Megan:
I tried to prepare you for that when you first joined the list due to Olive's
condition with relaying to you Monkee's experience. But it's never as bad as
it is when you actually experience it yourself. Our experiences were similar
in so many ways.
-Caroline > Subject: RE: blood transfusion> Date: Wed, 17 Oct 2007 12:02:58
-0400> From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org> > Blood
transfusions really are emotionally taxing. Olive was only given one, because
at the time I took her to the vet, I had no idea what was wrong with her. The
vet discovered she was extremely anemic, but didn't know why, and said that if
I wanted her to live, she needed one. I didn't know until a couple days after
the transfusion, when she was doing so much better, that she was positive. And
only a day or two after that, when she had become her normal, extremely
playful, semi-annoying self once again, she started going downhill. It was the
most heartwrenching thing I've ever experienced. I thought I had saved her
life, but I had only given her an extra few days of feeling better before
fading again. I considered another transfusion, but after doing extensive
research, I figured it would be a lost cause. I didn't want to put her through
any more pain. Transfusions are good in live-threatening situations, but with
non-regenerative anemia, they only postpone the inevitable, and not for long.>
> -Megan> > > -----Original Message-----> From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] on behalf of
Caroline Kaufmann> Sent: Wed 10/17/2007 11:46 AM> To:
felvtalk@felineleukemia.org> Subject: RE: blood transfusion> > > I know, you
are also right. But I didn't want to make Monkee go through the bone marrow
aspirate because he'd already been through so much, since we did Chemo on him
(which, in hindsight, I will NOT do again with another animal). I'm sure it's
possible the chemo itself brought up the anemia, but he had the lump on his leg
that was only getting bigger with chemo (which the Dr. was shocked by) and by
the time we did the transfusion, he had lumps in his stomach and groin area, so
the cancer was clearly spreading- despite chemo. The Doctor was almost positive
it was the cancer causing the anemia and at the time, I was so disenchanted
with her, I didn't really listen. But I'm sure now that she was right. We felt
like a bone marrow aspirate would just tell us what we already knew, but didn't
want to admit. I guess my point was really that the blood transfusions are so
emotionally taxing.> -Caroline> > > Date: Wed, 17 Oct 2007 08:27:21 -0700From:
[EMAIL PROTECTED]: [EMAIL PROTECTED]: Re: blood transfusion> Caroline, I
remember Monkee and all the heartache you guys went through.I would be doing
all positives a disservice though if I didn't make a point about what my vet
told me and I have personally seen happen with some cats on the lists I'm
on.Sometimes for what ever reason it takes 2 or 3 or more transfusions to kick
start a cats blood production, my vet told me she has done up to 5 transfusions
on the same cat with no ill effects. Of course you still need to find out what
is causing the anemia so you can hopefully fix it. Baileys anemia was his first
symptom of the cancer we couldn't find until after he passed BUT we did reverse
the non-regenerative anemia with epogen and prednisolone, his HCT was normal
(33% from a low point of 15%) when the cancer took him. I didn't need to do a
transfusion with Bailey because I did a bone marrow aspirate to find out what
was causing the anemia and treated accordingly.Every cat I've lost has taught
me something in hindsight that I and my vet missed at the time, I wish my guys
weren't the ones that had to pay with their lives but I know one thing, if I
ever hear of a cat having the same symptoms or God forbid I have a cat with
like symptoms, I will know what to tell them to look for, doesn't mean they
will but I will make the effort to let them know.--> > Belinda> happiness is
being owned by cats ...> > Be-Mi-Kitties> http://bemikitties.com> > Post
Adoptable FeLV/FIV/FIP Cats/Kittens> http://adopt.bemikitties.com> > FeLV
Candlelight Service> http://bemikitties.com/cls> > HostDesign4U.com [affordable
hosting & web design]> http://HostDesign4U.com> > ------------> > BMK Designs
[non-profit animals websites]> http://bmk.bemikitties.com>
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