Feline Leukemia and FIV in cats

In teh April 15 issue of JAVMA (Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association), they had an interesting paper on feline leukemia and feline immunodefeciency virus.

The full article title is: "Seroprevalences of felinie leukemai virus and feline immunodeficency virus in cats with abscesses or bite wounds and rate of complaincw ith current guidelines for retrovirus testing."

Quite a mouthful.

And the articl had some interesting findings on the number of cats that were found to have either feline leukemia (FeLV) or feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV).

Translated, they found that almost 20% of the cats (19.3) were positive for FeLV or FIV, and 2.2% being positive for both.

Why is that important to know? Several reasons:

• both are highly contagious to other cats
• both attack the cat's immune system so it can not heal as well as a normal, non infected cat.
• creates problems with treating the current problem - the abscess or bite wound.

And when some of the cats were tested again 60 days later (as recommended by the American Association of Feline Practitioners AAFP) another 1% were positive for either FeLV or FIV

Interestingly, the cats that were vaccinated against FeLV almost all were negative for the virus.

So what is the take home message of this article?

Our cats with cat fight wounds of any sort - even if they are 'mostly indoors' should

• be tested for FeLV / FIV when the injury occurs
• if negative, start the vaccine series for feline leukemia once healthy enough for immunizations.

And thank a veteran that you may see for the wonderful freedoms we enjoy. We will be closed on Memorial day. I usually go to Camp Butler, where my father is buried, and just take in the sight. My daughter brings her trumpet and plays taps.

Fleas season is close at hand

Hello all,

In a recent journal (Clinician's Brief) there is a paper on a labrador that had such a severe case of fleas, that the dog was anemic.

It is very easy to prevent this. We recommend here Frontline Plus for dogs and cats. It is very effective, and the company is currently running a promotion where if you buy a 6 month supply, you get a 7th dose free. That is the equivalent of a 15% off!

We can also send home 1 month at a time doses if that is more convenient for you.
Just give us a call at the clinic at 309- 699-6443. We can check and if your pet is not current on his or her health checkup we can catch that up as well.

This is one area where the ounce of prevention is much easier than a pound of cure. The dog in the article was hospitalized, needed a blood transfusion, and supplemental injectable iron until he was stable enough to take in nourishment himself.

It's your spin on the roulette wheel. ;-)

a Dog's purpose

I got this from a colleague and I thought it was very nice, so I thought I would share it with you.

A Dog's Purpose (from a 6-year-old) Being a veterinarian, I had been called to examine a ten-year-old Irish Wolfhound named Belker. The dog's owners, Ron, his wife, Lisa, and their little boy, Shane, were all very attached to Belker, and they were hoping for a miracle. I examined Belker and found he was dying of cancer. I told the family we couldn't do anything for Belker, and offered to perform the euthanasia procedure for the old dog in their home.

As we made arrangements, Ron and Lisa told me they thought it would be good for six-year-old Shane to observe the procedure. They felt as though Shane might learn something from the experience.The next day, I felt the familiar catching my throat as Belker's Family surrounded him. Shane seemed so calm, petting the old dog for the last time, that I wondered if he understood what was going on.Within a few minutes, Belker slipped peacefully away. The little boy seemed to accept Belker's transition without any difficulty or confusion. We sat together for a while after Belker's death, wondering aloud about the sad fact that animal lives are shorter than human lives.

Shane, who had been listening quietly, piped up, 'I know why.' Startled, we all turned to him. What came out of his mouth next stunned me. I'd never heard a more comforting explanation.He said, 'People are born so that they can learn how to live a good life -- like loving everybody all the time and being nice, right?' The six-year-old continued, 'Well, dogs already know how to do that, so they don't have to stay as long.'

Live simply.
Love generously.
Care deeply.
Speak kindly.

Remember, if a dog was the teacher you would learn things like:

When loved ones come home, always run to greet them.

Never pass up the opportunity to go for a joy ride.

Allow the experience of fresh air and the wind in your face to be pure ecstasy.

Take naps.

Stretch before rising.

Run, romp, and play daily.

Avoid biting when a simple growl will do.

On warm days, stop to lie on your back on the grass.

On hot days, drink lots of water and lie under a shady tree.

Delight in the simple joy of a long walk.

Be loyal.

Never pretend to be something you're not.

If what you want lies buried, dig until you find it.

When someone is having a bad day, be silent, sit close by and nuzzle them gently.

ENJOY EVERY MOMENT OF EVERY DAY!

Patient is #1 on Pet Idol contest

Hello blogger readers,

I client sent us a nice card showing the Peoria Journal Star pet idol contest and who was number 1 in the voting so far.

It is our own patient, Twila

Check out her pet bio at http://pjstar.com/petidol and she is Pet ID 162.

I was going to suggest that she take her picture in our Illini room!

As a side note, we have seen 3 pets in the past 2 days that have had fleas on them. You may want to consider getting some preventative.

mural full picture and upcoming conference

Hello all,

I'm sorry we missed you last week. The week just kept getting away from me. Our family had a niece's wedding on Saturday, my daughter's birthday dinner on Friday, and a First Communion on Sunday.

We were busy. :-)

Here is a picture of the completed mural picture by Kim Allison. Check out her web site at http://www.kallisonart.com/ and she also does commissioned family and pet portraits.

Even if you did not get the chance to come to the open house, feel free to stop by any time for a tour of the office, and a chance to see the mural in real life.

We are also attending a ce conference sponsored by Nutramax laboratories on Tuesday night, and we'll have a report on that. Also, Andrew is taking an online course on anesthetic monitoring and we'll have him give updates as he goes along the class.