[Felvtalk] Spanky - first IV chemo today
Hi: PLease send some healing thoughts and purrayers for Spanky today - he has his first chemo - vincristine. Paws crossed everything goes well. He's FELV+, age 13, mediastinal cranial mass - lymphoblastic large cell lymphoma dx'ed recently with the mass. I am worried about all the odds, side effects etc. but like everyone has said - you won't know if it will work until you try. Oncologist gave us 4 options and recommended the UW-Madison CHOP protocol. So here we go...very nervously! Thanks. Purrs, Stacy and Spanky stacy_zac...@yahoo.com ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
[Felvtalk] Subject: Re: Spanky has large cell lymphoma
Thank you for your replies Belinda. We are on the lymphoma list - this is kind of what convinced me to take him to the oncologist today to see what she thought. She basically said that given his status, chemo (various protocols) could buy him 2-3 more months on average and that 50% of cats statistically will do better than that and some worse and of course that all cats may respond differently. We have an appt Monday for the first chemo IV (UW Madison CHOP protocol) but I can cancel it also. I am going to think on this over the weekend. The main thing is that he has quality of life. Last week on Tues and Wed I thought he was dying on me. A week of prenisolone, he is a different cat for the better. I know that won't last unless I try something else like chemo or other treatment. I don't have any false hopes. I can just say I'm grateful for all the feedback you've given and that everyone on this group has given us. It helps so much that you don't feel like you are going through it alone (unfortunate that we all have to be here though because of the circumstances). I know I need to decide by Monday if he's going through the chemo or not because his form is aggressive and the cells will become smart to the prednisolone. So far just from the pred, the tumor shrank about 30%. The vet was hoping for more but the fact that it did respond was good she said. His cancer is a mediastinal cranial mass just behind his armpit - it originally was about 2.5cm and shrank 30% at least whatever that is in size now. Purrs, Spanky and Stacy --- Message: 1 Date: Thu, 02 Dec 2010 10:34:24 -0800 From: Belinda Sauro ma...@bemikitties.com To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Subject: Re: [Felvtalk] Spanky has large cell lymphoma Message-ID: 4cf7e6b0.6050...@bemikitties.com Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8; format=flowed Stacy, I don't know if you already are on the feline lymphoma list but if you aren't i would suggest it, it is a wonderful list for support and treatment options. You can find it here if you are interested: http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/feline_lymphoma/ ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
[Felvtalk] Subject: Re: Spanky has large cell lymphoma
Thank you so much Bonnie. We will definitely try to keep positive! Stacy Message: 2 Date: Thu, 2 Dec 2010 12:28:57 -0800 From: Bonnie Hogue ho...@sonic.net To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Message-ID: 7054d177eace44d48271050dd0f23...@bonnietkude96r Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset=iso-8859-1; reply-type=original Stacy Spanky Stay firm in your positive thoughts, making the best of all options. Your love will see you through! Long life and happiness to you both. ~Bonnie stacy_zac...@yahoo.com ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
[Felvtalk] Subject: Re: Spanky has large cell lymphoma
Oh Dawn I am so sorry about your little Buddy Cat (I actually call Spanky little Buddy!) Your poor baby was too young to go through all of that - I'll never understand the rhyme or reason for things like this to happen. It sounds like your little Buddy was so lucky to have found you. I am so sorry about your vet manhandling him. My vet didn't even want to tap Spanky and suggested I go to the ER to have them do it where they do it all the time so we did that earlier this week. I hope in time you will heal when you think of Buddy even though I know how difficult and painful it has to be to remember it all. Thank you for sharing your story with us. Message: 3 Date: Thu, 2 Dec 2010 15:48:12 -0500 From: Dawn Bartholomew dba...@ptd.net To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Message-ID: aa7aad37234f406da7ebdb929ff0e...@dawnpc Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset=iso-8859-1; reply-type=original Stacy, I joined this group several months ago, and as sad as this is, all the FeLV+ with lymphoma die in a short period of time. My little Buddy Cat was just over a year old when he died 9/23/10. He was a stray we got when he was 6 weeks old 9/09 and was very sickly. He recouped real quick. At this time I knew nothing of FeLV or lymphoma. 12/09 he was neutered and did great. In June 2010 he had 2 large lymph nodes and was diagnosed with FeLV. July, August September, we did absolutely everything not even weighing out the financial cost. We truly loved this kitty and he was very special. We tried LCTI, interferon, homeopathic, lasix, rutin, vitamins and chemo. He had a will to live and didn't want to die. His chest filled up with fluid several times and I had him tapped. The last time I took him to be tapped the vet killed him, she manhandled him. The chemo, pred and LCTI did help, but even with chemo it only extends the life for a short time. Felv + with lymphoma is a double whammy. I think one without the other is treatable and they can live much longer. I am sorry to seems so cold about this, my heart is still very broken 2 1/2 months later. We would have spent/did anyhting to save our Buddy Cat. Dawn ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
[Felvtalk] Subject: Re: Spanky has large cell lymphoma
Hi Sharyl - thank you for your reply. Excellent point on the nutrition. I actually supplement his food with assist feeding meat only baby food (beechnut) and I have an issue with him being super picky about canned foods. He will only seem to eat one flavor of Wellness! I often put the flavors he doesn't like in my food processor and blend it down so I can syringe some to him in addition to what he's eating. I will look at some kitten food for him too. Do you know offhand of some higher calorie canned foods I could look at getting him? I will check out the assist feeding group. Thanks so much Stacy Message: 7 Date: Thu, 2 Dec 2010 14:30:02 -0800 (PST) From: Sharyl cline...@yahoo.com To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Message-ID: 958945.16656...@web36901.mail.mud.yahoo.com Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 Stacy, you've gotten lots of advise on treating the lymphoma. I just wanted to add the importance of feeding Spanky. Cancer cells consume a lot of calories. Spanky will need 1 1/2 to 2 times his normal calories to help him fight the cancer. You may need to increase the amount you assist feed him to get the calories into him. You can use higher calories canned foods, add meat baby food (no onions or garlic) to his canned foods, try some high calorie kitten foods, etc. to increase the calories per oz of food. There is a Yahoo Assist Feeding group that may be of help. http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/Feline-Assisted-Feeding/ You both are in our thoughts and prayers Sharyl --- On Thu, 12/2/10, Stacy Zacher stacy_zac...@yahoo.com wrote: From: Stacy Zacher stacy_zac...@yahoo.com Subject: [Felvtalk] Spanky has large cell lymphoma To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Date: Thursday, December 2, 2010, 11:31 AM Hi everyone: ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
[Felvtalk] Subject: Re: Spanky has large cell lymphoma
Thanks Melinda, I appreciate your feedback. Yes, I feel like what have I got to lose at this point...(besides my $ which doesn't mean anything compared to him). I am very lucky to live near the ER vet clinic which has specialists and the oncologist just started last week replacing one who moved awayso she spent 1.5+ hours with us discussing options today and getting to know Spanky and his history. Which chemo protocol is Fuji on? Are you on the lymphoma list also? Several people use the AC-11 by Solgar for the kitties to increase the WBC. I bought some and my vet wanted to see some info on it. Let me know if you want more info. Good luck to you and Fuji also.Sending healing waves to you!!! Thanks again Stacy and Spanky Message: 8 Date: Fri, 03 Dec 2010 09:16:00 +0900 From: Melinda Kerr msk...@me.com To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Subject: Re: [Felvtalk] Spanky has large cell lymphoma Message-ID: 36a7ada8-c5c3-4cff-a860-41bca4e40...@me.com Content-Type: text/plain; CHARSET=US-ASCII Stacy, I am sorry to hear your outcome. Since I am currently going through the same thing I can understand all of your concerns. It looks like his WBC count is OK, my vet would definitely do a treatment with it that high! You have the added benefit of having an oncologist at your disposal. If she recommends a chemo protocol, I would definitely give it a try. As someone else said, you really don't have anything to lose. Through all of my research, I have found that because the chemo is such a low dose, it causes very few immediate side affects. At best, you will shrink the tumor and prolong his life, making him more comfortable in the process. At worst, it won't work and he will continue as is causing you to possibly have to make a decision about letting him go. As someone who has had a positive experience, I highly encourage the chemo. Only you and Spanky can decide what is best for him. I've heard many people say that he will let you know when he is ready to move on. As for myself and my Fuji cat, I believe I may be learning as well. She was due to go in today to have her blood tested, which the vet does by starting an IV (she doesn't much care for it.) If her WBC count is high enough she would get another treatment. Historically, over the last 2 months that count has been very low. Right now she is eating, playing, purring and last night even slept with my husband and I (she only does that when she feels good!) I have decided to wait until next week to take her in. It will give her a longer recovery period, increasing her chances of having another treatment. Otherwise, she would go through the test for nothing and have to return in 10 days for another test. In the past, I've rushed to get her in hoping for the best and being disappointed when she couldn't be treated. I think she will be happier this way. I wish you the best of luck. Melinda, Fuji and baby VooDoo ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
[Felvtalk] Spanky has large cell lymphoma
Hi everyone: (cross posting on the lists we belong to). Just a follow-up to the biopsy and post yesterday. I want to thank everyone for all the help and support during this time. It means more than you know. The vet called last night and the pathologist's analysis confirmed what she initially thought - Spanky has large cell lymphoma or she called it lymphoblastic. She thought his blood results weren't bad for his status. She talked to the oncologist about his case also and the onc. wants to see him tomorrow morning to discuss chemo options since I want to try to treat this/ buy him some more time. I know the aggressive chemo protocol is more the IV chemo plus pill but I'm wary of doing that to his body right now. I would really appreciate thoughts on types of chemo for this type of lymphoma - large cell lymphoma for his mediastinal cranial mass (maybe about 2cm now instead of 2.5cm when we started prednisolone). He's not eating as well as he should either and steadily losing weight even though he seems to eat overnight well and I syringe food him too. We didn't test the cells to see if they T or B cells. The vet said it varies but they normally follow the UW Madison protocol for treating this type - Cyclophosphamide, prednisolone and the vincristine. I want him to have quality of life over suffering bad side effects. I know someone wrote that the lymphoma makes them sicker than chemo so I'm keeping that in mind as well. We discussed vincristine iv or pill form or doing IV+pill. I'm just worried about aggressive treatment since he's losing weight, weaker, FELV+, early HCM, and is not young strong kitty. He's aged about 10 years in 1 year it seems! So much to consider and so confusing! Please send us healing thoughts any any advice you can before our appt tomorrow morning. I found an interesting chart on the various protocols from a vet site but am not sure if I can post the link? Purrs, Stacy and Spanky Re: Spanky - blood test/ultrasound - patiently waiting for biopsy re Posted by: stacy_zacher stacy_zac...@yahoo.com stacy_zacher Wed Dec 1, 2010 3:17 pm (PST) (cross posting on the lists we belong to). Thanks to everyone for all the purrayers and sending healing thoughts for Spanky. I'm still waiting for the vet to get his biopsy results back and call me. She said it could be today or tomorrow. We got there at 9:30am yesterday, they did a blood panel, quick ultrasound to see if the mass was still there. It was :-(. Regarding his blood test results - everything except his WBC and related counts were normal last time (about a month ago). This time his liver values are elevated slightly AST is 55 (range 14-54), ALT is 147 (range 26-128)(from pred?), wbc is up from 2400 to 6(from pred?), ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
[Felvtalk] waiting for Spanky's biopsy results
Thanks to everyone for all the purrayers and sending healing thoughts for Spanky. I'm still waiting for the vet to get his biopsy results back and call me. She said it could be today or tomorrow. We got there at 9:30am yesterday, they did a blood panel, quick ultrasound to see if the mass was still there. It was :-(. Regarding his blood test results - everything except his WBC and related counts were normal last time (about a month ago). This time his liver values are elevated slightly AST is 55 (range 14-54), ALT is 147 (range 26-128)(from pred?), wbc is up from 2400 to 6(from pred?), phosphorus seems very low at 2.2(range 2.7-7.5) (which I've read isn't really an issue?) and his Red blood cells (4.86 and range is 5.8-11.00) and hematocrit (was 32 last time, now 26.1 and range is 28-47)are down again just below normal. Also low were the lymphocyte absolute# at 0.31 (range 1.00-7.90) and eosinophil absolute# at 0.00 (range 0.10-2.00). It says rare giant platelets are present. In the vet's report, all it says is that she did the fine needle aspirate and also took fluids from his chest for analysis. The slides she reviewed did have concerning cells that are most likely lymphoma but there are some other cells she's not sure of without the pathologist looking at them. She said from the ultrasound the tumor shrank about 30-40% from the prednisolone but it was still there. So that wasn't a good sign to her. Isn't that a good thing if the tumor shrinks? How long does it take to eradicate it if prednisolone alone would do that or is that unlikely? So we are just waiting. Spanky did so well (they had to sedate him for the procedure) and was there all day. I picked him up and he gobbled food and drank water and was wound up. He finally settled down and rested. How long can he stay on prednisolone? He's been on it a week today and tolerates it very well. He's just so thin now - down to 8.25 lbs from 8.8 last week (maybe due to fluids being removed?). Based on what she finds the type of tumor he has, I'll go from there as far as what kind of treatment. I guess I am wondering how long he would have with just prednisolone, or if we did leukeran and pred or the vincristine/pred. I was looking at the route with the least side effects given his felv+ status. Then again, I am entirely speculating that he has lymphoma and still not sure if he does or what type. If anyone has any ideas to try to help the liver values - I posted in the past about adenosyl and not sure about milk thistle...but had never had to use either on him yet. He's on 5mg of prednisolone 2x a day, 250 mg rutin 2x a day (to try to reduce fluids in his chest), 15mg CoQ10 per day, 1ML of pet-tinic 2x a day currently. Thanks so much for reading my ramblings and thanks again for all your support. Stacy and Spanky ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
[Felvtalk] Spanky - blood test/ultrasound possible biopsy tomorrow
Hi everyone: The specialist we saw last week called today to discuss Spanky's case/next steps after our visit last week. I told her how improved he was taking the prednisolone (running up the steps a lot and trying to run outside as well). I told her I was interested in further diagnosis/treatment at this point since he is doing so well and I know that could be very temporary. So, the plan is to take him in there tomorrow and they will do bloodwork (he is due), do an ultrasound and see the mass again and if he still has fluids in his chest. She said the pred can put them into remission quickly but it can be short-term. He's only been on it since last Wed but it is amazing how much better he feels on it. If they still see a mass, they will sedate him and take a piece and analyze. THey do in house analysis but if they question what they see, they will send out as well and that takes 24 hours to get the results back. Then depending on the analysis, we will figure out what type of treatment for him besides prednisolone if necessary. Please send healing thoughts and purrayers for him tomorrow. Given his FELV+ status, I'm most worried about them taking a piece of him/sedation and risk of infection but wishing for a miracle and no more cranial mediastinal 2.5cm mass. He's been on prednisolone 5mg 2x per day, pet-tinic 1ml 2x per day, rutin 250mg 2x per day and coq10 15mg per day with salmon oil. (I'm crossposting to the various lists we are on.) Thanks everyone. Stacy and Spanky stacy_zac...@yahoo.com ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
[Felvtalk] Subject: Re: Spanky - fluid in chest - mediastinal tumor in chest
Hi Melinda: I am sorry about Fuji's mass but so happy she responded to chemo. What chemo did you give her? I recently joined the lymphoma list and for Spanky's type of mass (that has yet to be confirmed by biopsy) many have success with prednisoline and leukeran and some are using ac-11 to boost the white blood cells. I have a call into his oncologist/internal med specialist to see what she thinks about putting him on the leukeran. He is doing well on the pred - eating better and even ran up the stairs today which he hasn't done in many weeks. Purraying your Fuji continues to do well and thank you for sharing her story and success. Stacy and Spanky Message: 5 Date: Sat, 27 Nov 2010 23:11:24 +0900 From: Melinda Kerr msk...@me.com To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Message-ID: 255f926b-47f4-4aab-94ce-0148adf35...@me.com Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Stacy, My kitty Fuji is almost 18 months old. In July, she was diagnosed with FeLV and a mediastinal mass. Very little effort was spent diagnosing her, but the final conclusion was lymphoma because of the presence of FeLV. At that time, all I wanted was to make her more comfortable. She responded immediately to the chemotherapy treatment that she received. She continued to receive 4 more treatments at 10+ day intervals over the next couple of months. During that time she showed absolutely no side affects. The treatments were discontinued because her WBC count was too low (because of the FeLV) for our Japanese vet to feel he could safely do them considering the mass was completely gone. Since her last treatment in September, she has had two rounds of antibiotics for minor infections (I took her in for sneezing the first time.) Last week, I took her in with vomiting and discovered the mass had returned. Second remissions are supposed to be extremely hard to obtain. However, Fuji responded immediately once again to the treatment. A week later, she eats, plays, purrs and does everything she did before. She definitely acts like a more mature cat, but of course she is. We will follow up next week with additional blood tests to see if she can get a second treatment. I know every cat is different, but I never expected to have 4+ more months with my baby. She is still alive and doing pretty good for an FeLV cat with lymphoma! Best of luck to you and Spanky. Melinda, Fuji and VooDoo On Nov 27, 2010, at 11:35 AM, Stacy Zacher wrote: Hi Sharyl: Thanks to you and everyone on this list for your replies and purrayers. . I'm so sorry about your sweet Albert but glad you had the 1.5 years with him. It's been quite a week for us - Spanky went to his vet, then the internal med specialist/oncologist and was diagnosed with a mediastinal tumor in his chest, thus the fluids. My vets too said a few days only if I didn't do something. So I put him on prednisolone for now and may do a stronger round of something to try to kill the tumor. But I know it is dicey with his FELV + status/symptoms. I can't even think straight...but have to try to keep helping him. He made it through Thanksgiving and we are taking it one day (one hour!) at a time. Purrs, Stacy and Spanky Message: 8 Date: Tue, 23 Nov 2010 22:49:46 -0800 (PST) From: Sharyl cline...@yahoo.com To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Subject: Re: [Felvtalk] Spanky - fluid in chest Message-ID: 948524.42923...@web36904.mail.mud.yahoo.com Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 I'm so sorry to read Spanky now has this problem. There is a Yahoo heart group that may help. http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/feline-heart/ Did your vet give Spanky any Lasix? It does help reduce the fluid. My sweet Albert went into CHF and was dx with severe HCM. When he went into CHF the vet gave him days/wks to live. He was lasix for 1 1/2 yrs before his little heart gave out. It is something to try. Sharyl --- On Tue, 11/23/10, Stacy Zacher stacy_zac...@yahoo.com wrote: From: Stacy Zacher stacy_zac...@yahoo.com Subject: [Felvtalk] Spanky - fluid in chest To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Date: Tuesday, November 23, 2010, 8:58 PM Hi: I am crossposting this message also. I urgently need advice on my kitty, Spanky (FELV+, early Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy).? I noticed over the weekend and week he started feeling worse and that his respiration rate ?seemed to be higher than normal (he is usually about 18 ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
Re: [Felvtalk] Spanky - fluid in chest
Hi Sharyl: Thanks to you and everyone on this list for your replies and purrayers. . I'm so sorry about your sweet Albert but glad you had the 1.5 years with him. It's been quite a week for us - Spanky went to his vet, then the internal med specialist/oncologist and was diagnosed with a mediastinal tumor in his chest, thus the fluids. My vets too said a few days only if I didn't do something. So I put him on prednisolone for now and may do a stronger round of something to try to kill the tumor. But I know it is dicey with his FELV + status/symptoms. I can't even think straight...but have to try to keep helping him. He made it through Thanksgiving and we are taking it one day (one hour!) at a time. Purrs, Stacy and Spanky Message: 8 Date: Tue, 23 Nov 2010 22:49:46 -0800 (PST) From: Sharyl cline...@yahoo.com To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Subject: Re: [Felvtalk] Spanky - fluid in chest Message-ID: 948524.42923...@web36904.mail.mud.yahoo.com Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 I'm so sorry to read Spanky now has this problem. There is a Yahoo heart group that may help. http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/feline-heart/ Did your vet give Spanky any Lasix? It does help reduce the fluid. My sweet Albert went into CHF and was dx with severe HCM. When he went into CHF the vet gave him days/wks to live. He was lasix for 1 1/2 yrs before his little heart gave out. It is something to try. Sharyl --- On Tue, 11/23/10, Stacy Zacher stacy_zac...@yahoo.com wrote: From: Stacy Zacher stacy_zac...@yahoo.com Subject: [Felvtalk] Spanky - fluid in chest To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Date: Tuesday, November 23, 2010, 8:58 PM Hi: I am crossposting this message also. I urgently need advice on my kitty, Spanky (FELV+, early Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy).? I noticed over the weekend and week he started feeling worse and that his respiration rate ?seemed to be higher than normal (he is usually about 18 ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
[Felvtalk] Subject: Re: Spanky Fluid in chest
Thank you so much Jenny. I am waiting for calls from the vet about the rutin and spironolactone. If they have to put him under for a tap, I'm not really sure he would survive anesthesia.I'm just looking to try to provide him some comfort and reduce this fluid. Stacy -Original Message- From: felvtalk-boun...@felineleukemia.org [mailto:felvtalk-boun...@felineleukemia.org] On Behalf Of jbero tds.net Sent: Wednesday, November 24, 2010 8:39 AM To: Stacey, Fluid buildup in the chest is common in heart failure. The quick and dirty thing to do is tap. There are always risks with this, including but not limited to, anesthesia complications, hemorrhage, and to me the most dreaded is flash pulmonary edema. This occurs if the fluid is removed to quickly. Vets are not trained like internists in human medicine so I would be concerned about this possibility. Other causes of pulmonary effusion (fluid in chest) include, FIP, pneumonia, lymphoma, other neoplasm. Given the HCM, I would favor heart failure. The diuretics are not a bad idead. We use it in human medicine, but works better for pulmonary edema (fluid in the lungs) than pleural effusion (fluid around the lungs), but is still used for this. You could certainly try the diuretc and if his condition does not improve within a day or two, or if his condition worsens, you could do a tap. If you only tap hiim, the fluid can easily reaccumulate Note of caution with diuretics - don't use in kidney failure. I would also give coenzymeQ to help with heart function. The concerning thing to me is the rapid heart rate as diuresing him couldl cause this to continue to increase. This could result in arrhythmia. I think that is a risk you need to take, however, Unless you want to get into things like beta-blockers to slow the heart down, Again you have to be careful as slowing the heart down could increase the heart failure symptoms. Do you know if his blood pressure is okay? If it were me, I'd probably start diuretcs immediately, add coQ, pet-tinic (just in case he's anemic which would make his heart work harder) and do a search on any other alternative supplements to help heart function in hcm cats. If the situation got worse, I would default to a tap. Other supplements - make sure there's taurine in the diet (do you feed homemade meals - taurine deficiency is associated with cardiomyopathy (usually though diliated) - 250-500 mg daily supplement - should see improvement in 2-3 weeks. Caritine supplement - more helfpul in dogs, but couldn't hurt, don't have the recommended dose for cats. found in beef more than chicken or turkey, also in dairy products - you could change to diet to high protein (don't use grocery story foods - they are high in grains, not protein) best would be raw diet - nature's variety or stella and chewy's otherwise dry orijen is good. Hawthorn - strengthens heart and acts as antiarrhythmic, enormous range of safe dosing recommended - 100mg/25 to 50 pounds of body weight twice daily., can get mild upset stomach in people and occasionally allergic reaction., generally believed safe. coenzyme Q - highly recommended - 30 mg every 24 to 48 hours. others - omega three fatty acods. dandelion leaves, burdock, maitake mushrooms, red clover. I would do these over conventional medicine, but it would help to have an alternative doc to guide you. Hope this helps. Jenny On Tue, Nov 23, 2010 at 10:33 PM, Stacy Zacher stacy_zac...@yahoo.comwrote: stacy_zac...@yahoo.com ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
[Felvtalk] update on Spanky - chest fluid
Hi everyone: I was able to get Spanky in to the internal med specialist/oncologist this morning. She reviewed his xrays and did an ultrasound and said Spanky has a mediastinal 3cm mass in front of his heart. This is what is causing the fluid. She said there isn't that much fluid actually it is more the mass pushing on everything. They offered to drain the fluids but she didn't think it was causing any major distress at the moment. She said the mass was not consistent with what lymphoma looks like but was more globular and they could take a sample and send it in but I elected not to put him through that. If it is a tumor, it is a tumor. She said I can give rutin but she didn't think that would help this type of fluids. she recommended I stop giving him immune support and give prednisolone to try to shrink the mass and give him some breathing room. I know about all the issues that come with giving him pred being felv with no immune system but my gut says try it. She said if I didn't try it, he could have a few days and more fluid, if I try it and it works and offers him more comfort for now great, if I try it and he gets CHF, he can be tapped or theb we know it just may not work. In any case, I didn't get him tapped and will just have to see how he'll do on the pred. Also I could do the coq10 still. She said his heart looked good on the ultrasound but of course I have to watch his breathing. He was diagnosed as early-HCM and last ultrasound he had showed no change in the status so I have fingers crossed. If I don't try it, I think he will have only days. If I do try it and it works he will have a bit of quality maybe. If I try it and he goes into CHF I know he has hours. Either way I think it is all a crapshoot at this point. Thanks to everyone on the lists for support and advice. Spanky and Stacy stacy_zac...@yahoo.com ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
[Felvtalk] Spanky - fluid in chest
Hi: I am crossposting this message also. I urgently need advice on my kitty, Spanky (FELV+, early Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy). I noticed over the weekend and week he started feeling worse and that his respiration rate seemed to be higher than normal (he is usually about 18 breaths a minute and now it is 32 or - still not alarming but getting there). I took him to the vet and the vet said it did sound like he was having difficulty breathing and his heart sounded very fast. He took a chest xray and Spanky came back open mouth breathing which he never does (from stress). The vet said it was not good news, that his chest cavity is filled with fluid -not in the lungs but outside the lungs. He barely looked like he had any breathing space in the xrays. It was awful. He said they could do a chest tap but they would have to put him under anesthesia for that. Spanky is still grooming, eating a little and drinking and walks around a little. I'm not sure how long he has left. From the xrays the vet said it didn't look like more than a few days but looking at him, he doesn't seem that near the end to me. However, I know how well they hide illness. I'm looking for any advice or any information at all. I'm not sure what to do, if a chest tap could buy him another month or if it only be days. I don't want him to suffer him and not be able to breathe (I have asthma and know that feeling so I can't imagine not doing anything - chest tap or other). THe vet wasn't sure if the fluid could be caused by having lymphoma or just his hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and recommended that if I do go for the chest tap, to do it at the ER vet/cardiologist who is probably better equipped to handle an emergency. I guess I knew this was coming and we are out of miracles now but I am having such a difficult time thinking his time is up after all we've been through together. Is there anything at all that can reduce fluid besides a chest tap? Spanky has always been a very brave fighter and he is still so brave and fighting but I know he's getting tired. I just can't imagine my life without him. I stopped giving him all his meds now - he was on so much and he actually seemed to perk up once I stopped (coq10, lysine, transfer factor tri factor plus,interferon, cyproheptadine, pet-tinic I was still giving). I just feel so lost and helplessI'm going to take vacation tomorrow to spend time with him. Thanks so much for all your help, I will keep everyone posted as to his progress. Stacy and Spanky stacy_zac...@yahoo.com ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
[Felvtalk] Spanky's chest cavity fluid - rutin?
Hi: Regarding my previous post about Spanky's fluid in his chest cavity - I seem to recall someone was using rutin for fluid - Alice for her Murphy maybe? Please let me know if anyone has used it, dosage, where to buy it and if it would help at all and provide him some relief without a chest tab. I just read an article on the ncbi website about it. Thanks Stacy and Spanky stacy_zac...@yahoo.com ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
Re: [Felvtalk] Spanky Fluid in chest
Thank you Tad for your reply. Are you referring to lasix or Spironolactone or something else? Stacy and Spanky Tad Burnett Tue, 23 Nov 2010 18:34:12 -0800 There is a pill/med that will cause the body to absorb some of the fluid... It may help give a few days of good life. Tad Stacy Zacher wrote: Hi: I am crossposting this message also. I urgently need advice on my kitty, Spanky (FELV+, early Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy). I noticed over the weekend and week he started feeling worse and that his respiration rate seemed to be higher than normal (he is usually about 18 breaths a minute and now it is 32 or - still not alarming but getting there). I took him to the vet and the vet said it did sound like he was having difficulty breathing and his heart sounded very fast. He took a chest xray and Spanky came back open mouth breathing which he never does (from stress). The vet said it was not good news, that his chest cavity is filled with fluid -not in the lungs but outside the lungs. He barely looked like he had any breathing space in the xrays. It was awful. He said they could do a chest tap but they would have to put him under anesthesia for that. Spanky is still grooming, eating a little and drinking and walks around a little stacy_zac...@yahoo.com ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
[Felvtalk] Subject: Re: question on antibiotic
Thanks to everyone for your replies. Spanky's vet appt was moved up from Wed to tomorrow night, the vet is only in 1/2 day today and I'm at work. The vet said not to give him clavamox right now. I pretty much didn't give him anything yesterday but fluids and the pet-tinic and I have been syringing baby food and AD. This morning he sat up and was wanting to jump off the bed and later after I took him downstairs, he was sitting in the window and meowing while looking out the patio door. He hasn't done that in weeks so maybe all the stuff I'm giving him was too much for him right now. I hate to think I'm making him feel even sicker by trying to help him :-( Thanks again Stacy and Spanky Message: 1 Date: Sun, 21 Nov 2010 13:03:38 -0600 From: Gloria B. Lane gbl...@aristotle.net To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Subject: Re: [Felvtalk] question on antibiotic Message-ID: 965e5563-7e91-4945-8f7d-2af6b69f9...@aristotle.net Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII; format=flowed; delsp=yes The probiotics might be a good idea - some good bacteria in the tummy/ gut, and certainly providing nutrients. Might try syringing some chicken/turkey baby food too. Sometimes just getting something into the belly helps. Good luck - sending good vibes for Spanky. Gloria On Nov 21, 2010, at 11:03 AM, Stacy Zacher wrote: Hi Tracey: Thanks for your reply. I actually do trust my main vet, he is very open minded and looks at all my research and does research as well, and he actually does acupuncture and chinese herbs. stacy_zac...@yahoo.com ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
Re: [Felvtalk] question on antibiotic
Hi Tracey: Thanks for your reply. I actually do trust my main vet, he is very open minded and looks at all my research and does research as well, and he actually does acupuncture and chinese herbs. He referred me to the specialist/derm once so she could have a look at his lesions and see if she thought they were cancerous. she suggested biopsy/surgery which he would never be able to tolerate so we opted to try the neoplasene. It did shrink 3 of them after just one application but then I elected to not salve again right away in his present condition. He's not any better today and just looking really terrible. I'm going to see if I can try to get him into the vet. I am not sure if he has an infection, is more anemic or if he's just tired of fighting. In any case, it is very frustrating and disheartening and you just feel helpless and hopeless seeing your furbaby like this. As far as him eating, he used to eat wellness grain free canned and dry. Now he eats whatever I can get him to eat which isn't much at all. I've been syringing food into him this past week and giving fluids. Even with the appetite stimulant, he's not very interested in food. I understand the importance of a high quality diet/nutrition but if he won't eat, I have to just try to get him to eat something. Purrs, Stacy and Spanky stacy_zac...@yahoo.com --- On Sun, 11/21/10, Tracey Shrout dtshr...@gmail.com wrote: From: Tracey Shrout dtshr...@gmail.com Subject: Re: [Felvtalk] question on antibiotic To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Date: Sunday, November 21, 2010, 6:24 AM Hi Stacy, It seems to me you care very much about Spanky and want to do the very best for him just like I would. It also sounds like you don't trust your vets so much. I would suggest a holistic vet. I am very leery of all the conventional meds as well and tend to think they may do more harm than good, and they sometimes tend to mask the symptoms and not really cure the underlying problem. I really don't like to give antibiotics, but if I absolutely had to, I would also give them a probiotic as well to keep the good bacteria in check. Most vets carry Fortiflora that you can add to their food. I have been lucky with my felv+ kitty so far (and my other 4 neg's who range in age from 3-13), but I attribute their awesome health to their homemade raw diet which they have been on for over 2 years now...it really has changed their life and mine...I wonder what you are feeding. To me, diet is extremely important. I'm sure this advice doesn't help much right now, and I understand being hesitant to give them something that may cause yet another issue. I wish you and Spanky well. Tracey On Sat, Nov 20, 2010 at 7:07 PM, Stacy Zacher stacy_zac...@yahoo.comwrote: Hi: Spanky has not been doing well this week. He's very low energy more than normal, weak and won't get out of bed unless I pick him up and make him get up and walk around. He's been eating fair with an appetite stimulant and using his litter box - again when I get him up and take him near it. His gums and tongue seem okay for him - not white and he's on pet-tinic 2x per day. When I took him to the dermatologist, she prescribed clavamox for him just in case he had an infection but then my regular vet had me hold off since we did the neoplasene salve on him. Now I am wondering if I should try giving him the antibiotic anyway just in case. I gave him fluids for the past 2 nights also - 50 ml and last night almost 100ml because he's not drinking very much. In any case, I'm just looking for advice about clavamox. I don't want to make him feel sicker but I'm not sure how he'd handle it - if it makes cats nauseous. also, we did the neoplasene salve and it seemed to shrink the growth in his nose and his other 2 lesions. The vet recommended doing the salve again but at this point, I'm not sure we will. Thanks so much, Stacy and Spanky stacy_zac...@yahoo.com ___ 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 ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
[Felvtalk] question on antibiotic
Hi: Spanky has not been doing well this week. He's very low energy more than normal, weak and won't get out of bed unless I pick him up and make him get up and walk around. He's been eating fair with an appetite stimulant and using his litter box - again when I get him up and take him near it. His gums and tongue seem okay for him - not white and he's on pet-tinic 2x per day. When I took him to the dermatologist, she prescribed clavamox for him just in case he had an infection but then my regular vet had me hold off since we did the neoplasene salve on him. Now I am wondering if I should try giving him the antibiotic anyway just in case. I gave him fluids for the past 2 nights also - 50 ml and last night almost 100ml because he's not drinking very much. In any case, I'm just looking for advice about clavamox. I don't want to make him feel sicker but I'm not sure how he'd handle it - if it makes cats nauseous. also, we did the neoplasene salve and it seemed to shrink the growth in his nose and his other 2 lesions. The vet recommended doing the salve again but at this point, I'm not sure we will. Thanks so much, Stacy and Spanky stacy_zac...@yahoo.com ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
Re: [Felvtalk] Felvtalk Digest, Vol 29, Issue 14
Athanks so much Alice, Rosie and family. Spanky is holding his own right now. We have another vet appt tomorrow for the vet to look at the growths after the treatments. One looks like it is working, the nasal passage one is also smaller but the other 2 look about the same. We miss Murphy too and know that he is still with all of you in spirit. Purrs and hugs, Stacy and Spanky Subject: [Felvtalk] Stacy and Spanky Message-ID: 160440.77671...@web80604.mail.mud.yahoo.com Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Stacy-I have you and Spanky in my purrayers! I know how difficult things are right now. It seems you are on the right track, trying to find a non-invasive way to shrink those darn granulomas. You know, it's only been almost 3 weeks since Murphy passed-it seems like an eternity. Our vet clinic said they have learned so much in the past 2 years we have been battling FeLV with our 6 kitties-especially with Murphy-I think they are more positive with the small victories we did have. We did draw the line on doing transfusions, feeding tubes, iv fluids-as long as he was happy, we kept trying. I miss him every day and Rosie does too. Hugs to you and Spanky! Alice and Rosie -- ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org End of Felvtalk Digest, Vol 29, Issue 14 ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
[Felvtalk] Spanky's EGC
Thanks so much for your purrayers Mike. Message: 2 Date: Wed, 10 Nov 2010 11:41:35 -0800 (PST) From: Mike Finch jpact...@yahoo.com To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Subject: Re: [Felvtalk] Spanky's vet visit yesterday Message-ID: 693837.20567...@web65613.mail.ac4.yahoo.com Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Dear Stacy, Am thinking of and praying for you and Spanky. Mike :) stacy_zac...@yahoo.com ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
[Felvtalk] Subject: Re: Spanky's vet visit yesterday
Thank you for your kind words Bonnie. I've been trying very hard to stay calm and putting rescue remedy drops in my water a lot. Just to update everyone - I know many of you may think this is very controversial but I was trusting my gut instinct. I had my vet put the neoplasene topical on the 4 of Spanky's tumors yesterday on his head/ear/whisker/nasal passage. I can't put him through surgery and in desperation I mulled it over and decided to try this and my vet researched it for 3 months. It was topical, he licked some off at the vet's office and threw up (it is a very bitter tasting salve). He has some swelling but is doing okay. I will keep you posted. I know it's not going to cure him of anything FELV-wise but I wanted to try to find a way to unblock his nasal passage without putting him under anesthesia and doing any type of surgical procedure on him. In any case, purraying this helps him. Thanks to everyone for your support. Stacy and Spanky Stacy Message: 4 Date: Wed, 10 Nov 2010 15:18:14 -0800 From: Bonnie Hogue ho...@sonic.net To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Subject: Re: [Felvtalk] Spanky's vet visit yesterday Message-ID: fb85af748cfd46d0be4c39bab5446...@bonnietkude96r Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset=iso-8859-1; reply-type=original Stacy Hang in there. You are so kind to do all you can for your Spanky. I'm sure he appreciates your care. I know I freak out when my cats go to the vet and are stressed out. Their pain/anguish is magnified in me. But we have to try to stay calm for them, and do the best we can. And that is what you are doing. Hope Spanky feels better soon -- and you too! ~Bonnie - Original Message - From: Stacy Zacher stacy_zac...@yahoo.com To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Sent: Wednesday, November 10, 2010 11:22 AM Subject: [Felvtalk] Spanky's vet visit yesterday Hi: Just an update on Spanky's suspected Eosinphilic Granuloma COmplex (EGC). I took him to the dermatologist at our ER center yesterday. We were there for two hours and he had to be held in isolation. He was very stressed out and my nerves were shot by the time we left. ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
[Felvtalk] Spanky's vet visit yesterday
Hi: Just an update on Spanky's suspected Eosinphilic Granuloma COmplex (EGC). I took him to the dermatologist at our ER center yesterday. We were there for two hours and he had to be held in isolation. He was very stressed out and my nerves were shot by the time we left. Basically she said she could do a biopsy on the lesions (she did a slide smear which was not conclusive but said it didn't like like ECG to her) and that it would be very bloody (the nasal growth) and he would have to wear a cone for 2 weeks and be anesthetized for the biopsy. If I was going to put him through surgery in his fragile state I would find a laser/cryotherapy surgeon to just take them all off. I don't think there is a good chance that he would make it through surgery or recover afterward. I left there with not a lot of hope and clavamox (in case he has some respiratory issue/bacterial issues). No idea how he will do on clavamox though. The derm thought the large lesion in his nasal planum looked similar to Bowen's in situ carcinoma but again she'd have to remove it and have it biopsied to be sure. One of his other growths is starting to change and turn color (the one by his ear) and he has one in his whiskers that is just black and crusty. After our 2+ hour appt, I brought him home and he laid on the bed and wouldn't move. Then at night he started limping with his front leg this time instead of the back leg. He's weak and tired. THe cyproheptadine is helping him to eat but I think he's still losing weight and could possibly have cancer/lymphoma. I found a topical cream that is called Imiquimod or Aldara-and I think the dermatologist may have mentioned it as well. It isn't a cure but an immune response modifier 5% cream topical for feline bowens or herpes virus infection sores that may slow the growth. But of course as with everything there can be side effects. The derm didn't think the steroid cream I'm giving him currently would do much. Then there is the black salve and tonics. It is just very depresssing, stressful and seems so hopeless at times. Thanks for listening. Stacy and Spanky stacy_zac...@yahoo.com stacy_zac...@yahoo.com ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
[Felvtalk] Subject: Re: Eosinophilic granuloma in Spanky's nasal passage
Hi Michelle: I did read that and my friend's cat had 2 of the depo and she was nervous about him developing diabetes. How long before your Tabby developed it? Right away? I'm sorry about that. Thanks Stacy Message: 3 Date: Sun, 7 Nov 2010 22:37:57 + From: Michelle Brockman teals...@hotmail.com To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Subject: Re: [Felvtalk] Eosinophilic granuloma in Spanky's nasal passage Message-ID: bay144-ds122cd1aa9ef978d4641ea4c0...@phx.gbl Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-15 Just remember too those depo shots can cause diabetes. My can Tabby got diabetes after getting one depo shot for an asthma attack. -Original Message- From: Stacy Zacher Sent: 11/7/2010 4:11:49 PM To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Hi: I have been giving him unscented salmon oil daily to see if it helps. I am trying to get him into a dermatologist at the ER vet clinic. I have to wait for them to call me back tomorrow. My vet said I should see what they say and then we have to treat him with the steroids or whatever the recommendation is. I don't want to give the steroids - only as a last resort. stacy_zac...@yahoo.com ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
Re: [Felvtalk] Eosinophilic granuloma in Spanky's nasal
Thank you. I will check into the group. Did you have success with the neoplasene? Stacy Message: 4 Date: Sun, 7 Nov 2010 15:15:01 -0800 From: designercats designerc...@hotmail.com To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Subject: Re: [Felvtalk] Eosinophilic granuloma in Spanky's nasal passage Message-ID: blu149-w31e3567bb0110cdc923694cf...@phx.gbl Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 Hi Stacy,I have used Neoplasene and would never use it on a symptomatic FeLV cat. It is also very hard on the liver as the liver has to process all the toxins. A very informative group where you can get info is - http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/TheBlackSalveNeoplaseneCancerForum/?yguid=323115008 El Date: Sun, 7 Nov 2010 08:21:16 -0800 From: stacy_zac...@yahoo.com To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Subject: Re: [Felvtalk] Eosinophilic granuloma in Spanky's nasal passage Hi Natalie: Thank you for the suggestion. My vet actually told me about the black salve (neoplasene from buck mountain I believe) but his cytology report came back sort of inconclusive and consistent with feline eosinophilic granuloma complex). So I'm not sure if those remedies/treatments would help him if they aren't cancerous. I told my vet I had been willing to try the neoplasene if it was cancer. So I will have to see what the dermatologist says. stacy_zac...@yahoo.com ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
Re: [Felvtalk] Eosinophilic granuloma in Spanky's nasal passage
Hi: I have been giving him unscented salmon oil daily to see if it helps. I am trying to get him into a dermatologist at the ER vet clinic. I have to wait for them to call me back tomorrow. My vet said I should see what they say and then we have to treat him with the steroids or whatever the recommendation is. I don't want to give the steroids - only as a last resort. I will look into the welactin also - I saw it has vit. e as well. Thanks for everyone's help. Stacy Message: 1 Date: Fri, 5 Nov 2010 18:28:27 + From: Michelle Brockman teals...@hotmail.com To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Subject: Re: [Felvtalk] Eosinophilic granuloma in Spanky's nasal passage Message-ID: bay144-ds10aadff54e2fc94f8b06a2c0...@phx.gbl Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-15 One of my cats has this on his hind legs. I refused to give him steroids and instead opted for an alternative which is fish oil daily. My cat is fine as long as he gets it daily. I give him Feline Welactin twist caps. Of course not all animals react the same but its worth trying. It took a week or so before I started to see any improvement in my Oscar. -Original Message- From: Stacy Zacher Sent: 11/5/2010 3:59:05 PM To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Subject: [Felvtalk] Eosinophilic granuloma in Spanky's nasal passage This week I noticed Spanky's nasal passage looked swollen and red. At first I thought it was bleeding. It seemed that it just happened overnight! I took Spanky to the vet on Wed morning and she said it looks like he now has an the eosinophilic granuloma in his nose and it is swollen and half blocking the nasal passage. He has this also between his eyes and in his whiskers so it is migrating to other parts of his face. It started out as a white dot, then as his immune system became more depressed it turned into the granulomas and they keep getting larger. I started him on a topical steroid 3x a day. The cream they gave me to put on the granulomas is called tritop (neomycin sulfate isoflupredone acetate, tetracaine hydrochloride ointment.) However, I'm not sure how long we can wait to see if it works - next steps would be the steroid injection which will be dangerous for him given his lack of an immune system. Not sure if pred pill form should be tried first. I can't have his breathing blocked and do nothing. At this point he can breathe and is eating/drinking. I started him on cyproheptadine for his appetite. He's lost about 1.5 lbs since May and keeps steadily losing though he is eating. Spanky's last blood results were better or the same as before. He's FELV pos and was anemic. I have been giving him Pet-tinic 2x per day and it was able to raise his HCT to 32%. I know there is a risk if I have to give him the oral steroids ultimately on his already non-existent immune system but I have to do something as they can turn into cancer. If anyone gives oral steroids or if your kitty has had these granulomas I'd like to hear how your kitties handle it. Spanky's WBC was only 2400 last test (low of 996). It is all such a delicate balance/juggling act with the FELV/anemia/ beginning of CRF/etc. The standard treatment for the granulomas is steroids (usually the depo steroid injection). I'm just looking for any advice or recommendations - do I see a dermatologist or risk surgery (laser surgery to remove these if I can find a laser surgeon in my area)? Sorry for rambling but I'm so upset that this has to be inside his nose now! Cindi on the anemia list gave me some good links I will send to my vet as well. http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=AC=189A=656S=2 http://www.vin.com/proceedings/Proceedings.plx?CID=WSAVA2002PID=2544 http://www.vin.com/proceedings/Proceedings.plx?CID=WSAVA2003PID=6694O=Generic Thanks. Stacy and Spanky ___ 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] Eosinophilic granuloma in Spanky's nasal passage
Hi Natalie: Thank you for the suggestion. My vet actually told me about the black salve (neoplasene from buck mountain I believe) but his cytology report came back sort of inconclusive and consistent with feline eosinophilic granuloma complex). So I'm not sure if those remedies/treatments would help him if they aren't cancerous. I told my vet I had been willing to try the neoplasene if it was cancer. So I will have to see what the dermatologist says. In the meantime, I'll keep trying him with the salmon oil, transfer factor tri factor plus, interferon, lysine, coq10 etc. that he's on. He is due for an LTCI injection on Saturday also. I am starting to give him fluids once a week also. His skin is so tough though - very hard to get through! Thanks to you and everyone for your help. We are so happy to have a forum like this. Stacy and Spanky Message: 10 Date: Sat, 06 Nov 2010 10:21:43 -0400 From: Natalie at...@optonline.net To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Subject: Re: [Felvtalk] Eosinophilic granuloma in Spanky's nasal passage Message-ID: 1cea01cb7dbd$efae4e60$cf0aeb...@net Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii This herbal concoction (Chaparral, Neem, Andrographis,Graviola powders brewed like tea and frozen down into a more concentrated tincture) is perfectly good for cats - I used it for a cat with cancer and it is being used on rabbits, dogs, horses so far and originally actually meant for people (still is). There's also a black salve that is used on external cancerous tumors, attacks ONLY cancer cells - doesn't touch normal cells. Being used right now on a cat that had squamous cell cancer on the cheek and jawbone. Unfortunately, it was too late for the cat I used it on because the adopters didn't get him to me in time - they thought he was getting fat (although he was skin and bones, with a huge stomach, which was cancer). However, his remaining time was great quality of life! Natalie -Original Message- From: felvtalk-boun...@felineleukemia.org [mailto:felvtalk-boun...@felineleukemia.org] On Behalf Of Michelle Brockman Sent: Friday, November 05, 2010 6:16 PM To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Subject: Re: [Felvtalk] Eosinophilic granuloma in Spanky's nasal passage Just please anyone that uses herbs make sure they are truly cat safe and don't interact with any other medicines the animal may be on already. I have seen some people recommend herbs for pets that are actually toxic. I'm not saying you do this Natalie, just speaking in general. Date: Fri, 5 Nov 2010 17:52:00 -0400 From: at...@optonline.net To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Subject: Re: [Felvtalk] Eosinophilic granuloma in Spanky's nasal passage Stacey and Spanky, Would you be open to try a tonic made from herbs that doesn't taste great, but can be disguised. It is used for curing cancer, but may just help with this and as a fringe benefit, even help other symptoms of FeLV - it hasn't been tried for that yet. Natalie ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
[Felvtalk] Eosinophilic granuloma in Spanky's nasal passage
This week I noticed Spanky's nasal passage looked swollen and red. At first I thought it was bleeding. It seemed that it just happened overnight! I took Spanky to the vet on Wed morning and she said it looks like he now has an the eosinophilic granuloma in his nose and it is swollen and half blocking the nasal passage. He has this also between his eyes and in his whiskers so it is migrating to other parts of his face. It started out as a white dot, then as his immune system became more depressed it turned into the granulomas and they keep getting larger. I started him on a topical steroid 3x a day. The cream they gave me to put on the granulomas is called tritop (neomycin sulfate isoflupredone acetate, tetracaine hydrochloride ointment.) However, I'm not sure how long we can wait to see if it works - next steps would be the steroid injection which will be dangerous for him given his lack of an immune system. Not sure if pred pill form should be tried first. I can't have his breathing blocked and do nothing. At this point he can breathe and is eating/drinking. I started him on cyproheptadine for his appetite. He's lost about 1.5 lbs since May and keeps steadily losing though he is eating. Spanky's last blood results were better or the same as before. He's FELV pos and was anemic. I have been giving him Pet-tinic 2x per day and it was able to raise his HCT to 32%. I know there is a risk if I have to give him the oral steroids ultimately on his already non-existent immune system but I have to do something as they can turn into cancer. If anyone gives oral steroids or if your kitty has had these granulomas I'd like to hear how your kitties handle it. Spanky's WBC was only 2400 last test (low of 996). It is all such a delicate balance/juggling act with the FELV/anemia/ beginning of CRF/etc. The standard treatment for the granulomas is steroids (usually the depo steroid injection). I'm just looking for any advice or recommendations - do I see a dermatologist or risk surgery (laser surgery to remove these if I can find a laser surgeon in my area)? Sorry for rambling but I'm so upset that this has to be inside his nose now! Cindi on the anemia list gave me some good links I will send to my vet as well. http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=AC=189A=656S=2 http://www.vin.com/proceedings/Proceedings.plx?CID=WSAVA2002PID=2544 http://www.vin.com/proceedings/Proceedings.plx?CID=WSAVA2003PID=6694O=Generic Thanks. Stacy and Spanky ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
[Felvtalk] Subject: Re: periactin/cyproheptadine
Thanks Heather. I am going to start with 1/4 of the 4 MG pill. The dosage instructions on the bottle say 1/2 to 1/2 pill every 1-3 days. My vet did say 1-3x per day but I think he meant every 1-3 days as that is what he wrote and what you are giving. Paws crossed it works and gets him eating more without howling! He howls enough as it is. Stacy Message: 4 Date: Tue, 2 Nov 2010 17:44:08 -0400 From: Heather furrygi...@gmail.com To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Subject: Re: [Felvtalk] periactin/cyproheptadine Message-ID: aanlktikhwr6fee5v5pyt6lvsryq_ru_f+=xgw29i-...@mail.gmail.com Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 I had used Cypro before without problems and know it is used widely, but did notice that some people on the CRF had cats with sensitivities to it. I recently tried it for my 15 year old cat and was really glad my vet suggested trying 1/4 (rather than 1/2 which had always been suggested before) as it seemed to make her irritable and not feel very good, she was very vocal. I think I would definitely start with the lower dose of 1/4. I've never heard of it being used 3 times a day, but that doesn't mean it isn't ever used that frequently. There is another, Mirtazapine, that I think usually is used every 3 days. Good luck! On Tue, Nov 2, 2010 at 5:39 PM, Stacy Zacher stacy_zac...@yahoo.com wrote: Hi My vet just prescribed Spanky with this for an appetite stimulant. He said the recommended dosage is 1/2 tablet 1-3x a day. Others have said they gave 1/4 of a tablet every few days. I'm just wondering about side effects (drowsiness) and what others have given as a dosage or their experience with it. I asked him about the liquid form and he said I would have to give 5ccs to get the 1tsp dosage so I'll give him the pill form in a gel cap. Thanks so much, Stacy stacy_zac...@yahoo.com stacy_zac...@yahoo.com ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
[Felvtalk] Subject: RE: how do you search the felv archives?
Hi Natalie: Thanks for your help. I used to give him CoQ10, I will have to start up again. I will ask the vet about the Novaldent and then the periactin liquid as well. Long ago, I tried valium for one of my cats to try to get her to stop eating all her fur off her legs and stomach, and she become hyper- excited and crazy from it and wanted to eat like a pig! Since Spanky sneezes a lot as well, maybe the periactin as an antihistamine will help that and make him eat more. Thanks! Stacy and Spanky Message: 2 Date: Mon, 01 Nov 2010 20:20:14 -0400 From: Natalie at...@optonline.net To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Subject: [Felvtalk] FW: how do you search the felv archives? Message-ID: 0ed901cb7a23$b8802140$298063...@net Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 I forgot to mention the mouth rinse that my vet uses: NOLVADENT - oral cleansing solution. Natalie -Original Message- From: Natalie [mailto:at...@optonline.net] Sent: Monday, November 01, 2010 2:24 PM To: 'felvtalk@felineleukemia.org' Subject: RE: [Felvtalk] how do you search the felv archives? Sorry, I can't give you info on how to search archives, but I can tell you to give Spanky CoQ10 for keeping gums and heart and much more in good shape. Get the GNC Vegetarian formula; it comes in powder form in capsules - give 50mg daily, sprinkled into food (tasteless). All my FIV/FeLV positive and heart patient cats get it daily - really works wonders! If the antihistamine Periactin in liquid form is still available, it's great for stimulating appetite! Natalie stacy_zac...@yahoo.com ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
[Felvtalk] periactin/cyproheptadine
Hi My vet just prescribed Spanky with this for an appetite stimulant. He said the recommended dosage is 1/2 tablet 1-3x a day. Others have said they gave 1/4 of a tablet every few days. I'm just wondering about side effects (drowsiness) and what others have given as a dosage or their experience with it. I asked him about the liquid form and he said I would have to give 5ccs to get the 1tsp dosage so I'll give him the pill form in a gel cap. Thanks so much, Stacy stacy_zac...@yahoo.com Message: 1 Date: Mon, 01 Nov 2010 14:24:17 -0400 From: Natalie at...@optonline.net To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Subject: Re: [Felvtalk] how do you search the felv archives? Message-ID: 0dd101cb79f1$feae34e0$fc0a9e...@net Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 Sorry, I can't give you info on how to search archives, but I can tell you to give Spanky CoQ10 for keeping gums and heart and much more in good shape. Get the GNC Vegetarian formula; it comes in powder form in capsules - give 50mg daily, sprinkled into food (tasteless). All my FIV/FeLV positive and heart patient cats get it daily - really works wonders! If the antihistamine Periactin in liquid form is still available, it's great for stimulating appetite! Natalie ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
[Felvtalk] how do you search the felv archives?
Hi: I'm trying to figure out how to search the felvtalk archives but I just get a list and no search box. Is there some way to search all of them at once? http://felineleukemia.org/pipermail/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org/ Spanky's gum around his fang seems slightly inflamed. Someone on this list (I think it was this list) posted a rinse they use for stomatitis/inflammation and I can't find the post. If anyone knows what this is or has another alternative, please let me know. Spanky's labs a few wks ago were all in the normal range, except as usual the WBC is still very low -- only about 2400 (up from 996 a few months ago); HCT was at the low end of normal (previous lab was 28%) -- the pet-tinic 2x a day seems to have helped. Still, he's more tired/lays around all the time and is really slow up and down the stairs and I have trouble getting him to eat. He has gone from 10 lbs down to 8.6 this year and doesn't have much interest in food. I assist feed him on days he won't eat anything. Anyway, it's frustrating as his lab numbers have gotten better or remained the same since the last tests yet he continues to decline. His non healing ulcer on his face came back as consistent with feline eosinphilic granuloma complex and my vet said the treatment for that is steroids which will further depress Spanky's immune system. We take it one day at a time and there are days I wonder how much longer he will make it :-( FELV stinks and it is sad to see a once strong, vital animal become depressed, lethargic and weak because of this awful disease. He's on Pet-tinic - 1ML 2x per day, 1/2 cc of Interferon once a day, LTCI injection every 2-3 weeks, Transfer factor tri factor plus, lysine and I'm putting vit E oil on the facial ulcer. I asked the vet about cyproheptadine for an appetite stimulant but I didn't really like the side effects. Thanks for listening, Stacy and Spanky stacy_zac...@yahoo.com ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
[Felvtalk] fleas
Hi Bonnie: We are located in SE Wisconsin. Stacy and Spanky stacy_zac...@yahoo.com -- Message: 3 Date: Wed, 13 Oct 2010 13:21:52 -0700 From: Bonnie Hogue ho...@sonic.net To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Subject: Re: [Felvtalk] No fleas Message-ID: 6af0b8e313544a64ae729fd4c49e6...@bonnietkude96r Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset=iso-8859-1; reply-type=original Stacy what part of the country do you live in? - Original Message - From: Stacy Zacher stacy_zac...@yahoo.com To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Sent: Wednesday, October 13, 2010 11:03 AM Subject: [Felvtalk] No fleas Thanks to everyone for your help. Under the microscope, the vet said that the bugs I brought in have wings and were not fleas but looked very similar. He said that the lump and dirt under Spanky's chin was probably acne. He did a blood draw for a full panel/cbc and took a slide of his suspected mast cell tumor on his nose so I will post results when I get them. The vet said his lymph nodes in the hind legs felt swollen but no other lymph nodes did. He also got an LTCI injection and was a very good patient. Thanks! Stacy and Spanky ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
[Felvtalk] No fleas
Thanks to everyone for your help. Under the microscope, the vet said that the bugs I brought in have wings and were not fleas but looked very similar. He said that the lump and dirt under Spanky's chin was probably acne. He did a blood draw for a full panel/cbc and took a slide of his suspected mast cell tumor on his nose so I will post results when I get them. The vet said his lymph nodes in the hind legs felt swollen but no other lymph nodes did. He also got an LTCI injection and was a very good patient. Thanks! Stacy and Spanky Message: 1 Date: Tue, 12 Oct 2010 11:35:40 -0700 (PDT) From: Stacy Zacher stacy_zac...@yahoo.com To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Subject: [Felvtalk] Subject: Help- need advice on fleas Message-ID: 935259.94530...@web62407.mail.re1.yahoo.com Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 Thanks to everyone for the ideas, I will run them past my vet today and confirm if he does have fleas or not.? He eats from only stainless steel or ceramic bowls but could have been bitten by something to cause the lump under his chin.? So far I've found natural flea products with neem oil, clover oil, thyme oil, rosemary oil, citronella oil, celery seed oil, eucalyptus oil, cedar oil? (combinations of these).?? I will ask the vet about testing for FIA/Hemobart if he does indeed have the fleas. Hope to be flea free, Stacy and Spanky stacy_zac...@yahoo.com ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
[Felvtalk] Subject: Help- need advice on fleas
Thanks to everyone for the ideas, I will run them past my vet today and confirm if he does have fleas or not. He eats from only stainless steel or ceramic bowls but could have been bitten by something to cause the lump under his chin. So far I've found natural flea products with neem oil, clover oil, thyme oil, rosemary oil, citronella oil, celery seed oil, eucalyptus oil, cedar oil (combinations of these). I will ask the vet about testing for FIA/Hemobart if he does indeed have the fleas. Hope to be flea free, Stacy and Spanky Message: 7 Date: Tue, 12 Oct 2010 09:51:23 -0400 From: Natalie at...@optonline.net To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Subject: [Felvtalk] Help- need advice on fleas Message-ID: 004401cb6a14$8f137ba0$ad3a72...@net Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii www.cedarcide.com . The animal can be sprayed directly with no harm. All kinds of natural products. www.drgoodpet.com - Look under flea control - we use their product to spray around the house so that no fleas can be brought inside and the cats can use the outdoor enclosures safely. We use Frontline only on cats that are introduced to the fold...and of course, we check if they have fleas. The fewer chemicals you use on cats with a compromised immune systems, the better! -Original Message- From: Natalie [mailto:at...@optonline.net] Sent: Tuesday, October 12, 2010 9:43 AM To: 'felvtalk@felineleukemia.org' Subject: RE: [Felvtalk] Help- need advice on fleas If you see something under the chin, it could be chin acne, often mistaken for flea dirt. Comes mostly from using porous feeding dishes...try using only ceramic, stainless steel...There are many non-poisonous alternatives against fleasthe cedar one is good. We use nematodes to spray around the house and with so many cats, have no flea problems. -Original Message- From: felvtalk-boun...@felineleukemia.org [mailto:felvtalk-boun...@felineleukemia.org] On Behalf Of create_me_...@yahoo.com Sent: Monday, October 11, 2010 10:44 PM To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Subject: Re: [Felvtalk] Help- need advice on fleas I use advantage. FeLV cats are very prone to Hemobartonella, which will cause severe anemia comes from fleas. ALL my cats get Advantage every month I have never had a problem. Fleas also cause tape worms which will deprive the cat of nutrients. Beth Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry -Original Message- From: Szacherdroid stacy_zac...@yahoo.com Sender: felvtalk-boun...@felineleukemia.org Date: Mon, 11 Oct 2010 21:34:49 To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Reply-To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Subject: [Felvtalk] Help- need advice on fleas Hi all...I suspect Spanky may have fleas. I found some flea dirt looking dust and a lump under his chin and also have been seeing little red bugs around but no fleas when I comb him. Some were flying so I thought, they couldn't be fleas. I also have a dog and it has been unseasonably warm here in WI this week. Please let me know how you treat an felv kitty with a weak immune system for fleas. I am terrified at the prospect of having to spray my home and treat him. He used to get one of the topicals years ago but vet didn't think that would be good for him now. We have a vet appt tomorrow for ltci injection and bloodwork. I am taking some of the sample bugs I collected for identification. Thanks for your help, Stacy and Spanky stacy_zac...@yahoo.com ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
[Felvtalk] Subject: Murphy is improving!!
Hi Alice: That is just absolutely pawsome news! We are so happy Murphy is feeling better and has his energy back. Just when you think they worst, they surprise us don't they?! We will continue sending purrayers. Purrs, Stacy and Spanky Message: 1 Date: Sun, 15 Aug 2010 20:14:52 -0700 (PDT) From: Alice Flowers aliceflow...@sbcglobal.net To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Subject: [Felvtalk] Murphy is improving!! Message-ID: 118760.90027...@web80604.mail.mud.yahoo.com Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii It is one day at a time-the roller coaster is going up this week. Last Sunday evening I thought he would not make it through the night. I had spent the weekend hand feeding and watering him with a syringe-he spent most of the time stretched out on the bed. We went ahead and gave him the Procrit (Epogen) and LTCI shot-I put them in one syringe so I would only have to give him one shot. He didn't even flinch. I thought he'd be gone by morning. I woke up at 5:30 to get ready for work and I didn't see him on the bed-I went to the kitchen and saw both he and Rosie sitting at the open slider door screen (it was a nice cool evening-we left it open) watching the birds at the feeders!! He came trotting over complaining about breakfast-got his meds and ate a decent amount of wet and a few morsels of dry. He slowly improved over the week and we had a vet appt on Friday (8/13). They did an in house PCV, but it was 19-I think the last time he may have been dehydrated-it was 27-28 and the time before it was 18.5 (7/23). She was happy with the pinkness of his gums-not real pink, but not that death white color we dread. His fever was gone, back down to 100.5 from 104.7 the week before. She suspected he had a herpes virus-he developed a little lesion on the top of his nose that has healed. Luckily we picked up our LTCI order that day-she said she wanted to keep him on it weekly for now until his numbers get back up. I will never try and space the LTCI 8-10 weeks apart. That is when he crashed with this anemia. Luckily his last CBC on 8/7 stated that the Absolute Reticulocyte count of 70610 shows that it is so far a regenerative anemia. I have the higher calorie wet food from the vet and he really likes it. We are taking it a day at a time, but he is perking up-he still sleeps alot-but in his usual spots near the desk and he is wanting to stay near us. He isn't up to leaping for the top of the bookcase yet. When I woke up this morning, he was jabbering at me, lying between the pillows and watching the young pheasants eating spilled birdseed from the feeders through the low bedroom window at the head of the bed. We watched the birds for awhile, then I got up-he raced to the kitchen ahead of me, wanting his breakfast! He got his pills and a good breakfast. I don't know what tomorrow will bring, but today is a good day. He is to stay on the Procrit 3x a week, doxy 2x a day, interferon 2x a day, LTCI once a week, and iron capsules once a day. We will give one more PennG shot for good measure-they last 5 days. I am grateful for your purrayers-I do believe they help immensely! I am lucky to have such kind vets-they take us at a moments notice. I think it helps to have a cat only practice to go to, (Sacramento Cat Hospital) plus they are open minded and progressive-they did not hesitate when I asked them to order the Imulan after they read up on it. This is a hard journey we are all on, we lost the 4 brothers last year despite trying the transfusion and other meds. It helps to have people who understand-sometimes even family members look at us like we are insane-LOL Alice and Glenn - owned by Sweet Rosie and Mr Murphy! ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
[Felvtalk] Cyst
Hi: Thanks for the news on Acemannan Gary. That is really too bad about it being off the market now. I have a question on Spanky. We have a vet appt on Saturday for his 2nd LTCI Imulan injection. Now his cyst in his whiskers seems to be getting larger. Yesterday he scratched it and kept breaking it open and was bleeding all over. Short of putting an e-collar on him I'm not sure what else to do! I've been putting triple antibiotic on it and he licks it right off. The vet will look at it Saturday of course. Should I have them aspirate it? I am just afraid of any ramifications if they open it and make things worse and he gets an infection. If the recommend antibiotics should I give them to him? He was on metronidazole a few times since march for intestinal issues. I guess I feel really stupid asking all of this but if it weren't an immune suppressed kitty, it would be easier to figure out. They suggested that his cysts could really be mast cell tumors - the one his his face grew in the last month (or became infected and swelled up). His routine has been the same, eating/drinking/using this box all okay. Any ideas or thoughts are greatly appreciated. PS I had read turmeric was good for tumors/cysts but most of what I find is for dogs and then there is a percentage that says never feed it to your cat or dog. Thanks much, Purrs, Stacy and Spanky stacy_zac...@yahoo.com ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
[Felvtalk] Beltza 2009-2010
Dear Ana: We are so very sorry for your loss. Beltza was truly blessed to have found you as you were to have found her. We will light a candle for her here in Wisconsin and say purrayers for her journey across the rainbow bridge. Our best to you, purrs and hugs, Stacy and Spanky Message: 4 Date: Thu, 8 Jul 2010 14:06:29 -0500 From: Ana Gutierrez ana...@gmail.com To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Subject: [Felvtalk] Beltza 2009-2010 Message-ID: aanlktilmvhisznv_f0hig7hf0uh95zsv8yzyvexsg...@mail.gmail.com Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Dear all, Thanks for being so supportive. Beltza left this morning. Fortunately, I spend all yesterdays afternoon with her, and had a chance to say good-bye. I'll miss her my whole life. Ana ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
[Felvtalk] coq10
Hi Natalie: Thanks for the info. I was thinking about adding it back. I just felt like I was constantly assaulting him with meds but if it is okay to put the coq10 and lysine and his immune support meds all in the canned food at once, then I should continue. I just wasn't sure about mixing it all together at once. Thanks! Stacy Message: 17 Date: Fri, 09 Jul 2010 09:23:45 -0400 From: Natalie at...@optonline.net To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Subject: Re: [Felvtalk] Subject: Maggie Message-ID: 0ae701cb1f69$f5d70e10$e1852a...@net Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 I wouldn't stop giving the CoQ10 because it really helps cats with suppressed immune systems - their gums, teeth - are very susceptible - CoQ10 not only prevents it but is good for so many other things. What's a little more powder in their food? Natalie stacy_zac...@yahoo.com ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
[Felvtalk] Subject: Maggie
Hi Tanya: I am so sorry about your Maggie. My FELV+ kitty was diagnosed with Early HCM years ago but it never really progressed much beyond a certain thickness on one side. He also was diagnosed with a perfect valentine shaped heart - misshapen. I used to give him CoQ10 - mixed in his canned food - 10 mg per day for his HCM. I can't say if it did or did not help but it didn't seem to hurt him at all. I stopped giving it to him when he was diagnosed with FELV - no reason really other than I'm giving him so much other stuff right now! Saying purrayers for your furbaby. Stacy = Message: 4 Date: Thu, 8 Jul 2010 08:08:05 -0700 (PDT) From: TANYA NOE sashacatgodd...@yahoo.com To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Subject: [Felvtalk] Maggie Message-ID: 630180.7808...@web57902.mail.re3.yahoo.com Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 Hello everyone, ? ???It has been a while since I have been able to get on. I found out last month that my FelV+ Maggie who turned 2 years old 16 days ago was just diagnosed with a grade 4/6 heart murmur. She has seen many vets in her short life and has not had a detectable one previously not even 7 months ago when she had her bi-annual physical and blood work. I took her in for her physical and because lately she has had some exercise intolerance that isn't normal for a 2 year old. Her heart ultrasound gave us a diagnosis of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Her walls were very thick and flow greatly reduced. We started he on Enalapril. I was wondering if anyone else has had the same diagnosis and if so if there was anything that worked well for your little ones. Her heart disease is progressing very quickly and I was told that with her type there isn't anything they can do to slow it down, we are only making her more comfortable with the Enalapril by making her heart not have to work as hard. Any advice is appreciated, Tanya (Maggie's Mom) stacy_zac...@yahoo.com ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
[Felvtalk] interferon
Thanks to everyone for their help with the interferon questions I posted and answering questions on the dosageThanks also for bringing up the absorption and whether or not to give with food as that is a question I forgot to post. I have been giving it to him in the morning after he eats but not with food. Should I be giving it before he eats breakfast? Any reason why not to give him the dose at night? The interferon came in a brown bottle that I have to refrigerate and with a 1 ML syringe. I just thought if I had to freeze it, I would need a bunch of syringes. I have a call into the pharmacy that sent it to me to ask why the bottle shows as expiring after a month instead of the 3 months they told my vet. I did originally call the # for Island on this site and they answered the phone as Franck's. http://www.islandpharmacy.com/ - 800-622-4510 - my vet had to fax them the prescription and talk to them and then I had to call this # and pay for the interferon and they shipped it within 2 days. Thanks Stacy stacy_zac...@yahoo.com Message: 9 Date: Sun, 27 Jun 2010 16:45:28 -0500 From: gary gcru...@centurytel.net To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Subject: Re: [Felvtalk] Interferon Message-ID: 1cd001a54f7a454192b565f3726dc...@matrixmpc Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset=iso-8859-1; reply-type=original According to Island Pharmacy - they use to compound a lot of interferon, but no longer do it - it was not recommended to freeze the final dilution of interferon, just keep it in the fridge, they always said it was good for 90 days that way. The dosage for cats is 30 IU a day. The compound you have is made to have 1 ml equal 60 IU, so to get the correct daily dosage of 30 IU, you would use only .5 ml. Whether you use a protocol with a daily dosage, or the 7 on 7 off protocol is a choice you have to make. I don't know how your interferon is packaged, but if you do not need a needle to withdraw it and can use just an oral syringe, I would Google for a 1 ml oral syringe with cap. Most of the syringes listed as oral syringes will not accept a needle, so they are not dual purpose. Gary -- From: Stacy Zacher stacy_zac...@yahoo.com Sent: Sunday, June 27, 2010 1:13 PM To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Subject: [Felvtalk] Interferon Hi: I received a bottle of interferon from my vet. He told me it was a 90 day supply but it says discard after 30 days on the bottle. I know many posts have said that you draw it up into syringes and then freeze and I know it doesn't last long. I'm guessing I need to do that but my vet told me to call the compounding pharmacy that diluted it and sent it and just make sure. The bottle says Interferon Alpha 2B 60 IU/ML 45 ML give .5 ML by mouth once daily. I thought I had read most people are giving 1 ML daily or 7 on 7 off? This came from US Compounding with an address in Conway AZ. I didn't get much instruction with the bottle! So I am wondering about freezing and then do you know of any economic sites where I can buy the 1 ML syringes in a box off 100 and the syringe caps? I am also looking for empty small gelcaps. Thanks! Stacy and Spanky stacy_zac...@yahoo.com ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
[Felvtalk] Interferon
Hi: I received a bottle of interferon from my vet. He told me it was a 90 day supply but it says discard after 30 days on the bottle. I know many posts have said that you draw it up into syringes and then freeze and I know it doesn't last long. I'm guessing I need to do that but my vet told me to call the compounding pharmacy that diluted it and sent it and just make sure. The bottle says Interferon Alpha 2B 60 IU/ML 45 ML give .5 ML by mouth once daily. I thought I had read most people are giving 1 ML daily or 7 on 7 off? This came from US Compounding with an address in Conway AZ. I didn't get much instruction with the bottle! So I am wondering about freezing and then do you know of any economic sites where I can buy the 1 ML syringes in a box off 100 and the syringe caps? I am also looking for empty small gelcaps. Thanks! Stacy and Spanky stacy_zac...@yahoo.com ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
[Felvtalk] interferon storage/dilution
Hi: My vet looked into getting interferon omega from Europe for Spanky. It turns out that it would be about $1000-$2000 and would take 6-8 weeks AND that doesn't even mean it would be shipped so that we can be sure it remains stable (it cannot be warm at all). Thus, we are going to go with interferon alpha as it is available here and a lot of you use it with good results. If that doesn't seem to do much for him, we'll add the Imulan LTCI injections with the interferon. I'm curious how those of you use interferon dilute and store it in the fridge and freezer? I know I've seen people advise how they do this on this list but I couldn't figure out a way to search the archives without going through every single message for each month. I found mini ice cube trays on the internet and wonder if there is something better (syringes frozen?) Also, how long do you wait between blood panels to see if it has helped kitty? one month? two months? Thanks so much for your help. Stacy and Spanky stacy_zac...@yahoo.com ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
Re: [Felvtalk] Felvtalk Digest, Vol 23, Issue 11
Hi: I just wanted to say I am so very for the recent losses of your kitties. We will say purrayers for all of them and light a candle. Thank you all for all the wonderful information I've received on this board. I found a great vet who does some alternative therapies such as chinese herbs and acupuncture. He said though that he hasn't had an clients until us who have asked to start their FELV+ kitties on any type of immunotherapy. I have an appt on Fri and he wanted me to bring along any information I can print out from the internet as to the Imulan, Interferon, Immunoregulin etc. and he will look through all of it and discuss it with me. At this point, I'm very confused as to what I can even suggest my kitty, Spanky should try. He had very low WBC for the past 2 months but it has gone up now after 6 wks of metronidazole. So Im' not sure if he is considered asymptomatic and I shouldn't even be doing any immunotherapy? I'm looking for recommendations as to what you would do. Or do I wait to start anything like this until he becomes worse/more symptomatic? My vet is willing to try some type of therapy for him and I am as well but I'm not sure what. He made the comment he wouldn't even know where to get interferon or immunoregulin. I told him about the site for Imulan. Currently Spanky is on standard process feline immune support and lysine (and miralax once a day for his constipation). Thanks for any help. Stacy and Spanky ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
Re: [Felvtalk] Felvtalk Digest, Vol 23, Issue 11
Hi: I had another 2 questions for list members: Does anyone use Slippery Elm bark capsules/powder/tincture for their kitties (Spanky has horrible constipation) and if so - what dosage? Does anyone use transfactor plus at all for their kitties to stimulate the immune system? If so, where do you buy it? Thanks so much, Stacy and Spanky ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
Re: [Felvtalk] Felvtalk Digest, Vol 23, Issue 10
Sorry, correction.I meant Transfer Factor to stimulate the immune system. Thanks Stacy and Spanky ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
[Felvtalk] New to the FELV+ kitty group
Hi: We are new to the group. My (approximately) 13 year old male kitty has been diagnosed with FELV via a SNAP test. I found him as a stray when he was about age 1-2 and I did have him tested then. The test came back negative and I proceeded to vaccinate him for FELV with yearly boosters as at the time he was a semi-outdoor still. I don't recall if my vet had me do a second test or not so I am rather surprised and shocked that he has tested positive now but I've read it can happen. We have a bloodwork re-check tomorrow and the IFA test at the vet. We've been to an internal medicine specialist for a second opinion on how we can manage this disease and keep him comfortable. This showed up because his white blood cell count has been abnormally low ever since we moved from one side our townhouse to the other (Feb 2010) and he has been very stressed out ever since the move. He was vomiting a lot in the recent past and I took him in again for testing. The vet this time tested him for the FELV, FIV etc. His attitude seemed inconsolable at times and he seemed to howl a lot and vocalize a lot as though he is having issues or pain. But he runs up and down the stairs with ease, jumps on to counters still and plays a bit but is less active than he was in January. Any advice is greatly appreciated as far as best diet (he currently eats wellness canned and assorted other canned but only seems to like fish flavors now! He eats Tasted of the Wild Dry salmon flavor as well). At the moment I've started him on Standard PRocess feline immune support supplements. The vet put him on metronidazole in case he has bacterial overgrowth in his intestines and reglan for nausea/vomiting. He seems to do well for about 4 days off reglan, then starts vomiting food again in the morning. He is eating/drinking/ urinating/ defecating okay and seems to be howling less on the meds. I am looking for advice on treatments, immunotherapies etc. - both conventional and holistic. I've heard from others that immunoregulin works as does Imulan LTCI. I'd love to hear what helps your kitties. If you know of any vets in Wisconsin in the Milwaukee county/Waukesha/ Jefferson County areas who specialize in FELV+ kitties, please let me know also. There is a great vet in Madison but that is a ways to drive for us in his state. Thanks so much for all your help. Stacy and Spanky in Wisconsin ___ Felvtalk mailing list Felvtalk@felineleukemia.org http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
