Feline Leukemia

[Lori Edwards]

Hello All,

I feel compelled to share my story with everyone that will listen. If your cat should get the horrible diagnosis of feline leukemia please do not euthanize them! There is a medicine that may save them. My cat was diagnosed with leukemia in March and I was told she would not live beyond three months. My Vet (Dr. Burris, Southern Oaks Animal Hospital) decided to try a new experimental drug called LTCI (lymphocyte T-cell immunomodulator). Well, she not only is still alive 4 months later but has gained 4 pounds, is happy and more importantly she is clinically perfectly healthy. Yes, all her bloodwork is equivalent to a healthy normal cat. I am very skeptical / cynical of anything that promises miracle cures but this has been one for us. I have my dear cat and she is loving and playful again. Thanks to Dr. Burris and the makers of LTCI. As a side note I must say that no one else that I contacted (Vet school, clinics in Florida and Ohio) had any hope for her survival. Dr. Burris is my HERO. Please look into this if your baby gets sick, you really don't have to say goodbye.

Lori

[gardina]

Hello Lori,
I'm sorry to see this.. I hope it is temporary problem and she will be fine soon. Warm hugs for Charley, I keep fingers crossed. Thank you for your honest information. regards

[Dianne Robison]

Hello Lori,
I am so glad to find you and the chronicles of Charley and the rest of the folks on here. I, too, have one of my babies, Simba, who tested positive for FeLV and we have been treating him with LTCI now for 8 months and all of his blood counts are in the normal range, including his reticulocytes. I will write more later but I wanted to let you know I am thinking of Charley and saying prayers. I also wanted to reiterate to you to not give up hope. Simba crashed twice (once about a month after we started with the weekly injections of LTCI and once about 3 months after) and I refused to throw in the towel. On the last occasion his Hematocrit was down to 10 and he spiked a fever of 106 at the acute care overnight but now (knock on wood) all of his blood counts are in the normal range and have been for some time now. He received transfusions both times he crashed but is holding his own now and is a little piggy when it comes to eating and a little rascal when it comes to playing with his brother and sisters. Don't get me wrong, I do cherish every day with him and love him for however long we have him but I am stubborn and will constantly be looking for information on how to keep him as healthy as possible. I will write more later. Thanks! Dianne Robison

[Lori Edwards]

Hello Dianne,

I can't thank you enough for taking the time to write. I won't say I gave up hope but am feeling a bit desperate. My vet has been in touch with a specialist from Florida and she says that Charley has either Myelofibrosis or infiltrative bone marrow disease (her diagnosis from the clinical lab results). Thankfully Charley has never crashed although before we started the LTCI she was pretty sick. Has Simba's reticulocytes ever been low? I know the wretched virus can cause many different disease outcomes, I know of another woman who's cat is on LTCI (for about a year and a half now) and seems fine. I don't want Charley to have the bad luck of something she can't recover from. Do you supplement with prednisone or other medications? Thankfully Charley's hematocrit is only slightly low (27% where low normal is 29%). Her main issue is the reticulocytes. I am with you, if I had the same choice I would do it all again because I have had over 9 wonderful months with my dear friend (she was diagnosed Jan 28th). Hopefully Charley will bounce back soon. Thanks for the encouragement it is so greatly appreciated. I will ad Simba to my prayers as well...please keep in touch.

Regards,

Lori

[Joanne C]

Hi Lori,

I'm praying for Charley's swift recovery and hoping this is just a temporary blip.

I'm glad Dianne and Gardina are sharing their own cat's experiences with LTCI and Virbagen. Hopefully their contributions will bring you some comfort.

Stay positive and keep the good thought!

Joanne

[Lori Edwards]

Hello Joanne,

Thanks for the encouragement...we all need a little sometimes. I am glad you are willing to share your info on Gus...Hopefully your suggestion on the appetite stimulant helped Judy and Fergus (her baby with FIV). There is so little out there about leukemia and AIDs in felines...its good to have people willing to share. Thanks for any prayers for Charley and hugs to Gus.

Lori

[Becky]

Hello, everyone,
and thank you for your honest accounts. I have searched the web daily for months for some discussion about LTCI and been baffled to find so little! Please continue to share your stories with us.

I adopted my two, an FeLV+ brother and sister both asymptomatic at 6 months, fully aware of their prognosis and determined to make every day loving for them. It was hard to let Leah go at 15 months, a beautiful, spirited kitten. The anemia advanced so swiftly, only a few months after a near normal blood test.
Just two weeks later LTCI was released and my vet and I debated the merits of LTCI vs Virbagen interferon omega vs interferon alpha. The LTCI study group was so small (23 animals and some reports of anorexia) and the feline interferon omega so unavailable (in Europe only) that we elected to try interferon alpha on Leah's brother, Judah.
Unlike omega interferon, alpha interferon is of human origin and therefore has to be given to cats in relatively dilute doses to prevent antibody production. Judah gets one ml. daily by mouth. Because it can be broken down in the stomach and rendered ineffective, it cannot be given with food. He has been on this treatment for 13 months, and his blood counts have risen and maintained at near to slightly below normal without discernable side effects. It costs $30 per month. We cannot be sure that his continued relatively good health is due to the interferon. He has frequent mild recurrences of herpes-type cold symptoms. We just celebrated his third birthday. (he's the orange angel in the photo)
Hugs to Charley, Gus, Fergus, Simba and their moms. Let us know how they are doing.

Becky

[Heather Warren]

Hi, Lori!

Thank you so much for sharing all of this invaluable information. I was devastated to find out 2 weeks ago that the stray kitten I brought home in August was FIV+ and has transferred it to 3 of my other cats. The kitten and two of the adult cats are currently asymptomatic, however, the other adult cat is very, very sick. My regular vet suggested I have them all euthanized, but I just couldn't believe that was my only option.

After lots of research, I learned about LTCI and immediately approached my vet with the information I'd found. She said she could order the injections, but would have to charge me $200 per dose. I checked with several other vets in my area, but no one had ever used it, nor did they seem too enthusiastic to try.

I was thrilled to read about your successful journey with Charley and LTCI...and a much more affordable price. I called Dr. Burris's office this morning, and I was immediately impressed by her compassion and helpfulness. Even though she had no idea who she was talking to, she treated me as if my cat was already one of her patients. I was able to schedule an appointment for tomorrow afternoon, and she even made arrangements to have the LTCI order rushed so it will be there waiting for us. This is an enormous help, since I live in WV. She is also going to show me how to give the injections myself, to cut down on the commute.

I don't know what the outcome will be for my cat, Bud, but I am thankful for compassionate people like yourself and Dr. Burris, regardless. At least now, because of your information, I am able to give Bud a fighting chance. I wish you & Charley all the best in your continued fight.

Sincerely,
Heather Warren

[Joanne C]

Hi Heather,

I'm so sorry to hear about Bud.

If Bud's appetite begins to slow due to the FIV or the LTCI injections, please consider giving him an appetite stimulant so he continues to receive necessary nutrients and maintains a healthy weight. Please consult with Dr. Burris and see what she recommends.

Wishing you and your kitties all the best,
Joanne

[Lori Edwards]

Hello Heather,

I think it is so wonderful that the kitties found a home willing to try and save their lives. Its hard to think of all the animals that were euthanized because of naivety or folks that just couldn't afford it. It is a tough decision and can be expensive, but I see you are like my husband and I and take our pet parenting very seriously. Please keep in touch and we will add Bud to our prayer list. Isn't Dr. Burris great? She is our hero. All the best to you and your babies.

Lori

[Joanne C]

Hi Becky,

Thanks for contributing and sharing key information.

If possible, please advise what you have heard regarding anorexia as a possible side effect of LTCI.

Big hugs to Judah.

I'm so sorry to hear about Leah. :(

Joanne

[Dianne Robison]

Hello, This is Simba's mom, Dianne. I will continue to keep all of you and your kitties in my prayers. Please do not give up hope.
Please be aware that LTCI sometimes takes a few weeks to make any difference. It did so with Simba. He actually crashed, his Hematocrit, HCT was down to 10% (29-45 is normal), he was severely anemic and needed support. He had a transfusion, antibiotics, fluids and overnight in the Acute Care. It did take a good two months for him to really show all his blood levels to be consistently normal. We were giving him weekly injections. In addition, he was getting oral interferon, and Pet-Tinic (a liquid vitamin tinic you can buy online), all to support him being as healthy as possible. He has now been on the LTCI since February and, since the end of August, he has been getting his injections every 3 weeks. All of his blood levels are holding in the normal range (HCT between 38-44) and he has gained weight. My vet gets the LTCI for me and I just paid $495 for 10 doses.
As for anorexia as a side effect of LTCI, I was actually going to inquire to all if you had experienced the opposite, being an increase in appetite? Simba eats like a little piggy and I thought the LTCI might be producing a steroid like effect. I will keep all you in my thoughts and really am grateful for all the sharing of experience and information. Dianne

[Lori Edwards]

Hello everyone,

I just think it is great that we have each other to share with and support. I do apologize for not adding any recent posts, I have been trying to track down a treatment that would help Charley with her non regenerative anemia. I have looked into stem cell therapy and asked Dr. Burris to contact the clinic in California. Unfortunately they will not provide stem cells to any cat that has an infection or auto immune disorder. I must admit it is correct to take that stance as the infection or immune disorder would simply destroy the new cells almost as fast as they are administered. It seems to be a very good but expensive therapy for dogs with arthritis. I have also read that a vet in Israel is using human IV immunoglobulinG to treat canines with myelofibrosis (myelofibrosis is one possible late stage result of feline leukemia and it is suspected that is what Charley may have). The results of the IVIG therapy showed some long term improvement but as the author said, more is needed to determine if it is a viable therapy. There is always the risk of severe side effects such as anaphlaxis. Dr. Burris and I feel as though we are on a tight rope with Charley... do we try something aggressive to treat her (and risk her life) or do we just give supportive care and hope she survives. We were advised not to use prednisone because it can increase viral replication but she is negative for the FeLV on the assay. She may still be expressing low levels of the virus in her bone marrow that may be too low to be picked up by the test. However, if her condition is caused by an autoimmune response steroids and immune suppression are the way to go. We just are not too sure at this point so we are treading lightly. Charley at the moment is stable and eats like a pig....so luckily she is not experiencing anorexia as Becky's baby is. All I can say is Dr. Burris and I are researching everything and in addition, Charley is getting a lifetime of spoiling packed into every day. She gets her next blood draw next week so we are praying her reticulocytes are up. I will post as soon as I find anything new that may be of help to anyone. Hugs to all of you dear pet parents, our thoughts and prayers are with you and your fuzzy children.

Lori