Wednesday May 20, 1998 Part 1 15 Messages ====================================== From: Kelly To: "'felvtalk@mailinglist.net'" Date: Tue, 19 May 1998 22:57:24 -0700 Reply-to: felvtalk@MailingList.net Hi all. Im so sorry to hear about Panther. Nancy, stay strong..it sounds like you did all you could. Ive been busy with Jade and studying hard. The Pred and COMBO drops seem to be working very well! The Uveitis has stop spreading through out his good eye. Im happier about the situation and know that Jade and I have more time to look forward to. I have to take him in soon to see how the pressure in his bad eye is doing before it starts causing him pain. It will most likely have to be taken out soon. Linda sent me some Ambrotose and I'm going to give that a try. I was talking to a proffessor of medicine Dr. Richard Weiss and he suggested some Vit C, would those vitamin C powder crystals work? Thanks all. Kelly & Jade. -------------------------------------- From: "zimmerman" To: Subject: Welcome Jennifer Date: Wed, 20 May 1998 03:43:30 -0400 Reply-to: felvtalk@MailingList.net Welcome Jennifer, I just joined the list last week. My + cat without symptoms (KIX) isn't on any drugs, just supplements. My other + cat (JACKSON) is on protocol A ImmunoRegulin which reduced his nasal infection & he's had 7 days of Interferon (he's in his 1st week off, although I put a drop in his nose daily) & his symptoms are almost gone. (no side effects) If his symptoms completely go away I think I'll take him off Interferon because there may be risks to long term use (see James Wilson's Jan. 5th 2 cents) & drugs usually become less effective the longer they're used. But, it will be interesting to see if your vet thinks Interferon may prevent symptoms. Beth -------------------------------------- From: "Moermond, Barbara" To: "'felvtalk@mailinglist.net'" Subject: Ninja news:) Date sent: Wed, 20 May 1998 09:01:19 -0500 Send reply to: felvtalk@MailingList.net Hello all! Ninja and I are both feeling much better today. I am very pleased with our new vet; I had called her Monday morning to let her know what was happening (the renewed seizure activity) and we both decided that the higher dose of pred for a few days was a good idea. Well, she called yesterday for an update on how Ninja was doing. I am definitely impressed and happy. She's doing better (no more seizures since Monday). Part of her typical post-seizure recovery is having her nictating membranes partially extended - more in her right eye than her left. Her eyes change color when she's feeling sick or cranky - they turn dark yellow/gold and when she's feeling healthy and happy, they are green. She has also had dilation differences in her pupils since I've had her (~3-4 yrs) and at first it would be her left pupil enlarged and than her eyes would be normal and then it would be her right pupil - there didn't seem to be any pattern. But now, it is exclusively her right pupil which is dilated and it is always worse after her seizures. I will search the archive to find out about pupil dilation problems, but I would appreciate any input from people with similar experiences. Our thanks to everyone who sent healing vibes; they helped a lot :) Barb+Ninja -------------------------------------- Date sent: Wed, 20 May 1998 09:55:32 -0500 (CDT) From: "Nancy A. Schmall" To: "'felvtalk@mailinglist.net'" Subject: Re: your mail Send reply to: felvtalk@MailingList.net Kelly and Jade, Good to hear that Jade is improving. The ViT. C crystals would work fine, either mixed in food or put in a capsule. The best Vit. C, it seems, is sodium ascorbate. The ascorbic acid is too hard on the stomach and calcium ascorbate is not absorbed as well. From all the literature I've seen, I would probably give 500 mg. a day in 2 separate doses. I believe there is controversy regarding any more. Just remember, if Jade is 10# (an example), and you say, weigh 110#, it would be like you taking 5500mg. per day which would be quite a lot. Good luck. I hope Jade is with you a very long, long time. Nancy -------------------------------------- Date sent: Wed, 20 May 1998 09:59:01 -0500 (CDT) From: "Nancy A. Schmall" To: "'felvtalk@mailinglist.net'" Subject: Re: Ninja news:) Send reply to: felvtalk@MailingList.net Barb and Ninja, I am so glad to hear you're both doing better. While I have not had that experience of dilating pupils, I believe others have said that is a symptom of the feline leukemia. Nancy -------------------------------------- From: Paula Lazo To: "'Felv Talk List'" Subject: Lymphosarcoma Date sent: Wed, 20 May 1998 13:10:03 -0400 Send reply to: felvtalk@MailingList.net I'm new to the list. I'm Paula and I'm from Santiago, Chile. I have a Felv+ cat named Lucky. He was just diagnosed with the virus, although as we found out he's lived with the virus since the day he was born (his mom passed it on him). Right now he's been treated at the clinic with a special oncology drug so as to try to reduce the size of the lymphosarcoma he developed around one of his lungs. Does anyone have information on this matter?, I'd like to hear about similar experiences and results. Best wishes to all of you and your feline friends. Keeping the faith Paula and Lucky -------------------------------------- From: "Steve Lackow" To: Subject: Re: Welcome Jennifer - Interferon Info Date: Wed, 20 May 1998 10:33:28 -0700 Reply-to: felvtalk@MailingList.net Beth, some vets say discontinue the interferon when the symptoms disappear, others say administer it indefinitely or until the cat tests negative, some say every day for a week and then a week off, some every third day, some increase frequency when the cat shows symptoms, some say put it in the nose, aim it at the tonsils, slide it under the tongue, some say real human interferon would work better and some that recombinant (synthetic) is fine and it makes no difference, some say don't even bother at all -- you get the idea. No one really knows. Some of us have had apparent success with this therapy, but it is impossible to be sure that it is the interferon (or the immunoregulin, or the Vitamin C, or the aloe vera, etc.) and not one, or several, of a hundred other known, unknown and uncontrolled variables. What we do know is that low does oral interferon alpha therapy is clinically unproven on cats, and on shaky clinical ground with people. Translation: no scientific proof. FYI, interferon "interferes" with the ability of the FeLV virus to replicate, which is the root cause of FeLV syndrome. It doesn't have direct effects on opportunistic diseases or cancers stemming from the suppressed immune condition. It is generally administered under the tongue or nasally -- under the tongue so it is held in the mouth for as long as possible, nasally because absorption is fast. It's also administered by aiming at the tonsils. -- Steve -------------------------------------- From: Newtanator Date sent: Wed, 20 May 1998 16:12:35 EDT To: felvtalk@MailingList.net Subject: Re: Lymphosarcoma Send reply to: felvtalk@MailingList.net Paula, Welcome to the group. I have lost two cats to something similar to what you describe. Are his lungs full of fluid? Does he have a lot of trouble breathing? If not, then it is something completely different. Here in the states, I have been told that for my two had there is nothing that can be done. Even the big vet schools say nothing can be done. On xray, their lungs were compressed by fluid to about one fourth there normal size by the fluid. Removing the fluid doesn't help it just returns within hours. Diuretics are no help either. It is dreadful to watch. But if you are treating it, and it turns out to be the same complication, I sure would like to know what you are doing and giving. Actually, I would like to know anyway. I still have two that are positive. Acemannan is prob the drug of choice here for tumors and there has been some fair success with it. Good luck to you and keep us up to date on the treatments, how they are working and how YOU are doing. This can be so hard on the owner to, we try to help both of you. barb -------------------------------------- From: Newtanator Date sent: Wed, 20 May 1998 16:15:46 EDT To: felvtalk@MailingList.net Subject: Re: Welcome Jennifer - Interferon Info Send reply to: felvtalk@MailingList.net Jenn, Feline interferon would be the best of course, but we don't have that, unfortunately. Ambrotose is said to stimulate the cat to make more of it's own feline interferon. You might consider adding that to the food along with the human interferon. barb -------------------------------------- From: Kelly To: "'felvtalk@mailinglist.net'" Date: Wed, 20 May 1998 13:40:36 -0700 Reply-to: felvtalk@MailingList.net Hi all. My other cat Paige seems to be ill. He's usually very active and when I usually give him a little bit of wet food he always guzzles it down in seconds. He doesn't even want to look at it now. Ive been trying to keep him isolated from Jade as much as possible. Paige hasn't been neutered yet. What are some regular symptoms for cats that are not neutered? Thanks. Kelly & Jade & Paige. -------------------------------------- From: Newtanator Date sent: Wed, 20 May 1998 16:44:56 EDT To: felvtalk@Mailinglist.net Subject: Jack and Leia and Holly Send reply to: felvtalk@MailingList.net All, wanted to give an update on my "one eye'd" Jack. He has turned into Velcrow cat. If I am standing doing the dishes he lays so he can lean on me, loves to be held and is adjusting to life in the house better than I could have hoped for. No squabbles with the other cats, no problems. Uses the box, he is a wonderful cat. He just adjusted to the TV set now has the AC to contend with, but is edging closer to coming in the living room with the rest of us. he has made it to the couch. Leia is going great also. running playing. Still has to have her follow up ulta sound in a couple of weeks, but she is doing better than we ever hoped she would. Her sister Holly gave my son a scare over the weekend. She couldn't walk. Kept falling over. He took her to the emergency clinic and she started clawing at her ears and crying. Her ears were clean, so they started treating for an inner ear infection. The next day she was bouncing around like a flea. The problem came when part of her blood work came back and the vet told my son she MIGHT have FIP. I went nuts that he would tell him such a thing. It was the coronavirus titer he was looking at and we all know that means nothing. There are about a dozen different coronaviruses out there and only one causes FIP. A few hours later he called back and retracted it, saying the rest of the lab work came in, (what I don't know) and told him, no way did she have FIP. But those few hours had him quite upset, thinking all of his cats could get it from her. I do get so agrivated when vets do stuff like that. Scared him half to death. She also tests negative for FeLV and FIV. So my guess is, the ear infection and she seems to be doing very well now that she is on antibiotics. She has even discovered the top of his kitchen table and how much fun it is to knock stuff on the floor. So there are my updates. My two positives are well and happy. No sickness since Duncan. Have pics of Jack and my sons two babies if anyone wants to see them, just email me privately. barb -------------------------------------- From: Newtanator Date sent: Wed, 20 May 1998 16:48:00 EDT To: felvtalk@MailingList.net Subject: Re: Send reply to: felvtalk@MailingList.net Kelly, As far as I know, un neutered cats don't show any signs of illness because of it. Is it hot where you are? sometimes if it's really hot and muggy, they don't want to eat, just lay around. But don't fret just yet. Cats have days when they don't feel 100% just like we do. It may just be one of those days. Is this cat Felv positive? barb -------------------------------------- From: "James G. Wilson" To: felvtalk@MailingList.net Date sent: Wed, 20 May 1998 15:51:05 +0000 Subject: Re: Paige Send reply to: felvtalk@MailingList.net Hi Kelly, Was Paige tested for FeLV??? This unfortunately sounds like one of the first signs. Check his tongue- is it pink or is it pale white? What about his gums? Is there any other changes in his normal behavior? I don't mean to alarm you, but we need to attend to this asap. If he was tested, and tested negative, and the answer to all of my other questions is NO, then you should make an appointment with your vet to have a look at him- even subtle changes in a cat's behavior can mean bigger things. If it is a particularly warm day, on the other hand, it could just be that that is what's causing him to not eat. Please let us know. Take care, and we'll hoping for the best. In loving memory of Vyvyan: March 20, 1988 - August 15, 1997 James G. Wilson- phaedrus@ctnet.net http://www.angelfire.com/il/felv/ http://www.geocities.com/HotSprings/Spa/8025/ http://www.fortunecity.com//skyscraper/sterling/20/niu.html -------------------------------------- From: "Equinox Corp." To: "'felvtalk@MailingList.net'" Subject: RE: Welcome Jennifer - Interferon Info Date sent: Wed, 20 May 1998 13:51:49 -0700 Send reply to: felvtalk@MailingList.net Hi Barb, Please just one simple question. What is Ambrotose, where do I get it, what is the protocol. I can't get at the archives for some reason & I know that they conceal all that I ever need to know about life with Felv cats. Thank you, Barb, Saliha -------------------------------------- From: Paula Lazo To: "'felvtalk@MailingList.net'" Subject: RE: Lymphosarcoma Date sent: Wed, 20 May 1998 17:18:24 -0400 Send reply to: felvtalk@MailingList.net Barb: Lucky does have some fluid in one of his lungs, he's breathing with only one lung (the one that's OK), the vet told me I might be able to take him home tomorrow, but I'm scared I really don't know what to do, I don't want to euthanized him. I think to myself if we started the treatment we can not stop now, Lucky is still fighting although he's got difficulty in breathing and does not move much. He's being well taken care of, the clinic has turned out to be very good (finally I found the place) and this oncology drug has worked in some cases. What did you do with your cats with this problem, were they treated in any way?. Please give me your opinion about this matter, it's good to hear from people with the same problem. We can support each other. Paula -------------------------------------- From: "zimmerman" To: Subject: Steve's re. & ?'s Date: Wed, 20 May 1998 17:24:43 -0400 Reply-to: felvtalk@MailingList.net Steve or anyone, Thanks, I know what you mean - we're sort of pioneer's with these treatments & there's no "scientific proof". JACKSON was on different antibiotics for 3 months with no improvement, but since April I've started ImmunoRegulin, interferon, Pet-tinic, antioxidants, DMG, & Prozyme. There's no way to know if 1 of these or a combination worked, but 2 vets told me he wouldn't get better. Is the interferon "interfering" like the ImmunoRegulin stimulating the immune system? Is Dr. Lies continuing his ImmunoRegulin data? If he's been using Immuno. since '84 & says after 8 months cats are "seldom ever presented with FeLV associated disease again" it sounds very successful. Is there anything that might prevent FeLV associated cancers? I know there aren't always answers to ?'s. I just thought I'd throw some out & see what comes back. Beth -------------------------------------- Date sent: Wed, 20 May 1998 16:28:07 -0500 (CDT) From: "Nancy A. Schmall" To: felvtalk@MailingList.net Subject: Re: Jack and Leia and Holly Send reply to: felvtalk@MailingList.net Barb, So glad that Jack, Leia, and Holly doing well. Does Jack ever seem to want to go outside? What a scare for your son! FIP has to be the worst! Nancy -------------------------------------- Date sent: Wed, 20 May 1998 17:29:31 -0400 To: felvtalk@MailingList.net From: Angela Holderby Subject: Administering Ambrotose Send reply to: felvtalk@MailingList.net After more than a week of fighting with my cats to get the Ambrotose down them, I have finally come up with a workable solution. My cats are very particular about their food. They don't like any type of moist cat food or even table scraps. They only like the dry stuff--they must just like to crunch. I even tried putting the Ambrotose powder in some turkey and feeding it to them, but the only people food they like is the leftover milk after my kids leave their cereal bowls on the table. I know that dairy products are not good for cats so I don't give it to them--but sometimes they sneak onto the table when my back is turned. I have started mixing the Ambrotose with the Pet-tinic every morning and evening. I mix it into a paste on a spoon and then take a small spatula and coat a front leg on each cat. If you spread a thin layer all over their leg, they can't shake it off (learned that the hard way when Lefty jumped onto my bed spread and slung brown stuff everywhere the first time I tried this). We have been doing this for a couple of weeks now and it is working quite well. I know some of you have no trouble getting your cats to take their medicine, but it was a real problem with us because they are so particular about their dry food. Just thought this may help someone else. Angela. (and Poncho & Lefty) -------------------------------------- From: Paula Lazo To: "'felvtalk@MailingList.net'" Subject: RE: Steve's re. & ?'s Date sent: Wed, 20 May 1998 18:00:31 -0400 Send reply to: felvtalk@MailingList.net Has your cat developed Felv symptoms?, mine has and I'm not sure if once this happens there's hope. Right now he's fighting against a lymphosarcoma. Tell me about your experience. Thanks. Paula -------------------------------------- From: "Lynn or Josiah Stickels" To: "felvtalk" Subject: Angela......feeding Date: Wed, 20 May 1998 15:12:09 -0700 Reply-to: felvtalk@MailingList.net Angela, Great idea for you!:) I mix the ambrotose and the vit C together with a little water and give it by eye dropper only because I thought it would get on his gums. Stinker suffers with ginivitis. It seems to be helping a great deal! I withheld both for awhile and I could really see the difference when I started giving it to him again. He is acting like a "fool", running and playing and all...............Lynn(Stinker) -------------------------------------- END