Oliver has been diagnosed w/FeLV.

Originally Posted by Auntie Crazy

First, Ollie's never going back to that vet. She gave me no info on FeLV, no treatment (besides Clavomox for a possible secondary infection), no prognosis, nothing but a "come back in three months". She never even remarked on his gums, which were almost as white as his fur. Either she didn't see it (which makes her inept), or she didn't want to discuss it with me. Both scenarios are unacceptable levels of care for a decent vet, never mind for my furry friend.

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i don't blame you. she doesn't sound very caring, at all...

Originally Posted by Auntie Crazy

I took Ollie to a cat specialist today and the news is as bad as it can get. His circulatory system is shutting down, there's something wrong in his intestinal area, he's definitely anemic......

The long and the short of it, the vet doesn't think he can bring Ollie back to health, that it's only a short matter of time before he dies, and that I shouldn't wait, but have him put to sleep now.

Ollie's still eating, but it's only little bites every now and then. He's not playing with his siblings and he just looks so sad.

I hate this, I hate this...... I HATE THIS.

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i'm glad you found a good vet, even tho the news is the worst possible.

to you during this difficult time. what a decision to make. Ollie will let you know when it's time, tho. until then, keep him comfortable, poor baby

try some meat baby food - they all seem to like that

I'm so sorry, like I said, the anemia is usually a very bad sign

its up to you about euthanizing him, to be honest, I usually prefer my babies to die at home with me, I only opt for euthanasia if they seem to be in any pain or are hanging on longer than they should.

I'm so sorry!!!! I'll be praying for you & Ollie. We're all here for you!!!

I so understand the I HATE THIS!

I didn't reply earlier because I didn't have the positive experience with FeLV. I lost three of my babies to this virus. I won't go into the whole story but to tell you that you will look at Oliver and he will tell you when he's had enough.

Your job is going to be... listening with your heart even if it hurts like hell. I had to do this with each one of my babies. I didn't want to let them go. When their quality of life became less than their quantity of life I knew I had to let them go.

What I mean by that is when Samantha, Scardy Cat and Buttons were sleeping 23 hours out of 24 hours, no longer eating or drinking, loosing weight they could ill afford to loose and last when they could no longer pick them self up off the floor I knew I had to let them go. I feel I waited to long with Scardy Cat but I watched for those signs with Samantha and I didn't let it get that bad because I know she would never have left me on her own. I had to be strong and tell her it was ok and I let her go.

My heart breaks for you and I'm hear if you to cry, scream or just talk.

Originally Posted by Auntie Crazy

I took Ollie to a cat specialist today and the news is as bad as it can get. His circulatory system is shutting down, there's something wrong in his intestinal area, he's definitely anemic......

The long and the short of it, the vet doesn't think he can bring Ollie back to health, that it's only a short matter of time before he dies, and that I shouldn't wait, but have him put to sleep now.

Ollie's still eating, but it's only little bites every now and then. He's not playing with his siblings and he just looks so sad.

I hate this, I hate this...... I HATE THIS.

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I'm very sorry to hear this sad news. Sending prayers for both you and Ollie.

Originally Posted by katiemae1277

just wanted to add a few things..... the FeLV tests tests for antigens, not antibodies

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Doh! I used to interpret ELISA tests for a living (swine fever etc results when I worked in epidemiology for the govt) I should know that, I feel well embarrassed In my defence it was a long time ago tho.

There's nothing I can say that hasn't already been said. I'm so very sorry to hear about Ollie. All I can do is send be strong wishes and hugs.

and cinder, I would seriously love to know how you got your kitties to live as long as they did, between me, and 2 other women I know that do this, none of us have ever had a cat live longer than 5 years

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I have a binder with most of my records, so I went back and checked my dates. Spunky was exposed to FELV in 1986 and tested positive. She was euthanized Septenber 24th, 1992 with kidney problems. The kitty that we took in after her was adopted in March of 1993. I was counting 1986 to 1993, which was incorrect. She lived 6 years, not 7. My bad...sorry.

It wasn't my intent to give false hope. More often than not, I deal with cancer in cats, and I would be less likely to give such an optimistic prognosis if that's what we were talking about.

I remember asking the vets at the TNR clinic how long I could expect Smudge to remain symptom free. They told me that about 5 years would be the best I could expect, and they were very close. Until that time, she was a fairly healthy little girl.

Missy was estimated to be about 9-10 when she passed away. I'd had her four years, but I don't know when she contracted the disease because she came to me as a stray.

My first FIV+, Old Tiger, lived 4 years after I took him in. He had numerous medical problems that required constant attention. My current FIV kitty, Pip, has been with me about 1 1/2 years with nothing more than a sniffle here and there. I know...completely different diseases, but that's the report card so far.

I will keep you and Ollie in my prayers. Did the specialist put him on any medication? I'm really sorry the news wasn't better.

I am so very sorry to hear that the specialist couldn't give better news. You will know when it is time, and only you will know if you can let him go naturally at home, or if he is suffering and has to be released peacefully - it is worth thinking about how you would like it to happen, and what you would like to do afterwards rather than having to make these decisions in a split moment when you are even more upset than now. Big hugs to the pair of you, this isn't going to be an easy time, but we are all here.

I don't know much about FeLV but just wanted to say I'm sorry you're going through this. It's hard to have a sick kitty.