Just pay attention to two or three "ERRATA CORRIGE" in between...
==================================================================
Hi to the "Virbagen Conspiracy" ;)
to relief the work of those who didn't get the Feline
Interferon story from the beginning, I have decided to
put together a big "copy/paste" mail anyway, recollecting
all my old posts about it.
Please don't consider me arrogant to quote myself:
it's only to avoid some of you to dig through the archives.
=========================================================
(January 8th)
Hi all,
as I told in my last post, two days ago I learned from my
wife that Micia and other four FeLV cats have been treated
with Feline Interferon.
That was in mid-December. Micia and the other cats received
a dose of one million units per kg of weight, for five consecutive
days: note that this is exactly the same protocol used in the
clinical trial by Mahl, Maynard et al, that Glenda quoted in one
of her last posts.
Hey guys: IT WORKS !!! Micia and the other cats don't seem
FeLV cats any longer. It has to be seen !!!
The only transient side effect we noted (we are in contact with the
other owners) was a moderate diarrhea and tendence to throw up,
that lasted for about 4 days the week after the Interferon.
My doubts (reason for which they didn't tell me... GRRR!) were
about possible neurological problems, arising from the high doses
(compared to oral administration) involved, and eventual problems
of various kind.
It is not even a month from the injections, so I cannot honestly
tell anything about medium and long term consequences:
for the moment I observe her continuously... and enjoy what I see :)
Her shape is really GREAT... even too much: her appetite is
voracious at the point that she would like to eat virtually every time
I enter her room. I know that many FeLV cat owners would give an
arm to have a cat that eats nearly 2 lbs a day: the problem?
When she eats too much, or too fast, she throws up easily.
This is a big deal: denying food to an hungry FeLV cat...
I have been told that Feline Interferon is not available in the USA.
I don't know if it's due to fed limitations (as with Baypamune,
that uses cow kidney cells... fear of the mad cow, bleah!) or it's
simply not imported. But, if Micia continues on this way, and no
strange consequences show up, I would say that this Feline
Interferon is definitely worth its cost. Yes, the cat remains positive
and, if you have other cats and wish to mix, you must vaccinate
the others, but, apart from that, the cat show no sign of the illness.
=================================================================
(January 21st)
Hi everybody,
I hope that anyone interested in Feline Interferon would
be able to get it, in a way or in the other.
In Europe, it is manufactured by Merial under the trade
name Virbagen Omega. I have been told that it *COULD*
be manufactured in the USA, *maybe* by Schering Plough,
but I don't know anything precise on that.
The mechanism of action of *oral human* Interferon at
low doses is MODULATION of the immune system.
It triggers the production of cat's own feline Interferon,
that is the real benefit; the oral way of administration
spoils it of all its negative side effects (pls see my previous
post "An alternative protocol for Interferon").
Instead, *feline* Interferon given sub-Q at relatively high
doses (1 million units/kg, Mahl, Maynard et al) works in
a totally different way, as an ANTIVIRAL. If you give it orally,
the effects are exactly the same as with human Interferon
(no longer antiviral, but simply immunomodulator);
in THAT respect, it would be a waste, but sub-Q is another music...
You can't give HUMAN Interferon sub-Q at those doses because
of the cat's reject reaction: you would kill him, or risk severe
neurological consequences [NOTE: In my previous post
"Feline Interferon (Virbagen Omega)", I told to be worried about
the neuro consequences of high dose sub-Q Feline Interferon.
I was wrong. It was a misunderstanding on my part. You only
risk neuro consequences with HUMAN Interferon, not Feline].
I don't know whether any literature exists on this, but, as a layman,
I would say that, given its powerful *general* ANTIVIRAL action,
Feline Interferon has good chances to show up efficient against
viruses like Calici.
I have been asked by Daniela (THAT Italian girl...), since her PC
is down due to dog short-circuiting it with urine :-( , to get info
on ANY people in the USA that is using sub-Q Feline Interferon.
She.s very interested in it. Any report in this sense will be most
appreciated.
On my part, I can only keep repeating that Micia looks like the
most healthy cat in the world. Her hair is lucent and perfectly
clean (before Interferon, it used to be dirty, especially the paws,
because of the abnormal salivation and the poor inclination that
bad-feeling cats, in general, have for grooming).
She's not on any medicine, currently, because -A) she isn't in any
need and -B) we need to see how long the Interferon effect lasts,
so we're sure that the excellent behaviour we see now is ONLY due
to the Interferon.
Hope this helps
====================================================================
(January 21st)
I failed to emphasize one thing.
Micia used to be fairly subject to mouth irritation/problems in
general (although she has had surgery to remove some bad teeth).
These problems, arising cyclically, led her to chew with difficult,
often shaking her head and crying for pain. I think that could be
due to a LPS, eased by her depressed immune system.
That caused her to refuse eating at all, in periods when pain was
excessive.
After the Feline Interferon, she keeps eating like a city dump,
and NEVER SHOWS any sign of pain in the mouth!
In addition, her mouth has no longer the bad smell it had before.
===================================================================
(January 22nd)
Hi all,
I try to answer to some question on the Virbagen Omega...
Yes, at those doses, Feline Interferon acts like an ANTIVIRAL:
it does not kill the virus directly, but stops its replication,
and, in addition, co-ordinates the body immune system against it.
When you give oral HUMAN Interferon, you simply "push the button"
that tells the organism to produce his own FELINE interferon, that acts
as described above. The difference is that the organism (and especially
that of a weakened cat) could not be able to respond satisfactorily
to that command: that production of Interferon could not be compared
with the doses you are putting into play with this new therapy.
The cat does not revert to negative, i.e. totally get rid of the
virus. (S)he will FEEL, BEHAVE and ACT like a negative cat. I remember
one of the other 4 owners. After the cycle of Feline Interferon, she had
literally her eyes out of the orbits: her cat was his old self again,
since a long time. She could not believe it!
This is the usual matter of "Quality Of Life". The cat will feel,
most probably, as any other positive-but-asymptomatic cat:
he does not KNOW he has FeLV, and that's all. It MAY happen that the
cat reverts to negative, but we never know whether (s)he has been helped
in that by the Feline Interferon, or the Baypamune, or Vitamin C.
I do not doubt that some cats treated with Virbagen Omega, Baypamune
or Vit C reverted to negative, but we should see HOW MANY of those cats
would have reverted ANYWAY. It is called the "double-blind" trial.
You give half of the cats the medicine, the other half a placebo,
and nobody but you knows what his cat is receiving.
But, I tell you that, after having seen how Micia is after the Feline
Interferon, I don't give a d..n if she remains positive!
There are no negative side effects. The only thing to keep present is
that, when the Interferon kicks in, the cat might experience a
transient diarrhea and/or vomiting, that lasts for no more than 3 or 4
days, and shows up the week after the treatment.
The treatment itself consists of ONE cycle of FIVE sub-Q shots.
Each shot consists of 1 million units Virbagen Omega per Kg of weight
(if your scales are in pounds, multiply pounds by 0.4536 to obtain Kg).
The shots are given, one per day, in five CONSECUTIVE days,
and that's all.
The stuff comes as a powder to be reconstituted with the included
sterile water (just like the INTRON A or other human interferons).
The box must be shipped and stored REFRIGERATED.
At the moment, we don't know how long the effect lasts yet.
This could easily vary from cat to cat. When you see that (s)he is
showing symptoms again, you simply repeat the five-days cycle.
I have questioned both Virbac Europe and Virbac USA about the
availability of the stuff on the USA market, and I'm waiting for reply.
==================================================================
(January 23rd)
I was checking some old posts, and have found a mistake
in that message (that, anyway, has been fixed implicitly
in yesterday's post).
Virbagen Omega is manufactured by VIRBAC, not MERIAL :)
==============================================================
(January 26th)
Hi all,
since my Emails to Virbac HQ in France and Virbac USA remained
unanswered, I talked on the phone to the responsible of that product
line at Virbac Italy, here in Milan.
I exposed the success I'm having with Micia, and the wide interest
arising on this product in the USA, that could have a considerable
weight in their profits.
She told that, in her *personal* knowledge, there aren't plans to
marked Virbagen Omega in the USA in the short-medium term.
Anyway, since Virbac Italy is only a subsidiary, she questioned
(Friday) her HQ to know something.
In addition, should the response be negative, we talked of an
hypothesis of making "una tantum" shippings of Virbagen Omega,
as normal mail packages (*refrigerated*) between private citizens,
from here to you. In this case, she would try to get it at nearly
price of cost from a bulk distributor.
Just a possibility. In case, does any of you have contacts with
someone working for a courier/US Mail/Gov, to see whether there are
serious legal risks at importing a vet medicine? Keep present that
Virbagen Omega, in my knowledge, is not prohibited in the USA
(unlike the Baypamune...mad cow disease...sic!), but just not
registered yet.
I am waiting for an answer from Virbac Italy.
============================================================
(January 27th)
Hi all,
I've just received an Email from Virbac HQ in France, but the
prospects aren't very good. They say that the registration process
in the USA is particularly slow for biologicals from Europe :(
and it can take several years :((
They are registering Virbagen Omega in Canada, but it will take
about 2 years before the product is available on the market :(((
BUT :/ they asked:
>Do you personally know some US veterinarians or some people from the US
>community of cat owners who are interested in Virbagen Omega ? If yes,
>could you please provide me with their names and address ?
Of course, I don't know PERSONALLY any vet in the USA, but, if those
of you that are interested in trying the Feline Interferon, forward this
to a *cooperating* vet ;) , may be something will move.
MY IDEA IS: coordinate, among you, the widest possible group of people
willing to try it, also in order to share the costs, and then we could
organize a bulk shipping from here to a "recipient" that will sort the
boxes to the other partecipating people.
BTW, micia is entering her 7th week and she's still GREAT! I think
I'll go bankrupt for her food only! Seriously, I have to put a brake on
her food because she eats so much and so fast she tends to throw up...
SOME DETAILS ON THE PACKAGE
The box, that should stay *refrigerated*, contains 5 doses of
Interferon (5 vials of powder and 5 of sterile water to reconsitute it).
Each dose of Interferon is 5 million units.
In this way, one box is enough for one cycle (5 shots, 1 per day in
5 days) for a cat weighing 5 kg (1 million units/kg, each vial
containing 5 million units) or 11 pounds.
Of course, IF the cat weighs less than 5 kg (it's quite easy, in
depressed symptomatic cats) you will need only a fraction of each
dose. BUT, since the product is unstable upon reconstitution
[it's due to lack of preservatives], you have to use it at the moment
without the possibility to put it in the fridge for the next day's shot,
you could consider to organize, between those of you that live not so
far each other, to organize "multiple cat" days at the vet's office.
Keep me informed!
=============================================================
(February 6th)
Hi all,
I wanted to wait posting this until Monday but...:)
On Monday, Micia will enter her 3rd month since the
cycle with Feline Interferon, and she's doing simply
GREAT! She seems a FeLV- cat, and note that she isn't
on ANYTHING, not even L-Lysine, so the benefits are only
due to the Virbagen Omega.
About the availability of Feline Interferon in the USA and
Canada... well, I agree with Sharon: too many kitties cannot
wait one year or more. They'll be dead for then.
The only thing we can do, as I explained in one of my last messages,
is to manage to have some Virbagen Omega shipped privately to
one of you that sorts it to the others...
Let me know
======================================================
(February 7th)
sorry to be in a hurry, but today is a "black Friday".
HUMAN Interferon cannot be INJECTED *safely* in cats because
of bad side effects, even in the medium-long term
(neurological problems). You can only give it ORALLY, since
this way spoils it of ALL its bad effects (once you read those
posts, it will be clear).
FELINE Interferon is perfectly safe when injected according to
the Mahl-Maynard protocol (again, the posts...:), and, if given
orally, is perfectly equivalent to the human Interferon...it's
a waste, because the costs are much higher than the human variety.
I run away... Ciao!
===============================================================
(February 13th)
Hi all,
still no answer from the FDA, but Micia is definitely
"brand-new": she is in love since last night! AOAO...AOAOAO...AOAO...
Incredible!
===================================================================
(February 17th)
Hi all,
I've just written to the product line responsible at Virbac Italy,
and I asked her to write to that FDA office to promote and support
our inquiries to export it to the USA. Maybe that a letter from the
manufacturer can accelerate a bit the business, who knows.
Micia is still veeery good (aoaoao...;), and so are the 4 other
cats that did the Virbagen contemporarily to her!
I forgot to mention that, for reasons of box-sharing between us
and one of the other owners (Micia is too light to take one full
dose), Micia didn't even take the exact dose for her weight:
she actually took the dose for a cat 1 pound lighter than her, and,
notwithstanding this, the stuff works well!
Please KEEP WRITING to FDA!!!
=============================================================
(February 19th)
Hi all,
I remember an old message in the archives: somebody stated that
"our battle cry is I NEED MORE TIME!". The pure truth.
Time seems to flow ten times faster when we are dealing with
FeLV raising its head. This thought has been triggered by reading
the message about Michelle's Lucy. I remember the last three weeks
with Frizzina, I wish I had three PCs, eight hands and a day of 48 hrs.
WE MUST GET THE DAMN THING IN THE USA A.S.A.P.!!!!
While the bean counters at FDA get bored at reading our Emails,
you could carry out some planning work, i.e.
- Determine WHO WANTS to try Feline Interferon
- Measure the WEIGHT of the "candidate" cats that will get the stuff
- See whether some of the people willing to do it live in locations
close enough to get to the same vet office
This is necessary because, most probably, any of your cats weighs
5 kg exactly. I remind you that the daily dose of Feline Interferon
(for five consecutive days) is 1 million units (MU) per kg, and that
each dose of Virbagen is 5 MU OR 10 MU, depending on the size of the
package you buy. (NOTE: I've just discovered the 10 MU size, I didn't
mention it in my previous messages because it was unknown to me -
sorry:)
So, if your cat weighs less than 5 kg, you waste a certain fraction
of the dose, if (s)he weighs more than 5 kg (but not 10 kg, b/c you
would use a whole 10 MU dose), you would need more than a 5 MU dose.
Since the stuff is damn good but damn EXPEN$$$IVE, in order to share
costs and minimize waste, you might want to carry out some calculation
to see how to share doses between two or more cats to optimize usage.
We did this way with Micia and the other four cats. Keep present that
the 1 MU/kg is not engraved in stone, a certain tolerance is allowed
(Micia, 3 kg, did actually take 2.5 MU doses).
In this way, when we get green light from FDA, we'll know exactly
how many packages to buy and where to send them.
MICIA UPDATE :) It's not so strange to see a parrot on someone's
shoulder. A different matter is to see a FeLV cat climbing there
in less than 2 seconds and sucking the poor :) man's hair...
FLOOD FDA WITH EMAILS!!!
=============================================================
(February 27th)
Hi all :)
Karen said
>We also have a very experienced rescue cat lady here
>who is giving interferon to negative cats for severe URI.
I remind to everybody that HUMAN Interferon can't be *injected*
in cats, but only given *orally*.
Feline Interferon (Virbagen Omega) can be given both injected and
orally, but this last way is a waste of money, because the effects
are exactly the same as with human Interferon.
I also point out that the first clinical trial, by Mahl and Maynard,
with injected Feline Interferon, was made on SYMPTOMATIC FeLV CATS,
the symptoms including also granulomatous stomatitis.
======================================================
SURVIVAL OF SYMPTOMATIC FELV OR FELV AND FIV POSITIVE CATS TREATED WITH
A RECOMBINANT FELINE OMEGA INTERFERON
Mähl P, Maynard L, Karine De Mari K, and Lebreux B
A study was designed to assess the efficacy of a recombinant feline
omega interferon (rFeIFNw) in the treatment of symptomatic FeLV or FeLV
and FIV positive cats. In a multicentric, controlled, randomised and
double blind clinical field trial, 48 FeLV or FeLV and FIV tested cats
were included with general clinical signs and/or chronic granulomatous
stomatitis. 28 cats were subcutaneously administered 1 million units
(MU) interferon per kg b.w. once a day for 5 days and 20 cats received a
placebo. Symptomatic treatment including antibiotherapy was allowed in
all cats. Cats were clinically observed for 6 months and death date was
recorded if applicable. Efficacy was assessed through the survival
probabilities which were calculated by the KAPLAN-MEIER method and
compared by the LOGRANK test. 13 (46%) cats died during the observation
period in rFeIFNw group and 15 (75%) in the placebo group. Comparison of
the survival curves showed a statistically significant difference
between groups (p = 0.0331). Safety of the product based on clinical
examination was excellent. After 5 SC injections of 1 MU/kg rFeIFNw, the
survival probability over a 6-month period of FeLV or FeLV and FIV
symptomatic cats was 2.2 times higher in the treated cats.
==============================================================
Moreover, in the NRA Gazette (the HTML page I sent) you read that
it is used in cats for calici: it's not FeLV, but it's in cats ;)
>These products are for use on dogs and cats.
>reduction of the duration and severity of fever and oral ulceration
>associated with feline calicivirus.
Take care
===============================================================
(March 21st)
Hi all,
here's the translation of an E-mail by Daniela to another
guy that was dealing with FeLV.
Please note translator's note...
============= S T A R T Q U O T E =====================
"Positive" to a single test (ELISA), means to detect the
viral protein P27 *free* in blood, and nothing more.
FeLV progresses by replicating in the organism during
six conventional phases... Here they are
--incubation--
Phase 1 (duration: 1-4 days)
ELISA test NEGATIVE
Swollen tonsils and pharynx lymphs (in case of infection
from nose or mouth)
--transient viremy--
Phase 2 (duration: 2-14 days)
ELISA test POSITIVE
Phase 3 (duration: 3-12 days)
ELISA test POSITIVE
Virus replicating to spleen, lymphs and "GALT"
(intestine-associated lymphoid tissue)
Phase 4 (duration: 7-21 days) - CRITICAL PHASE
ELISA test POSITIVE
Virus replicating to neutrophil, marrow platelets,
epitelial cells
--persistent viremy--
Phase 5 (duration: 14-28 days)
ELISA and IFA test POSITIVE
Peripheral viremy of the bone marrow
--contagious--
Phase 6 (duration: 28-56 days)
ELISA and IFA test POSITIVE
General viremy of the bone marrow
Some comment. Infected cats at phase 1 are NEGATIVE at
the ELISA test performed on blood/serum (an ELISA
performed on saliva could be positive), and can result
in two ways:
1. non-infected -- will remain negative
2. infected -- will become positive
In case 1 (for example due to genetic resistance, low
virulence, only occasional exposition etc), the cat
won't develop viremy nor became positive to the ELISA.
All the *exposed* negative cats should be vaccinated
(the vaccine protection starts from 7 to 14 days after
the shot!), the effectiveness may vary from 65% to 85%.
In case 2, the virus progresses through phase 2 and 3
in the viremy -TRANSIENT- of lymphocytes, neutrophil
and various lymphoid tissues (spleen, for example).
Phositive cats in phase 3 can result in two ways:
1. latency (the virus "goes to sleep" and stops
replicating)
2. progress to phase 4
In both cases, if the vet agrees, an immediate support
to the immune system should be given (oral Interferon).
[TRANSLATOR'S NOTE KEY POINT: this message comes from the
"Before Feline Interferon" era...
Now, if available, injected Feline
Interferon is the top choice, with
*MUCH* better chances of HEALING! ]
Of course, a positive cat is *NOT* to be vaccinated:
apart from being useless, it could even lead to
negative outcomes (excess of antigen, immune "challenge"
during antibody development, etc).
In phase 4, there is "intestinal emo-lymphatic" transient
viremy. It is the key phase. It is even the phase in
which the most part of the cats eliminate the replicating
FeLV from own tissues, 4 to 6 weeks after infection,
and REVERTS TO NEGATIVE! Those cats that succeed in this,
have virus-neutralization antibodies, and anti-FOCMA
(FeLV associated membrane antigen) antibodies against
(possible) future FeLV-correlated tumors. Here, cats can
result in three ways:
1. viral extinction (HEALED!)
2. viral latency (the virus "goes to sleep" and
stops replicating)
3. progress to phase 5
In case 2, about 30% of the cats succeeds in completely
extinguishing the infection, and another 30% keeps it
in latency for a variable time, except possible
re-activations in case of stress... at the end, they
progress to case 1 (16 to 88 weeks after infection) or
case 3.
All those cats that are FeLV- to two ELISA tests carried
out at a 3 months interval are considered "FeLV free",
but in case of latency they can become contagious if
virus replication starts again (by itself or due to
external causes: illness, immune-suppressant medicines,
stress). These are the "asymptomatic carriers".
The last 30% does not succeed in stopping the virus,
that proceeds to phase 5 and 6 and infects the bone
marrow: from that moment, the cat will be FeLV+ for
the life, contagious and most probably will develop
FeLV-correlated problems, some of which deadly:
degenerative illnesses (anemia, simil-panleuk etc)
tumoral illnesses (leukemia, lymphoma, lymphosarcoma etc)
immune-suppressant illnesses (opportunistic infections)
================== E N D Q U O T E =======================
==========================================================
(April 4th)
Hi all,
I totally agree with Julie about our losses.
A few days ago I posted a translation of an Email by
Daniela about the progress mechanism of FeLV infection.
Apart from the "translator's note" inserted in the text,
I admit that I missed to emphasize the most important point
of all.
The FeLV infection is irreversible ONLY from a certain stage
onwards, and NOT from the beginning. Until phase 4, there are
many chances to beat it and HEAL the cat by tempestive administration
of injected Feline Interferon. This applies to young kitties as well
as to adults.
Especially, think to all the little kitties that test positive to
early ELISAs. So often, they are PTS, but, most probably, they are
BEFORE phase 4, and could be confidently recovered by Feline Interferon,
*forever* :). Remember that, with FeLV, you don't have the problem
of the possible "transient false positive" that you could have with FIV
in the first 6-8 months of life (antibodies transmitted with mother's
milk). If the *FIRST* ELISA FeLV test is positive, don't stay thinking
about false positives: if you wait the ritual 3 months before retesting,
you could give FeLV an opportunity to progress beyond reversibility.
Feline Interferon *IMMEDIATELY*!!!!
I know it is utopia, but let me dream... It's true that FeLV is
impossible to heal *completely* when it reaches phase 5 and 6, because
it writes it's "code" in the cat's genoma, so becoming effectively
part of the host. BUT, with this kind of early therapy, you could
*heal* the cat at the beginning. And even in cats that were for sure
in the bone marrow stage, like Micia (for sure at phase 6 when
Virbagen Omega was given), injected Feline Interferon could even
push it into latency. Micia is entering her 5th month, and you would
never say she has been symptomatic for more than 2 years. Most probably,
she is in latency (virus confined to bone marrow only, no virus in blood
and saliva), and is no longer contagious to other cats.
Put these two things together, and you will see the theoretical
possibility to extinguish FeLV. Utopia, I know, but...
Also, note that the dose of Feline Interferon needed for
a young kitty would be very small (let's say 1/5 or less, average,
compared to an adult cat), and the costs would be reduced
proportionally.
Julie, any news from the damn FDA?...
Take care
=============================================================
(April 7th)
Hi all,
reading Scott's message, I would like to underline that the
product I was talking about in my two messages is NOT the
Human Recombinant Alpha Interferon, used orally at low doses
since a long time. It is Feline Omega Interferon, brand name
Virbagen Omega (first patented, years ago, as "Intercat"),
given by injection at 1 million units per kg of weight for five
consecutive days.
It is *definitely a nonsense* to wait until the cat gets sick;
please read my two last posts on FeLV infection progress and
early treatment. The only disadvantage of Feline Interferon vs.
Human Interferon is the cost; for the rest, the results are not
comparable!!!
Take care and SHAKE THE FDA!!!!
===========================================================
(April 14th)
Hi Lynn, hi all,
just a little commonplace I wish to remind to everybody on
the list.
(ACKNOWLEDGEMENT: I learned what follows from the
invaluable posts by Daniela, that continuously collects
information from the most up-to-date scientific literature,
including forgotten-by-God Universities...)
There is NO WAY to diagnose/recognize FIP when the cat is
ALIVE. There is not ANY FIP-SPECIFIC TEST!!! The so-called
FIP-test simply checks for *free coronavirus* in blood.
FIP is a mutation of the *harmless* feline coronavirus, FeCV.
FeCV is extremely contagious, but is harmless, and could remain
unnoticed for a lifetime, or give just some transient diarrhea
upon infection.
FIP is a mutation of FeCV, and is much LESS contagious.
Of all the known strains of FIP (11 or 12, I can't remember now),
only one gives a cat a chance to survive: if it happens, the cat
is lifetime IMMUNE to FIP (even to the other deadly strains).
But, independently of the strain, the point is that there is
NO WAY TO DISTINGUISH NON-MUTATED FeCV FROM FIP!!!
Years ago, Antech Diagnostics claimed to have a test that could
distinguish between benign FeCV and FIP by detecting a truncation
(or even absence) in a so-called "hypervariable region 7B" of the
virus' genoma, truncation or absence (they said) only found in FIP
but not in FeCV...
NO WAY!!! The FeCV test is still often being called "FIP test",
but it's deeply incorrect. In explaining this, Daniela often
tells the story of Dr. Jeckill and Mr. Hyde. They are IDENTICAL,
more... they are THE SAME person, but one is good and the other
is evil: FeCV (Jeckill), FIP (Hyde).
Not only: the FeCV test could give a "negative" both in a cat that
has never seen FeCV in his life AND in a cat that is going to die by
FIP... because it only detects *free* coronavirus, and in a terminal FIP
cat the virus could be all bonded to antibodies!
Even the infamous liquid in the abdomen is NOT the FIP hallmark: there
are so many reasons that can cause this. The ONLY way to detect FIP with
a reasonable (but still not 100%) degree of confidence is a specific
PANEL of post-mortem exams. No way to come to the same results while the
cat is alive. Daniela usually says that "the so-called FIP test has
killed much, much more cats than FIP itself".
Take care
=============================================================
At the end, you could find interesting the text of my letter to
the FDA, that was sent c/o Julie. (it's poorly formatted here
because I copied/pasted from a Word .doc)
Dear Sirs,
I am an Italian end-user of Virbac's Feline Interferon, brand name
Virbagen Omega.
My veterinarian administered it to my 5 yr old female cat, Micia.
Micia is a FeLV+ cat,
that was symptomatic at the time the therapy was started. The symptoms
were: loss of appetite,
abnormal salivation, vomiting, bad breath smell, a gingivitis (probably a
LPS), and, in certain periods,
evident mouth pain that prevented her from eating. In addition, her hair
was generally dirty and
bad-looking, because, when she felt bad, she didn't spend any time in
grooming.
The Feline Interferon was given Sub-Q, according to the protocol
established by the trials of Mähl, Maynard et al. To be precise, they
didn't establish a "protocol" in a strict sense: they administered it in
a certain way, and it worked fine. It has to be noted that some of the
FeLV+ cats of their trial showed
granulomatous stomatitis (see the included sheet). Here in Italy, most
veterinarians are using the
product on FeLV+ cats, following exactly the same protocol.
On Micia, the results are absolutely evident: no more abnormal
salivation, no more bad smell from
her mouth, no vomiting, 24-hrs-a-day-appetite (this one has to be seen to
believe), no trace of teeth or
gum pain, "feline expo" hair, general behaviour of a young, healthy cat,
very interactive and with an
appearently unlimited energy.
Micia started her 5-days therapy on December 10th, 2002 and, as of
this writing, she's in
exceptional shape. Our feeling is that she FEELS like a non-FeLV+ cat, and
behaves accordingly.
Together with Micia, my veterinarian treated another four FeLV+
cats, all of them showing
symptoms. All of them reacted to the therapy like Micia, and are currently
in very good shape as
well (we proprietors are keeping in touch). None of the cats needs a new
therapy cycle yet.
