Re: Kerry, how is Levi today?

[Lernermichelle]

Kerry,      First, in terms of the sour cream-- Simon went a few days where that was basically all her ate too, so I would not worry about that.  It's very fatty, if it is whole milk sour cream, which is good. The most important thing short-term, I think, is getting calories into him.     In terms of his anemia and how bad he feels... is there any way to get him a diagnosis?  Sue on this list said that her cat had anemia from teh FeLV and depomedrol (steroid) shots completely resolved it.  The anemia was from her cat killing her own red blood cells, and the depomedrol stopped that.  If the anemia is from lymphoma, then steroids, or chemo if you are up to it, can also help enormously.  Simon's hematocrit was down that low for a while, and still could be though I think he looks pinker now and is definitely more energetic.  If it is from hemobartenella (sp?) then antibiotics could completely resolve it. If it has anything to do with his kidneys, Procrit or Epogen could help.  There is also the chance, of course, that nothing can be done and it is just degenerative from the FeLV, but it is impossible to know this based on the information you currently have from your vet.  If he is feral, then I know that makes any diagnosis or treatment challenging, but if it is possible to get more information from your vet or another (did the vet check for hemobartanella? is lymphoma possible? is it possible he is killing his own rbc's?)  If it really seems like he is plummeting, and especially if you are considering euthanasia, I would highly recommend you try a steroid shot or two first to see if they help.  I would give a dexamethasone shot, which is fast-acting, along with a longer-acting and slower-to-set-in shot of Depomedrol.  I think it is the combination of these shots that brought Simon back, at least temporarily, from the Precipice.   Take care, Michelle