An IFA will tell you if the virus is replicating in the bone marrow. Once that
happens the virus will not go away, so If you want to be sure he is positive &
will not throw off the virus you could do that. It does cost close to $100 if I
remember correctly.
Even FeLV kitties who are initially sick can get better & stay healthy for
awhile. Most of mine were strays & not in good health to begin with. You just
never know. Some I've had for a week, some for years.
Beth
Don't Litter, Fix Your Critter! www.Furkids.org
________________________________
From: dppl dppl <dppl1...@yahoo.com>
To: "felvtalk@felineleukemia.org" <felvtalk@felineleukemia.org>
Sent: Tuesday, November 8, 2011 6:07 PM
Subject: Re: [Felvtalk] stray kitten positive any advice for me/ flow charts
for testing
I'm sorry I haven't figured out how to reply to specific threads, maybe because
I receive a digest instead of each post. I'm using this site
http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org to
access the threads. If someone can point me in the right direction about how
to properly use this site I would appreciate it. I'm sure it is somewhere in
the intro msg but I'm not thinking too clearly. When I have a sick animal, I
get very upset. Anyway, I wanted to throw out what the vet who diagnosed this
stray kitten using a elise test that was sent to a lab (not done at her office)
told me today.. She said she called to find the latest protocols about
retesting and said that one way is to wait 30 days and repeat the test but the
other way is to do an IFA now and I would know once and for all if the kitten
is truely positive. I questioned her about what I was reading on the internet
about waiting a longer period to see if the
cat reverts or sheds, but she said this is what she was told is the latest
protocol. I did read some of you about your cats coming back negative after
retesting and this gave me hope.
Mitt (for Mittens) b/c he has them is eating well and his bad breath went
away I guess from the antibiotics he is on. but tonight I saw he has
dandruff/scaling in his fur on the outer ear. Now I fear he does have a
compromised immune system and a skin disease. So I am bringing him back to the
vet on thurs to get this IFA test and for her to look at the skin and tell me
what it is. I'm not sure I can handle a chronically ill cat again. I took
care of one of my older cats in the final stages of kidney failure for a year,
including giving fluids but there was no issue of keeping separate and fear of
spreading illnesses to my other cats. My remaining 4 cats were former
strays/ferals that were over a year old when i took them in. I got them
sterilized but never kept up on shots and testing b/c I kept them inside and
figured since they all lived outside more or less together if they had
something they all probably had it by then. I've
had them all over 11 years. I have yet to find a really good vet where I
live. Most just push vaccinations and flea treatments. Most don't deal with
stray cats. I've been calling around cat rescues and those that take positive
cats are full and apparently the protocol here is that when they bring in
strays/ferals to be sterilzied, they give them a SNAP test (is that an elise
test) and if they test positive, they euthanize them apparently b/c they will
not return them to the colonies to spread the disease. So most don't have
experience treating cats with this illness.
Anyway, thanks to anyone who made it thru this msg and has any further comment.
From: dppl dppl <dppl1...@yahoo.com>
To: "felvtalk@felineleukemia.org" <felvtalk@felineleukemia.org>
Sent: Monday, November 7, 2011 8:33 PM
Subject: Re: stray kitten positive any advice for me
thank you all for responding so quickly. when i have more time I will review
all archives. I hope i am posting correctly by sending these emails. I see my
post is all chopped up (at least in my display ). Thanks for your advice. I
guess i will take things day by day. thanks also for the advice to get the
other test as a follow up.i can only hope it turns out negative. I am worried
about the redness of his gums which he is on an antibiotic for. Vet attributed
it to gingivitis and teething but this was pre finding out the positive test
results.
From: dppl dppl <dppl1...@yahoo.com>
To: "felvtalk@felineleukemia.org" <felvtalk@felineleukemia.org>
Sent: Monday, November 7, 2011 6:52 PM
Subject: stray kitten positive any advice for me
I came across this site, having just been informed by the vet that the
abandoned kitten I took in three weeks ago. Before I took it to the vet, I
have been keeping it in a separate room but admit that since it seemed so
healthy I let it out for little walks. I have 4 cats over 12 years old. Other
than walking on the same floors, they have not had contact with this kitten.
In our short phone call, the vet basically said that she would understand if I
euthanized the cat and that she wasn't sure about false positive and whether
retesting would be worthwhile. The cat also has hookworms. When I took the cat
in, she suggested that I give it its vaccinations before waiting for test
results. I asked if the cat turned out postitive, wouldn't this harm its
immune system. she said no. Now when she called she said she was surprised
that the cat tested positive since, other than the sore gums, which she
attirbuted to teething and bad breath, she said it
seemed healthy. It does seem healthy , eats well and plays. and is the
sweetest cat, loving and intelligent. I am heartbroken about this. I'm sorry I
haven't had time to read all archives but I work from home and also take care
of my bedridden elderly mother. Is there anyone out there would be kind enough
to give me some advice? Thank you. PS the test done was elisa and it just says
"positive" the vet estimates the cat is from 5-6 months old.
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