As many of you know, I lost my Alley to cytauxzoonosis, which is an incurable blood parasite that destroys the red blood cells, then causes massive internal organ failure among other things. There is no vaccine, there is no cure and it kills quicky. Once there are symptoms, it is usually too late. It is most prevalent in Oklahoma and the south, southeast US but there have been cases reported as far north as Washington state in the west, and Northern Virginia in the east. This disease has had a 95% mortality rate.
I have kept in contact with others who lost cats to this disease as well as some of the leading veterinary researchers in this subject. Recently I received communication that a Dr. Jack Broadhurst in North Carolina had developed a treatment protocol that allowed him to successfully treat many of the cases of cytauxzoon he had seen. Just this morning I received an email from a man in Oklahoma who had lost a cat to this last year. Just this past week he started noticing symptoms in another cat (HAD been treated regularly with Frontline, but it only takes one tick bite to spread it).
When he took his cat into the vet, they gave him the usual tests and all came back negative, but he was anemic, lethargic, dehydrated, etc. and they suspected C. felis. They sent the samples off for testing, but said the cat would be dead by midnight and suggested euthanizing him. When he shared the info he had received from Dr. Broadhurst they agreed to try his treatment protocol. This happened last Wednesday, and over a week later, the cat Newton is still alive and improving!! He is eating again and has started to gain weight and his activity level is improving. The results to confirm if this was indeed cytaux will not be in until the first of the week, but they are almost positive that he has successfully overcome this dreadful parasite. He WILL be a carrier for the rest of his life though and precautions will have to be taken to ensure he doesn't spread it to another cat.
This news comes far too late to save my Alley, but it gives me hope that in the future, nobody else will have to go through what I did. Anyone interested in details regarding the treatment can PM me. If you are in or near Oklahoma, this is something you should be aware of.
I have kept in contact with others who lost cats to this disease as well as some of the leading veterinary researchers in this subject. Recently I received communication that a Dr. Jack Broadhurst in North Carolina had developed a treatment protocol that allowed him to successfully treat many of the cases of cytauxzoon he had seen. Just this morning I received an email from a man in Oklahoma who had lost a cat to this last year. Just this past week he started noticing symptoms in another cat (HAD been treated regularly with Frontline, but it only takes one tick bite to spread it).
When he took his cat into the vet, they gave him the usual tests and all came back negative, but he was anemic, lethargic, dehydrated, etc. and they suspected C. felis. They sent the samples off for testing, but said the cat would be dead by midnight and suggested euthanizing him. When he shared the info he had received from Dr. Broadhurst they agreed to try his treatment protocol. This happened last Wednesday, and over a week later, the cat Newton is still alive and improving!! He is eating again and has started to gain weight and his activity level is improving. The results to confirm if this was indeed cytaux will not be in until the first of the week, but they are almost positive that he has successfully overcome this dreadful parasite. He WILL be a carrier for the rest of his life though and precautions will have to be taken to ensure he doesn't spread it to another cat.
This news comes far too late to save my Alley, but it gives me hope that in the future, nobody else will have to go through what I did. Anyone interested in details regarding the treatment can PM me. If you are in or near Oklahoma, this is something you should be aware of.
