Friday March 27, 1998 Part 3 23 Messages ====================================== From: Newtanator Date sent: Fri, 27 Mar 1998 21:04:55 EST To: felvtalk@MailingList.net Subject: Re: Survivors Send reply to: felvtalk@MailingList.net Ron, One think that always gives me comfort in this group is there are so many of us who have so many cats!! I have 16 at the moment. It's nice to know that I'm not a nut case. I isolate newcomers also, not just to protect them, but my others also. FIP scares me even more that felv so I really watch for that with any new ones. barb -------------------------------------- From: Newtanator Date sent: Fri, 27 Mar 1998 21:10:22 EST To: felvtalk@MailingList.net Subject: Re: Rissa-Tai is not doing well Send reply to: felvtalk@MailingList.net Pam, I got to thinking about my post and feel a little guilty about it. It seemed such a downer. I guess Merlin is still to much in my thoughts. You are doing a wonderful job with Rissa and we all have our fingers and toes and paws crossed. Is it warm and sunny there? Maybe putting on a leash and letting her out in the sunshine and warmth may make her feel her better. And you to! BArb -------------------------------------- From: Newtanator Date sent: Fri, 27 Mar 1998 21:16:37 EST To: felvtalk@MailingList.net Subject: Re: shots Send reply to: felvtalk@MailingList.net Judy, As crazed as I have become about vaccinations, there may be some merit to what your vet says about life time immunity (or as much as they are going to get) after the first booster as an adult. Or at least 5 years worth or more. But since I don't think they have done any real studies to show one way or the other, I don't take the chance. But with humans, it is a lifetime protection with most, except tetanus, which lasts about 10 years they know of. But as I said, since they don't know for sure, I won't take the chance. barb -------------------------------------- From: Newtanator Date sent: Fri, 27 Mar 1998 21:21:04 EST To: felvtalk@MailingList.net Subject: Re: Liz-Interferon Send reply to: felvtalk@MailingList.net Ann, To my knowledge, you cannot tell if a cat has felv from a cbc by itself. There are many reasons a cat could have abnormal bloodwork. If that is what your vet based the diagnosis on, I would ask some serious questions. The in- house ELISA and the IFA that is sent out are the two common tests, but I have heard about another test, but haven't had an experience with it. barb -------------------------------------- From: Newtanator Date sent: Fri, 27 Mar 1998 21:25:10 EST To: felvtalk@MailingList.net Subject: Re: Vets Send reply to: felvtalk@MailingList.net Mandy, Welcome. I can't agree with you more. When my Merlin was so sick over Christmas, (paralysed) I was told he was going to die, in fact told by a shocked vet when he saw him he was in the process of dying. But he got better, with a lot of work and love. Unfortunatly, the disease did win in the end, about three months later, but I had those days and weeks with him that I wouldn't trade for the world. barb -------------------------------------- From: WORKPARK Date sent: Fri, 27 Mar 1998 21:45:12 EST To: felvtalk@MailingList.Net Subject: Rissa-Tai's cbc results Send reply to: felvtalk@MailingList.net Things are not looking good for our baby right now. Her cbc test results were not very good at all - her rbc is down to 11%, the worst it's been, and she's testing positive for Hemobart again. Those nasty parasites are gobbling up everything she has, and the tetracycline obviously didn't work for very long or very well. If someone could please repost as soon as possible that other medication mentioned for Hemobart, I'd really appreciate it. Lately, AOL has been bumping me off every time I try to access the net, so I am unable to look at the archives. I know it was mentioned recently, but at the time of that post, the tetracycline seemed to be working, I saved the post, but it's gone now. The vet is at a loss of what to do at this time, and we're hoping the Oncologist has better news. Her wbc is down to 8,700, which is still in the normal range, but has dropped about 4,000 since the last check. We're considering upping the prednisone again as well. If someone could post the other Hemobart med, I'd really appreciate it. We're desperate, and would appreciate any other suggestions. She also seems to really have a need to lick concrete - did anyone ever find out about why they want clay, and if there is a supplement available to give to them for that? Pam -------------------------------------- From: Newtanator Date sent: Fri, 27 Mar 1998 21:45:03 EST To: felvtalk@MailingList.net Subject: Re: Animal Communicators Send reply to: felvtalk@MailingList.net Cheri, I was told that it can be kept in the fridge for a month or so. The rest should be frozen and thawed as needed. I think I would stick to that. I broke it down into 50 or 60 cc's and froze it. It will last a very long time that way and thaws quickly. barb -------------------------------------- From: Newtanator Date sent: Fri, 27 Mar 1998 21:50:49 EST To: felvtalk@MailingList.net Subject: Re: FIP Send reply to: felvtalk@MailingList.net Bill, Great news about Fluffy. It is doubtful that your cat ever had FIP. It is my understanding the life expectancy, once diagnosed, is about 6 months at best. With FeLV, it takes about the same contact AIDS takes. blood, bodily fluids and close and intimate contact. I'm sure there are exceptions, but casual contact is not likely to transmit the disease. barb -------------------------------------- From: Newtanator Date sent: Fri, 27 Mar 1998 21:54:34 EST To: felvtalk@MailingList.net Subject: Re: Ernie's Report Card Send reply to: felvtalk@MailingList.net Susan, I am so glad Ernie is doing better. I can't remember where I read that about the tumor shells. I know it was in one of the abstracts somewhere. Maybe Jim can help us there. Don't worry about grossing me out. My son, who works in a hospital and I did for 13 years, used to drive everybody crazy taking about stuff like that AT the dinner table. Never bothered us. Never could understand why everyone got so hyper about it. barb -------------------------------------- From: WORKPARK Date sent: Fri, 27 Mar 1998 21:55:16 EST To: felvtalk@MailingList.net Subject: Re: Rissa-Tai is not doing well Send reply to: felvtalk@MailingList.net Barb, Please don't feel that your post was such a downer. It's reality, and we're all going into this knowing that there is not a cure YET. But we'll just have to force "THEM" into finding one, so we don't have to go through this kind of pain and frustration any longer. I wish we could get hold of a specialist in FeLV, and get them on this list. We could all learn so much from that individual, and vice versa - they'd have a large test group to observe. We're thinking about trying the catnip, but will it hurt her with her low energy levels? Again, if anyone knows the name of that medicine for Hemobart, we could tell our vet about it, and hopefully get some tomorrow. Pam -------------------------------------- From: Newtanator Date sent: Fri, 27 Mar 1998 21:57:04 EST To: felvtalk@MailingList.net Subject: Re: James G. Wilson Send reply to: felvtalk@MailingList.net Ann, Where do you live? I have a freezer full of Interferon. barb -------------------------------------- From: WORKPARK Date sent: Fri, 27 Mar 1998 21:58:51 EST To: felvtalk@MailingList.net Subject: Re: Rissa-Tai is not doing well Send reply to: felvtalk@MailingList.net Barb, yes, it was sunny out today - that's when I let her out on the enclosed balcony. She seemed to perk up a bit, but it might be because of the concrete she was licking so furiously. Wouldn't you figure, I don't have to sweep out there now - she ate everything that wasn't tied down if it smelled/tasted like concrete. I would leash her and take her for a walk, but she never did like the harness and she's probably too skinny (we got it for her when she was a kitten, but she wa too little for it then, and probably is now too). Pam -------------------------------------- From: Newtanator Date sent: Fri, 27 Mar 1998 21:59:04 EST To: felvtalk@MailingList.net Subject: Re: Titch update Send reply to: felvtalk@MailingList.net Mandy, You might try a high calorie, protien gel called Nutrical. Merlin licked it right off my fingers. He won't need much to keep him going. Real food is better, but in a pinch, it might help. barb -------------------------------------- From: Newtanator Date sent: Fri, 27 Mar 1998 22:00:55 EST To: felvtalk@MailingList.net Subject: Re: shots Send reply to: felvtalk@MailingList.net Liz, You prob should have Sam retested, just to know, and I would continue the shots, just to be safe. barb -------------------------------------- From: "Cheri Gardiner" To: Subject: Re: Animal Communicators Date sent: Fri, 27 Mar 1998 19:38:47 -0600 Send reply to: felvtalk@MailingList.net Barb, My vet sad the Interferon would last up to a year in the fridge and even longer frozen. Can we ask D. Myers? I'm a bit confused now. Cheri G., Kitty and Chaz In memory of my little boy Mickey -------------------------------------- From: "Cheri Gardiner" To: Subject: Re: Rissa-Tai is not doing well Date sent: Fri, 27 Mar 1998 19:39:46 -0600 Send reply to: felvtalk@MailingList.net Pam, I am so sorry to hear about Rissa-Tai. I hope she'll be okay. Cheri G., Kitty & Chaz In memory of my little boy Mickey -------------------------------------- From: "Claude Horstmann" To: Subject: Welcome Ronald Date: Fri, 27 Mar 1998 20:54:40 -0500 Reply-to: felvtalk@MailingList.net Ah, welcome Ronald. So sorry that your loss brought you to the List, but that's what brought most of us here, doing battle with a dis-ease that relentlessly cuts short the life of our feline companions. And welcome to your cat colony ! I'm sure we can use your input, and hope that we can help you too. Again, my sympathy for March's loss.... .marilyn. -------------------------------------- From: "Claude Horstmann" To: Subject: hemobart Date sent: Fri, 27 Mar 1998 22:13:35 -0500 Send reply to: felvtalk@MailingList.net Pam- the other antibiotic was Doxycycline.. the drug of choice, and can be given once a day.... good luck with it ! .marilyn. -------------------------------------- Date sent: Fri, 27 Mar 1998 22:39:50 +0000 To: felvtalk@MailingList.net From: BILL BEAMISH Subject: Re: Vets Send reply to: felvtalk@MailingList.net Hi Mandy, Welcome to the list and here's hoping your little kitten is continuing to do better and makes a complete recovery. You are so right when you say you should always trust your gut feeling when it comes to your cats and kittens. I've taken care of sick cats for so long (14 years) that I can almost say I have like a psychic communication with my animals. It may sound kind of crazy but I can sense, way before they become sick, when one of these guys just doesn't feel right. I am so in tune with every one of them, I feel every little change. When I got Roy in, he seemed perfectly okay and he checked out okay at the vet. Within a few days, however, I saw him drinking a tremendous amount of water and when I gave him a bowl of food, he'd eat like it was his last meal and he'd growl as he ate it. BUT he was losing weight. I thought about it for awhile and I thought he acted just like my sister - except for the growling! - and my sister is a diabetic. So I took Roy to the vet and asked him to do a blood sugar. He discouraged me, saying diabetes is rare in cats, but I insisted and Roy's blood sugar was 450! Then there's Licorice. She was much more difficult to figure out. She also had a huge appetite, but didn't drink an unusual amount. She had very bad diarrhea and was losing weight. She was also very weak. The vet ran cbc with profile - nothing. She had tested negative for Felv and Fiv. Her heart sounded okay, he said. So he gave her the usual - antibiotics - and sent her home. I gave her the antibiotics for about a week with no improvement in her condition. In fact, she got worse. The day I watched her try to walk across the living room and she had to stop twice to lie down and rest, I decided I had to do something. I looked in all my cat books for her symptoms and all I could come up with was thyroid. So I rushed her over to the vet and requested a thyroid function test. Again he was reluctant (because of her age - 5) but he did it and when the results came back he said the numbers were off the chart. Licorice had a huge thyroid tumor. The vet said he had checked her thyroid for growths but didn't feel anything. He didn't feel anything because the tumor was so large, it had fallen into her chest cavity! She was lucky she was still alive. He said I had 3 options for her - medication, radiation, or surgery. Because of the size of the tumor, he recommended surgery. He said it would be risky, though, because by then Licorice was down to just over 3 lbs (from a normal wt. of 10 lb!) and she was very weak. But after a lengthly surgey, he said he thought she'd be okay. She was at the vet for 6 days and the first day I brought her home, she had a seizure! I was panicked but ran back over to the vet with her and he did more blood work to find her calcium level was dangerously low. Apparently when he did the surgery, he damaged the parathyroid and the parathyroid controls calcium levels in the cat's blood. He said it would be okay with time but in the meantime, I had to give Licorice a Tums tablet four times a day. She hated it!! But within 2 months, she had regained all her weight and acted completely normal. Now, 5 years later, she's still fine. Well, after all this rambling, I guess my point is you do know your cat better than anyone, as you said. Judy -------------------------------------- From: katseven@pcsia.com Date sent: Fri, 27 Mar 1998 21:36:32 -0600 Subject: Re: Titch update To: felvtalk@MailingList.net Send reply to: felvtalk@MailingList.net Mandy, I have been struggling all week trying to get Ernie to eat. The holistic vet said sometimes he used Fancy Feast ocean fish and tuna just to get the cat eating some. The smell seems to really trigger any appetite a kitten/cat might have. It worked with Ern and now I've switched him to a good quality food. Maybe worth a try. Susan -------------------------------------- Date sent: Fri, 27 Mar 1998 22:38:28 -0500 From: Andrew Sherrod To: felvtalk@MailingList.net Subject: Re: Survivors Send reply to: felvtalk@MailingList.net Dear Barb, We are up to 20 now-all are healthy and felv negative (knock on wood). George is our utmost concern. Since finding out about the web page and starting George on Immunoregulin, Interferon and Pred 4 months ago she has been fine except for a few small colds (knocked out by antibiotics). She has a really bad cold now and her rbc is only 24. Dr. took her off pred for a while and is starting the whole immunoregulin routine next Monday. I know that there are several other treatments-I'm just wondering if I should stick to the "tried and true" or try something different. I just worry about her so much----I know you understand (and so does everyone else on the list). Take care, Paula -------------------------------------- From: "James G. Wilson" To: felvtalk@MailingList.net Date sent: Fri, 27 Mar 1998 21:45:46 +0000 Subject: Rissa-Tai, hemobart, and licking concrete Send reply to: felvtalk@MailingList.net Hey Pam, Marilyn beat me to telling you which antibiotic to use- Doxycycline. > yes, it was sunny out today - that's when I let her out on the enclosed > balcony. She seemed to perk up a bit, but it might be because of the concrete > she was licking so furiously. Wouldn't you figure, I don't have to sweep out > there now - she ate everything that wasn't tied down if it smelled/tasted like > concrete. This brings back the subject of FeLV+ cats licking anything with clay in it. I've been trying to do research into this for FeLV, but I haven't found anything directly relating to it. However, I have found a page that describes how it is used, what it's benefits are, and how to order it. You can find it at: http://www.alphaterra.com/clay1.html Since it is fairly cheap, can be ordered over the net, and Rissa-Tai is showing signs of "needing" clay supplements, perhaps she is the perfect candidate to try this? Remember when we were all talking about our cats eating the litter when they were ill with FeLV? Someone mentioned an article where a woman used green clay to help her kitty by rubbing it on her so that she'd eat it. The woman reported that her cat made a full recovery. Please let me know if you are interested in trying this. Oh yeah, I don't think the catnip will hurt her in any way- if her energy levels are low, she'll just ignore it. Take care, and know that we are thinking of you and her right now. In loving memory of Vyvyan: March 20, 1988 - August 15, 1997 James G. Wilson phaedrus@ctnet.net, phaedrus69@hotmail.com, felv@angelfire.com http://www.angelfire.com/il/felv/ http://www.litchfieldil.com/members/phaedrus/ http://www.fortunecity.com//skyscraper/sterling/20/niu.html -------------------------------------- From: "James G. Wilson" To: felvtalk@MailingList.net Date sent: Fri, 27 Mar 1998 23:13:24 +0000 Subject: (Fwd) Re: Animal Communicators Send reply to: felvtalk@MailingList.net ------- Forwarded Message Follows ------- From: "Steve Lackow" To: Subject: Re: Animal Communicators Date: Fri, 27 Mar 1998 21:10:34 -0800 Hi Cheri. Definitely right, interferon lasts up to a year rerigerated, longer frozen. Been there done that. -- Steve -------------------------------------- END