Thanks, Amani. I'll talk to my Vet. At what point do you start Winstrol? Penelope is asymptotic at this point.
Sent from my iPad > On Nov 18, 2015, at 8:57 PM, felvtalk-requ...@felineleukemia.org wrote: > > Send Felvtalk mailing list submissions to > felvtalk@felineleukemia.org > > To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit > http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org > > or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to > felvtalk-requ...@felineleukemia.org > > You can reach the person managing the list at > felvtalk-ow...@felineleukemia.org > > When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific > than "Re: Contents of Felvtalk digest..." > > > Today's Topics: > > 1. Re: Questions from a Newby (Amani Oakley) > 2. Re: Winstrol (Amani Oakley) > > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > > Message: 1 > Date: Thu, 19 Nov 2015 01:56:30 +0000 > From: Amani Oakley <aoak...@oakleylegal.com> > To: "felvtalk@felineleukemia.org" <felvtalk@felineleukemia.org> > Subject: Re: [Felvtalk] Questions from a Newby > Message-ID: > <E0C1DFB06E10174B9D4AE353A62CECE33655A2B3@OAKLEYSRV.oakley.local> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" > > Hi Rain > > I too tried the immunoregulin with my FeLV cat, but I was also doing weekly > blood testing to monitor if there was truly any positive change in things > like the red cell count, platelet count, white cell count and reticulocyte > count, and I did not find any difference at all with the injections. I tried > the injections for a number of months to ensure they had time to take effect, > but I saw no evidence of a positive effect in my cat's haematology results. > In fact, the opposite. We had obtained blood transfusions for our cat, > because when he had his crisis, his red cell count, retic and haematocrit > plummeted to critical levels. After the blood transfusions, we could tell > that he wasn't producing his own red cells. (I just answered Jane in another > email, so I won't go into all the detail again.) > > If your cat is doing well, that's great. My only concern is that my Zander > was also doing well until he had his life-threatening crisis and if I was > able to do it all again, I would have started him on the Winstrol BEFORE the > crisis (but I didn't know anything about it, and my vets didn't tell me). It > is my personal theory that it was the crisis and the hell his body went > through because of the crisis, that ultimately scarred his heart, causing his > premature death at the age of 7. > > Winstrol is an anabolic steroid. Athletes use it for bulking up, but it has > also been used in medicine for severely anemic patients because it boosts red > cell production. It also boosts appetite and muscle production, so it has > been used in AIDS patients, patients with COPD, patients with cachexia from > cancer (wasting away), etc. Athletes report that it helps heal muscle damage > faster, etc. > > It is my belief that because of Winstrol's involvement in doping scandals, it > has been blackballed by the scientific, medical and vet community. Vets say > that they don't use it because it causes liver damage, but the research shows > this not to be true (though it can cause a significant but temporary bump up > in liver enzymes). However, I find that this answer makes no sense at all. If > your cat is going to die from this insidious FeLV virus (especially one in > crisis like what happened to my cat Zander) then it makes no sense AT ALL to > worry about preserving his liver, don't you think? > > I get a lot of cats who are on death's door, and the vets will often tell me > that there is no hope. This is why I have tried Winstrol in a few different > situations. If there is no hope, and my options are a quick euthanasia or a > slow wasting away, what could possibly be the downside of trying the > Winstrol? I figure that the worst case scenario is no effect at all. Instead, > I am often stunned at the excellent results I am getting with seriously > debilitated cats, when the vets have basically tried to pressure me to bring > the cat in to be put down. > > Amani > > -----Original Message----- > From: Felvtalk [mailto:felvtalk-boun...@felineleukemia.org] On Behalf Of Rain > Tyler > Sent: November-18-15 8:10 PM > To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org > Subject: [Felvtalk] Questions from a Newby > > I am not familiar with Winstrol. Is it for anemia? I feel like I have a lot > to learn so I am glad I found this group. > > Background info: about 18 months ago friends gave us a three day old tuxedo > kitten that they found on a roadway. After some initial difficulties, she > thrived and became a beautiful healthy kitten. We named her Penelope. I > never thought to have her tested for FeLV because I figured that if she had > it then she contracted it in utero and I didn't think an infected kitten > would thrive like she did. But when she was spayed at 5 months we found out > she was FeLV+. A month later, a six week old orange tabby cat appeared by > our mailbox. We had him tested immediately and he was also FeLV+. His name > is Tarzan. Our other cats are all negative and have all been vaccinated. > > At a Vet's suggestion we started a series of nine IV injections of > ImmunoRegulin for both FeLV+ kittens according to the protocol. We were > hoping to boost their immune systems so that they could fight off the FeLV > and possibly convert to negative. During the early treatments Penelope had a > bad respiratory infection and then a possible herpes infection. I gave her > L-lysine chews on a Vet's recommendation. By the last IR injection, both > cats seemed very healthy. Tarzan tested negative but Penelope was still > positive. So we tried once weekly ImmunoRegulin injections for twenty weeks. > > Penelope was recently retested and is still positive. Since she has been > perfectly healthy since last February, I've asked to continue the > ImmunoRegulin on a once a month basis. I really think that it has helped. > She is now 18 months old and is a pleasantly plump, active and happy cat. > I'd appreciate any suggestions on how to keep her that way. > > Sorry this is so long and thanks to anyone who takes the time to read it and > respond. > > Sent from my iPad > >> On Nov 18, 2015, at 1:39 PM, felvtalk-requ...@felineleukemia.org wrote: >> >> Send Felvtalk mailing list submissions to >> felvtalk@felineleukemia.org >> >> To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit >> >> http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org >> >> or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to >> felvtalk-requ...@felineleukemia.org >> >> You can reach the person managing the list at >> felvtalk-ow...@felineleukemia.org >> >> When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific >> than "Re: Contents of Felvtalk digest..." >> >> >> Today's Topics: >> >> 1. Re: Lymph nodes (Amani Oakley) >> >> >> ---------------------------------------------------------------------- >> >> Message: 1 >> Date: Wed, 18 Nov 2015 18:38:56 +0000 >> From: Amani Oakley <aoak...@oakleylegal.com> >> To: "felvtalk@felineleukemia.org" <felvtalk@felineleukemia.org> >> Subject: Re: [Felvtalk] Lymph nodes >> Message-ID: >> <E0C1DFB06E10174B9D4AE353A62CECE336559EBE@OAKLEYSRV.oakley.local> >> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8" >> >> Hi Jane >> >> Speak with your vet. He probably uses a compounding pharmacy for other types >> of medication. This is where my vet gets Winstrol. Our vet can get the >> Winstrol in 2 strengths: 2 mg and 1 mg tablets. They are hard to cut in >> half, but for a long time, that is what I had to do since originally the >> compounding pharmacy only had the 2 mg size tablets. The tablets are very >> small and powdery when split, and dissolve very quickly with very little >> moisture. Therefore, it made life a lot easier when the compounding pharmacy >> started providing 1 mg sized tablets. If you can only get 2 mg tablets, you >> also have the option of just giving them once a day, but I think it is >> better to give 1 mg, 2 times a day. >> >> I have no idea where you are located or how big the compounding pharmacy is >> that my vet uses, but it is called Chiron. (I?m in Ontario, Canada, and I >> think this compounding pharmacy is located close to Guelph Ontario, near the >> vet college there). >> >> Definitely start your cat on the Winstrol as soon as possible. I have also >> found Winstrol helpful in a cat I highly suspected of having FIP. She is >> fine now. >> > > _______________________________________________ > Felvtalk mailing list > Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org > http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org > > > > ------------------------------ > > Message: 2 > Date: Thu, 19 Nov 2015 01:57:55 +0000 > From: Amani Oakley <aoak...@oakleylegal.com> > To: "felvtalk@felineleukemia.org" <felvtalk@felineleukemia.org> > Subject: Re: [Felvtalk] Winstrol > Message-ID: > <E0C1DFB06E10174B9D4AE353A62CECE33655A2C6@OAKLEYSRV.oakley.local> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8" > > Hi Jane > > Our little Zander had his crisis when he was about 12 to 18 months old. He > was close to death and under an oxygen mask to help him breath because his > red cells and haematocrit were so critically low, he couldn?t move oxygen > around his body via his blood circulation. We first tried giving him blood > transfusions which helped with the immediate crisis, but didn?t ?hold?. Two > units of blood only bumped his haematocrit up from 5 to 16, which was still > about half of the normal range. Over the subsequent weeks, as we tested his > blood, it was clear that his red cells and haematocrit continued to drop, > because red cells only have a life span of 120 days and then they die. His > retic count was basically zero, showing he wasn?t producing any of his own > red cells. > > We gave him a second blood transfusion when his haematocrit dropped back down > to 10 from 16. They had to stop after a single unit of blood, because Zander > had a reaction to the blood transfusion. They don?t cross-match as thoroughly > as they do with people, and we were told that this meant that any more blood > transfusions would probably kill him as he had developed a reaction. > > So with his haematocrit once again dropping from 16 down to 10, I knew it was > just a matter of time before it would drop down to dangerously low levels > again and nothing we had tried (Immunoregulin, interferon, LTCI) had worked. > I therefore did a hail Mary and rummaged through my drawers and found some > Winstrol meant for another cat years before, who had not survived long enough > for me to use it. Within 2-3 days (SERIOUSLY!), my husband and I noticed a > slight blush in Zander?s gums (where they had been ivory white before) and > when we took him in that week for testing, his haematocrit had gone up to 12. > Though we were very skeptical that it could possibly be the Winstrol, (so, so > simple, we thought it couldn?t be that the vets didn?t give us this), we kept > him on it and lo and behold, all his cell lines began a slow and steady climb > back into the normal ranges. It took 6-8 months to get him into the normal > range and I kept him on the Winstrol the whole time, but cut the dose f > rom the original 2 mg 2 times a day to 1 mg 2 times a day. Whenever I would > try to discontinue the Winstrol, there would be an immediate dip in his > weekly blood work, so there is no question in my mind that the Winstrol was > keeping his red cells in the normal range. > > After about 10 months, I did wean him off to give his body a break, and he > was doing phenomenally well. His appetite had immediately increased, right at > the outset of the Winstrol usage, and his activity level also increased. The > technician at the vet?s office who took his weekly bloodwork, told me that > after about 3 months, she could feel the difference as he was feeling very > solid and strong to her. > > Zander lived to about the age of 7. He died from a heart condition that > appears to have been caused by the initial FeLV infection, since I have since > heard others on this chatlines describe the same type of heart problem that > Zander ended up with. (No question I queried if it might have been the > Winstrol but as much as I can reassure myself, I believe that it wasn?t, both > from my research and from the fact that other people whose cats have FeLV > also describe unusual heart problems later in their lives.) In any event, > even if I had any doubt about the Winstrol, I also had no choice. There is no > question at all that Zander was going to die before he even turned two. The > vet specialist who saw Zander, told me that there was zero hope, since I > couldn?t keep giving him blood transfusions. When I called him a year later > to report on Zander?s condition, he was absolutely stunned that Zander was > still alive. > > I don?t think you need to do much blood testing with the Winstrol, but you > may want to, to convince yourself (or more likely, your vet) that it is > working. If my vet hadn?t tracked the blood results with me, I doubt she > would have believed that the Winstrol could do this. The only think I caution > about, and have indicated it many times on this chatline already, is that > Winstrol can shoot up your cat?s liver enzymes. This freaks out the vets who > insist on discontinuing the Winstrol. In Zander?s case, I obviously had to > ignore this. He was going to die without this medication, so being worried > about his liver was secondary to me, until he recovered. What I learned is > that the enzyme increase is transitory in nature and leaves no lasting effect > on the liver. Zander had no liver problems although he was on it for at least > 70% of the his life. I have also used it in other situations where there is > ?no hope?, (nasal sarcoma in a 16 year old cat; FIP in a 6 month old kitten; > spinal > damage in a kitten; torn knee ligament in Zander ? who was supposed to need > surgery, but ended up not), and the Winstrol has either helped a lot or at > the very least, increased appetite, weight, etc. > > Amani > > From: Felvtalk [mailto:felvtalk-boun...@felineleukemia.org] On Behalf Of Jane > Gannon > Sent: November-18-15 8:17 PM > To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org<mailto:felvtalk@felineleukemia.org> > Subject: Re: [Felvtalk] Lymph nodes > > Do I just keep him on this indefinetely? Do I have to keep having his blood > tested, how often? How long did this help your cat? Do you still have this > cat? > ----- Original Message ----- > From: Amani Oakley<mailto:aoak...@oakleylegal.com> > To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org<mailto:felvtalk@felineleukemia.org> > Sent: Wednesday, November 18, 2015 10:38 AM > Subject: Re: [Felvtalk] Lymph nodes > > Hi Jane > > Speak with your vet. He probably uses a compounding pharmacy for other types > of medication. This is where my vet gets Winstrol. Our vet can get the > Winstrol in 2 strengths: 2 mg and 1 mg tablets. They are hard to cut in half, > but for a long time, that is what I had to do since originally the > compounding pharmacy only had the 2 mg size tablets. The tablets are very > small and powdery when split, and dissolve very quickly with very little > moisture. Therefore, it made life a lot easier when the compounding pharmacy > started providing 1 mg sized tablets. If you can only get 2 mg tablets, you > also have the option of just giving them once a day, but I think it is better > to give 1 mg, 2 times a day. > > I have no idea where you are located or how big the compounding pharmacy is > that my vet uses, but it is called Chiron. (I?m in Ontario, Canada, and I > think this compounding pharmacy is located close to Guelph Ontario, near the > vet college there). > > Definitely start your cat on the Winstrol as soon as possible. I have also > found Winstrol helpful in a cat I highly suspected of having FIP. She is fine > now. > > Amani > > From: Felvtalk [mailto:felvtalk-boun...@felineleukemia.org] On Behalf Of Jane > Gannon > Sent: November-17-15 11:54 AM > To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org<mailto:felvtalk@felineleukemia.org> > Subject: Re: [Felvtalk] Lymph nodes > > I have had the worst nightmare happen to me. I have a large cat family, I > used to work at a cat rescue organization and I also help any cats that show > up at my door. Last year one of my two outdoor cats started to loose weight. > He was 12 so I thought maybe kidney or hyperthyroid. He started having > anisocoria (one pupil lager than the other) and then I noticed 3 other cats > with the same thing. I researched online and found that it can happen to > FELV+ cats. So I took them all to the vet and found out they were positive. > I then took the rest of my cat family and found out I had a total of 10 > positives and 12 negatives. I vacinated the negatives and am letting them > all live together. Since that time I have lost 5. Two older ones actually > died from kidney disease, I had to euthanise my son's 2 two year olds cats, > one developed FIP and the other ended up getting neurological problems until > he could no longer walk. I euthanised one that was having difficulty > breathing an > d was no longer eating. So I searched for a group that was going through the > same thing so maybe I could learn about what can be done. Grayson, who is > positive, is now loosing weight. He is 12 so I hoped maybe kidney or > hyperthyroid so I had his blood tested and he does not have either. He is > starting to have the sylmptoms of FELV. His hematocrit is 19 and he also has > an abcess on his face that doesn't want to heal. He is acting like his old > self and eating well. I know my vet would not have a problem using winstrol, > he has always worked with me. Where would he get it from? Should I start > it now before he gets worse. > -------------- next part -------------- > An HTML attachment was scrubbed... > URL: > <http://felineleukemia.org/pipermail/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org/attachments/20151119/6a731390/attachment.html> > > ------------------------------ > > Subject: Digest Footer > > _______________________________________________ > Felvtalk mailing list > Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org > http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org > > > ------------------------------ > > End of Felvtalk Digest, Vol 19, Issue 18 > **************************************** _______________________________________________ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
