Re: [Felvtalk] Please help! Anemic felv kitty, what can be done??
Sally, I think I saw your post to a LTCI thread on thecatsite.com. I recall the cat's name, Rumi, because that's my boy's name :-) He wasn't tested for myco and we are doing the doxy course just in case, so hopefully that helps the situation if he's infected. The difference I see in our Rumis is that mine not only has the immune mediated response, his bone marrow isn't producing enough red blood cells. I'm not sure the LTCI can bring him back from this, as much as I wish I was wrong about that. His platelet count is so very low, as well, and I've been advised to watch him closely for signs of hemorrhaging, which can be brought on by just about anything at this point. Everything I've read indicates that LTCI will buy maybe a few more months if the condition is severe. Not sure if your Rumi was infected as a kitten or adult, but age of onset dramatically impacts odds of recovery. My guy was born with it. I've started looking into Eastern medicine to help promote healthy bone marrow function. Not sure if it can help, but I doubt it can hurt. And maybe, just maybe, if meds and holistic therapies start to make a difference, it might be worth trying the LTCI. At this point I need some evidence, no matter how slight, that his body is capable of healing. On Sun, Mar 1, 2015 at 7:56 PM, Sally Dwyer wrote: > Hi there, > > Sounds like you are doing and have so much to help your little guy. I was > just curious to know if they have done a pcr to determine if there is a > mycoplasma? I know you are treating presumptively with Doxy for this, but > it would be good to know. > > My guy, Rumi had a pcv of 8 three days after we got him from the SPCA - > he did have a mycoplasma and was also diagnosed with felv and fiv as well > as immune mediated hymoltic anemia. He is still with us 2 + years latter. > We gave him doxy, 10 mg of prednislone a day and a gastro protectant. His > PCV climbed very slowly over the course of 3 weeks. The transfusions were > necessary even though I remember feeling like we were pouring water into a > bucket with a hole in it. We crossed our fingers and prayed that the doxy > and pred would eventually seal up "the hole." > > We started LTCI a year latter (wish I had started sooner) when he went IFA > (in the bone marrow) positive. I live in Canada and the internists we were > working with were very negative about LTCI and had me sign a statement > acknowledging that they did not recommend using it.6 months latter we had > him tested again and he was IFA negative!!! > > I have used Dr. Donna Spector as a consultant . She is extremely > competent - consults with upwards of (40 vets a day) and she recommended > the LTCI. You can check out her website - she will look at all the medical > records, do a phone consult with you and also talk to/make recommendations > to your vet. I find her to be a wonderful combination of very sharp and > compassionate as well as affordable. She has often picked up on things > that other vets have missed and I continue to run lab results by her > > Terry Beardsly, director and discoverer of LTCI is also very > approachable. He has lots of documented cases of cats responding very > quickly in terms of PCV numbers ( in a couple of days). Perhaps you can > give him a call at Tcyte (800 483-2104 ext 88) and get his > recommendations. His wife Gale does the ordering end of things and they > have shipped to my vet same day. I kind of figure at this point you don't > have a lot to lose. > > Hope this is helpful and I will keep you in my thoughts, > > Sally > > > > > > On Friday, February 27, 2015 3:01 PM, N. E. Juskowich > wrote: > > > Time is of the essence for us and I need to know if there's something else > that can be done for my sweet little just-turned-one-year-old boy. He had > a PCV of 12% and received a blood transfusion, his PCV went up a little, > then back down, then up to 17% over the course of 24 hours. He was put on > 7.5 mg. prednisone, 25 mg. mycophenolate, 18.75 mg. plavix (to prevent > clots from the pred/mycophenolate combo), 25 mg. doxycycline (in case of > mycoplasma infection), and 5 mg. famotidine to prevent GI issues from the > pred. > > His anemia is currently non-regenerative with two most likely potential > causes: he was agglutination positive, a sign of immune mediated red blood > cell destruction; he may have leukemia in the marrow. We did not do a bone > marrow aspirate because cancer would be too advanced at this stage, the > severe anemia indicating this to be the case. The doctor said it could > take a few days of immunosuppressant therapy for the bone marrow to > respond. > > Two days after the PCV of 17% we had a recheck and it is now down to 14%. > He is going to receive another transfusion. > > I need to know as quickly as possible: Is there anything else that can be > done at this stage? I was looking into treatment with TCyte (LTCI), but my > vet said it would be a waste of time and money. I'd read on
Re: [Felvtalk] Please help! Anemic felv kitty, what can be done??
Hi there, Sounds like you are doing and have so much to help your little guy. I was just curious to know if they have done a pcr to determine if there is a mycoplasma? I know you are treating presumptively with Doxy for this, but it would be good to know. My guy, Rumi had a pcv of 8 three days after we got him from the SPCA - he did have a mycoplasma and was also diagnosed with felv and fiv as well as immune mediated hymoltic anemia. He is still with us 2 + years latter. We gave him doxy, 10 mg of prednislone a day and a gastro protectant. His PCV climbed very slowly over the course of 3 weeks. The transfusions were necessary even though I remember feeling like we were pouring water into a bucket with a hole in it. We crossed our fingers and prayed that the doxy and pred would eventually seal up "the hole." We started LTCI a year latter (wish I had started sooner) when he went IFA (in the bone marrow) positive. I live in Canada and the internists we were working with were very negative about LTCI and had me sign a statement acknowledging that they did not recommend using it.6 months latter we had him tested again and he was IFA negative!!! I have used Dr. Donna Spector as a consultant . She is extremely competent - consults with upwards of (40 vets a day) and she recommended the LTCI. You can check out her website - she will look at all the medical records, do a phone consult with you and also talk to/make recommendations to your vet. I find her to be a wonderful combination of very sharp and compassionate as well as affordable. She has often picked up on things that other vets have missed and I continue to run lab results by her Terry Beardsly, director and discoverer of LTCI is also very approachable. He has lots of documented cases of cats responding very quickly in terms of PCV numbers ( in a couple of days). Perhaps you can give him a call at Tcyte (800 483-2104 ext 88) and get his recommendations. His wife Gale does the ordering end of things and they have shipped to my vet same day. I kind of figure at this point you don't have a lot to lose. Hope this is helpful and I will keep you in my thoughts, Sally On Friday, February 27, 2015 3:01 PM, N. E. Juskowich wrote: Time is of the essence for us and I need to know if there's something else that can be done for my sweet little just-turned-one-year-old boy. He had a PCV of 12% and received a blood transfusion, his PCV went up a little, then back down, then up to 17% over the course of 24 hours. He was put on 7.5 mg. prednisone, 25 mg. mycophenolate, 18.75 mg. plavix (to prevent clots from the pred/mycophenolate combo), 25 mg. doxycycline (in case of mycoplasma infection), and 5 mg. famotidine to prevent GI issues from the pred. His anemia is currently non-regenerative with two most likely potential causes: he was agglutination positive, a sign of immune mediated red blood cell destruction; he may have leukemia in the marrow. We did not do a bone marrow aspirate because cancer would be too advanced at this stage, the severe anemia indicating this to be the case. The doctor said it could take a few days of immunosuppressant therapy for the bone marrow to respond. Two days after the PCV of 17% we had a recheck and it is now down to 14%. He is going to receive another transfusion. I need to know as quickly as possible: Is there anything else that can be done at this stage? I was looking into treatment with TCyte (LTCI), but my vet said it would be a waste of time and money. I'd read on a forum that a severely anemic felv kitty responded very well to the drug and I would've been willing to give it a shot. My vet is of the opinion that I should not have bothered with this second transfusion (he had to go to emergency hospital for it) and the TCyte is "hogwash". I'm sitting here feeling hopeless and wondering if this really is the end and what do I do now if he doesn't respond to the transfusion. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. No sugar coating necessary, but please be gentle. If nothing can be done, what can I do for him to keep him happy and comfortable? Will he need euthanized or will he pass peacefully? ___ 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
Re: [Felvtalk] Please help! Anemic felv kitty, what can be done??
I'd just like everyone to know how much your responses have meant to me and my sick little boy. Thank you so much for taking the time to share your experiences and knowledge. The second transfusion barely made a dent in his HCT and now I come to learn that his platelet count is abysmally low. No one is feeling very positive about his chances for recovery, so we're mostly focusing on palliative care and holistic treatment at this time. He gave me a very eloquent Look and lengthy plaintive meow right after he got home from the hospital that clearly said, "Mom, please don't put me through that again." I want his final days to be about love and comfort, not stress and needles, so we aren't going to try a third transfusion. He is starting to feel the illness now, spends most of the day sleeping, still has a good appetite and takes interest in the view from his perches. He's spending more time cuddling up with me; I don't know if it's because he knows now that he's unwell or he's trying to comfort mom. I try to hold it together and send peaceful vibes to him, but sometimes my emotions get the better of me. Condolences to everyone who's lost a kitty (or kitties) to this horrible disease. On Fri, Feb 27, 2015 at 3:00 PM, N. E. Juskowich wrote: > Time is of the essence for us and I need to know if there's something else > that can be done for my sweet little just-turned-one-year-old boy. He had > a PCV of 12% and received a blood transfusion, his PCV went up a little, > then back down, then up to 17% over the course of 24 hours. He was put on > 7.5 mg. prednisone, 25 mg. mycophenolate, 18.75 mg. plavix (to prevent > clots from the pred/mycophenolate combo), 25 mg. doxycycline (in case of > mycoplasma infection), and 5 mg. famotidine to prevent GI issues from the > pred. > > His anemia is currently non-regenerative with two most likely potential > causes: he was agglutination positive, a sign of immune mediated red blood > cell destruction; he may have leukemia in the marrow. We did not do a bone > marrow aspirate because cancer would be too advanced at this stage, the > severe anemia indicating this to be the case. The doctor said it could > take a few days of immunosuppressant therapy for the bone marrow to > respond. > > Two days after the PCV of 17% we had a recheck and it is now down to 14%. > He is going to receive another transfusion. > > I need to know as quickly as possible: Is there anything else that can be > done at this stage? I was looking into treatment with TCyte (LTCI), but my > vet said it would be a waste of time and money. I'd read on a forum that a > severely anemic felv kitty responded very well to the drug and I would've > been willing to give it a shot. My vet is of the opinion that I should not > have bothered with this second transfusion (he had to go to emergency > hospital for it) and the TCyte is "hogwash". I'm sitting here feeling > hopeless and wondering if this really is the end and what do I do now if he > doesn't respond to the transfusion. > > Any advice would be greatly appreciated. No sugar coating necessary, but > please be gentle. If nothing can be done, what can I do for him to keep > him happy and comfortable? Will he need euthanized or will he pass > peacefully? > ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
