Start of blood testing next week!

[farthing]

Well, wish me luck, I start the run of getting all the cats tested for FIV after losing Triger a month ago. Samson and Spice are in on monday, Smudge and Misty-tuesday, Mustard and Sooty-wednesday and Candy-Friday. Pumpkin is getting the op on his left kneecap at the beginning of next month, so he will be blood tested then- he has a lux patella, the right was fixed a year ago when he had his cruciate ligament fixed at the same time.
I suspect a couple will need to be sedated, but we will try them without first, on Friday we also have Kizzy, a rescued rabbit in to have her teeth checked and her left tear duct flushed, so to say this will be a stressful week will be an understatement!:shock:

[yola]

Oh good luck! It's probably just as stressful for you as it is for the poor kitties.

[angieh]

Indeed - good luck farthing! Probably more stressful, because you know what's coming up! Hope all the cats' blood tests are OK.

[calismum]

fingers crossed all works out. Do let us know what the results are.

CM

[farthing]

Thanks, well Samson and Spice are negative, which is great news- 2 down another 6 to go!
Not so good, is one of our rabbits has developed an abscess in her mouth, which is not as easy to clear up as in cats. She had an abscess before in her mouth and was on antibiotic injections, every other day for 7 weeks. The biggest worry is that she is off her food, a rabbit off its food,even for a day is serious.
Its just typical, Mike is away today until Wednesday, and if you have to syringe feed a rabbit its much easier with 2!
I wonder why I do this to myself, sometimes.:?

[calismum]

great about the first two results.

don't know anything about rabbits, but I know their back legs are very poweful and it can be extremely sore if they catch you with the back claws.

good luck

[angieh]

Is there a neighbour that could help you with the rabbit, farthing? I sort of have got the impression, rightly or wrongly that you live in the middle of nowhere???

Very glad about the results for Samson and Spice.

[dandysmom]

Good news about the first tests, may it be so for the others! Fingers and paws crossed here.....

[pinklizzy]

Glad to hear about Spice and Samson, hope the others all get a negative result too.
I hope your bunny recovers quickly from her abscess, what are you syringe-feeding her? We use the awful recovery which looks and smells like pureed grass and is almost impossible to get through a syringe :roll: but recently have started giving rabbits baby food! It sounds odd but it's really only pureed apple and pear (anything with banana is a big no no) which we buy in pots from the supermarket and send them home with after dentals etc. They really seem to like it-just as a short-term measure. You can even mix it with the recovery sachets.

[farthing]

Hi pinklizzy, I agree about the science recovery, but we bought a big syringe, used for stomach tubing lambs and it has a bigger nozzle so lets the "food" out. Mind you the rabbits don't seem to enjoy it anyway, I usually rely on dandilion leaves and fibreplex. I have heard of using baby food, but haven't tried it yet. I gave her a wee drop of the recovery, but she wasn't keen, but she was tucking into grated carrots when I left her, hopefully the painkiller is starting to take effect. She is getting betamox injections every second day, luckily I can do them myself. Its such a shame, we got her when she was 4 ( about a year ago) and she had lost her eye to an abscess, we then had to get her front teeth removed as they were misallined. She then developed an abscess in her lower jaw. She's come through all that and been bonded with 2 other bunnies and they all get on brilliantly, its the happiest I've seen her. I really hope we can get her through this.

[pinklizzy]

Glad she's eating the grated carrot! I haven't used the fibreplex yet, how do you find it? I haven't heard many good things about it so far.

[farthing]

I really like the fibreplex, much better than the biolapis and the rabbits seem more willing to take it. If the owner isn't used to handling the rabbit, it would be more difficult compared to putting biolapis in the water, but I at least you know the rabbit has actually taken in the fibreplex. The only gripe I have, is we often get a dud tube which seems really stiff when trying to squeeze it out. One of my rabbits is on an inhaler and gets a section of fibreplex every night just as a cover incase he gets any tummy upsets. He has an allergy/asthma and is very thin and quite frail, we don't know how old he is as he was rescued from a house, the owners moved out and left him and 9 guinea pigs. The neighbours saved them, when they heard the guinea pigs squeaking.

[farthing]

Just got Misty and Smudge's results back- both negative.:D
2 more in tomorrow.

[angieh]

Well done Misty and Smudge - good news there!

[dandysmom]

More happy news!

[calismum]

bet you're relieved. Only 2 more to go. Fingers and toes crossed for you.

[angieh]

How is Kizzy doing?

[farthing]

bet you're relieved. Only 2 more to go. Fingers and toes crossed for you.

No, worse than that, another 4 to go! I next 2, Sooty and Mustard I am a bit more worried about one of these being positive, especially Mustard. He and Triger were great friends and spent lots of time play fighting, also neither of these 2 have ever been tested before. Fingers crossed, will let you know.

Angieh, Kizzy is fine, she is in on Friday for a dental, its Jess (sorry I didn't put down her name) who has the abscess. It does get confusing as we have 13 rabbits.
Jess is still eating carrot and picked at a bit of grass, I have to inject her tomorrow with betamox, and continue like this, every other day, until the abscess goes away-hopefully.
I noticed this morning that Gigi, our pig, is holding her head to the side, I did try to clean her ears, but it isn't easy on an animal that is over 100kg. Will talk to the vet tomorrow when I am in with Mustard and Sooty. At least if she needs an injection, Mike will be home to help.:D

[farthing]

Yeee, Sooty and Mustard are also negative. Have also been asked to take on another cat- a 14 year old, hyperthyroid female, her owner is moving to Canada and doesn't want to put her through the journey. I've said I must check with Mike, and she must be tested.

[angieh]

Well done to Sooty and Mustard too. Phew!

[calismum]

Hurrah! Are you almost able to breath easy now?

[farthing]

Hurrah! Are you almost able to breath easy now?

Yes, I was really worried about Mustard to be honest. Candy is next, although i suspect she will need to be sedated. As I said, Pumpkin will be done at the start of September when he is in for his op, he is Mustard's brother but has been inside since his op last year, so I think he 'should' be fine. Candy was tested 18 months ago, and is a house cat so she 'should' be ok as well.
It looks like we have a new cat coming, Mike is home and he agreed, the owner has tried to rehome her, but no luck. Her thyroid levels are still be stabilised, she was over 300 mg when she was diagnosed :shock: , and I have said I want her FIV tested just so I know the status of the cats now.

[farthing]

Candy was tested today, and as predicted she had to be sedated, not before biting through a fingernail of mine and leaving a few scratches on me. She came back negative, and while we had the chance we did a general blood test and a T4 is being sent off as the vet thought he could feel a goitre. I am now fairly sure Pumpkin will be negative as well, he is booked in for his op on the 10/9.
Kizzy, the rabbit is home from her op and is recovering, she's just a bit sleepy.
Now I am left with a difficult decision and wonder if anybody can help. The cat I was asked to take is infact positve for FIV, a sample has been sent off for western blotting but I it is only a slim chance the snapp test is wrong. The vets are now recommending that I don't take her, knowing all my cats are clear they are worried about my knowingly introducing a positive cat, problem is I met her today and she is a lovely girl and can't just walk away.
What do I do, she's an FIV positive, 14 year old , hyperthyroid cat, whose going to take her?
We do have the option of moving Smudge and Misty out of the study (they live in here although the door is open and the other cats visit) and move Tabatha in , keeping the door closed. I would think about a rescue, but it will be so hard to rehome her and she will need extra care. Smudge does get a bit stressed by the other cats, but we could open up the spare bedroom for her and Misty to spread to if they wanted, only thing is they would have to move out when we have non- animally visitors (once a year) or a sick animal who needs to come into the house for nursing- we have had rabbits, guinea pigs and goat and a pig in for intensive care!
Any input would be very helpful.

[farthing]

Any advice or experiences would be gratefully appereciated.
Finding it hard to make a decision.

[Grete]

Coming late to this - fantastic news they all turned out to be negative!

I don't envy you the decision :( It's so hard to walk away from an animal in need but I think ultimately you have to do what is right for your current kitties and now that they have all tested negative, would it be fair on them to introduce that risk?

Having said that, Triger lived with them and they were OK :)

Sorry I'm not much help :(

[calismum]

Difficult one. Need to get the balance between responding to the need of one cat or safeguarding all of the ones you currently look out for.

Not very up on how easily transferred it is but if you consider the odds and then multiply that into your current cat household, are you putting them at risk.

I don't envy you the decision.

CM

[farthing]

From what I've read the virus is very short lived out of the body and really needs to 'injected' into the blood stream by a bite. From some of the research I've read, there is only a 1% risk of a FIV negative cat catching it from a FIV postive cat in a household- as long as they don't fight. If we do take Tabitha, she will be isolated in the study, although we are in here quite a lot as the computer is in here and Mike regularly works from home, so she won't spend her whole time alone. I suppose, do I give up the whole house to the animals, I've tried to keep the spare bedroom an animal free zone for visitors and post-op/ill animals. I suspect Smudge and Misty would take up residence in there, but is it fair to shut them out when we have a poorly rabbit, for example. They do interact with the other cats, as at the moment the study door remains open, but will they adapt to the changes.

[angieh]

It is a difficult decision to make farthing. What does Mike think? I think you said that your vet has advised against taking her, but as you say - who else will? The risk does seem to be minimal but will involve rethinking your room arrangements which will probably stress your existing feline friends.

I do not envy you trying to make a measured decision about this.

[dandysmom]

I don'[t envy you having to make that decision, TBH, I'm afraid much as it would hurt to abandon the poor old girl, I'd think of the welfare of my present cats first...but I honestly wouldn't feel good about it...

[farthing]

It is a difficult decision to make farthing. What does Mike think? I think you said that your vet has advised against taking her, but as you say - who else will? The risk does seem to be minimal but will involve rethinking your room arrangements which will probably stress your existing feline friends.

I do not envy you trying to make a measured decision about this.

Like me, Mike is torn although we are leaning towards taking her. Her owner is away for a week, and it will be a few days til the western blotting results come through, so we have a bit of time. We are thinking of having a trial run with the new room arrangements and if Smudge and Misty aren't too upset, we will take her- if the vets let us.
How can we let her be PTS, as I think that is what will happen to her,just because it is an inconvenience to us. In reality, Misty only came here 1 year ago and has adapted, Smudge has been with us for 15 years and coped with all the changes, surely it isn't going to be too much of an upheaval.:?

[calismum]

farthing - you have a really big heart, I would hate to have to decide either way. But, if the infection rate is as low as you've been led to believe and you think you may be able to keep her apart from the others, then it might not be as big a decision.

I hope it all works out.

CM

[farthing]

Just thought I'd write a quick update.
I spoke to the vet today, explained she would be kept away from the other cats but would have regular company, so he agreed. He wasn't completely happy, but I told him if it didn't work out we would look for another home for her. He admitted the only other option is PTS, her owner is away this week and moves to Canada in 2 weeks time, and she's been trying to find a home for a while now. So, we are back up to 9 cats in a few weeks, not what we'd intended but you can't plan anything here. Hopefully she will settle in, I'll get a feliway plugged in and will ask the owner for her bed and bowls, so she feels a bit more secure.

[dandysmom]

Bless you for taking this little girl on; hope all works out for the very best.......do let us know how she settles in ...