week immunity?

[miki]

Hi!

Today I took our Snežka to the vet to be spayed and when he asked me if she is healthy I said that generally she is but that sometimes she breathes loudly. And he listened to her heart and said it was murmur and than he checkeh her mout and eyes..and said she could have FIV or Felv. I was so shocked! We got her when she was still very little. Luckily all the test were negative :) :) and the operation went smoothly.

Anyway the vet told me I should be carefull with her cause she seems to have low imunity, perhaps because she is albino? (Her eyes shine red when hit by a flashligt as opposed to green like in normal cats). But he said he can't be certain and there could be other reasons. Also her gums are a bit inflammed tho we feed her the same food as all our other cats and they are all ok...So doeas anyone know what test could/shold be done? At this point I don't even know what to look for...

I

[Velvet]

Have a look at this link

http://www.nativeremedies.com/petalive/ailment/cats-dogs-immune-system-remedies.html#question2

[Velvet]

In dogs or people you can have a low grade murmur all their lives & it never comes to anything

We have white dogs, not albinos / did the vet actually say she was albino?

Sometimes its just the luck of the draw. Our eldest boy has a weak digestion, have to Make sure his diet never changes, each time he gets annual Vaccs, he is very very ill so perhaps you could say he has a weakened immune system?

If she is ok in all other ways? it may just be a case of keeping an eye on her breathing, if it gets worse or she pants, go back to the vet & ask him about further tests - in fact why not phone him & ask him to explain further

[CatZmother85]

Make sure your cats diet is of high quality and supports a healthy immune system . Definatly follow velvets link as herbal remedies can help for example a small amount of liqourice root can help towards building a healthier immune system (not proven - but I have used it ) Also I understand vets can offer various immune system boosters depending on circumstances .Be warned I found out that certain flea preventative measures were not good for cats with low immune systems and neither are diets containing dyes or lots of additives .

[miki]

Thanks for all the suggestion and the link!
I wasn't aware of the dangers of flea treatments for cats with low immunity...I ussually use frontline (we have cats and dogs) - would be OK?

and yes - the vet said she was albino tho I always thought she was dominant white (from messybeast site) but I don't really know how to tell because I always tought albinos had to have pinkish eyes but I have learned that some form of albinos can have blue eyes...I don't know...but her mother was completely white but had green eyes...

[CatZmother85]

Yes I think you will be okay the problems I had was with tablet treatments (program etc) but every pets different if shes been okay so far nowt to worry about just be careful if you ever decide to change treatment for fleas :)

[truthisouthere]

In dogs or people you can have a low grade murmur all their lives & it never comes to anything

We have white dogs, not albinos / did the vet actually say she was albino?

Sometimes its just the luck of the draw. Our eldest boy has a weak digestion, have to Make sure his diet never changes, each time he gets annual Vaccs, he is very very ill so perhaps you could say he has a weakened immune system?

If she is ok in all other ways? it may just be a case of keeping an eye on her breathing, if it gets worse or she pants, go back to the vet & ask him about further tests - in fact why not phone him & ask him to explain further

Last time I read the contraindications that came with the vaccine it said that only healthy animals should be vaccinated. I haven't had my 2 done since..for various other reasons and personal research and experience. Also if the animal is not in good health to begin with then this is thought to counteract the annual boosters anyway rendering them very hit and miss.

On the subject of Snezka, (sorry), once the vet has carried out all of the blood tests to eliminate anything else and these tests are reliable and conclusive (I assume checked for feline AIDS?) I would go back and ask your vet what else can be done. You may find you'll have to draw the line at doing too many tests for Snezka's own comfort and just accept that she's a 'special needs' girl and give her a quiet and stress free life as possible with the best nutrition for her. Hope you find out tho..