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I'm glad to hear Sebastian is doing better! There
aren't any vets on the website for W. Virginia, or even Virginia, so what you'll
probably need to do is just call around to all of them in the phone book. A good
opening question is "I have a cat with Feline Leukemia, what should I do?" the
really bad ones will tell you that there's not much you can do, and that you may
just consider euthanizing him, so you'll know right off to cross those off the
list. If they reply, "Well, it depends on the cat, and if he's acting sick or
not." then you might want to ask that vet more questions, like "I've heard that
there are treatments for FELV, such as Interferon and Immunoregulin, do you have
any experience with using those treatments for FELV+ cats?" If they say yes,
then they may be a good vet to use, if they say no, then they may just need to
be educated, OR they may not be willing to be educated. If they say no, ask them
"I have a lot of info about the new treatments for FELV, and I'd like to try
them on my FELV+ cat. I know you don't have any experience with this sort of
thing, but if I bring you all the info, will you help me develop a good
treatment plan for my cat?" If they say they are willing to learn, then that may
be the best you can find in your area (it was the best I could do around
here).
Those are just suggestions to give you an idea of
things you can ask. Just start at the top, and work your way down the listings
in the phone book. You can use a marker in the phone book, cross out the
ovbiously bad vets, and maybe highlight the ones that sound the best as you go
down. Then when you narrow it down to a few possibilities, you can call them
back, and ask if them what their payment policys are, where they are located,
and their prices in general. Do a drive by of them all, check out the condition
of the facilities, make sure they are in neighborhoods you feel safe going to.
Use your own judgement, and choose one. Try him/her out, if you get bad vibes
(or no vibes), next time try another one, until one just "clicks" for you. I
really believe you will just know when you find the right one.
Another thing I like to make sure of, is if the
vet is up to date on current vaccination protocols. Are they even aware of the
AVMA's current vaccination site locations? http://www.avma.org/vafstf/sitercmnd.asp ANY
vet that goes to give ANY injection in the scruff of your cat's neck is a BAD
VET! If you see him/her approaching your cat's neck with a shot, STOP him, her,
and ASK, "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!!" and take your cat elsewhere ASAP! You can even
ask them before you make your appointment, "Is Dr. Whoever aware of the current
vaccination site recommendations for felines as stated by the AVMA and AAFP?" if
the receptionist does not know, then you can ask her "Does the he/she give cats
their vaccinations in their scruff, or in the lower legs?"
Here's a good place to start, all of these WV
vets are members of the AAFP (the American Association of Feline
Practioners):
All AAFP vets should at least know about how to
properly vaccinate and the correct vaccination schedule (every 3 years in most
cases):
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I collect KMR kitten formula labels for Bazil, a 3 yr old special needs cat who must live on a liquid diet for the rest of his life. Bazil's caretaker collects labels and sends them to KMR, where they add up until she earns a free can of formula! PLEASE save your KMR kitten formula labels for Bazil! If you use KMR, even just one can, please ask me for the mailing address
you can send them to, to help feed Bazil!
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