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I guess we'll find out about Baytril. I had our rx
for Baytril refilled and already gave Brissle one earlier today. You give one
pill a day. They're pretty big. I made an appt with an internist for
Monday. He turned out to be the same guy my vet suggested going to. I'm curious
to see what he says about the Baytril vs dox question.
So how long do antibiotics take to have an effect?
Can it be just a few hours? Brissle is acting much friskier since I got
home. The last couple of days I noticed her acting funny, hanging out in the
bathroom, didn't come to me for attention - some of the stuff I saw her doing
when she first crashed. Now she's back to being affectionate. She's sitting on
my lap now. Hasn't done that for a week or two. Hope it's not just a
coincidence!
Thanks for all the help and ideas. You guys are
great!
-Kyle
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Friday, April 08, 2005 5:40
PM
Subject: Re: Brissle Update - Good News
and Bad News
hmmm, i thought doxy and/or erythromycin (that is NOT spelled
correctly!) were the usual treatments of choice?
On Apr 8, 2005 5:16 PM, Sue Feldbusch <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
wrote:
Baytril
usually works bests to treat hemobart.
>From: Nina <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
>Reply-To:
felvtalk@felineleukemia.org
>To:
felvtalk@felineleukemia.org
>Subject:
Re: Brissle Update - Good News and Bad News
>Date: Thu, 07 Apr 2005
20:14:54 -0700
>
>Yea Michelle! (Don't you just love
her?).
>Kyle, I'd forgotten we were talking about the vet with
questionable
>manhood.
>
>My Grace was tested for Hemobart
and it came up negative, my vet (an
>internist, btw), suspected it and
put her on Dox anyway. She tells me the
>different blood
parasites need to be tested for specifically, (part of what
>makes
detection difficult) and it could be something else. If Brissle
does
>have Hemobartinella, it is very hard to get rid
of. The Dox doesn't kill
>it; it inhibits the
growth. This is why it is usually prescribed for
>long-term
periods, unlike Amoxi, or Clavomox. In a patient with
an
>otherwise healthy immune system, (count our guys out), the
antibiotic keeps
>the parasite under control until the immune system
can mount an attack that
>hopefully gets rid of it completely. It's
notorious for appearing to be
>gone, sometimes for years, and then
when the immune system is compromised
>with something else, wham, it's
back. Dox is suppose to be given 2x daily,
>because it ,
oh, I forget the word, it clears from the system after
12
>hours. Grace, however, seems to do great on it just
once a day. A word of
>warning, the compounded Dox tastes
just vile. I just spent $86 bucks on
>some the other day,
and the reaction from my girls was so bad, (even with
>adding banana
flavor to cut the bitterness), I'm back to the pills.
>
>I'm
pulling for you and Brissle,
>Nina
>
>Melbeach
wrote:
>
>>Thanks Michelle! Something told me you'd
straighten me out! Everything you
>>said makes sense. I really do
need to see a specialist. I'll look for an
>>intern
tomorrow.
>>You know, I knew I should have asked for a hemobart
test. We never had one
>>in the first place. Brissle was on
Baytril, then Dox for the first two
>>weeks, but that's it. I
stopped before starting the VO. So it's been about
>>three weeks.
Since she was making good progress and wasn't on antibiotics
>>for
three weeks, it didn't dawn on me that hemobart could still be
a
>>problem. It might make sense to go back on dox and have a blood
test
>>later.
>> L/M stands for Lymph/Mono or
Lymphocytes. That's what my vet was most
>>concerned about. Here's
a description: "These smooth, round white blood
>>cells increase in
number with chronic infection, recovery from acute
>>infection or
underactive glands and decrease with stress, or treatment
>>with
steroids and chemotherapy drug." So these would go up with WBC
I
>>assume. I also noticed the comment on the lab results: "Buffy
Coat (3)
>>Lymph/Mono layer has not separated distinctly from the
other cell layers,
>>possibly due to inadequate staining. Confirm
differential results with a
>>blood smear." So maybe there was a
test error or maybe her number is so
>>bad it threw off the
software?
>> Just a silly question on finding an intern.
Do interns actually take
>>clients themselves? Or would I need to
go through the hospital? I'm just
>>not sure how that
works.
>> Thanks again Michelle. You're awesome! I
appreciate your
insight.
>> -Kyle
>>
>>
----- Original Message -----
>> *From:* [EMAIL PROTECTED]
<mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
>>
*To:* felvtalk@felineleukemia.org
>>
<mailto:felvtalk@felineleukemia.org>
>>
*Sent:* Thursday, April 07, 2005 8:37 PM
>>
*Subject:* Re: Brissle Update - Good News and Bad
News
>>
>>
Kyle,
>> I
am at a loss to understand why your vet thinks it's
cancer
>> in the bone
marrow. First, if she has cancer (it would
be
>> lymphoma) in the bone marrow, that
would have been causing the
>> anemia and
it would NOT have gone away from Immuno-regulin and
VO.
>> A transfusion might have helped a
little, but it would not have
>> made her
hematocrit improve that amount for that many
weeks. When
>> lymphoma in the
bone marrow causes anemia, it is because it
takes
>> up space in the bone marrow that
is usually used to make red blood
>> cells.
Without killing off the lymphoma, you can not
increase
>> production of red blood cells.
Transfusions increase red blood
>> cells
artificially by adding them in, but red blood cells
do not
>> live that long and so
a transfusion can not increase HCT that
much
>> or for very long in a cat whose
bone marrow is so compromised that
>> red
blood cell production is down to the point that HCT is
9.7. I
>> am not a doctor, but
after going through what I went through
with
>> Simon, who had lymphoma in his bone
marrow, I am pretty positive I
>> am right
on this. Second, when lymphoma takes over bone
marrow,
>> it also compromises white blood
cell production, and so causes WBC
>> count
to go down, not up. For these two reasons, I really
doubt
>> she has lymphoma. By
all means, though, I would take her to a
>>
specialist, an internist or an oncologist. I would probably go
to
>> an internist, because that person
would be more likely to tell
>> what else
is going on if it is not
cancer.
>>
I have no idea what L/M stands for. But to me, it
sounds
>> like she could have
hemobartonella-- was she screened for that?
It
>> can sometimes be hard to
detect. That can be combatted with
dox,
>> which I think you had Brissle on?,
and I would think also the
>> immune
stimulants you gave her (I-R and VO), and
because
>> it behaves like an infection if
it is not entirely gone it would
>> make
WBC go up (infections do that) while suppressing HCT
(because
>> it kills red blood
cells). Again,
I would take her to an
>>internist. They are usually
at
>> hospitals and places called
veterinary referral centers. I could
>> be
talking out my ear, but I have learned a lot about lymphoma
and
>> anemia, through unfortunate means,
over the last few years, and
>> what you
wrote your vet said makes no sense to
me.
>> Michelle
>> In
a message dated 4/7/05 6:50:46 PM Eastern Daylight
Time,
>> [EMAIL PROTECTED]
writes:
>>
>>
I just spoke with my vet after Brissle's blood tests
from
>> today. The
good
>> news: Her
HCT is now 21.3%, up from 9.7% five weeks ago.
The
>> bad news:
Her WBC
>> is now
36.8, up from 17.3 (normal is 5.0 to 18.9). And her
L/M
>> is now
24.4
>> (normal is
1.5 to 7.8), up from 9.0. Both of these numbers
are
>> off the
chart.
>>
>>
>>
>>
My vet said that all signs point to cancer and he's
strongly
>>
recommending
>>
sending Brissle to a specialist for chemo. He said that
her
>> glands
felt
>> normal. He
believes that the cancer is in the bone
marrow.
>>
Everything else
>>
seems normal at this point. She's eating fine, energy is
good.
>>
>>
>>
>>
I will probably go ahead with the chemo. Just wanted to
hear
>> what the
peanut
>> gallery
thought. I'm also wondering how much it costs and
how
>> often you
have
>> to
go.
>>
>>
>>
>>
Thanks!
>>
>>
-Kyle
>>
>>
>>
>
>
--
MaryChristine
AIM / YAHOO: TenHouseCats
MSN: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
ICQ:
289856892
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