Hi Jennifer,
My first thought is to get her immediately on sub-q
fluids, and join the yahoo CRF list
http://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/Feline-CRF-Support/info .
If you think about what a hangover feels like (or
have
someone who has over-imbibed explain the feeling) then you understand
how
dehydration makes her feel. Can you be a bit more specific about her
blood
counts? Is she anemic? Are her white cells low? What else is out of
whack?
Not everything that happens to an FeLV cat is FeLV
related, but we do have to react faster, as they can't fight of even
minor
illness like a non-FeLV cat can. My + cats are on Interferon and DMG,
probably for the duration. Anything else that pops up we treat very
aggressively, and I have antibiotics on hand, which I often start
even
before we get to the Vet, with her blessing.
Jennifer, it's unlikely she'll come out of it by
herself. Just resolving the dehydration may be key to getting her
going
again, it can make a HUGE difference. I'd ask the Vet if it's
possible that
she has an infection that might be causing some of this with her
kidneys,
and if an antibiotic could be tried.
I watch my positives carefully. When Gribble was
first
diagnosed, I was sure I would lose him. He had a fever of 107, which
we
brought down with ice and ketoprofen, and then his temp went down to
97. I
did not expect him to live thru the night, so sat with him and moved
him
between bags of frozen veggies and a heating pad. He was about 2 at
that
time, early March of last year. He was assist fed, on two antibiotics
(there wasn't time for a C&S) and started on Interferon ASAP. You
might
consider Immunoregulin, we bought it, but it's still on hold in case
he
relapses and doesn't respond to anything else. Mako also occasionally
has
some issues, and we treat with antibiotics and/or antivirals. The
truth is
that I don;t know if they get better because of that, or in spite of
my
efforts.
My advice would be to try to resolve the
dehydration,
get some food into her, and request an antibiotic from the Vet (I use
Zenequin, but others might be more appropriate). Keep her warm and
quiet,
and love her.
All the best,
Margo
-----Original Message-----
From: Jennifer Ballew **
Sent: Oct 9, 2013 4:48 PM
To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org <javascript:_e({}, 'cvml',
'felvtalk@felineleukemia.org');>
Subject: [Felvtalk] Fwd: virus has finally caught up with her :-(
Hey all-
This is the first time I have posted to the forum. I have two FeLV
positive cats, one two and one three years old. The older cat has
never
had any issues with illness whatsoever, but the younger has only
recently
started showing signs that her illness has caught up with her. Just
within
the last few days she has become very lethargic, stopped eating (and
only
drinks a small amount) and whenever she stands or walks she seems
very
unsteady and wobbly. I took her to the vet yesterday; they checked
her
blood counts which were low and said her kidney enzymes were
elevated.
They also said they could hear a heart murmur which is probably
related to
possibly being dehydrated. They gave her a B12 shot and I took her
home.
I already said if worst came to worst I wouldn't put her through any
unnecessary treatments or subject her to any painful procedures and
that I
would strive only to provide the best supportive care for her while
she was
alive so that she would have the best chances. I'm just wondering if
any
of you have gone through the same thing and if I can expect her to
pull out
of this on her own, or, if she doesn't, how long she might have left.
I'm
sincerely heartbroken. I really thought I had nursed her through the
most
risky part of her illness (kittenhood) and that she would now go on
to live
a halfway long life. In any case, if anyone has any advice or
information
I would greatly appreciate it.
Thanks all,
Jennifer
--
"To love is to risk not being loved in return.
To hope is to risk pain.
To try is to risk failure,
But risk must be taken,
Because the greatest hazard in life
Is to risk nothing."
--Leo Buscaglia
