Hello All, I had only heard whispers about FeLV until Monday of this week.
Our little 1.5 year old Bengal, Yoko, tested positive for FeLV (on an ELISA test, the IFA test is being processed right now). She presented with puddle-poo and intense vomiting. At first, we thought that she might have eaten something strange. She is a Bengal... However - upon X-Rays and an Ultrasound - SIBO (Small Intestine Bacterial Overgrowth) was diagnosed. Her intestines were riddled with bacteria. She is currently on 2 meds - an antibiotic and a steroid. I just got her blood panels back today and her Red Blood Cell count is off the chart at 12.22 million/uL, and her HGB is high @ 17.3 (normal 9.5-15 g/dL) and her HCT is high @ 51.2 (normal 29-45%), her absolute lymphocyte is low @1387 (normal is 1500-7000. I am hoping for a false positive since she tested negative a year ago and hasn't been in contact with any other cats since we got her from the breeder besides our (now) 10 year old male Tabby, who tested negative every 2 years and today as well. Other than this instance (which happened on Friday) she has been tight as a drum - very energetic, talkative, loving and playful. I just hope we caught it early. We were beside ourselves at the first mention of FeLV, but after doing my research and googling like crazy, I have learned so much about the disease and how it can be managed to help the cats live a long healthy life. You will be pleased to know that my vet is 100% behind us and could not be more thrilled that we are trying to control her issues (she has some other issues Lipase, Albumin and Total Protein, Cholesterol and Chloride were all super high, so we're going to try doing a homecooked food. We had been feeding her Avoderm Seafood Formula until now. We have transitioned to Royal Canin Duck until I master the home cooked flavor that the cats will love. You all are so hypervigilant and I think that is great, wanting to do the best for your pets as long as you can. Yoko was brought into our house after our cat Mercury died from renal failure. We kept him alive for 2 years on SubCu fluids, appetite increasing meds, and steroids - all done from our living room. We consider those 2 years extra borrowed time and were thrilled to have done all we could for him in his 13 year old life. Here's hoping everyone is having a good cat day today. Megan _______________________________________________ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
