Hi Beth, I, too, looked into LTCI from Tcyte when I found out my ten month old kitten, Polli, was FeLV+. We have a vet and a very experienced vet tech, both of which work in cat only clinics, in the family. When I asked for their opinions, neither one of them had heard of LTCI but said it a very specialized and new medication and wanted me to give feedback if I decided to use it on Polli. I also talked to several (at least ten) vets in the Los Angeles area as well as a cat rescue operator and a scientist from Tycte laboratories. They all gave the medication rave reviews. However, each person told me that it works better in cats who contract the disease (over the age of 2) than kittens who are either born with it or contract it at an early age. The operator of the cat rescue said that each of the FeLV+ kittens they treated succumbed to complications from the disease before the age of one (the average mortality rate for positive kittens). With adult cats, they even had one seroconvert after treating it with LTCI! So, from my research, it works well in cats but the results aren't promising in kittens.
Keep in mind, though, that the medication reportedly has no side effects and I haven't read about any either. Because of that, treating Mozart with LTCI may be an option you choose to explore. If you want to survey vets like I did, Tcyte has a link on their website that shows the names and locations of vets who have used it in the area you live. If you do decided to use it, it can cost anywhere from $40 to $120 a shot. The typical protocol is a shot each day for a week then one shot a week for four weeks followed by a shot every four to six weeks. The vets also have to do blood work regularly. For these reasons, I chose not to treat Polli. I didn't want to stress her out for her remaining time on earth especially since there isn't much success treating kittens with LTCI. Sorry, I know this may not be the sort of information you're looking for but I just wanted to share my research with you. If you do decided to use LTCI, please document your experiences. I know there are many cat owners and vets who are curious about this medication. Best, -Amanda On Mon, May 20, 2013 at 12:21 PM, Margo <toomanykitti...@earthlink.net>wrote: > > Hi Beth, > > > > Welcome, but sorry you have to be here. Just have time for a > quick note, but I'll be back later when I have a bit more time. As for the > vaccines, I have chosen to go with the Merial recombinant FeLV vaccine, and > i'll link to some articles which will help explain why. If you go back to > fanciers and search for rFeLV, you should get Stephanie's amazing > discussions...Oh! I saved it <G> > > > > http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/fanciershealth/message/141570 > > > > I'm in the same situation, but I just get more confused as I > learn more. Warning, if you try to but the vaccine yourself, it's VERY > expensive. Through a Vet it seems to be much less. > > > > HTH, > > > > Margo > > > > -----Original Message----- > From: Betheny Laubenthal ** > Sent: May 20, 2013 2:37 PM > To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org > Subject: [Felvtalk] Introduction > > Hi. My name is Beth. I run a feral cat rescue. That's how I ended up > with Mozart, a 10 month old kitten. April 18, I took him to a spay clinic > to get neutered, his rabies vaccination and for a Felv/FIV test. He tested > positive for Felv. It was recommended that he immediately be euthanized. > I refused. > I contacted my vet. She agreed with my decision to allow him to live out > his life. She retested him May 17. Again, he tested positive. This > surprised me because he is a healthy cat. No symptoms at all. None of his > brothers tested positive. His mom took off with his two sisters when he > was 5 weeks old. Mom was feral. Have not found her or the missing kittens. > My vet is awesome (which is great because my rescue takes in cats with > medical issues and behavioral issues as well as ferals that cannot stay > where they are). That's a lot for me to say since I have a general > distrust of vets for various reasons. Anyways, she is looking for another > felv cat for me to introduce to Mozart as a playmate. Mozart is locked in > my bedroom. Other cats in my home were tested. They were negative. We > are vaccinating with a 4 way vaccine with leukemia. I am in the process of > ordering more vaccination-with and without leukemia. > I have him on a raw diet. Been raw feeding for over 3 years-not the least > bit concerned about bacteria. I feel as if it is safe and beneficial to > feed Mozart this diet. > I am looking into this treatment for him: > http://tcyte.com/cat-owner-information/ > > Anyone have any luck with it? Anyone hear of it? Does anyone have any > advice they can give to me? Also, what about vaccines? I am concerned > about the increase chance of vaccine related sarcomas. > Thank you! > --Beth Laubenthal > > > _______________________________________________ > Felvtalk mailing list > Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org > http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org > > -- "There is much pleasure to be gained from useless knowledge" Bertrand Russell
_______________________________________________ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
