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Has anybody heard about ME/CFIDS in pets?

  • Thread starter thefreeprisoner
  • Start date
T

thefreeprisoner

Guest
I didn't know this happened until somebody mentioned it in a thread on here and I thought... well that would be proof that it's not psychosomatic if nothing else.

So I googled and found this:

CFS in Pets

How interesting!!

Rachel xx
 

Countrygirl

Senior Member
Messages
5,429
Location
UK
Hi Freep,

I remember Dr Annie Macintyre talked about ME in horses in a documentary many years ago.

BW,

CG
 

glenp

"and this too shall pass"
Messages
776
Location
Vancouver Canada suburbs
Thank you for posting this. I sometimes wonder if my dog has cfs, his behavior is similar to mine. I give him omega 3 fish oil - he also seems better in the summer months. He has the sensitivities too and starts sneezing. I often wonder if he 'caught" it from me.
 

spindrift

Plays With Voodoo Dollies
Messages
286
Ugh!!! The poor animals.

This runs in my homo sapiens part of the family, so I know I did not get it from my cat. I really hope that my cat can not get this from me.
One more thing to worry about:worried:
 
T

thefreeprisoner

Guest
Oh spindrift I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you worry.
I think if your lovely kitty was going to get it from you, they would have caught it by now.
My reason for bringing this up was so we can have yet another weapon in the arsenal against people who say it's psychological. How are cats, dogs and horses going to think "Oh dear, I have flu, I am never going to recover from this" and need CBT to help them recover?

Rachel xx
 

Min

Guest
Messages
1,387
Location
UK
I have read of low dose arsenic being used to successfully treat CFS in horses and dogs.
 

FernRhizome

Senior Member
Messages
412
ARGH! Last night while I was sound asleep my dear cat jumped on my bed and sat purring on my chest. As usual. But this time he was a little too close to my face. As he purred happily he drooled directly into my nostrils! I was sound asleep after many nights of insomnia and so I did my best to get the drool out but I didn't want to get out of bed and fully out of deep sleep and yet the rest of the night I could feel the drool working it's way up my nostrils!!!!! Totally disgusting!!!! Especially given whatever retrovirus he has (he has some neurological issues!!!) I have probably now contracted!!!! If it's humanly possible to do so. ~FernRhizome
 

Frickly

Senior Member
Messages
1,049
Location
Texas
Wow...that is really disgusting Fern! :Retro wink::D:D

This is a little off topic but the other day I was driving by a vet in our area and they had a huge sign that said "Get you flu shot here". I have never considered a flu shot for my dogs and didn't even know they could get the flu. Has anyone ever seen a dog with the flu? Or are they just taking advantage of animal loving people?:confused:
 

usedtobeperkytina

Senior Member
Messages
1,479
Location
Clay, Alabama
Well, I see there are two feline retroviruses: FeLV (Feline Leukemia virus) and FIV (Feline immunodeficiency virus).

There are vaccines available for both.

"Retrovirus-positive cats may live many years without related illness."

"Retrovirus-positive cats should be spayed or neutered, housed indoors, and should avoid raw food diets."

"Feline leukemia is a cancerous disease caused by feline leukemia virus. It causes other cancers besides leukemia."

"Retroviruses are fragile, being easily inactivated by ultraviolet light, heat, detergents, and drying."

"Large amounts of FeLV are excreted in the saliva." "The most common mode of transmission is through mutual grooming. Nose-to-nose contact, and shared food and water bowls can also be sources of infection. Bites are a very efficient way to transmit FeLV."

"FeLV can also be found in lesser amounts in tears, urine and feces. It takes large amount of virus to infect an adult cat, so usually prolonged contact or a bit is necessary for transmission."

"If a cat is infected, in the acute stage, 2-4 weeks later, large numbers of the virus can be found in the bloodstream. In this phase, cats may show no signs of the disease."

"Some cats will not be infected due to inadequate exposure and a good immune response."
"Some cats will develop a latent infections; these cats will not be able to destroy all of the viral RNA, but will be able to hold it in check. These cats usually show no signs of infection and do not shed virus in their saliva or body secretions."
"Some cats will become persistently infected; these cats will not develop an adequate immune response and will remain permanently infected with FeLV. This is called a progressive infection. These cats will shed large amounts of virus in their saliva and often develope FeLV-associated diseases within a few years."

"Age is an important factor in what happens to the cat. Kittens less than 8 weeks of age will persistently show signs of disease during the acute phase and become permanently infected."

"The first indication of FeLV infection ins some cats is recurrent bacterial infections of the mouth. This is due to the compromised immune system making the cat susceptible to other infections."

"No test is 100% accurate. In population of cats with low FeLV infection rates, many positive tests may be false positives."

"A negative test might mean the cat has never been exposed to FeLV. It might mean the cat is infected, but the number of virus particles is too low to detect. The cat may test positive at a later date. It might mean the cat has overcome a previous infection."

"FeLV-infected cats can sometimes live for years."

"Clinically ill FeLV cats will need to be treated according to the signs of the disease they are showing. Supportive care, such as fluids, good nutrition, and antibiotics for secondary infections are essential."

"The antiviral drug AZT, which is used in HIV, has had some success in cats, although it can cause toxic side effects. certain agents that are used to modify the immune response in FeLV-infected cats include staphylococcal protein, Propionibacterium acnes, low doses of oral human alpha interferon and an aloe derivative called Ademannan."

"Vaccines do not provide 100% protection."

Tina
 

FernRhizome

Senior Member
Messages
412
Frickly:
Thanks for your response! It was disgusting! I am still feeling cat spit contaminated!!!!! Yuck. ~FernRhizome
 

spindrift

Plays With Voodoo Dollies
Messages
286
Oh spindrift I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you worry.
I think if your lovely kitty was going to get it from you, they would have caught it by now.
My reason for bringing this up was so we can have yet another weapon in the arsenal against people who say it's psychological. How are cats, dogs and horses going to think "Oh dear, I have flu, I am never going to recover from this" and need CBT to help them recover?

Hi Rachel,

I do get your point about the CBT and I am happy that you posted this.

I suppose since the XMRV find that many of us are concerned about possibly passing this to family and loved ones.
Just never worried about passing it to my cat who spends most of this time right next to me. He is so cute, always rubs
noses with me and sometimes gives me little soft bites in the nose. In the rare occasion that he bites just a little too
hard, he has drawn blood. I will now stop him from nibbling on my nose until we know more about XMRV. My nose might
appreciate that too :D

Thanks for all your great posts and transcriptions.


@Tina

Dr. Tarello's CFS cats tested negative for FELV and FIV. And the FIV and FELV positive cats I have seen do not seem to
have symtoms like CFS.

As far as I know FIV and FELV can not be transmitted to humans. I volunteered at a no kill cat shelter for many years
and we did have FIV positive kitties for adoption. They need to be kept away from kitties that do not have FIV and should
be kept indoors at all times. Other than that they can live happy normal lives.
 

ukxmrv

Senior Member
Messages
4,413
Location
London
Some people with ME and CFS went to Italy years ago (10+) to see the vet (Tarello) after he posted to one of the CFS groups. He did try treating some humans but I don't know any who had success with him at that point.
 

Sunday

Senior Member
Messages
733
Well, maybe the veterinarians would do better than most doctors. Certainly better than some of the more infamous ones...

This is a good piece of news in the "it's in your head" department (or in your spiritual life; I've gotten that one). Thanks for posting it.

Although now I am wondering if I should be careful being friendly with my neighbor's pets...
 

sproggle

Jan
Messages
235
Location
Teesside, England UK
I imagine it would go something like this...

Shrink: So why the long face?
Horse: I'm a horse!!
Shrink: What's making you so hysterical?
Horse: I dunno having a conversation with a human is pretty weird, maybe we should start there...

Yeah I know I've thought about that waaaaaay too much!! :tongue:

I'm sure more there's more to come too, maybe I'll inflict it on you lucky folks later.. :innocent1::innocent1:
 

Carrigon

Senior Member
Messages
808
Location
PA, USA
One of my cats died of feline AIDS. I don't think it was related to my illness, though. He had been bitten by something, we never knew what, but it was bad enough that a good chunk of his mouth got ripped. We think he was infected at that point.

I had another cat die of a horrible form of spinal tumor that was caused by a vaccine for feline leukemia. I was told that EVERY cat that got the vaccination developed the tumor in the same place. I've never gotten over it. Here I had been talked into getting the cat vaccinated for his own good, and it turns out the vaccine caused tumors at the injection site. There didn't seem to be anyone to sue over it. And that vet ended up retiring.
 

FernRhizome

Senior Member
Messages
412
Carrigon: I had a cat also die of a cancer tumor and was also told it was from a feline vaccine! And he was my most favorite cat. I still feel so sad. He was only 8 years old and beautiful and gentle and loving. I don't remember being told which vaccine it was. The poor thing had surgery three times but it kept coming back. Sorry to hear of your cat too. ~Fern