Another Year in Spain -October 2008 part 3

 Losing another friend

Barnie: Losing another friend

What a vile disease feline leukemia is and it is very prevalent here and most of Europe. Barnie and the vet had to give up yesterday in the wee small hours. This is despite having our kits vaccinated as soon as we had them stabilised (they were rescued).  Today we must take Fred for a blood test to make sure he too isnt carrying this life sentence of a virus. 

 Inevitably I was doing much internet research while the bloodwork was being caried out to identify which of three possible viruses was making Barnie so sick.

So we had three retrovirus candidates

Feline leukemia - a blood cancer  Feline AIDS  -    In spanish AIDS is el SiDA

Feline Immunodeficiency  -  FIV

This is the clearest paper I came up with to help me understand Barnie's sickness

 www.vet.cornell.edu/FHC

Basically all the normal rules apply just as they do for human AIDS or HIV.  Exchange of body fluids, risks from infected mothers and so.  But just as in HIV FIV could have been managed by good care and management. 

Our vet had given Barnie and 50/50 chance of surviving but given an incorrect diagnosis  by the first vet who failed to do bloodwork it was all too late.  Lessons here for us all whether we are cat owners or not.

We wait now for Fred's results. Losing five animal friends  in one year would be too much to bear.