Just wanted to add - for the kittens, I didn't give them any "boosters" or treaments, really. Since everything I've read said kittens usually succumb to the illness before they turn 2, I didn't think it would make much of a difference. And since I had 4 of them, it wasn't economically feasible for me. One of them became anemic toward the end, so I did give him an iron-rich liquid supplement called Lixotinic.
On Thu, Jul 24, 2014 at 4:32 PM, Katherine K. <kaths...@gmail.com> wrote: > Hi Maya, > > I'm so sorry for your loss of Yang. Is Merlot also 3 years old? Last year > I had a litter of 4 kittens who all tested positive at 3 months of age. We > lost the first one at 8 months, and the last one died this May at 1 year > old. They were all very healthy and active until the last week or two of > their lives. My 12 year old cat was also diagnosed with the virus last > July. He was very sick then, but bounced back and is doing well now. He has > some minor health issues but energy, appetite, bathroom and > comfort/happiness levels are all normal. Every day I have with him is a > gift. > > Yes, you can be pro-active now. The key to maintaining good health is to > feed high quality food, keep them indoors, in a low-stress environment, and > make a vet appt ASAP if something isn't right. You know him best, don't be > afraid to trust your gut. > > For my 12 year old cat, since his initial illness, I have been giving him > a booster shot once a month of LTCI (http://tcyte.com/). It is not > inexpensive, unfortunately. A more economical immune system booster is > alpha interferon, which is given by mouth daily. You can search the mailing > list archives or website for more info on both of these, and talk to your > vet to decide what treatment might be best for you. > > Let Merlot's happiness and joy for life guide you. Play with him, love > him, take video and photos of the two of you together having fun. It's > tough knowing they'll be gone too soon, but let that help you cherish the > good times together. > > We aren't vets here, but we can offer you experience and support. > > Katherine > > > On Thu, Jul 24, 2014 at 3:12 PM, Maya D'Alessio <mde...@gmail.com> wrote: > >> Hello everyone, >> >> My cat Merlot, just tested positive for FeLV yesterday afternoon. We had >> him tested, because my three year old cat Yang (female) started acting ill >> at the end of June, the next morning I took her in to the vets and we >> discovered she was anemic, jaundiced and had a high fever. They checked >> her blood levels and found she was anemic (about 13, vs 26 in a healthy >> cat). She stayed at the vet during the day and her blood levels didn't >> get any worse, and our vet was optimistic. They transferred her over to >> the emergency clinic which was open all evening and in to the weekend. >> They monitored her overnight and her red blood cells decreased, her fever >> lowered but she went past normal to too cold. That morning the blood tests >> came back and she was positive for FeLV. We were shocked. Even worse was >> that her detailed blood work showed no uptick in blood cell production, >> where she should have increased production, she actually had almost no >> production. We then got to see her before we had to put her down. That >> was the hardest day of my life. >> >> Now, with Merlot testing positive I am terrified of losing him so >> quickly, and I am still grieving for Yang. I know the statistics are not >> great for long term prognosis, but he is currently healthy (just a tiny bit >> of gingivitis - we are going to start brushing his teeth). What can I do >> to keep him healthy? How do I live with him everyday without starting to >> grieve him already? I know we all are going to die someday, but this just >> feels like it is going to hang over me. I am still doing reading on the >> disease and newer treatments and such, but do these all start after the cat >> becomes noticeably ill, or are there things I can be doing now to help keep >> him healthy? Are probiotics helpful in this case? >> >> For those who have or have had a healthy FeLV cat, how long did they stay >> healthy for? >> >> >> -- >> Maya D'Alessio >> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> Felvtalk mailing list >> Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org >> http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org >> >> >
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