FIV feral/stray needs advice

Hello, I recently took one of my most beloved ferals to the vet because of a bit wound on the hind leg. His name is Giuseppi and a very loving boy. I had a shelter made for him and fed him twice a day. He stopped using the shelter and started acting very nervous, then I noticed the bit wound and the weather was not breaking....so I got him to the vet. After blood work I found out the sad news. He is now living inside in a separate bedroom from my other two cats. I guess he must have always wanted inside since he seems to be responding so well to the security.

I have no experience with FIV and want to make what is left of his life here as nice as possible. He sleeps alot, eats alot, purrs alot, loves being pampered like a little king. My questions-

1) what is the best diet?

2)should he always be kept separate?

3)He has an upper respiratory that antibiotics arent taking away, why?

4) what vaccines are actually neccessary and can they harm?

5) how can I tell how far the disease has progressed?

6)are there vets that specialize in FIV? The one I found is horrible and I have yet to receive a breakdown of what has been done to him and what meds were used. They boarded him for 11 days....He was neutered ofcourse but they wont give me  info? very frustrating..besides Giuseppi hates him and hisses at the sight of him.

Ok would love feedback, don't have a computer these days but will be checking in again on thurs. I would love a protocol to follow.

Aw, aren't you a love for rescuing this boy. And yes - you definitely need a new vet. At this point, I'm not even concerned about a vet that's FIV literate - just one that will at least provide you with information about what they're doing! That's inexcusable. If it's not completely inconvenient, I would show up at the vet office and ask for a copy of his records. You need to know what he's been given.

We work with three vets, all are FIV-literate. None recommend any vaccinations. Rabies, usually required by law, is not required where I live. There are states that have health medical exemptions: http://www.rabieschallengefund.org/...ical-exemptions-in-lieu-of-rabies-vaccination

The states with exemptions are Alabama, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, Maryland, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Nevada, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania,Vermont, Virginia, Wisconsin

FIV is a very slow-acting virus that over time impairs immune system function. It's very much like HIV in people. Just like most people will not develop AIDS, most cats will not progress to that point. They live to old age and die of the same stuff most cats do: cancer, and liver or kidney disease.

That he is not responding to medication for the URI means one of two things: either it isn't bacterial and you need to treat him for herpes OR he needs a longer course of antibiotics and/or stronger antibiotics. This is quite common with FIV cats - they often need more aggressive treatment of any illness. :rub: Treatment for herpes includes a supplement that happens to be one recommended for FIV+ cats: bovine lactoferrin. Dosage is listed below. Add to it 500mg of L-lysine twice daily for a few weeks to a month (that is the therapeutic dose). A maintenance dose of L-lysine is 250mg 2x a day. Most buy free form L-lysine powder and sprinkle it on food.

If you make slow, proper introductions, he does not need to be kept separate from your other cats. Unlike feline leukemia, FIV is not usually passed casually. This is not to say there is NO risk at all, but it is thought that it requires the deep tissue bite wound to pass along the virus. There are quite a few TCS members with both FIV+ and FIV- cats living together and I am not yet aware of any FIV- cats having contracted the disease from the introduction of an FIV+ cat.

This is my Chumley (FIV+) and Billy (FIV-)



As you can see, they are best buddies. Chumley grooms Billy constantly, and always cleans his ears. Chumley has lived indoors with us (we live in an RV with now 9 cats) for four years. Billy just had a dental done, and out of curiosity, we had Billy tested for FIV. He remains negative.

There is no real way to measure how far advanced the disease is. There is a university lab somewhere in the US (sorry, don't know which one off-hand - at least I think there is one in the US) that will test CD4+ (T4) counts, but the absolute number is not nearly as meaningful in cats as in people with HIV. No one really knows why. If you want to track it over TIME, that is more meaningful. The CD4+ to CD8+ ratio is more meaningful, as over time the virus attacks the CD4+ cells, so that ratio will decline. Here's more info: http://www.fivtherapy.com/fiv_immunestatus.htm

In fact, there is no better site for learning about FIV than the http://www.fivtherapy.com/index.htm site.

The best diet is the healthiest diet that is species-appropriate that you can afford to feed. I feed my FIV+ cat prey model raw. But a high protein, low carb wet food is a good option. If you cannot afford Weruva, Nature's Variety, Hound & Gatos, Wild Calling, etc., the Friskies Pate style foods and Fancy Feast classics fit the bill.

I provide Chumley with some supplements I learned about on the FIVtherapy site. I give him

1) bovine lactoferrin (most use Jarrow brand). This is 250mg. The dose is 1/2 a capsule 2x a day. He gets this alternating months.

2) A thymus (glandular) supplement. In "off" months for the lactoferrin, I give him a thymus supplement, because I cannot afford the thymus peptides discussed on the FIV site. I buy Nutricology brand thymus, and he gets one capsule sprinkled on his food daily.

3) Probiotics. Chumley also gets two types of probitics. I use Nutricology brand S. boulardii. Each capsule is 3 million CFU. He gets 1/4 a capsule 2x a day. I also give him Natural Factors double-strength acidophilus+bifidus (10 billion CFU). He gets 1/2 capsule 2x a day (though you can use 1/4 capsule instead - and really, any L. acidophilus supplement will do, so long as it has at least 5 billion CFU, and good if it contains L. rhamnosus and some bifidobacterium). I do recommend human grade probiotics over pet grade. The gut accounts for 65% - 70% of immune system health, so I want to keep him populated with healthy bacteria.

4). Omega 3s. Chumley also gets 500mg of salmon oil daily. You can feed one or two sardines (from a tin, packed in water, no salt) a week instead. The omega 3s are very healthy and anti-inflammatory. The salmon oil and the sardines have vitamin D, which also provides health benefits.

This is the protocol we follow, and Chumley is beautiful with soft, silky fur and VERY healthy. Rescued at "3 or 4" he is now 7 or 8 years old.

But you can read all about the various natural supplements on the FIV therapy site and decide whether you want to use any of them, or which ones. I chose the ones that seem to provide the most anti-inflammatory and immune-system REGULATING effects that are edible for the cat, so I'm not pilling him with stuff.

Vibes for you and your FIV+ kitty.

WoW, thank you so much. I feed my other two cats a frozen raw but have been feeding Giuseppi Wellness canned because I was scared. I live in a state where the rabies vaccine is law but will try to find a way around that. I have been calling different vets and some have said my other two healthy cats MUST be vaccinated for FIV. Is this true? I have also been told to get Giuseppi retested after a month because some times FIV is transitory? Either way I am on my way to the healthstore for those supplements and looking into other site. Thankyou so much again.

Yes, if he was recently bitten, he may well fight off infection. I'd wait at least 6 weeks for another SNAP test though.

Do you live in the panhandle of FL, or southern AL, MS, LA, or SE TX? If not, take any vet that said you must get your other cats vaccinated for FIV off your "potential vet" list. !!! The FIV vaccine works only for a specific strain of FIV present in those locations. It is otherwise ineffective and completely useless. It's also unnecessary anyway. And cats vaccinated will always test positive for FIV. None of my cats are vaccinated for it. I don't give my indoor-only cats any vaccinations after the first year rabies and distemper with booster.

FYI, the SNAP test does provide false positives. This is another reason it's a good idea to run the SNAP again. You can pay close to $200 for the confirmatory Western Blot if he tests positive again. But it's really not necessary unless you want to know for sure.

I find it so very sad that there is so much misinformation when it comes to FIV. Just like you can safely be roommates with an HIV+ person, and share a drinking glass, eat off the same plate, and use the same bathroom, cats with FIV can live with cats that aren't infected. If you are roommates with an FIV+ person, you can't share needles or have sex. If your cats are spayed and neutered, and not fighting over mating, they can live together, no vaccination necessary. :rub:

Thankyou again!

I am slowly introducing Giuseppi to my other cats. He still has diarrhea every other day. I have tried different protein sources thinking a possible allergy, but no change. I took away the supplements one at a time but doesnt effect it. Before I assumed it was the anti-biotics but am confused now. He is through taking them. I had him on the Lysine, a probiotic, natures variety powder supplement, and the lactoferrine.

The lacto ferrine(sp?) was a disaster. I only used it once. Two minutes after taking it he puked violently. And I have never seen him puke before. After he got the food up he even foamed at the mouth and then puked up a brown green grit that had no smell.

But I suppose I will slowly get the picture of his health and needs and sensitivities. I will after a day or two add back the lysine and see, them probiotics... I live in Michigan and still havent found a vet for him. I vet that said my other cats need the vaccine for FIV really sounded serious and made me scared so I am relieved to know the truth. I also never brought my other two cats back to update vaccines. The are exclusively indoors and I felt it unnecessary. I also have heard Dr. Becker (Mercola) speak about the misuse of vaccines and really hesitate till I am better educated.

Thankyou again