Thank you for all of the support everyone. Katherine - Yang was 3, Merlot is just two years old now. I don't know which cat had it and then gave it to the other. I feel terrible, I was not informed on FeLV and didn't test for it before I introduced another cat in to my house, so one of them gave it to the other.
I will look in to the interfuron and LTCI, thank you! I was not informed on cat vitamins before, so I will definitely be looking in to those as well. On Thu, Jul 24, 2014 at 4:40 PM, Katherine K. <kaths...@gmail.com> wrote: > 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 >>> >>> >> > > _______________________________________________ > Felvtalk mailing list > Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org > http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org > > -- Maya D'Alessio PhD student B1 377B, x32320 Graduate Student Endowment Fund Coordinator Biology GSA Vice Chair GSA Director At-Large University of Waterloo
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