Re: New member introduction/questions
Welcome Sue and Shane! This is a tricky one. Dental health is very important. You would hate for your baby to overcome the rigors of fighting FeVL only to succumb to a debilitating and preventable illness caused by dental neglect. I am sure you are well aware of the potential serious health hazards of letting dental problems go unchecked... Three to four years is about right to get your first dental. People may disagree with me but I think that every other year there-after would be a good schedule for dentals for most cats. Don't ignore the dentals; they are very important. The type of equipment your vet has can have a lot to do with how long the dental will last -- along with, of course, the individual response and genetics of your cat. Some vets are better than others when it comes to dentals. My vet has some incredible state-of-the-art equipment (yes - even here in poh-dunk alabama) and they have made an impression on specialists throughout the state who have received patients from them for special care. there is a lot you can do yourself in regard to dental hygiene but i really don't think it compares to an ultrasonic scaling beneath the gum-line and all that they can do now for tartar build-up. I really think that your heart is the best judge of what to do in this situation. You know Shane better than anyone -- you know his status probably better than the vet does. With recent weight loss, however - my gut instinct says: wait. Even a pound of weight loss is a very large percentage of body weight for a cat. That being said - if you get him stabilized where he's at a good weight and his vitals are good - I think it would be beneficial to get the very best dental care if you want to prolong his life. Anything you could do to minimize stress, of course, would be wise...but you have to weigh the pros and cons based on what you know about Shane. The fact that most of his blood-work is on target is very promising. If it were my FeVL+ kitty...and I knew she was very stable and wasn't experiencing any current problems related to the disease -- I would take her for a dental in a heartbeat. I would be there with her every second they would let me and I would have it done on a Friday so that I could spend the weekend spoiling her rotten. The weight-loss bothers me though...if It were my baby...I think I might wait until he gained the weight back and had stabilized for a least a few weeks. I'm glad you decided to join us! We have a lot of very smart people on this list and I don't know what I would do without the people I've met here. elizabeth *Save the earth. It's the only planet with chocolate.* -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Sent: Thu, 7 Dec 2006 1:23 PM Subject: New member introduction/questions Hi Folks, I just joined this list after finding out that my cat, Shane, is FeLV positive. Shane is approximately 3-4 years old. I adopted him about 2 1/2 years ago from our local shelter. I did not have him tested at the time I adopted him, so there is no way to know how long he has been infected (he does spend some time outdoors, though there are few other cats that venture onto our property). In July, he started having a problem with his left eye, which my vet diagnosed as an ocular herpes infection. It took about three months to clear things up and it now appears that it may be coming back. During this time, we also noticed that Shane was developing pretty severe gingivitis that has progressed pretty rapidly. I took him in for a pre-dental blood test on Monday and that is when his FeLV positive status became known. The rest of his blood work was fine--most everything was within normal range. I now have to make a decision about whether to stress him with a dental procedure or just do nothing. On the one hand, the worsening gum disease will have a negative impact on his health but, on the other hand, my vet is concerned that the anesthetic and procedure could potentially create a health crisis as well. I also wonder how long the benefits of the dental would last, considering how fast the gum disease has progressed in just a few months' time. Basically, my vet has left it up to me and says there are arguments for (and against) either option. Shane is in good condition (though he had dropped about 3/4 of a pound since our last visit to the vet), his appetite is excellent and there are no other abnormalities that we have detected so far. Does anyone have any thoughts in regard to the dental? Also, I've been reading through the files regarding interferon alpha, immunoregulin, etc. At what point is it reasonable to consider using those treatments? Do you wait until the CBC starts to show problems (anemia or drop in WBCs, etc.)? I look forward to you input. Sue and Shane Jerome, AZ Check out the new AOL. Most comprehensiv
Re: torbutrol - is this safe for cats?
You can use valium in cats, I have done so in the past. It is not so much a sedative as it is more of a relaxer, meaning, they don't get unconscious, they just lay around any are more floppy. I gave it to my girl kitty when she had a severe Urinary Tract Infection, it lessened her urinary spasms and allowed her to rest (rather than staying in the litterbox straining and howling non-stop). I highly recommend it for that use. Phaewryn Please save Whitey! http://ucat.us/Whitey.html VT low cost Spay&Neuter, and Emergency Financial Assistance for cat owners: http://ucat.us/VermontLowCost.html Special Needs Cat Resources: http://ucat.us/domesticcatlinks.html
RE: New member introduction/questions
Junior's gingivitis cleared up with the immunoregulin treatments. I would say within two weeks. Update The URI seems better and I am able to put the erythromycin ointment in his eye. This I had left from when he was in an accident and his eye was damaged. The vet has yet to call me back. I called today and it seemed like the main message of getting something for Junior's eye went unread. I did leave here papers on the Alferon to read. She is not there tomorrow, so I may have to stop by and see what I can get. Best of luck with your kitty. Sally -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Susan Tillman Sent: Thursday, December 07, 2006 2:23 PM To: Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Subject: New member introduction/questions Hi Folks, I just joined this list after finding out that my cat, Shane, is FeLV positive. Shane is approximately 3-4 years old. I adopted him about 2 1/2 years ago from our local shelter. I did not have him tested at the time I adopted him, so there is no way to know how long he has been infected (he does spend some time outdoors, though there are few other cats that venture onto our property). In July, he started having a problem with his left eye, which my vet diagnosed as an ocular herpes infection. It took about three months to clear things up and it now appears that it may be coming back. During this time, we also noticed that Shane was developing pretty severe gingivitis that has progressed pretty rapidly. I took him in for a pre-dental blood test on Monday and that is when his FeLV positive status became known. The rest of his blood work was fine--most everything was within normal range. I now have to make a decision about whether to stress him with a dental procedure or just do nothing. On the one hand, the worsening gum disease will have a negative impact on his health but, on the other hand, my vet is concerned that the anesthetic and procedure could potentially create a health crisis as well. I also wonder how long the benefits of the dental would last, considering how fast the gum disease has progressed in just a few months' time. Basically, my vet has left it up to me and says there are arguments for (and against) either option. Shane is in good condition (though he had dropped about 3/4 of a pound since our last visit to the vet), his appetite is excellent and there are no other abnormalities that we have detected so far. Does anyone have any thoughts in regard to the dental? Also, I've been reading through the files regarding interferon alpha, immunoregulin, etc. At what point is it reasonable to consider using those treatments? Do you wait until the CBC starts to show problems (anemia or drop in WBCs, etc.)? I look forward to you input. Sue and Shane Jerome, AZ
RE: torbutrol - is this safe for cats?
How is valium - is it safer to use as a sedative? _ From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Thursday, December 07, 2006 4:28 PM To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Subject: Re: torbutrol - is this safe for cats? I think the patch is fentonyl, which my animals have had bad reactions to. Michelle In a message dated 12/6/2006 3:06:40 P.M. Eastern Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: I gave my cat torbutrol orally, but it might come in a patch too. On 12/6/06, Nina <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: That's the patch, right? I've had them with a couple of my animals. I think you have to be careful with the amount of med used with them. I ended up taking the patches off long before the recommended time. They made my guys dopey. Zevon seemed down right sick from his. I put them on oral pain meds instead so I could monitor the dose more carefully. Nina
Re: FW: unknown cause of Anemia - help!
For bone marrow biopsy they knock them out for a few minutes and aspirate the bone with a needle. Then wake them up. Simon had it and had no pain from it, and the only mark was a very tiny scab like a bug bite. Michelle In a message dated 12/6/2006 12:04:35 P.M. Eastern Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: From: Hideyo Yamamoto Sent: Wednesday, December 06, 2006 8:29 AM To: '[EMAIL PROTECTED]'; [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: unknown cause of Anemia - help! Hi, my ayumi’s PCV started going down again and don’t know why ---it’s been mid 20’s for the past several weeks and now right below 20 – we (the vet and I ) don’t have any ideas why – she is negative for felk or fiv – and she is negative for hemebartnella (sp) – she is scheduled for dental this week and am very nervous – could stomatitis cause anemia??(I I don’t think so) – how invasive is bone marrow biopsy and what doe they do exactly? Any insight is appreciate – her kidney function and al others are normal but high end normal
Re: torbutrol - is this safe for cats?
I think the patch is fentonyl, which my animals have had bad reactions to. Michelle In a message dated 12/6/2006 3:06:40 P.M. Eastern Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: I gave my cat torbutrol orally, but it might come in a patch too. On 12/6/06, Nina <[EMAIL PROTECTED] (mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]) > wrote: That's the patch, right? I've had them with a couple of my animals. I think you have to be careful with the amount of med used with them. I ended up taking the patches off long before the recommended time. They made my guys dopey. Zevon seemed down right sick from his. I put them on oral pain meds instead so I could monitor the dose more carefully. Nina
Re: New member introduction/questions
Hi and welcome. If dental is badly needed I would do it. Two of my positives had multiple teeth extracted and it went ok, though one got a URI from the stress of surgery that took a while to go away. But their teeth were so bad they could not eat without the extractions. I would immediately put him on 500 mg/day of lysine for herpes. For the gingivitis you might want to try a 5 day course of clindamycin, an antibiotic that is especially good for gums. My Patches stopped eating due to bad gingivitis but has felt fine since a course of clindamycin. The liquid is horrible tasting, though, so i would recommend pills. Michelle
Re: New member introduction/questions
I once had a vet that scaled cat's teeth without any sedatives or anesthesia. Those vets are hard to find, and he's since retired, but it's worth calling around your area and asking about. That would be the ideal solution. You can also try brushing at home, they make special cat toothpaste and toothbrushes. Personally, I wouldn't risk putting a FELV+ cat under anesthesia for a dental, the trade off is not worth the risks, IMO. Phaewryn Please save Whitey! http://ucat.us/Whitey.html VT low cost Spay&Neuter, and Emergency Financial Assistance for cat owners: http://ucat.us/VermontLowCost.html Special Needs Cat Resources: http://ucat.us/domesticcatlinks.html
New member introduction/questions
Hi Folks, I just joined this list after finding out that my cat, Shane, is FeLV positive. Shane is approximately 3-4 years old. I adopted him about 2 1/2 years ago from our local shelter. I did not have him tested at the time I adopted him, so there is no way to know how long he has been infected (he does spend some time outdoors, though there are few other cats that venture onto our property). In July, he started having a problem with his left eye, which my vet diagnosed as an ocular herpes infection. It took about three months to clear things up and it now appears that it may be coming back. During this time, we also noticed that Shane was developing pretty severe gingivitis that has progressed pretty rapidly. I took him in for a pre-dental blood test on Monday and that is when his FeLV positive status became known. The rest of his blood work was fine--most everything was within normal range. I now have to make a decision about whether to stress him with a dental procedure or just do nothing. On the one hand, the worsening gum disease will have a negative impact on his health but, on the other hand, my vet is concerned that the anesthetic and procedure could potentially create a health crisis as well. I also wonder how long the benefits of the dental would last, considering how fast the gum disease has progressed in just a few months' time. Basically, my vet has left it up to me and says there are arguments for (and against) either option. Shane is in good condition (though he had dropped about 3/4 of a pound since our last visit to the vet), his appetite is excellent and there are no other abnormalities that we have detected so far. Does anyone have any thoughts in regard to the dental? Also, I've been reading through the files regarding interferon alpha, immunoregulin, etc. At what point is it reasonable to consider using those treatments? Do you wait until the CBC starts to show problems (anemia or drop in WBCs, etc.)? I look forward to you input. Sue and Shane Jerome, AZ
Re: ear hematoma
I want to thank everyone for their great ideas! I'm going to talk to my vet about them and see what she can do without putting Boo under completely. I don't see why we can't do a lancing and stiches without putting him under anesthesia. But I guess it depends on what my vet is willing to do. I'll keep you updated! Linda Yahoo! Music Unlimited Access over 1 million songs. http://music.yahoo.com/unlimited
