[Felvtalk] seeking advice for treating FeLV positive old CKD cats with the new drugs

[I-Chun C. C. Chang]

Dear Felvalk friends,

I am very new to this group and was hoping to get some advice for the
treatment  about my currently very sick cat.

My cat is 16 years old, who came to the States with me 6 years ago. I got
her when she was 7 (she was abandoned by the previous house owner...)
After I got her, she was tested twice negative for FeLV and vaccinated for
four years. From then she has been a totally indoor cat. I later adopted
another cat,  who was also tested negative twice and vaccinated for three
years.  From then on, since they have been complete indoor apartment cats
with no exposure to other cats and the little one always got some reaction
to the vaccine, we stopped vaccinating them for FeLV.

Last Friday, my 16 years old cat was getting weak, my husband and I rushed
her to the ER and were told that she was in sever anemia (pcv less than
10%) due to her chronic kidney disease. Two blood transfusions has been
done, but her response to blood transfusions was poor. Doctors then
concerned that not only her red blood cell count is low, her white blood
cell count is also very low. So the doctors ran the FeLV test again on
Tuesday, and it came back positive (!!) (we also rushed our younger one for
test yesterday; but he stays negative, and we added a booster vaccine on
him).

We are getting our 16 years old back tonight. Doctors implicitly has
mentioned that FeLV has no cure, plus her Kidney situation (late stage
CKD), she may not live long... we were also suggested to consider putting
her into sleep soon. But I luckily found last night there is this emailist,
and on the website there are several drugs listed for possible treatment
plans: ImmunoRegulin, Acemannan, Interferon Alpha etc.

Do anyone in this emaillist have experience about treatment on old FeLV cat
with CKD by using these new drugs? If yes, may I learn your experience? I
really don't want to lose my girl in this way.I am getting my degree
soon, and do hope at least I can have her come back to my home country with
me...

Sorry for such a long email, and thank you very much!

I. Catherine
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Re: [Felvtalk] For Chang......Cat dying at home

[I-Chun C. C. Chang]

Thank you all very much  for the advice and thoughts!

Re Lorrie on Anemia: Thank you Lorrie for you advice. I don't want to lose
Meowko but understand beyond some point prolonging Meowko's life would be
cruel.While we have prepared for the worst (after reading suggestions
from this list, we have our vet's phone number to call for the "last
treatment" in house in case we see meowko shows any sign of struggling..),
we are still hoping for maintaining Meowko's quality of life for as long as
possible. Anemia is still considerably treatable as far as I learned from
mewoko's vet and our vet school friends, by using blood transfusions and
blood generative hormone Epogen. (We are now using both of the methods on
Meowko, we can't tell whether she is better on numbers until we see vet on
our next appointment, but she seems feeling better, jumping, dashing over
house today). I am very new to all these issues, but i am more than happy
to share with friends on this list our recent medical experience on anemia.

Re Margo (& Lee): Margo, I feel your worries, and I am in the same
situation: we have two cats, Mewoko and Jaja. Jaja has been tested three
times negative for now, but given we recently found Meowko is tested
positive, I have been worried to death. I can't bear the possibility that I
am going to lose my two babies in the same way... Upon Mewoko returned from
hospital last Wednesday, we tried to separate Jaja from Meowko. But our apt
is very small, which is almost impossible to fully separate two cats. And
we could also see how much Jaja missed Meowko when she was not at
homeso we at the end let them be with each other as they have always
been. One of my vet friend told me I should stop worry: from a professional
perspective, of course they should be separated; but it is also true that
too little has been know about why some cats get FeLV with no exposure
history, and why some never contract it. So either Jaja has already had it,
but it just because he is still young and very healthy (9 yrs younger than
Meowko) so that the virus is not actively presented in his system; or he
would never get it, if he hasn't got it from living with Meowko for the
past 7 years, sharing everything together. No matter which one is true, if
we can have Meowko, a FeLV positive cat, lives up to 16 years, there is no
reason Jaja can't reach this age. Thinking in this way makes me feel much
better.

-Catherine




On Sun, Apr 28, 2013 at 3:58 PM, Margo wrote:

>
>I think I agree with you. This is just so new, and
> was quite a shock. When it comes to the cats he's been with, I do
> understand that, as my Vet put it, "that ship has sailed". It's the need to
> add a cat to them that has me flummoxed. The more I "learn" (as there are
> so many differing stances, opinions, and conflicting results when it comes
> to FeLV) the more confused i get.
>
>
>
>You're right, I will find a way to live with it,
> I'm just not there yet. I've dealt with so many other issues (all the cats
> I kept were special needs of some kind or other, and considered
> un-adoptable) that I thought I had it all under control. Much of it is that
> I feel so helpless. There just isn't really anything with any kind of
> documented success rate, I can "DO" for him. My cabinet full of meds and
> very co-operatve Vet are just plain useless.
>
>
>
>Anyway, thanks for the input. I can just do what I
> can do.
>
>
>
> Margo
>
>
>
> -Original Message-
> From: Lee Evans **
> Sent: Apr 28, 2013 3:15 PM
> To: "felvtalk@felineleukemia.org" **
> Subject: Re: [Felvtalk] For Chang..Cat dying at home
>
> 
> You could drive yourself crazy worrying about all of that. I had two cats
> living in a group of 12 for over 13 years. When they were very old, they
> developed renal failure. I took them for sub-q therapy as I do all my renal
> compromised cats until I see that the situation has progressed beyond a
> good quality of life. However, Tigger and Twerp developed some other
> symptoms that were very odd. Twerp had been tested twice for FeLv, Tigger
> once in the past. The vet suggested another test. Both were positive and
> active in the virus. Both passed away several days after the test. The
> other 10 cats who had lived with them, groomed and been groomed by them,
> shared food, litter boxes and sleeping nests never tested positive. All are
> gone now, most living to age 14 and over, all from renal failure except one
> who had an ear tumor that progressed rapidly. He had to be euthanized
> because it was inoperable. I really feel that worrying and giving off
> negative feelings to the cats is going to do more harm than the exposure to
> the virus. You have to let go sometimes and leave it to the Universe to
> decide.
>
>
>
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Re: [Felvtalk] What to feed a finicky, sick kitten?

[I-Chun C. C. Chang]

Dear Amanda,

Here is a list of food I have been trying with my very picky Felv+, CRF
stage 4, 16 yrs old cat:

Can food:
Soulistic glee fish based cans (Petco store brand, the crf group finds that
it generally works works well to make cats to eat again)
AvoDerm Tuna&Crab
Fancy Feast, Classic tuna/salmon based can
Canyon Creek Ranch, Trout & Catfish
Weruva, Tuna & shirasu
Tiki cat, Tuna
BFF, Tuna Aspic
Simply nourish (Petsmart store brand), tuna & potato stew, salmon & chicken
stew, tuna & chicken stew

Treat: whole life
http://www.amazon.com/Whole-Life-Pet-Products-Natural/dp/B00ATWNJIY/ref=sr_1_4?s=pet-supplies&ie=UTF8&qid=1367545823&sr=1-4

If none of above works, I would probably try syringe feeding to maintain
Polli's weight. For our cat, after her weight was low to some point, she
just stopped eating. But after we brought her weight back this week, she
starts eating by herself again (even though her anemic level has been
almost the same, pcv 9%-12%). Other possibility is to ask vet to prescribe
appetite stimulants like Mirtazapine, which I heard works pretty well. The
CRF group has a page talking about how to tempt cats to eat, although it is
not particular for FeLV + cats, but the techniques mentioned work on our
cat.
http://www.felinecrf.org/persuading_cat_to_eat.htm

Hope this can help Polli...
Catherine



On Thu, May 2, 2013 at 9:11 PM, Amanda Payne wrote:

> Hello everyone!
>
> This is my first time using this forum :)
>
> I have a ten month old kitty, Polli, who was diagnosed with FeLV about two
> months ago.  At that time, she started licking the walls and our potted
> plants in addition increasing lethargy.  I took her to the vet where she
> was diagnosed with severe anemia related to FeLV.  We were told we'd have
> to assist her to the rainbow bridge within days of the diagnosis.
>  Thankfully, she's a fighter and is still with us.  However, her appetite
> has been cause for worry.  She's crazy about Temptations Treats and deli
> ham (I know, not the most nutritious diet but I'm thankful for anything she
> eats).  The last two days, though, she won't eat.  I've offered her baby
> food, Tiki Cat, Ziwi's wet food, lunch meat, tuna and her favorite treats
> but to no avail.  I understand that the end may be near but I want to give
> everything a shot before I make that call.
>
> So, my question is, what do you give your cat that they just can't say no
> to? I'd love and appreciate any suggestions!
>
> Thank you,
> -Amanda
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Re: [Felvtalk] New member from Nebraska

[I-Chun C. C. Chang]

Dear Marta,

While searching for possible treatments, you may want to at least consider
stopping using Metacam:
http://www.fda.gov/AnimalVeterinary/NewsEvents/CVMUpdates/ucm231254.htm
I personally know several cats died because of Metacam before other
diseases take them.
There are some alternative pain medications that your vet should be able to
provide you with.

with my best,
Catherine




On Fri, May 10, 2013 at 10:59 PM, Marta Gasper wrote:

> Hello, my name is Marta Gasper. I'm Homeless No More cat rescue director
> in Fairbury, Nebraska.
> One of my foster cats tested FeLV+ on the SNAP and a few months ago also
> positive on the IFA so he became our cat after he developed some disorders
> that'd make him hard to adopt.
> Previously we had a cat pulled from a hoarding situation who also was
> FeLV+ and some time before he succumbed  one of our foster kittens tested
> leuk +._ Our vet concluded he would have been infected when younger, he was
> tested after his uris kept returning; although we are no-kill and try to
> give them the best hospice care sometimes euthanasia is the best option.
>
> Back to Arlo, our former foster, he's been doing fairly well so other than
> being isolated he had no treatment. Last week almost overnight stopped
> eating and bled from his nose, also gagged on and off, making gargling,
> squishy noises. His mouth smells very bad, vet examined and said it looked
> good, mild gingivitis only, he guessed the odor would be from further
> lesions/masses down his throath._ In a few days and coincidentally he's
> developed bald spots that bleed and dark spots on his fur. Vet said those
> were bacterial and fungal infections. Right now he's on Clavamox and
> metacam and is starting to eat again, I suggested interferon_we did have a
> FIV+ with stomatitis and other problems that made a remarkable comeback on
> it_and he agreed to administer it though because Arlo has all these
> symptoms and because he knows we're on a limited budget he talked about
> considering the euthanasia alternative as Arlo won't get better.
> I understand but if there's a way to make him better I'd try it, don't
> know how much Interferon is right now etc.
>
> Question; I've read that some treatments don't work or are not used if the
> cat is past the second stage and/or has lymphoma. I don't know if and what
> cancer he has but he's defintely on 2nd stage..should I even try other
> treatments?
>
> And another question; we have a nebulizer, can we use it with Arlo, what
> treatments if so? Thank-you and thank-you for this list
> Marta
>
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[Felvtalk] inconsistent results from the snap and IFA tests

[I-Chun C. C. Chang]

Dear friends,

We earlier did a snap ELISA test for my 16 yrs old indoor late stage CKD
girl, Meowko, which was positive. But We just got her confirmatory IFA test
back on Thursday, which is negative. In order to confirm whether the first
snap test was false positive, we did the snap test again. The result was
still positive (although we were told that it is "slightly" positive, I am
not sure what this means...I guess it is like pregnancy test's faint line?
) Before all these tests, Meowko was tested twice negative when we adopted
her and received vaccines.

I was wondering if anyone on this list has experience with contradictory
results on snap and IFA tests? or if you have any thoughts on what we can
read out of these tests? Can the contradictory results provide any clues
for Meowko's current virus infection situation and therefore treatment
possibilities?

Any thoughts and advice are appreciated. Thank you very much.

with my best,
Catherine  (& Meowko)
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Re: [Felvtalk] Ember

[I-Chun C. C. Chang]

I have been using petflow for small brand and prescription food, including
tiki cat:
http://www.petflow.com/
Petflow ships quickly and has pretty good deals.


On Tue, May 14, 2013 at 5:22 PM,  wrote:

> -pet Original Message -
> From: Margo 
> To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org
> Sent: Sun, 12 May 2013 20:30:18 - (UTC)
> Subject: Re: [Felvtalk] Ember
> I've seen it listed at Chewy.com;
> http://www.chewy.com/cat/wet-food-389/tiki-cat
> and at Wags;
> http://www.wag.com/cat/p/tiki-cat-king-kamehameha-luau-variety-pack-146352
>
>
>
> Pet Supplies Plus carries many varieties and will order any they dont
> routinely have in stock.
> Too much fish for my FLUTD guys.
> >^..^<
> -Original Message-
> >From: dlg...@windstream.net
> >Sent: May 12, 2013 3:22 PM
> >To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org
> >Subject: Re: [Felvtalk] Ember
> >
> >Where do you get Tiki Cat? I have never seen it at Petsmart.
> >,
> > Lance  wrote:
> >> I may have discovered something that Ember likes even more than FF.
> Tiki Cat has two chicken formulas, and she adores both of those. I'm
> feeding her a 2.8 oz can a day, along with as much of a can of a different
> brand of food as she'll eat.
> >>
> >> On Apr 23, 2013, at 11:07 AM, Christiane Biagi 
> wrote:
> >>
> >> > Sometimes, you can mix in a little of another food w. the FF… Just a
> little, though—they figure it out and then turn up their noses! LOL
> >
> >
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[Felvtalk] Meowko passed, and interferon alpha 2b available

[I-Chun C. C. Chang]

Dear friends,

Thank you very much for the great support over the last several weeks.
Meowko is now an angel. She crossed the rainbow bridge on May 26th, around
8:45pm US eastern daylight saving time. Her passing was peaceful, but for
whole my family, our life would never be the same without her.

I can't stop thinking about the day I first met Meowko back in Taipei city,
Taiwan. It was not me who adopted Mewoko; it was Meowko who adopted me.
That was also a beautiful May day. She jumped into my window during
dinnertime demanding the fish entree in my bento. From that day, she came
every night, until one day she decided to stay and never left again. I
didn't know anything of cats back to that time. I was actually very afraid
of cats when I was little as in many Asian legends cats are evil. So I
turned to one of my friend's friend who I knew he took care of street cats
for years, asking tips about how to be a cat parent. This friend became my
boyfriend, later my husband.

Meowko traveled with us all the time, from Taiwan to the US 7yrs ago, and
from Minnesota to Connecticut last year, not to mention those shorter
trips/research trips over these years. She was good at taking airplanes,
riding for week-long road trip, and had always been calm in front of
anything. She was the perfect cat a geographer can ever dream for, and I
always believe herself was a cat geographer as well. We have always been
saying that she probably taught geography in feline schools when her humans
were in sleep.

We are going to arrange a witness of Meowko's cremation on Wednesday. She
will always in our hearts...She is survived by her two humans and her 7 yrs
old littermate, Jaja, who also jumped into our window several years later.

Although Meowko had been sick over these years as she was getting old, she
had a very good quality of life until the day before yesterday. She was
deeply loved by many people who knew her, from many places around the
world. I hope I could have had a little more time with her... I have
already missed her so terribly.

Along with some ckd medical supplies, Meowko left about 20 days' supply of
interferon alpha 2b oral liquid 100 IU/ml strength available (expiration
date, June 20th, 2013). If anyone needs it, we are in eastern Connecticut,
you’re welcome to pick it up or we can drop off in reasonable traveling
distance.  Or I can mail it to you, the only thing I ask would be that you
pay for the shipping as it requires cool pack overnight shipping.)

Please give your babies extra hugs for us. All the furry friends on this
listserv are strong fighters as Meowko. I am sorry to report back today
that Meowko didn't win her battle, but it doesn't mean others can't win.
With the knowledge and support from members on this listserv, there is
still have a very good chance. Please try as much as you can, and please
never give up hope. It is the most important lesson I learned from Meowko
and from the members here.

Thank you all very much again. (And particularily, Margo, your words for us
had encouraged us to go through the tough times...)

with my best,
Catherine and our little sweet angel, Meowko
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Re: [Felvtalk] Where to buy Interferon Alpha

[I-Chun C. C. Chang]

I got mine from the Roadrunner. I did also asked around local pharmacies,
and in fact most human compounding pharmacies can dilute interferon alpha
2b for you as long as you tell them the strength you want.

For the interferon alpha 2a (the Referon-A) it has been discontinued in the
States, but you can buy it overseas at pretty low price. I earlier
contacted the producer's offices in Japan and Taiwan, and both of them can
ship the medications into the States (you need prescription though). The
only issue is that the medication needs to be cool packed where mail
flights could take more than 2 days to arrive.

However, some animal international adoption programs from these two
countries regularly have volunteers bringing dogs to the States for
adoption through direct passenger flights (takes no more than 24 hours).
You could try to get in contact with them and their volunteers can help you
bring in the meds as long as you can persuade them it is for animal-itarian
reasons.

But given all these troubles, I simply went for interferon alpha 2b.

Catherine




On Wed, Jun 12, 2013 at 3:35 PM, Lance  wrote:

> I get Ember's interferon from Roadrunner, so they can.
>
> On Jun 12, 2013, at 2:34 PM, KG BarnCats  wrote:
>
> Others that compound I've used in the past include Diamondback,
> Roadrunner... not sure they all do Interferon.
>
>
>
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>
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