ollie. linda, angel fabians mom in texas --- kschultz2006 [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Ollie is 19 - CRF since october - we have been managing well with subQs and diet. Three days ago Ollie got very weak; not eating. At a new vet today, found out he is very anemic - PCV is 10! Other blood panel numbers not too bad. Question of doing a transfusion, then epogen or calling it the end and putting him to sleep (which the vet said she would do if it were her cat). I scheduled it for Wednesday, but wondering if it's the right thing. Can he pull out of this...just to have another crisis down the road...in how many days/months from now? Is this the end point of kidney failure. I'm crying so much - is now the time to let him go? He's weak, but still responsive to me, to touch. Please, has anyone else gone through a crisis like this? Kathy All messages sent to [EMAIL PROTECTED] are Copyright 2006 by the original author. Do not forward or excerpt to another group or nonmember without the author's permission. Any suggestions regarding medical matters are the opinion of the author. It is YOUR RESPONSIBILITY to verify all treatment descriptions and advice received with a qualified veterinarian. Yahoo! Groups Links http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Feline-CRF-Support/ [EMAIL PROTECTED] __ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com All messages sent to [EMAIL PROTECTED] are Copyright 2006 by the original author. Do not forward or excerpt to another group or nonmember without the author's permission. Any suggestions regarding medical matters are the opinion of the author. It is YOUR RESPONSIBILITY to verify all treatment descriptions and advice received with a qualified veterinarian. Yahoo! Groups Links * To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Feline-CRF-Support/ * To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] * Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
Re: [CRF] desperately need advice-blood transfusion
Simon's went from 11 up to 13 from a transfusion and then with proper treatment for lymphoma went back up to 30 for a while. Michelle In a message dated 5/9/2006 7:40:42 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: Flavia was down to between 6-7.5 on June 22/05 when she had her transfusion.The transfusion raised her PCV to 21 but it gradually dropped again over thenext 2 weeks and she was euthanized when it reached 10 on July 6.The 2 weeks at least gave breathing space to try other measures.
