Hi there,
This is a fantastic website! Just what I've been looking for over the months.
I wondered if anyone could point me in the direction of finding out more info about FIV?
Our cat is FIV positive. He is only 5yrs old, it was found when he had a blood test earlier in the year to check his red blood cell count as appeared anaemic. He was suffering from chronic anaemia, our vet didn't think he'd recover but after antibiotics and steroids, bounced back.
After a couple of months the anaemia is back again. However, knowing the warning signs, we are treating this in good time. He is making a good recovery - RBC at 36 last night, but seems very depressed, lethargic and not really interested in eating much.
He has developed blood within the eye. The vet (not our regular) said last night that this is to be expected with FIV - he is suffering from minor blood vessels bursting in the eye. It is causing him some distress as he also seems to have mild conjunctivitis in the same eye, which we are treating with fucithalmic ointment. He has suffered from conjunctivits many times before which may be the reason for his general apathy, together with the bleeding in the eye itself.
Is this right - I fear he may become blind over time due to this. I also fear that, if this is happening, will he start internal bleeding at some point?
When the FIV was diagnosed, we asked our vet to send the blood to Bristol for DNA testing to see how advanced this was. The results were a little unclear - kinda in the middle so they thought he would be ok for years, subject to infections of course. However, I fear that the bleeding could be indicative that he is entering the third phase.
Any comments would be gratefully received.
Turbogirlie.
