Friday April 17, 1998 16 Messages ====================================== From: "Claude Horstmann" To: Subject: Bad Hare Day Date sent: Fri, 17 Apr 1998 00:09:42 -0400 Send reply to: felvtalk@MailingList.net Been there. Done that. Black rabbit named Caleb. Any penicillin based drug can be dangerous. Safer drugs Chloramphenicol, Tetracycline, sulfa-drugs like Septra or TMS, or enrofloxins Baytril or Cipro. Runny noses , eyes, fever, sometimes a rattling sound from the lungs. Bacterial infections have to be cultured- the most common is Pasteurella. Caleb had it when young, but it responded to treatment with ABT- but he was on them for a long course of therapy. Go to House Rabbit Society on the Web for FAQ Medical concerns, and good luck.. .marilyn. -------------------------------------- From: "Mandy Crerar" To: Subject: Trying to find Chloe Date sent: Fri, 17 Apr 1998 07:51:21 +0200 Send reply to: felvtalk@MailingList.net Hi all I still cannot access Chloe's web site. I fully related to Barb's head banging as I am new to the Information SuperHiway and all it entails and often dont know what the heck I am doing! Help please. Mandy -------------------------------------- From: Newtanator Date sent: Fri, 17 Apr 1998 07:13:35 EDT To: felvtalk@MailingList.net Subject: Re: Correction on Penicillan Send reply to: felvtalk@MailingList.net Dana, Didn't see your second post until this morning. Looked up the second, and the dose is the same. Prob not much help now tho. Hope the Bunny is ok. barb -------------------------------------- Date sent: Fri, 17 Apr 1998 08:21:24 -0500 (CDT) From: "Nancy A. Schmall" To: felvtalk@MailingList.net Subject: Re: FeLV in South Africa Send reply to: felvtalk@MailingList.net Mandy, Glad to hear Titch is better! You are doing so much to try and modernize treatment in South Africa--I am hoping that your efforts pay off soon! A pat on the back to you for your caring! Nancy -------------------------------------- Date sent: Fri, 17 Apr 1998 08:24:46 -0500 (CDT) From: "Nancy A. Schmall" To: felvtalk@MailingList.net Subject: Re: FeLV in South Africa Send reply to: felvtalk@MailingList.net Hey Barb, thanks for thinking of us in Arkansas. The tornadoes actually hit in the eastern part of the state--really unfortunate though--it was the same town where the kids shot their classmates--Jonesboro, Arkansas. Hope the Tennessee people are okay! Nancy -------------------------------------- From: "James G. Wilson" To: felvtalk@MailingList.net Date sent: Fri, 17 Apr 1998 16:42:32 +0000 Subject: Re: Trying to find Chloe Send reply to: felvtalk@MailingList.net Hi Mandy, Two possible thoughts about this- one: does your web browser support frames?- Chloe's site has frames, so that might be a problem. two: did you type it in correctly?- http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Ranch/6167/ You might try going to our FeLV project web page ( http://www.angelfire.com/il/felv/ ) and scroll down to that link (FeLV Support Page) and see if you can access it that way. Good luck, 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, felv@angelfire.com http://www.angelfire.com/il/felv/ http://www.litchfieldil.com/members/phaedrus/ http://www.fortunecity.com//skyscraper/sterling/20/niu.html -------------------------------------- Date sent: Fri, 17 Apr 1998 16:44:43 +0000 From: LawBet Organization: Home for Wayward Felines To: felvtalk@MailingList.net Subject: FeLV Project Group Fund Status Report Send reply to: felvtalk@MailingList.net Following is the weekly status of the FeLV Project Group Fund as of 17 April 1998: Previous Bal---------$705 Receipts------------- 280 Current Bal----------$985 We're getting there folks, but some more contributions would be welcome. We have enough for the system, now we need to work on the monitor. (This is called arm twisting and Jim will berate me for it.) I did promise him, though, that I wouldn't use the mafia, strong-arm tactics, or bill collectors. I just call upon all of you (I'm pulling on heart-strings here) that have yet to send me anything (within your means, of course, and that's important) to please do so if that was, indeed your intent. (Note: the bank will not permit me to deposit good intentions even though I plead with them to let me do so. I'm not as good looking or persuasive as I was 30 years ago.) :-) Larry -------------------------------------- From: Rdmacaulay Date sent: Fri, 17 Apr 1998 19:20:33 EDT To: felvtalk@MailingList.net Subject: Re: FeLV Project Group Fund Status Report Send reply to: felvtalk@MailingList.net Larry, Please email me the FeLV Project Group Fund snail mail address. Also, since I'm fairly new to the site, could you explain what this is for? Maybe I should put that in the reverse order, but everyone here has been such a help to me, that I'd love to contribute within my means (which is getting slimmer and slimmer with all these kitty meds). Thanks, Rachel -------------------------------------- From: Rdmacaulay Date sent: Fri, 17 Apr 1998 19:49:49 EDT To: felvtalk@MailingList.net Subject: Update on Fitzgerald Send reply to: felvtalk@MailingList.net Hi all, Just wanted to thank James, Linda, Barb, Naomi, etc. for all their help these past few days with my many questions regarding Fitzgerald, my 10-month old FeLV+ orange kitty. As some of you suggested, I went for a second opinion regarding his back pain. So far, he's just a medical anomaly. He's stumping everyone. And nobody wants to be too hasty and blame the FeLV, but yet, it seems to be a black hole that everything keeps returning to. I'd like to take a minute here and rant about veterinarians and their offices that make you wait for an hour and a half(!) for them. I only went to this place because they have one of the few holistic vets in New Jersey but, unfortunately, he's been out for two weeks with bronchitis. So, the office manager and I agreed that I should bring in Fitz to another doctor there, who could later consult with the holistic vet when he returned to the office. I left work early to take Fitz to a 11:30 a.m. appointment. At 11:40 they told me that there would be a slight delay because there was an emergency with a puppy. At 11:50 they showed us into an exam room, took Fitz's weight and asked me all the stuff about him that I'd already talked about at length with the manager the day before on the phone. My poor kitty was shaking (he's been getting tremors or muscle spasms or something--not something you want to see in a kitty) and crying. Twenty minutes later, I went out to see what was taking them so long. The answer was that the vet was still with the emergency, but would be done shortly. Twenty minutes later, I again went out and this time, one of the receptionists came in, asked me about Fitz all over again, and when I told her about the FeLV, she hurried over to the sink, washed her hands because she "had cats at home," and all but ran out, saying that she would check on the doctor. I have an inkling of how HIV patients feel! She reappeared at the door five minutes later, but did not come in and told me that the vet should be in shortly. Should or would? I asked. She said he would be in shortly. Twenty minutes later (!!!) I stormed out and up to the desk. The dog had to be put to sleep, they said. I felt bad for the dog and the owners, but I had had it. I had to watch my kitten shake for an hour while we were ostracized to a teeny room?? They said they could understand why I was upset. Upset? I said I wasn't upset--I was "pissed off as all hell!" (Which I later heard her repeating to others) Magically, a doctor was just coming out of surgery. Not the doctor I was supposed to see, but another, younger doctor, who spent an hour with me to make up for the mistreatment, but wasn't able to diagnose anything and then referred me to a neurologist in Red Bank--about forty minutes away. Should I have paid for this? I did, but I wish I hadn't. Excuse the slight detour. I took Fitz to the neurologist, who wanted to keep him on the Prednisone and the Cefadoxil, but also added Interferon and Neupogene (spelling?) to the mix. He took a CPK to check on muscle enzymes, but it came back normal, which means Fitz might have a parasitic infection or bacteria they can't locate or something much more serious in his spine, which I don't even want to mention. The Neupogen has to be administered by my vet, one inject a day for four straight days. It was very pricey stuff. My vet administered the first one yesterday, but took another CBC beforehand. She cancelled today's appointment because his WBC is back to normal, he no longer has the strange percentages of nutrafils and lucosites. So he's off the Neupogen for the moment (can I get my money back I wonder). She had to give him yet another Cortisone shot, so he's walking around now, but his tail still doesn't stand erect and he's still not the old Fitz. I don't know all the side effects of his meds--pred, Cefa, Interferon, and I've started Steve's elixir (aloe vera juice is nasty tasting stuff--I thought I'd take care of my health too, but ick!) and I'm looking into Ambrotose (courtesy of Linda). We're at an impasse at the moment, until he starts to cry and growl and drag himself around again. All three vets pretty much ruled out an injury--nothing much to see in his x-rays. Still, he's not anemic by a long shot, so is it his FeLV? I don't know. These three weeks have been hell, and I'm tired. Most people think I'm crazy for spending this kind of money on "a cat", as they say. But when my husband Doug and I found out that Fitzgerald and Armstrong were both FeLV+, we agreed to take care of them. Would someone just dump a sick kid? I think not. Unfortunately, Doug and I are virtually poor students and aspiring film makers, so all four of us might be out on the streets soon. Anyone want to more kitties and their parents?? Just wanted to update y'all. Thanks for listening and sorry about the length of this! --Rachel Rdmacaulay@aol.com -------------------------------------- From: "Steve Lackow" To: Subject: Re: Trying to find Chloe Date sent: Fri, 17 Apr 1998 14:44:13 -0700 Send reply to: felvtalk@MailingList.net Hi Mandy. It's at http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Ranch/6167/ . If your e-mail software supports live links, you can just click on that address. If it doesn't, copy the above address carefully. Please e-mail me at rpminfonet@rpmconsulting.com if you have any more trouble. -- Steve -------------------------------------- From: "Claude Horstmann" To: Subject: Re: FeLV Project Group Fund Status Report Date sent: Fri, 17 Apr 1998 18:32:49 -0400 Send reply to: felvtalk@MailingList.net Lurker, How can you deposit good intentions ? Everybody knows good intentions is road paving material ! duh. -------------------------------------- From: "Steve Lackow" To: Subject: Re: Trying to find Chloe Date sent: Fri, 17 Apr 1998 15:40:06 -0700 Send reply to: felvtalk@MailingList.net FYI, there are NOFRAMES tags on Chloe's site, so that should not be a problem. -- Steve -------------------------------------- Date sent: Fri, 17 Apr 1998 20:17:52 -0500 (CDT) From: "Nancy A. Schmall" To: felvtalk@MailingList.net Subject: Re: Trying to find Chloe Send reply to: felvtalk@MailingList.net Hi Steve, I just wanted to say that I accessed Chloe's page--she is so cute! Once again I'm so sorry you lost her, but I'm happy you've kept her memory through such a warm tribute. Warm thoughts, Nancy -------------------------------------- From: "James G. Wilson" To: felvtalk@MailingList.net Date sent: Fri, 17 Apr 1998 23:03:37 +0000 Subject: (Fwd) Angela Holderby Send reply to: felvtalk@MailingList.net ------- Forwarded Message Follows ------- Date: Fri, 17 Apr 1998 23:44:24 -0400 To: felvtalk@MailingList.net From: Angela Holderby Subject: Help the new kid...(very long) I need help. I am so thankful I found this list. I have 2 cats (8 months old) that I got from 2 different families, but at about the same time (4 and 5 wks. of age). Apparently, one of them was born with or exposed to the virus before I got them. Yesterday, I took "Lefty" to the vet. His symptoms were weight loss, lethargy, no eye contact, poor grooming, etc. The vet took one look at his eyes and said "Look how white this is, this cat has no blood. He's got leukemia." I didn't have them vaccinated because they NEVER go outside the house or have contact with any other cats. I obviously made a mistake. He told me "This is why you should have had them vaccinated." They kept him for tests and told me to call back later. When I called back the receptionist told me that he tested positive. I asked her what I was supposed to do and she said the vet said that his blood was such a mess that there was nothing they could do for him but that I needed to bring the other cat in for testing also. I spent from 3 to 7 a.m. researching Feline Leukemia so I could at least know what they were talking about. I must have over-prepared because they acted like you are supposed to just put them to sleep and deal with it. I went in and signed the euthanasia papers, took "Poncho" in for his blood test, and then asked if I could hold Lefty while I waited. They brought him to me and he was so happy to see me. He started to purr and rub against my face. I had him for about 10 minutes (crying and telling him good-bye) and he laid down on my lap and looked so content. When the lady came in to tell me that Poncho's test had been positive, I told her that he had NO symptoms and I just couldn't kill a cat that runs and plays and eats and does all the 'normal' stuff. I asked what type of treatment they would recommend and she just stared at me. I told her about the drugs I had read about and all the other treatments and she literally backed out of the room and said "I'll have to get the vet." When he came in (different doctor) I told him everything and he said there was no reason to put down an otherwise healthy animal who tested positive. I told him that I knew it was too late for Lefty, but that I wanted to aggressively fight this thing in Poncho and give him a decent chance. He noticed Lefty purring and nuzzling my hand and said there wasn't any reason to put him to sleep either. I was so confused. I asked if he thought Lefty would have any decent chance of surviving without suffering all the time and he said "Well, he doesn't seem to be suffering now." He said he couldn't believe the difference in one day--and they hadn't given him anything. He said he could give him a vitamin B-12 shot to help him back on his feet and recommended liquid vitamins for both cats. He told me to go to Wal-mart's pet dept. and get liquid vitamins and he told me how to give it. When I asked about dosage because I didn't want to give them too much, he said he didn't think that was possible. (I was kind of shocked that they didn't know more about this virus and how to treat it.) They didn't have any liquid cat vitamins so I bought a bottle of Geritol High Potency Vitamin & Iron Supplement. The adult (human) dosage is 1 Tbsp. per day. I measured out 1/4 tbsp. for each cat. I don't know if I am helping them or hurting them. Please advise me on this. When I got Lefty home, he was very weak. He seemed cold so he is sleeping on my heating pad now. He has eaten some canned cat food and some canned chicken breast (he loves that). He is slightly dehydrated and wouldn't drink so I used a syringe and gave him a few tsp. of water. After that, he started to drink on his own. He urinated on the towel he was sleeping on and when I set him in the litter box he starts to lick the cat litter. I don't know if he is confused or what. He seems to sit over his water bowl and just stare. I can't figure out if his mind is just not right or what. At this point, I know mine isn't. After all this, the worst part is that I have to leave town tomorrow and won't be back until Sunday evening. My Mother-in-law is going to come and feed the cats, but she won't do anything special. I am hoping he will be alright until then. If somebody has any ideas, I would really appreciate hearing them. Please, write to me privately if you have all discussed this stuff to death and don't want to put it out to the whole list. I am so desperate. It seems that everybody around here just kills any cat that has this and starts over with a new one. I don't want to be selfish and keep Left around if he is just in constant misery with no hope of ever getting better, but after reading some of the stories on the internet last night, I just can't give up on him this quickly. Thanks so much for giving me a place to dump this burden even if there's no advice you can give me. Very appreciative Angela -------------------------------------- Date sent: Sat, 18 Apr 1998 00:14:31 -0500 To: felvtalk@MailingList.net From: Ann M Blais Subject: Fitzgerald Send reply to: felvtalk@MailingList.net Hi Rachael, I must have missed your previous posts regarding Fitzgerald and probably will just be repeating something someone already has mentioned to you, but for what it's worth, here goes. Somewhere recently I read about a cat that everyone thought was on it's way out, no one seemed to know what was wrong or what to do, X-Rays, etc. The cat's tail also drooped and the rear end dragged, which you mentioned in your post. Anyway, it turned out to be a slipped disk which worked its' way back together by itself and the cat was all right afterwards. I may have read this on one of the Felv kitties web pages because I have been trying to catch up on some of the web pages mentioned in the fairly recent posts. This may probably be way off the mark, but I connected the drooped tail with what I had read and thought I would pass this on to you for what it's worth. Even if this is the case, I wouldn't know what to do about it. Is there such a thing as a cat chiropractor? Your experiences with the vets would make a good film. You mentioned people saying you are spending so much money on 'just a cat', don't you just hate that? I have a couple of friends (friends???) that are calling my Felv Gretchen 'The Million Dollar Cat' and it's beginning to irritate. I hope you find some help for Fitz soon, the poor baby needs some relief and so do you. Good luck. Ann M. -------------------------------------- From: "James G. Wilson" To: felvtalk@MailingList.net Date sent: Fri, 17 Apr 1998 23:19:18 +0000 Subject: Re: (Fwd) Angela Holderby Copies to: Angela Holderby Send reply to: felvtalk@MailingList.net Hi Angela, Why didn't your vet suggest giving Lefty a blood transfusion? If it is possible, perhaps you could take Lefty back to the vet and have them give him one and keep him until you get back on Sunday- is your vet a 24 hr. clinic or have staff on hand for the animals 24 hrs. a day? They can also give him subQ fluids to keep him from dehydrating. It is very important now to get his blood count back up. Did the vet tell you if he was going to order the meds we discuss at our web site for Lefty? It is important that they do this ASAP. The fact that he is licking the cat litter is another symptom of FeLV- we can't quite explain it, but it is common. Please let us know if there are any more questions we can help you with to get Lefty back to his old self. Take care, and I wish you and yours the very best. 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 -------------------------------------- END