Feline leukemia positive cat vet says put to sleep

[bugmankeith]

I would say if she's improving and responding to supportive therapy and if the sanctuary will take her then she has bought some time.  But she can't be let outside on her own no matter what.  If she starts to go downhill at the sanctuary then they will like do the PTS.

That makes sense. I hope she pulls through and gets better!

 

[cat nap]

Here's the situation. She hasn't gotten worse, she had gotten slightly better. They only just started steroids and never offered to syringe feed her, like I said almost like they aren't trying. This rescue person is supposed to come Tuesday. Except Sunday I am visiting buttons a little each day.

My question is, how do I know if she should be PTS or if I should give her to the rescue that is willing to try and give her best life however long she has? I have a time limit to make a decision, Monday night.

 
I would say if she's improving and responding to supportive therapy and if the sanctuary will take her then she has bought some time.  But she can't be let outside on her own no matter what.  If she starts to go downhill at the sanctuary then they will like do the PTS.

That makes sense. I hope she pulls through and gets better!

Yes, I would definitely give her to the rescue.  Here's hoping that she can get on an upswing.  Hoping the meds, Buttons is given start to calm her immune response. 

Come on [email protected] all here are rooting for you. 

 

 

[catwoman707]

Okay so the rescue/sanctuary place is just what I was hoping you would find, this is great news!

I think another 3 full days will help you know more about her recovering too.

She should show improvement, that's enough time for the antibiotics to do their thing, and although I'm not able to predict the future, but am pretty hopeful that she will be doing better, and can move on to the rescue.

Her testing negative last year means she hasn't had it that long, so it's really sort of unlikely she could be in the final stage of felv. I just don't see that.

I believe she is like Baby was, able to buy her time to live her life and just needed meds to get her turned around, time for her anemic blood, plus get weight on.

Another thing here I want you to understand, her physical state can greatly be affected by her mental state, as you saw while visiting. I think it's very important for her and you that you visit with her as much as possible. It gives her a reason to get well, knowing she is loved. 

I will be thinking of her all weekend, please let us know how things are going. 

 

[chloe16]

Yeah wouldnt cost $100 to euthanize a cat here. Your looking at close to $300 JUST to put them to sleep.

 

[bugmankeith]

Here's an update, but its sad.

For past 3 days they gave appetite stimulant and she had been eating better. However at maximum it usually takes about 5 days at most for red blood cell count to start to improve, she went all the way down to 10 count today and has been having breathing difficulty and is still lethargic and anemic.

The rescue ended up saying they won't take her, they thought she had a transfusion already and was improving but that's not the case. She was in the vet for a week straight with all the care I could afford, a transfusion wasn't one of them and the blood count which was the most important thing slowly keeps getting worse. Vet said she is at risk for seizure or heart problems or lung issues due to low oxygen so keeping her alive she most likely would just get worse and begin to have severe complications.

It was a tough decision but I decided to have her euthanized, there was nothing more I could do for her Unfortunetly and I'm happy she won't have to suffer or die outside which would of happened if I left her alone.

They had to give 3 injections to make her sleep , I think blood circulation was poor so it took so long but after they gave her the final shot as I was petting her so she wasn't alone and she passed away quickly.

I am glad she is out of pain and illness and I hope her spirit is running around sunbathing and eating turkey her favorite and reunited with her mom and siblings that passed away years earlier. She was 8.

 

[stephenq]

I'm very sorry for your loss and you may take comfort in knowing you did the right thing at the right time.  A hard thing to do regardless, but it is the final gift we can give them, and you did right by her.  If you would like to share her story or get more support I encourage you to post here: http://www.thecatsite.com/f/19/crossing-the-bridge

With condolences,

Stephen

 

[catwoman707]

I'm so saddened for this outcome, and so very sorry.  

It definitely sounds like it was the right thing to do, and the right time.

You tried and did all that you could for her, and believe she knew this about you, she knew how you cared, and you were with her through to the end.

This almost makes me wonder how she tested negative only a year ago, yet it was so advanced she couldn't get well.......doesn't usually happen like that in adults who contract felv., but not much point in wondering, it is what it is and was the right thing for her now.

No regrets about how you should have or would have, you did. You did everything that any of us would have, and she is free of her failed body now, but her spirit soars on.................

RIP sweet little girl, you were loved.

Hugs.  

 

 

[bugmankeith]

I'm puzzled too how and why the decline was so quick. If it spread to her bone marrow that is possibly why the quick decline. The vet said its possible she inherited it from mom, but only showed up years later, because leukemia cases are only 2% in our area the vet was surprised she had it because the rarity. But like I said some siblings died suddenly at under 2 and had other health problems but cause of death was unknown they never were tested for leukemia. only thing in common is born from same mom, so leukemia from her is possible. Not to mention mating with many males increased chance of illness, she was the head female in the area and even foster fed other females kittens so they had contact with other kittens unrelated.

 

[catwoman707]

I'm puzzled too how and why the decline was so quick. If it spread to her bone marrow that is possibly why the quick decline. The vet said its possible she inherited it from mom, but only showed up years later, because leukemia cases are only 2% in our area the vet was surprised she had it because the rarity. But like I said some siblings died suddenly at under 2 and had other health problems but cause of death was unknown they never were tested for leukemia. only thing in common is born from same mom, so leukemia from her is possible. Not to mention mating with many males increased chance of illness, she was the head female in the area and even foster fed other females kittens so they had contact with other kittens unrelated.

Did I somehow missed that part? I wasn't aware that she had siblings who died before they were 2. That would completely explain all of this. It explains how she could possibly have died from felv so suddenly, as there are 6 stages of this disease, and she seemed fine before her sudden illness and decline.

If she had it all along..............hmm. If that was infact the case, then she was actually lucky to have lived for so many years. It doesn't spread to the bone marrow fast once contracted, it's like a slow process.

Why I was saying prior that it's mostly only kittens born with felv from their momma die in a fairly short period of time, but it's in their development, where-as an adult who contracts it while they are a fully mature adult takes a long time to progress like it did in her. So it makes perfect sense now, if that is what the case was in her.

 

[mani]

The mods are all very sorry for your loss @bugmankeith.  We usually lock these threads but please do feel free to open a new one to discuss this insidious illness if you wish to - you have created a very meaningful discussion on it already and that is always helpful for others.

Please accept our heartfelt condolences.