Welcome, Sally. I'm glad you got so many good answers so quickly -- we've all been through what you're going through now, some many times over. It's great that you and your vet are working together on this and that you already have a plan. Best of luck to you and the kitties. Nobody can guarantee that there won't still be some crying down the road for you, but at least it won't be from powerlessness and lack of information. This list is a great source of advice, emotional support and good information. Many of us, like me, don't even have an FeLV+ cat anymore, we just stuck around because everybody is so nice!
Diane R. -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of SALLY NORDSTROM Sent: Wednesday, October 29, 2008 10:43 AM To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Subject: Re: [Felvtalk] tests You and the others on this site are ANGELS!!!!!!!!! You will be glad to know that I stopped crying, called my vet, and have a plan of action. Please, keep us in your hearts and heads, I will be asking a lot of questions in the months to come because I am keeping the mom. --- On Wed, 10/29/08, Saehwa Kang <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > From: Saehwa Kang <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Subject: Re: [Felvtalk] tests > To: "felvtalk@felineleukemia.org" <felvtalk@felineleukemia.org> > Date: Wednesday, October 29, 2008, 10:36 AM > The ELISA test takes a blood sample from the lower leg, and > is > inexpensive. It's not that accurate, as there are false > positives and > sometimes false negatives. We had 2 three month old kittens > who became > negative within 1 month, and one that became negative 3 > months later. > > You can retest after about 2-3 months with the Elisa again. > Better yet > is the IFA test. It checks whether the felv has reached the > bone > marrow- the vet sends a blood sample to a lab and is a tad > more > expensive but much more accurate. > > However,the best alternative after a positice elisa test is > the new > PCR test. It's so new you won't see it in many > google searches. It can > detect even minute quanitites of the virus and is the most > accurate > test out there- also sent to the lab. Best after two > consecutive > positive ELISA tests. > > Your kitties can fight off the virus and change to negative > though > it's not guaranteed. They probably got it from their > mother. Many > kittens can and do fight it off which is why early testinf > is often > inaccurate. In order to do so, you'll need to provide a > low stress > environment, indoor only home to reduce exposure to germs, > premium > food mostly canned (wellness, innova evo, natures variety > instinct,etc), clean the litterbox and dishes daily and > have more than > one box, vaccuum and keep them flea and worm free, as well > as spend > time playing with the kittens and giving them affection, > toys, warm > places to sleep. > > There are no guarantees but it is possible to go from > positive to > negative. Just takes dedication and having hope... > > And others will tell you a felv positive diagnosis is not a > death > sentence! > There are plenty of people here who have healthy cats with > felv that > have had long lives. > > I don't know about financial assistance, but you should > try and talk > to your vet about payment options. The cheapest ELISA test > I found ran > about $25-30 here in LA. > > Also, you can do you best to change their positive status > to negative > in the next few months. Even if they don't, you can > adopt them out > when they are a bit older after you've tried or just > try to adopt them > out now and tell people they are positive for now but could > change.. > > > On Oct 28, 2008, at 7:51 PM, SALLY NORDSTROM > <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > wrote: > > > I'm getting real confused about the available > tests and their > > accuracy. Can anyone shed some light on this for me? > > > > I had to file a bankruptcy and can't afford > testing. Is there > > someplace that can give me help? > > > > How hard is it going to be to place my rescued kittens > in homes? > > What resources should I be using? > > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > Felvtalk mailing list > > Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org > > > http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org > > _______________________________________________ > Felvtalk mailing list > Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org > http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org _______________________________________________ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org This electronic mail transmission and any attachments are confidential and may be privileged. They should be read or retained only by the intended recipient. If you have received this transmission in error, please notify the sender immediately and delete the transmission from your system. In addition, in order to comply with Treasury Circular 230, we are required to inform you that unless we have specifically stated to the contrary in writing, any advice we provide in this email or any attachment concerning federal tax issues or submissions is not intended or written to be used, and cannot be used, to avoid federal tax penalties. _______________________________________________ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
