[Felvtalk] FW: Questioning FELV diagnosis

Randy Henke randy at magicedge.com
Fri Dec 16 18:52:09 CST 2016


That is information that is definitely useful to me! Thanks so much! Do you
know what dosage of Winstrol I should ask for for a 6.8 pound cat? I want
to have as much info as possible when I talk to my vet on Monday.

On Fri, Dec 16, 2016 at 4:25 PM, Amani Oakley <aoakley at oakleylegal.com>
wrote:

> No Randy, Winstrol is an anabolic steroid (unlike prednisone which is a
> corticosteroid) so it does not have a dampening effect on the immune
> system. What you need right now is something to stimulate red cell
> production. If your cat has FELV, then the problem is that the progenitor
> cells in the bone marrow will have been infiltrated/killed by the virus and
> thus, the red cell production is down. Red cells have a life span of 120
> days in circulation, so once that is over and they die, then they must be
> replenished by a steady supply of new cells from the bone marrow.
>
>
>
> The only thing I have found that will do that is Winstrol. However, I use
> it in a cocktail with Doxycycline which has been found to retard the
> reproduction of viral RNA, and prednisone. This is the only combination of
> drugs that worked when my cat was in FELV crisis and had a haematocrit
> result of 5 (with the reference range being something like 25 to 35, off
> the top of my head). I had tried LTCI and interferon and even though I
> tested his blood weekly, I saw no change/improvement at all in his red cell
> count, haematocrit, hemoglobin, platelets, etc. It was only when I stumbled
> upon the use of Winstrol (he was already on prednisone and Doxy, but they
> don’t work without the Winstrol), that I saw a steady and sustained
> improvement in his haematology numbers.
>
>
>
> The scandal, Randy, is that Winstrol is one of the steroids often
> implicated in athletic doping scandals, so vets seem to be gun shy about
> prescribing it. Also, some years ago, a very poorly conducted experiment
> was published where cats where given 10 times the recommended dose of
> Winstrol as a “loading dose” and developed liver problems. So between these
> two driving forces, you have a lot of uneducated vets who will either think
> you are “unethical” for asking for the Winstrol, or believe it is a harmful
> drug thanks to the stupid scientific study that was published. Plus, even
> where they are willing to prescribe it (like in Sherri’s case) they don’t
> recognize the need to couple it with the Doxycycline, and thus, you do get
> a weak boost of the red cells, etc., but the virus is reproducing
> rampantly, so in the end, the virus wins. (Then, of course, not recognizing
> the need for the Doxy, those same vets will view the use of Winstrol as a
> failure and not likely use it again.)
>
>
>
> Other medications that might increase red cell production are
> erythropoietin and related medications, but erythropoietin does not
> encourage bone marrow growth and development as Winstrol does. Thus, if the
> progenitor cells in the bone marrow, which produce red cells, white cells
> and platelets, have been killed by the virus (or converted to infected
> cells, spewing out more virus) then the erythropoietin will not be
> effective because it simply encourages those progenitor cells to produce
> more red cells. However, because they can’t and thus cannot respond to the
> stimulation by erythropoietin. (If your cat doesn’t have FELV, and has
> anemia because of some other cause, then the erythropoietin might work.)
>
>
>
> Winstrol stimulates bone production (experiments have used it effectively
> in older adults for osteoporosis), and I don’t anything else which fits the
> bill.
>
>
>
> Cats with FELV often also have lymphocytes lining the intestinal walls, or
> other problems with moving food through the intestines. My cat did, and
> that resulted in (a) loss of appetite (b) vomiting and (c) slow bowel
> movements. I therefore found it necessary to add a ¼ tablet of
> metoclompromine (Reglen) before meal times twice a day. Worked like a charm.
>
>
>
> This cocktail then brought my baby back from the brink of certain death. I
> had given him blood transfusions with his anemia, but that is only a
> short-term solution and he wasn’t producing any red cells (reticulocyte
> count was basically zero – this is a measure of new red cell production and
> should be increased in cases of anemia to demonstrate that the body is
> producing red cells to compensate for the reduced red cell count). He had
> had a reaction with his last blood transfusion, and so no more transfusions
> were possible since the next one would kill him, and I was all out of
> options as I watched his haematocrit level drop lower and lower, week by
> week. It had dropped to 10 when I “discovered” an old bottle of Winstrol in
> my drawer.
>
>
>
> Whew. Guess how many times I have given this speech??
>
>
>
> Amani
>
>
>
> *From:* Felvtalk [mailto:felvtalk-bounces at felineleukemia.org
> <felvtalk-bounces at felineleukemia.org>] *On Behalf Of *Randy Henke
> *Sent:* December-16-16 9:15 AM
> *To:* felvtalk at felineleukemia.org
> *Subject:* Re: [Felvtalk] Questioning FELV diagnosis
>
>
>
> It's interesting that our vet was very hesitant about even prescribing
> Prednisone because he is afraid it will suppress her immunity to secondary
> infections. I know that is a risk. Would adding Winstrol suppress her
> immune system even further? I'm very confused about how to proceed.
>
>
>
> On Thu, Dec 15, 2016 at 10:23 PM, Ardy Robertson <ardyr at centurytel.net>
> wrote:
>
> If I can chime in on Winstrol, it did wonders on my Tigger to get his
> bloodwork up. I only wish I had started it sooner, along with the
> prednisolone and doxycycline.
>
> Best of luck!
>
> Ardy
>
>
>
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>
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