Following are selected posts to the Holisticat (TM) Mailing List on the subject of FeLV and FIV. There's a lot of information here, and the posts are arranged in ascending chronological order. If there is a particular word you're looking for, it's probably best to utilize the "Find in Page" function in your edit menu!

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Hi All,

As many of you know, I am on the felv list and have been helping in the research into this disease.  I received some information last night that I would like your feedback on.

This concerns a cat named Thomas who tested positive on both Elisa  and IFA.  His owner put him on Co-enzyme Q10 twice a day, 15 mg each time in his soft food.  The gingivitus he had cleared up.

His Elisa and IFA subsequent tests were negative, but his owner wanted to go further and found a lab that did a PCR test (anyone know anything about this?) which detects felv at much lower levels than either Elisa or IFA.  He tested positive.

This is the regimen she put him on:
15mg of Co-enzyme Q10 twice/day
1/4 tab of 250 mg thymus hormone once/day
Injections intravenously with Immunoregulin, at 0.5 mls, 2 times/wk for 6 weeks

Three weeks after the last injection he tested negative using the PCR test.

Sorry this is so long, but if any of you can give me some information regarding this, I would really appreciate it - we have so many + cats that might benefit from some or all of these things.

Please email me privately at:  meowmama@

Thanks!  Have a great weekend everyone!

MEOW MAMA (Kathy G) and the 3 furries in Daytona Beach

Hi, all--

I got a lump in my throat when I read the postings about FeLV.   I lost my Wolfie to that hideous disease last year in June, and that experience was one of the reasons I'm researching homeopathic and holistic methods (slowly but surely) for my other gatofriends.

Wolfie was put on the full course of Immunoregulin for 6 weeks, and then  he was re-tested.  Unfortunately, he tested positive again.  I knew he would, as he'd been progressively getting worse throughout the course. He'd have really good periods where he was eating well and looking healthy, then he'd crash.  Each crash was worse than the one before, and his respiratory problems (a URI was the reason I took him in to the vet in the first place) were intensifying so that nothing seemed to help.  I
knew about only allo methods then, and when Wolfie looked to be crashing miserably, not getting up and eating or even allowing me to forcefeed him (he was at a stage where he rarely moved about, and he looked absolutely miserable, no matter what I tried), I saw no alternatives.  I took him to the vet one last time, to ask if there was ANYTHING I could do that  might give him even a slight chance, and the vet said there wasn't.  We could try another course of immunoregulin, but the chances
of it working were virtually zero since the first round hadn't done anything to make him better.  Sadly, I chose to end Wolife's life at that point.

The vet did tell me that Immunoregulin appears to work best with those cats who tested very   weak positives and were showing no signs of illness at the time of testing.  He said he has great hopes for Immunoregulin with many cats, but that frankly--he can't explain its success.  He said it is an immune system booster, and that perhaps it helps the body fight off the feline leukemia virus.  He said that since most cats exposed to FeLV are able to fight off the challenge to their immune systems, perhaps all immunoregulin does is help those kitties who almost could have fought it off on their own but needed that extra
boost.

I don't know if any of this info helps.  I have heard of some German drugs that are being used overseas, and if I can find my paperwork on them, I will gladly share.

I would hate to have anyone else lose a kittyfriend because of this disease.  Losing Wolfie still hurts tremendously.

Gabby and los gatos fregados

Hi Randall & List,

I have been reading _Love, Miracles and Animal Healing_ by Allen M. Schoen, DVM, and Pam Proctor.  In this book, Schoen mainly tells stories about his experiences as a vet who uses both allopathic and holistic methods for treatment, but in the book he focuses on stories which involve holistic methods. (Good reading BTW).  I am now towards the end of the book, where Schoen lists his "Personal Top Nine Herbal Remedies."  On page 176, he discusses Remedy #7: Ginseng and Royal Bee Jelly (an immune system stimulant)and how this treatment alone brought back the energy & appetite of an felv+ cat--the cat went into remission for eight years apparently.  There's a  product called Ginseng Royal Jelly, which comes in a liquid form, and
this is what Schoen used.  He prescribed six drops three times daily.

Randall, I thought this might be something you could discuss with your holistic vet--Maybe this would help Tails' appetite, immune system etc.  And of course, I thought the rest of you might be interested because it seems relatively simple and harmless (but of course ask your vet first).

Schoen talks about the different kinds of Ginseng, but as far as I can tell, he doesn't mention exactly which one is in the product he used.

Susan
katseven@

Hi Ally!

I also have 12 cats one of whom is felv+!  What a coincidence.  I'd be happy to tell you what I'm doing for my positive boy, George.  George is finishing up the immunoregulin treatment by IV right now.  It's not my favorite treatment either because it can really cause stress, which is bad news, esp. for felv+s. (Thankfully G does pretty well at the vet's). I'm doing it as a combo treatment w/ thymus & CoQ10--which is a treatment that helped (we believe) one cat revert to negative.  Kathy G. posted the info on this.  Anyway, G's last bi-weekly treatment for Immunoregulin is tomorrow, and I'm thrilled to get that over with.  I hope George forgives me for trying something so invasive.  I don't think the Immunoregulin itself would cause Catsby's down turn, but the stress wouldn't help. What exactly is going on with Catsby?

I am also doing a few other things to boost G's immune system. He's on a homemade diet; he gets spring water and Willard Water.  I also put 1/4 tsp of royal jelly w/ ginseng and 1/4 tsp. Ambrotose in both his meals, and he gets 500 to 1000 mg vit C (sodium ascorbate) per day.  All of this goes in his food, so I don't have to pill him.

George is doing very well on this regimen.  He had a nasty URI when I adopted him six weeks ago and that's completely cleared up.  He's put on over 2 lbs., and his coat is very shiny--eyes are bright, gums are pink, etc.  So I think something in all of that is working.

Ally, I am sure others can give you more info on what might help you strengthen Catsby's immune system.  I could talk a lot more about felv treatments (believe me!), but I've gotta go to work. I'm sending your little guy healing vibes.

Susan

In a message dated 11/6/98 9:39:28 AM Eastern Standard Time, katseven@ writes:

<< I am really excited about the  potential for holistic care for immune-compromised cats.  I see what a  raw food diet and supplements have done for George in just 3-4 mos and  it gives me hope.  I'm so glad you're seeing improvements in Wiley's
health.  Everyone, Sue and I are both also on the felv mailing list >>

Susan,

Have you looked into using colloidal silver for feline leukemia kitties? I found a number of testimonials while doing som research that giving it to a patient internally eventually strengthened the immune system to the point where a Feline Leukemia
postive kitty tested negative after some weeks. I alsos read similar stories when it was given to dogs an for humans. You might want to add it to your list of supplements after doing some research on it or you can privately e-mail me and I can send
you the web-site addresses.

Emily

In a message dated 12/29/98 8:56:14 AM Eastern Standard Time,blackkat@writes:

<<  make up the tea in smaller batches (Essiac is only good for 2 weeks  after it is made up) and give it to my Missy who has Feline Aids.  I am  also treating her homeopathically and she is doing splendidly. >>

Sandi,

What homeopathics are you giving your kitty?

Emily

Emily, you wrote:

<<What homeopathics are you giving your kitty?>>

You must realize that these are tailored especially for Missy and her illness. She tested pos for FIP, FIV. but there is NO fever,
vomiting, congestion, sneezing/mucous from nose, eyes are clear and no mouth sores.

She had liver problems also (she was showing jaundice). I have made up a nosode of Chelidonium, Lycopodium, Pareira brava, Berberis, Crataegus and Ceanothus in a 30C.   She gets one drop a day. Provides nutrition and drainage.

I have put her on an emotional remedy (NSOL) consisting of: Nat Mur, Staph, Opium and Lachesis in 30C  (nosode) and
one drop a day.

She also gets one drop of Apis Mel 30C for water accumulation.

Sandi
BlackKat Herbals
http://www.star-weaver.com/blackkat

Hi everyone,

Sherry, last year in April I lost my Ernie to FeLV-related fibrosarcoma, so I did some research on this topic.  Since your baby doesn't have FeLV (I'm hoping), the prognosis is much better.  The treatment you should consider is Acemannan, which is an aloe derivative--it can shrink the tumor and/or cause the cancer cells to die, making it more likely that a surgeon will be able to get the whole tumor, not leave some of it behind, which is a real problem with fibrosarcomas--a lack of definition in tumor boundaries.  Even though fibrosarcoma rarely metastasizes to other parts of the body (except when it's FeLV-related), it is locally aggressive, so getting all of the tumor is a must.  The Acemannan  treatment is by injection, directly into the tumor and into the
stomach. I'm not any kind of expert, but I would say use the holistic treatments (esp. get Caboose on a quality diet) to strengthen Caboose's system and help him ward off any other problems, but consider the Acemannan w/ surgery to get rid of the cancer because it is so aggressive. Here is a URL for the research.

http://www.sph.uth.tmc.edu:8052/utcam/agents/aloe.htm#annotated

http://www.angelfire.com/il/felv/

Welcome to the list, Sherry.

Susan

I would generally stimulate the immune system in FeLV, FIV, and perhaps in general in cats with recurrent infections of many sort.  Immune boosting is contra-indicated in autoimmune diseases (uncommon in cats), and probably also in allergic diseases.

On Wed, 20 Jan 1999, Kathy B wrote:

<<The discussions about FIP have me wondering if there are other such diseases that immune-boosting would be counterproductive to. I seem to recall that FelV is another such disease, is that so? Are there others?>>

Susan G. Wynn, DVM

Hi Renee,

Your poor friend!  First off, if her kitty is not symptomatic, I don't see how he could be diagnosed with FIP (the titer test --even the new Antech test which is supposed to test specifically for the FIP virus, not just any old coronavirus--is unreliable.) Vets usually use a titer test in conjunction with observed symptoms to make that diagnosis.   Maybe the kitty is positive for *FIV* and FeLV?  This would make more sense.  Anyhow, for info on how to treat FIP, check out Vick's post on the holisticat BB--it's very thorough.

For the FeLV, I can tell you what I've done for my felv+ kitty, George (here's a cut and paste from last August):

George is finishing up the immunoregulin treatment by IV right now.  It's not my favorite treatment either because it can really cause stress, which is bad news, esp. for felv+s. (Thankfully G does pretty well at the vet's). I'm doing it as a combo treatment w/ thymus & CoQ10--which is a treatment that helped (we believe) one cat revert to negative.  Kathy G. posted the info on this.

I am also doing a few other things to boost G's immune system. He's on a homemade diet; he gets spring water.  I also put 1/4
tsp of royal jelly w/ ginseng and 1/8 tsp. Ambrotose in both his meals, and he gets 250-500 vit C (sodium ascorbate) per day.  All of this goes in his food, so I don't have to pill him.

George is doing very well on this regimen.  He had a nasty URI when I adopted him six weeks ago and that's completely cleared up.  He's put on over 2 lbs., and his coat is very shiny--eyes are bright, gums are pink, etc.  So I think something in all of that is working.
End Quote.

George is still doing well although I no longer give him the ginseng and royal Jelly and I've cut back on the Vit. C. He's reaching his maximum as far as weight goes and his coat is gorgeous.

That said, I have to tell you that for some mysterious reason the age 4-5 seems to be a critical age for felv+ kits--many become symptomatic and deteriorate at this age.  It is very important that your friend get her kitty on the best diet possible and immune boosters.  Here is a website that details some of the things I am using for George (you'll have to click on the link to page dealing with FeLV):

http://www.superhit.com/simon.html

Rene,

I have one cat with FeLV, and just lost another last week to this disease.  There is a web site dedicated to cats with FeLV that your friend should definately check out. What kind of symptoms is your friends cat having?  What test were done to diagnose him?  How old is the cat and has he been recieving FeLV vaccines. I would suggest your friend have the cat retested as there can be falso positives (and negatives) with the Elisa test that is done in the Vets office. There is another blood test that is sent out that is much more accurate, but the only 100% way to be sure is a bone marrow biopsy.  If he is indeed FeLV+, some people are having success treating the cats with interferon orally, as well as with immunoregulin infusions. Any infections that the cat develops need to be treated aggressively and promptly. Its really important to keep the cat as stress free as possible.  I think the first, and most important thing to do for the cat is to get him on as high a quality diet as possible and use digestive enzymes.  These cats are more prone to developing other forms of cancers and anemia so any natural measures to  help prevent these are helpful. Stella and Lillian were on antioxidants, aloe vera juice, essiac tea, green foods, as well as different herbs that I would alternate (ones to help cleanse toxins from their system, WBC boosters etc). At different times I was also giving them acidophilus, CS, GSE, CoQ10. There is alot your friend can do for her cat that may help him have a quality life still. There is no cure for the FeLV, but these cats also don't need to be "written" off. Approx 30% cats never even become symptomatic but remain carriers, another 30% become ill and succomb quickly to the disease.  Unfortunately there is no way to tell these things in advance. Your friend can feel free to e-mail me privately if she would like. Hope some of this helps.

Kathy B