Hi Amy,
Yes, many of us here have heard of hemobartonella, a blood parasite. It is
very hard to diagnose, because one minute it will show up on a slide under the
microscope, and the next minute, it won't. So anytime any of the kitties here
are anemic, we recommend the 21 day course of doxy regardless of test results
because felv+ cats are more prone to hemobart and it's hard to diagnose. I
don't think it's contagious, but find it interesting that 2 of your 3 are
positive. It's possible the 3rd one is as well, since the parasite is so
elusive. I would talk about this with your vet. Please keep us posted as to
the results of the other two cats. If it turns out that a high percentage of
your cats have it, especially if all of them do, I will wonder not necessarily
about contagiousness (which I thought that it wasn't), but what caused the
hemobart and the conditions (ie. if fleas in certain parts of the country or
certain areas, lakeland fleass vs. city fleas
are more prone to carry the parasite). Did your vet say if fleas are the only
way to get hemobart? It will be interesting to learn more about this. Be glad
your kitties are so healthy. We see some here that are diagnosed in the late
stages of anemia, and often it can be too late. Another thought: I don't think
that hemobart is related to cat scratch fever. If I am wrong, someone please
correct me.
Thanks for taking such good care of your furbabies and good luck,
Wendy
"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the
world - indeed it is the only thing that ever has!" ~~~ Margaret Meade ~~~
----- Original Message ----
From: Amy Weygandt <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org
Sent: Saturday, March 15, 2008 3:45:52 PM
Subject: Bartonella
Hi All,
I really haven't been very active on this group over
the past couple years so I'm not sure whether this has
been discussed or not. I have a young child in my
home and this year my vet recommended having my leuk
positive cats tested for Bartonella. They are seen
every 6 months for full blood work ups. I have 5 cats
that have been here for several years and have never
had fleas in our home but tested anyways. Three have
been tested so far and two came back positive and are
on medication for 21 days. The other two are being
tested next week.
Just wanted to mention this as my cats have always
seemed healthy other than some mild gingivitis. Even
my one cat with perfect teeth and gums tested
positive. My vet said she just started testing for
this recently and they are seeing tons of positive
cases, almost 50% of those being tested are positive.
Do any of you have vets that have recommended this
testing? My vet is a dear friend and would never
recommend something just to make money. She was just
concerned because of our child and cat scratch fever.
Wanted to make sure others are aware that this disease
seems to be fairly common now as many of us take in
rescues, strays, etc. That's how I got all mine and
I'm guessing they have had this all along :( I feel
bad I didn't test sooner.
Amy
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