Tuesday January 20, 1998 16 Messages ====================================== Date sent: Tue, 20 Jan 1998 09:21:40 -0500 To: felvtalk@MailingList.net From: olivia gostanian Subject: Sasha Send reply to: felvtalk@MailingList.net Dear Carol, I am very sorry to just have read about your losing Sasha. But really, although her physical presence is gone, she will always be with you in your heart, spirit and memories, and you will meet again at the Rainbow Bridge when it is time. Until then, remember that you did everything you possibly could to give Sasha a good life of love, respectful companionship and care. You know the one thing I've always regretted about losing one cat of mine that was FeLV+ is that I was not present when he died, and I've often thought about and still can torment myself about what happened in his final moments and was he wondering where I was and why wasn't I there with him. As painful for you as I know it must have been, you can take comfort in the knowledge that you were there with Sasha and were able to hold her in your arms as she danced onto the Rainbow Bridge, feeling safe and loved and protected as she began her new journey. I do believe that my cat and yours and all the other lovely animal companions we all have been privileged to share a part of our lives with who're now momentarily gone from this physical plane of Earth are waiting for us with open paws and hearts on that Rainbow Bridge, to ease our own crossing when it's time. In the meantime, express your justified anger at your loss freely so that you stop blaming yourself (for what it's worth my psych books always say that guilt is anger turned inward), remind yourself a thousand times a day if necessary that of course you did the very best you could by Sasha as you do for all your beloved critters, and take heart in your beloved memories of Sasha -- she will always be alive and with you as long as you remember her. Love to you and your family, Olivia & Lovejoy -------------------------------------- Date sent: Tue, 20 Jan 1998 09:24:17 -0500 From: albobo To: felvtalk@MailingList.net Subject: Domino Send reply to: felvtalk@MailingList.net Hi Everyone, I'm posting this for my friend Mary (who has to work today)! Her Domino is +, he's about a year old and has been asymptomatic until yesterday when she took him to the vet for bloodwork. The results will be in today sometime, but in the meantime on a physical examination the vet found that he had inflamed gums. He gave her Nolvadent oral cleaning solution to put on them 1-2 times a day (2 is better he said). For those of you with experience, is this a felv symptom? We'll see how the bloodwork came out - it had been improving up to now and he did gain a little over a pound - he's a good eater! Thanks for the input! For Mary and Domino, -- Kathy G and the 3 Furries in Daytona Beach =^.^= - Rusty =^.^= - Smokey =^.^= - Money See us at: http://cgi.gambitsys.com/homey/webdoc5.htm The Cat: Mother Nature's Masterpiece! -------------------------------------- From: "Lynn Stickels" To: "felvtalk" Subject: re: Domino Date sent: Tue, 20 Jan 1998 08:53:28 -0800 Send reply to: felvtalk@MailingList.net My cat, Stinker suffers with gum disease and sometimes with ulcers in the eyes. It is his main problem and has been for over a year and a half. He takes Antirobe antibiotics at this time. He has tried many others but this seemed to work the best for him. He has also been on immunoregulin for the past year and recently I have been giving it at home when needed. I just started giving him the interferon last month and that helped him quite a bit. Because of the severity of his mouth, I feed him by an eyedropper(A/D food). Sometimes he eats on his own but not enough to sustain him. With Stinker, it has been a long battle with the gum disease but he is quite a fighter. Maybe if you get your Domino started on the interferon and immunoregulin early, you will have better results. Just a thought. I hope I can help you in any way I can..................Lynn(Stinker) -------------------------------------- From: "Cheri Gardiner" To: Subject: Re: test results Date sent: Tue, 20 Jan 1998 12:52:01 -0600 Send reply to: felvtalk@MailingList.net AZ-HART, My vet has both my little ones on immunoregulin and interferon even though both are symptom free. They both tested positive. I have already lost one cat to FeLV. It seems to have given them added energy. They play like little kittens and are eating me out of the house. Cheri, Kitty & Chaz -------------------------------------- Date sent: Tue, 20 Jan 1998 14:29:51 -0600 (CST) From: "Nancy A. Schmall" To: felvtalk@MailingList.net Subject: Re: test results Send reply to: felvtalk@MailingList.net Irene, Curious to know why your vet does not like immunoregulin. Do you know? Nancy -------------------------------------- Date sent: Tue, 20 Jan 1998 15:21:32 -0600 (CST) From: Katherine Pauline Alexander To: felvtalk@MailingList.net Subject: Re: Sasha Send reply to: felvtalk@MailingList.net Carol, I am very sorry to hear about Sasha. I will keep you in my prayers. Kathy -------------------------------------- From: "phaedrus" To: felvtalk@MailingList.net Date sent: Tue, 20 Jan 1998 15:41:03 +0000 Subject: It's not been a good week :( Send reply to: felvtalk@MailingList.net Hi everyone, This certainly hasn't been a week that I'd like to repeat any time soon. Aside from the stress of my Mom undergoing delicate back surgery and the loss of a friend of mine in an auto accident, I've had to add nine (9) more kitties to the FeLV tribute pages :(. Two (Pewter & Grey) were euthanized because they'd been taken to a shelter after a ninety yr. old man went into a nursing home- the shelter's "rules" insisted that the two be put to sleep since they were FeLV+. Two others couldn't have been helped because they died before much was known about FeLV treatments- one in 1983, the other in 1995. Still, I feel somewhat disheartened by the fact that the other five have died within the past three months- the caregivers say that these treatments did give their precious babies more time than they would've had otherwise, though. I've written Carol Gentry personally about her loss of Sasha- I've added her to the tribute pages as well. From Carol's words, I created a special tribute for Sasha at: http://www.fortunecity.com/skyscraper/sterling/20/sasha.htm I hope everyone will come to see this tribute and again extend your support and understanding to Carol during this time of grief. As I had previously told Carol and Barb, it sounded almost as though Sasha may have had an embedded tumor in one or both of her lungs to cause the sudden breathing problems that led to her passing. On further reflection, though, I start to wonder if the sudden drop in Sasha's RBC count may have actually caused her problems to come on so suddenly. More research will have to be done before any clear answers come about all of this. Back to the tribute for our FeLV bridge kitties. I know on other lists, there is something called a "Candle Service" that one person on the list keeps track of. Would someone here who knows about these things like to provide such a service for this list? Well, take care, and I hope everyone will take a moment to reflect on the losses suffered here during the past weeks. Talk to y'all soon. In loving memory of Vyvyan: March 20, 1988 - August 15, 1997 James G. Wilson phaedrus@ctnet.net , phaedrus69@hotmail.com , phaedrus69@juno.com, felv@angelfire.com http://www.angelfire.com/il/felv/ http://www.fortunecity.com/skyscraper/sterling/20/tribute.html http://www.litchfieldil.com/members/phaedrus/ http://www.fortunecity.com//skyscraper/sterling/20/niu.html http://www.wapd.org/points/jgwilson.html -------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 20 Jan 1998 15:53:17 -0800 From: "Lynn Stickels" Subject: Stinker To: "felvtalk" Last night Stinker was laying on the bed and was breathing very rapidly and would not move. I panicked and called the vet who wasn't there so went to the vet on call. Well, we rushed to the vet. I didn't want him to suffer his last hours. I knew this was going to be "it". We got there and the vet found nothing distressful and his breathing was a little fast but nothing wrong. She checked his heart and lungs and all. In fact, he kind of perked up when we got there! Isn't that like a kid.:) Maybe he knew where he was and what was going to happen.:) Anyway, he is still pretty sick but doing alot better today. He is keeping the medicine and food down alright and he even came over to me and does his chin rubbing on my face.:) I was given more time with my kitty. -------------------------------------- Date sent: Tue, 20 Jan 1998 18:39:08 -0600 From: Cheryl and Michael To: felvtalk@MailingList.net Subject: Re: Stinker Send reply to: felvtalk@MailingList.net So glad to hear that last night had a good ending. Last night must have been very stressful for you. That is the most difficult part of this. As one of my previous vets said....you will go through numerous peaks and valleys and all you can do is hope that you make it through the valley. All we can do is continue to provide the love and care and hope that we know what to do as you do last night. Thinking of you and Stinker. -------------------------------------- Date sent: Tue, 20 Jan 1998 18:41:42 -0600 From: Cheryl and Michael To: "felvtalk@MailingList.net" Subject: Aspirin? Send reply to: felvtalk@MailingList.net I have heard the advice about aspiring, but I wanted to clarify as tonight is the first time I will be giving this to Copley. Isn't it Tylenol (acetaminophen) that is dangerous to cats? I bought children's aspiring. One quarter tablet no more than about three days apart? He had a fever last week and we put him on Keflex. The fever seemed to go away, but he has been feeling warm again recently. It sounded like many of you have had good results with simple aspiring? Thanks in advance for the advice. Cheryl -------------------------------------- From: "Lynn Stickels" To: "felvtalk" Subject: re: aspirin Date sent: Tue, 20 Jan 1998 17:09:03 -0800 Send reply to: felvtalk@MailingList.net I have had great results with using baby aspirin(not tylenol). My kitty, Stinker, suffers with much pain at times and fever. I can see results within a half an hour. I give it, like you except I was told I could give it every other day. I hope you see some good results in Copley.:)..........................Lynn(Stinker) -------------------------------------- From: "Corvus Corax" To: Subject: Re: Aspirin? Date sent: Wed, 21 Jan 1998 03:26:58 +0100 Send reply to: felvtalk@MailingList.net Hello, as far as I've heard, Aspirin is mortal for cats - two Aspirin are enough to kill one! Serious, I would look for a vet or a homeopath to get some safer remedies.. RDC -------------------------------------- Date sent: Tue, 20 Jan 1998 22:28:40 -0800 From: "Linda [Catlady]" Organization: Whisker Sitters To: felvtalk@MailingList.net Subject: Re: Aspirin? Send reply to: felvtalk@MailingList.net Hi everyone; Aspirn CAN be safely given to cats...you just have to be careful and know your dosages. >From the Veterinary Drug handbook: Aspirn is used in all species for its analgesic and antipyretic effects. It is the one nonsterodial anti-inflammatory agent that is relatively safe to use in both cats and dogs. Besides its analgesic, anti-inflammoratory and antipyretic effects, aspirin is used therapeutically for its effects on platelet aggregation in the treatment of DIC and pulmonary artery disease secondary to heartworm infestation in dogs. It is also used in cats with cardiomyopathy. DOSAGE IN CATS: For analgesia: 10mg/kg PO every other day (Jenkins 1987) 10mg/kg PO daily (Handagama 1986)(Davis) For the treament of Arthritis: one 81 mg tablet (baby aspirin) PO in the average size cat on Monday, Wednesday and Friday each week. (Davis 1985) PO means by mouth and kg is equal to 2.2 pounds I have safely used childrens baby aspirin in cats with high fever. The main thing is NOT to use it too frequently. TYLENOL IS NOT SAFE TO USE IN CATS! Linda (catlady) -------------------------------------- From: "phaedrus" To: felvtalk@MailingList.net Date sent: Tue, 20 Jan 1998 21:35:52 +0000 Subject: Re: Aspirin? Send reply to: felvtalk@MailingList.net Hi all, Thanks again Linda for giving us the straight talk on another medicine. Although I believe aspirin is *generally* safe in these minute doses, I think there are common sense approaches to this. First, if I remember correctly, aspirin has a property of thinning the blood. This may not be good for cats with low blood counts associated with anemia. Second, aspirin irritates the lining of the stomach, so if the cat isn't eating properly, this may cause added problems. And, third, FeLV has a way of causing liver damage. This is important to note because it is the liver that metabolizes the aspirin from the system. We've read some good reports on using baby aspirin on this list, but, as I always remind folks, ask your vet first. Your vet should know if a cat is suffering from any of the above symptoms and can recommend the proper dose to use under various circumstances. Take care, and I hope this helps. In loving memory of Vyvyan: March 20, 1988 - August 15, 1997 James G. Wilson phaedrus@ctnet.net , phaedrus69@hotmail.com , phaedrus69@juno.com, felv@angelfire.com http://www.angelfire.com/il/felv/ http://www.fortunecity.com/skyscraper/sterling/20/tribute.html http://www.litchfieldil.com/members/phaedrus/ http://www.fortunecity.com//skyscraper/sterling/20/niu.html http://www.wapd.org/points/jgwilson.html -------------------------------------- From: Newtanator Date sent: Tue, 20 Jan 1998 23:12:02 EST To: felvtalk@MailingList.net Subject: Re: Stinker Organization: AOL (http://www.aol.com) Send reply to: felvtalk@MailingList.net Lynn, Scared me to death there for a minute. I thought, Oh God, not another one so soon. So glad it worked out ok. Cats can be quite the actors, worthy of oscars, when they want attention sometimes. But keep a good eye on him. Merlin doing ok. No worse, a little better. Ate fairly well today and that makes me feel good. Taking it one day at a time. I guess the serenity prayer really applied us as well. Barb -------------------------------------- Subject: Re: Rescued FELV+ Cat needs home Date sent: Tue, 20 Jan 98 23:17:03 -0500 From: George Molnar To: Send reply to: felvtalk@MailingList.net > Hi, I read your message about the Elisa test being only 50% >accurate. I have had my Bailey tested atleast 3 times, I beleve all 3 >tests where the Elisa tests, is it possible it could have been wrong all >3 times? > >Happiness is being owned by cats... > >www.angelfire.com/ma/macat5 >http://members.tripod.com/~macat5/index5.html > If the test is 50% accurate, then there is a 12.5% chance ( one out of eight, just like tossing a coin three times and getting all tails 1/2 x 1/2 x 1/2) that it will be wrong three times in a row. Even more sophisticated and focused tests, e.g. lysosomal storage disease tests, lymphosarcoma, GME and dozens of others) were wrong on our cat Pachy three times in a row. I am not criticizing the vets nor the tests themselves, just pointing out the fact that most feline tests are highly unreliable and unverifiable ( the vets call it sensitivity and specificity ). I prefer the standard statistical terms: Valididty: does it measure what it is supposed to measure Reliability: if I measure it again, will I get the same results (within measurement or statistical tolerances) And what is the likelihood that the results are indicative - this gets a litle more complicated, having to do with decision errors. As an example, and I do not mean this to be a racist comment. Let's say that you measure the height of all of the basketball players in the NBA. After you are finished, you predict that anyone over 6 feet 9 inches is 85& likely to be black. Well the decision model may be correct but it is invalid because, sight unseen with no measurement you can predict that 80% of the players in the NBA are black. So if I test my cat for FIP, or more specifically the Fecv corona virus, it is likley that 80% to 90% of all cats will test positive. But the results are meaningless, since the overwhelming population a priori swarms the statistical measurement. Most feline tests, beyond the typical CBC or chem screen are notoriously unreiable and invalid. Titres (including ELISA, IFA) are useless and a waste of time and money (let alone the stress on your cat), PCR for FIP is questionable, toxo, plasmo seem to be ok, tick borne diseases (lyme, erlichiosis, babesia etc,) are better on dogs than cats. Storage diseases ( and if your vet suggests these, you better get a second and third and fourth opinion) are subject to contamination and improper lab care. Bone marrow aspirates, myleograms and spinal taps have to be done under the most careful proedures to avoid contamination - and be careful of the effect of the anesthesia on your cat or dog. The standard protocol (iso and sedatives) does not help an immune compromised cat. Sorry for the "lecture" but if you would like to discuss "testing", especially on cats, please let me know. I am not a vet but our cat, Pachy, has had every test you could think of over the past 2 1/2 years. And while I realize that this is a list for FeLv cats, I would appreciate it if you could take a look at Pachy's home page at the address below. While we are fortunate that he does not have FIP ( the leading FIP researcher in the country said "Your cat does not have FIP") and that he does not have FeLv ( one of the foremost veterinarian oncologists told us "Pachy does not have lympho. I could not even give Pachy leukemia.") we still do not know what is the problem. Thank you. Be seeing you George Molnar for pachy mailto:pachy@earthlink.net Pachy's Page: http://home.earthlink.net/~pachy -------------------------------------- END