Wednesday April 1, 1998 Part 4 26 Messages ====================================== From: katseven@pcsia.com Date sent: Wed, 1 Apr 1998 20:40:42 -0600 Subject: Re: Ernie, odd dilation To: felvtalk@MailingList.net Send reply to: felvtalk@MailingList.net Linda, I'm always looking for a good resource for my cat library. I'm glad the dilation has not been causing Hoover problems. One of my other cats (felv-)got a concussion from falling and hitting her head : ( and the vet (not same one) was very concerned because of the unequal dilation. She recovered her health (but not all of her dignity!) Thanks, Susan -------------------------------------- From: katseven@pcsia.com Date sent: Wed, 1 Apr 1998 20:44:48 -0600 Subject: Re: booger is home from vet To: felvtalk@MailingList.net Send reply to: felvtalk@MailingList.net Janie mamacat, I am so sorry your baby is hurting so much. I don't know about the medicine, but I will be thinking of you and Booger and hoping and praying for the best... Susan -------------------------------------- Date sent: Wed, 01 Apr 1998 21:08:01 +0000 From: LawBet Organization: Home for Wayward Felines To: felvtalk@MailingList.net Subject: Re: Being Absent Send reply to: felvtalk@MailingList.net Linda, Just finished talking to you and you already know I'm a good listener. You tell your husband, from one veteran to another, to get better. We've got to stick together. Larry -------------------------------------- Date sent: Wed, 01 Apr 1998 21:17:58 +0000 From: LawBet Organization: Home for Wayward Felines To: felvtalk@MailingList.net Subject: Re: Jim-Interferon Info Send reply to: felvtalk@MailingList.net Ann, Those in the darkness can always profit from a shining candle to show them the way. Lead on! Larry -------------------------------------- From: Newtanator Date sent: Wed, 1 Apr 1998 21:59:15 EST To: felvtalk@MailingList.net Subject: Re: booger is home from vet Send reply to: felvtalk@MailingList.net Mamacat. As gross as it sounds, try to keep that hole open. It needs to drain. Did he lance it or just put a needle hole in it? Sounds like maybe it needs to be opened up to drain well. Thinking of you and Booger. barb -------------------------------------- Date sent: Wed, 01 Apr 1998 23:00:53 +0100 To: felvtalk@MailingList.net From: BILL BEAMISH Subject: Re: Barb Re: Nancy Send reply to: felvtalk@MailingList.net Barb, I have a cat who successfully fought off Felv. The funny thing is, when I found her as a kitten, she was the smallest, weakest, most fragile little thing I ever saw. I bottle fed her and nursed her back to health. She never got very big - only weighs about 8 lbs. now. I found her in 1982 and she was here when I unknowingly introduced my first positive cat into the house in 1984. I had 5 cats when I brought Chester in. All but Lucky tested positive 6 months later. No one was vaccinated against Felv since there was no vaccine then. When I asked the vet why Lucky didn't have it he said she was naturally immune, which I would take to mean she was exposed and fought it off. Lucky is almost 16 now and except for a heart ailment (which I question) she is fine. Two years ago, she started to lose weight and since she's so small anyway, I took her in to the vet right away. He did an EKG and told me she was very sick and had maybe 2 DAYS to live! I said no way, she is not going to die. So he gave me a heart pill and Winstrol, an anabolic steroid, I believe, and here it is 2 years later and she is still hanging in there! In fact, last year when I took her in for her check-up and shots, the vet was shocked that she was still alive, and he said her heart sounded fine. She is a little fighter and her immune system must be phenomenal. The idea of using an immune cat's blood on positive cats is a great idea! Who would do this, though? I mean, what vet? And why wasn't it done before? Surely someone else must have thought of it - although I admit, it never crossed my mind. At Lucky's age and considering her "heart condition" would she be an eligible candidate? I don't want to risk Lucky's health but I surely want to find a cure for this disease! Judy -------------------------------------- To: felvtalk@MailingList.net Date sent: Wed, 1 Apr 1998 21:44:12 -0500 Subject: Re: Ernie, odd dilation From: naohalloran@juno.com (Naomi J O'Halloran) Send reply to: felvtalk@MailingList.net Linda, if you do have a book on felv, I would really like to try to find it. Please do pass on the references. Thanks! Naomi -------------------------------------- From: katseven@pcsia.com Date sent: Wed, 1 Apr 1998 20:50:10 -0600 Subject: Re: Ernie Update, PS Nancy To: felvtalk@MailingList.net Send reply to: felvtalk@MailingList.net Hi, Naomi, I have been trimming away as much sticky stuff as possible with manicure scissors, and that seems to be helping. Not sure we'll do the chemo on Friday; I want Ern to start eating first. Thanks for thinking about and praying for us. It definitely helps! Susan -------------------------------------- From: katseven@pcsia.com Date sent: Wed, 1 Apr 1998 20:54:36 -0600 Subject: Re: Ernie, odd dilation To: felvtalk@MailingList.net Send reply to: felvtalk@MailingList.net Thanks, Judy, That does help. I was afraid it was the symptom of the onset of something my vet hadn't seen yet. My best to you and your fur babies, too! Susan -------------------------------------- From: "Steve Lackow" To: Subject: Re: Stinker Date: Wed, 1 Apr 1998 19:07:46 -0800 Reply-to: felvtalk@MailingList.net You and Stinker show a lot of courage and fight, Lynn. We need a mascot too, since Merlin died. -- Steve -------------------------------------- From: "Steve Lackow" To: Subject: Re: Ernie & Chloe Date sent: Wed, 1 Apr 1998 19:28:45 -0800 Send reply to: felvtalk@MailingList.net Sounds mostly like happy problems but the chemo is nasty. My vet(s) say cats tolerate it better than people do. Depending on the therapy, that's often not saying much I'm afraid. Thanks for the note about Chloe, who does not need chemo to be anorexic. She is hiding under the bed right now, playing her Karen Carpenter records "for all I know" :-) Steve -------------------------------------- Date sent: Wed, 01 Apr 1998 22:31:04 -0600 To: felvtalk@MailingList.net From: Ann M Blais Subject: Natalie Send reply to: felvtalk@MailingList.net Hello Natalie, You asked if anyone has put a felv+ cat in with a felv-cat. Well, I did just that a couple of days ago. After keeping Gretchen isolated since last October because she tested positive for felv, I decided to take the chance and put her with my other two cats that are felv negative. The negative cats have had their yearly immunizations so hopefully that will protect them. Gretchen was a stray or 'throw-away' cat that I took in and she took my heart. I cannot say whether or not I will regret my decision, I pray I do not. Gretchen has been on Immunoregulin and shortly will start on Interferon. She had URI and was very malnourished when I took her in, but within a short time, she became a lot better and you would not know today that she is felv+. It sounds as though Zeus has found a place in your heart and since you have already had them together, why not follow your heart and keep him? Good luck, I'll be thinking of you, Shadow and Zeus. Ann M. -------------------------------------- From: "Claude Horstmann" To: Subject: vaccines: Barb Date: Wed, 1 Apr 1998 21:48:41 -0500 Reply-to: felvtalk@MailingList.net Barb- A Dr Thompson has been investigating the effects of FeLV for the past 2 years at the Univ of Florida.. so far he's found SIX different DNA patterns, implying a possible six different strains of the virus. He has classified each persistently infected cat by the gene structure of its feline leuk virus. There seems to be a critical change in a key gene known as the "envelope gene" and all we can do is PLEASE STAND BY while this research continues. Apparently, immunity does exist in nature... I remember reading about the odd dilation too, but it was not in a book, it was on a FAQ sheet here on the web... and of course, I can't find it now either but will keep looking. ..marilyn.. -------------------------------------- Date sent: Wed, 01 Apr 1998 20:45:19 +0000 From: JB Organization: KAT To: "felvtalk@MailingList.net" Subject: booger is home from vet Send reply to: felvtalk@MailingList.net I took my booger to the doctor monday, got her back tuesday. He drew out inflamation from the side of her jaw. He gave her a shot of pennicilian and another bottle of clindamycin and a hyperdermic of (something)for me to put in the hole in her cheek, ( this is very hard to do.) She still cant eat so I'm forcing juice from cat food in a dropper she hates that too starts growling and having a fit taking her paw pushing against her sore. I feel so sorry for her I just cant find out anything positive, shes been such a strong cat this doesnt make sense to me. I cant see that FIV can do this in the mouth or why the antibodics dont seem to help. Ohh well thats the latest. please say a prayer for Booger, thanks mamacat -------------------------------------- Date sent: Wed, 01 Apr 1998 21:38:01 +0000 From: LawBet Organization: Home for Wayward Felines To: felvtalk@MailingList.net Subject: Re: Ernie Update Send reply to: felvtalk@MailingList.net If I recall, wasn't there a well known football player who died from a massive brain tumor caused by taking anabolic steroids? Larry -------------------------------------- Date sent: Wed, 01 Apr 1998 22:39:28 -0600 To: felvtalk@MailingList.net From: Ann M Blais Subject: Susan Re: Qetta Send reply to: felvtalk@MailingList.net Hi Susan, That's a great idea for the screens, but unfortunately, I cannot use it. I have the 'swing out' type windows and some 'jalousie' (sp?) windows. Guess I'll just have to keep on searching for another kind of security for the screens. Qetta came by his name when my son, who was living in Egypt at the time, came home for a visit. His friend's mother had kitties to give away and of course Dan took one home for me, (completely irresistible, couldn't refuse!) to check out overnight. Well, by morning, after bathing him because of fleas and mites, which he was completely infested with, there was no way I could send him back to get infested all over again and at that point you couldn't have torn him out of my arms anyway. So Dan said to me, "what are you going to call him?". My response was "I don't know----how about Minnou"? He asked what that meant and I said "Cat----in French". He said "how about Qetta?". I said, "what does that mean?". He said "cat----in Egyptian". It sounded good, so, Qetta he is. >From all the things that I have read recently, Interferon has helped in a lot of diseases and although I can't remember whether 'lupus' was mentioned, I would certainly check it out. You're right, my vet is very 'old school' and very set in his ways. His office help doesn't want any new ideas taken in, either. When I gave the material to the girl to give to the vet I mentioned to her that there was some information in there about "Feline Post Vaccination Sarcoma". She said, 'Oh, he knows all about stuff like that, he gets material to read all the time". Well, not wanting to argue with her, I just smiled and said that the material was the most recent and maybe there was something in it he might have missed. What I really was thinking was that, if he was so well read on the subject, why was he still giving vaccinations in the back of the neck? Oh, well, she would have just given me one of the 'looks' that I've been getting there lately from some of his help. Hugs to you and Ernie, Ann M -------------------------------------- Date sent: Wed, 01 Apr 1998 22:54:11 -0600 To: felvtalk@MailingList.net From: Ann M Blais Subject: Selena Re: General Vets Send reply to: felvtalk@MailingList.net Selena, I think you have a good point there, I do believe you are right, though. If there was a feline only vet anywhere nearby, I would probably go there. Thanks for the warning of hot humid weather in July, we also get a couple of weeks during the summer months of that type of weather. Nothing we can get used to, either! Ann M -------------------------------------- From: Newtanator Date sent: Wed, 1 Apr 1998 23:05:15 EST To: felvtalk@MailingList.net Subject: Re: vaccines: Barb Send reply to: felvtalk@MailingList.net Marylyn, It would be interesting to find out if the different strains he has found lead to different health problems. One, chronic resp probs. one lymphosarcoma, etc. They have recently found a way, they think, to keep the aids virus, which is very similar, from replicating. There is no doubt a way to stop it it out there. The waiting is hard, but it will come. barb -------------------------------------- From: Newtanator Date sent: Wed, 1 Apr 1998 23:06:40 EST To: felvtalk@MailingList.net Subject: Re: Ernie Update Send reply to: felvtalk@MailingList.net Anabolic steriods are bad news. But I would like to know the vets thinking behind it possible use. I wouldn't want to leave any stone unturned. barb -------------------------------------- From: Newtanator Date sent: Wed, 1 Apr 1998 23:08:57 EST To: felvtalk@MailingList.net Subject: Re: Susan Re: Qetta Send reply to: felvtalk@MailingList.net Ann, I researched the use of interferon in lupus for a friend that has it and it it NOT to be used. The Lupus condition actually causes the body to make to much interferon. barb -------------------------------------- Date sent: Wed, 01 Apr 1998 23:09:49 -0600 To: felvtalk@MailingList.net From: Ann M Blais Subject: Keigan Send reply to: felvtalk@MailingList.net Hi Naomi, I wouldn't worry too much about Keigan being lonely, she has you, your mom, sister and a dog to keep her company. Still, another kitty is nice, too. Good luck. Ann M -------------------------------------- Date sent: Wed, 01 Apr 1998 23:37:23 -0600 To: felvtalk@MailingList.net From: Ann M Blais Subject: Re: Susan Re: Qetta Send reply to: felvtalk@MailingList.net At 11:08 PM 4/1/98 EST, you wrote: >Ann, > I researched the use of interferon in lupus for a friend that has it and it >it NOT to be used. The Lupus condition actually causes the body to make to >much interferon. barb > >Barb, That is interesting. I wonder just what it is about Lupus that causes it to make too much interferon in the body. Could this info be something that might be useful to this Dr. Thompson at the University of Florida in his research? Ann M -------------------------------------- From: "Lynn Stickels" To: "felvtalk" Subject: Stinker Date: Wed, 1 Apr 1998 19:01:54 -0800 Reply-to: felvtalk@MailingList.net Just a quick update on the Stinker. He is still feeling bad but not as bad as he is letting on! This evening, he perked up a minute to play with a toy mouse.:) He is eatting good, the expensive baby food of course! I think whatever is wrong will resolve itself soon, I hope. The worry does take alot out of a person, especially those of us on this site. My thoughts are with all of you and your babies!:) and husband!:)................Lynn(Stinker) -------------------------------------- From: "Claude Horstmann" To: Subject: chloe Date sent: Wed, 1 Apr 1998 23:38:07 -0500 Send reply to: felvtalk@MailingList.net Steve, I can't stop laughing over the Karen Carpenter analogy... thanks.... madness takes its toll. .marilyn. -------------------------------------- From: "Claude Horstmann" To: Subject: Re: vaccines: Barb Date sent: Wed, 1 Apr 1998 23:53:50 -0500 Send reply to: felvtalk@MailingList.net Barb, The research was being funded by the Morris Animal Foundation and he IS correlating viral gene structure with the symptoms exhibited by the cats. We can perhaps keep a pulse on this planned study. ? ..marilyn.. -------------------------------------- Date sent: Thu, 02 Apr 1998 00:08:06 -0500 From: Uncle Junky To: felvtalk@MailingList.net Subject: Re: Ernie Update Send reply to: felvtalk@MailingList.net Yes, I believe his name was Lyell Alzato, he played for the Dallas Cowboys and did TV commericals and some acting. I liked him, he was a fuuny guy and a great football player. He died of a brain tumor supposedly caused by using steroids. Remains, Unc -------------------------------------- END