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#1
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How to administer interferon...
I've been following the thread FELF+ having Big Boy & Tucson as
positives. I've held off on interferon and now am reconsidering... I wonder if anyone has experience/answers... 1) There seems to be some controversy about 7 day on-7day off approach... Don't know whether its better to administer every day... 2) In humans, interferon treatment is limited to certain # of months..Is it the same for cats? 3) Can you give interferon in food or water? I've read that you have to administer with syringe so it goes on cat's tonsils.. I could probably do with Tucson but not with BB. Does mixing it with food or some liquid and having him drink it destroy the usefulness of the interferon???? |
#2
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1) There seems to be some controversy about 7 day on-7day off approach...
Don't know whether its better to administer every day... I would do 7 days in a row then 7 days without. My vet told me to do this with my cat Mimi. 2) In humans, interferon treatment is limited to certain # of months..Is it the same for cats? Vets generally will tell you for a limited amount of time but my vet told me to give it to her forever as she was FLV+. 3) Can you give interferon in food or water? I've read that you have to administer with syringe so it goes on cat's tonsils.. I could probably do with Tucson but not with BB. Does mixing it with food or some liquid and having him drink it destroy the usefulness of the interferon???? I just give it via an oral syringe but I see no reason why you couldn't mix it in a tiny bit of food so they get all of it. It tastes like water with a tiny bit of salt (hope my vet isn't selling me saline solution!) As it must be refrigerated you probably don't want to mix it into a big bowl of water which will sit there for a while. |
#3
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1) There seems to be some controversy about 7 day on-7day off approach...
Don't know whether its better to administer every day... I would do 7 days in a row then 7 days without. My vet told me to do this with my cat Mimi. 2) In humans, interferon treatment is limited to certain # of months..Is it the same for cats? Vets generally will tell you for a limited amount of time but my vet told me to give it to her forever as she was FLV+. 3) Can you give interferon in food or water? I've read that you have to administer with syringe so it goes on cat's tonsils.. I could probably do with Tucson but not with BB. Does mixing it with food or some liquid and having him drink it destroy the usefulness of the interferon???? I just give it via an oral syringe but I see no reason why you couldn't mix it in a tiny bit of food so they get all of it. It tastes like water with a tiny bit of salt (hope my vet isn't selling me saline solution!) As it must be refrigerated you probably don't want to mix it into a big bowl of water which will sit there for a while. |
#4
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"Chris" wrote in message ink.net... I've been following the thread FELF+ having Big Boy & Tucson as positives. I've held off on interferon and now am reconsidering... I wonder if anyone has experience/answers... 1) There seems to be some controversy about 7 day on-7day off approach... Don't know whether its better to administer every day... 2) In humans, interferon treatment is limited to certain # of months..Is it the same for cats? 3) Can you give interferon in food or water? I've read that you have to administer with syringe so it goes on cat's tonsils.. I could probably do with Tucson but not with BB. Does mixing it with food or some liquid and having him drink it destroy the usefulness of the interferon???? No experience with IF and cats, but my husband takes IF-B (betaserson) every other day by sub-q injection for MS. He will be on this regimen for the rest of his life. No limitations to the number of months. I'd have to say that a sub-q injectible form would beat to hell and back trying to orally administer it to a fractioius cat. Sub-q injections are basically painless if administered with a small enough needle and you've got the hang of doing it in the first place. I'm on the medical committee of our local shelter and administer vaccines to the new arrivals, and despite following the new protocols of placing the vaccine in the more sensitive designated legs for the type of vaccine instead of the less sensitive neck area, I can still manage to inject 90% of the cats without any additional help. I'm pretty good with pilling too, but injections are just so much easier on both parties involved. |
#5
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"Chris" wrote in message ink.net... I've been following the thread FELF+ having Big Boy & Tucson as positives. I've held off on interferon and now am reconsidering... I wonder if anyone has experience/answers... 1) There seems to be some controversy about 7 day on-7day off approach... Don't know whether its better to administer every day... 2) In humans, interferon treatment is limited to certain # of months..Is it the same for cats? 3) Can you give interferon in food or water? I've read that you have to administer with syringe so it goes on cat's tonsils.. I could probably do with Tucson but not with BB. Does mixing it with food or some liquid and having him drink it destroy the usefulness of the interferon???? No experience with IF and cats, but my husband takes IF-B (betaserson) every other day by sub-q injection for MS. He will be on this regimen for the rest of his life. No limitations to the number of months. I'd have to say that a sub-q injectible form would beat to hell and back trying to orally administer it to a fractioius cat. Sub-q injections are basically painless if administered with a small enough needle and you've got the hang of doing it in the first place. I'm on the medical committee of our local shelter and administer vaccines to the new arrivals, and despite following the new protocols of placing the vaccine in the more sensitive designated legs for the type of vaccine instead of the less sensitive neck area, I can still manage to inject 90% of the cats without any additional help. I'm pretty good with pilling too, but injections are just so much easier on both parties involved. |
#6
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"Chris" wrote in message ink.net... I've been following the thread FELF+ having Big Boy & Tucson as positives. I've held off on interferon and now am reconsidering... I wonder if anyone has experience/answers... 1) There seems to be some controversy about 7 day on-7day off approach... Don't know whether its better to administer every day. The idea behind the 7 day on/ 7 day off protocol was to decrease the likelyhood of interferon antibodies developing. While this can occur with high dose subcutaneous protocols it apparently doesn't occur in the low dose oral protocol. Hence I prescribe it for daily use. ... 2) In humans, interferon treatment is limited to certain # of months..Is it the same for cats? Again this probably relates to the development of antibodies. In cats antibody development limits the effectiveness of the high dose subcutaneous protocol to about 7 months. 3) Can you give interferon in food or water? I've read that you have to administer with syringe so it goes on cat's tonsils.. I could probably do with Tucson but not with BB. Does mixing it with food or some liquid and having him drink it destroy the usefulness of the interferon???? No it should not be diluted or mixed with food. Interferon is absorbed through the mucous membranes of the oral cavity rather than by digestion. Diluting it or mixing it with food will significantly decrease the amount absorbed. |
#7
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"Chris" wrote in message ink.net... I've been following the thread FELF+ having Big Boy & Tucson as positives. I've held off on interferon and now am reconsidering... I wonder if anyone has experience/answers... 1) There seems to be some controversy about 7 day on-7day off approach... Don't know whether its better to administer every day. The idea behind the 7 day on/ 7 day off protocol was to decrease the likelyhood of interferon antibodies developing. While this can occur with high dose subcutaneous protocols it apparently doesn't occur in the low dose oral protocol. Hence I prescribe it for daily use. ... 2) In humans, interferon treatment is limited to certain # of months..Is it the same for cats? Again this probably relates to the development of antibodies. In cats antibody development limits the effectiveness of the high dose subcutaneous protocol to about 7 months. 3) Can you give interferon in food or water? I've read that you have to administer with syringe so it goes on cat's tonsils.. I could probably do with Tucson but not with BB. Does mixing it with food or some liquid and having him drink it destroy the usefulness of the interferon???? No it should not be diluted or mixed with food. Interferon is absorbed through the mucous membranes of the oral cavity rather than by digestion. Diluting it or mixing it with food will significantly decrease the amount absorbed. |
#8
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"Chris" wrote in message ink.net... I've been following the thread FELF+ having Big Boy & Tucson as positives. I've held off on interferon and now am reconsidering... I wonder if anyone has experience/answers... 1) There seems to be some controversy about 7 day on-7day off approach... The rational behind the 30 U/d/cat, 7 on/7 off protocol was extrapolated from studies in which cats receiving high doses (1000 IU/kg IM) of recombinant human interferon-a (rHuIFN-a) developed antibodies which inactivated the rHuIFN-a after 3-7 weeks. The controversy arises from the theory that cats don't develop anti-rHuIFN-a antibodies at such low oral doses and although the low-dose protocol does not reverse viremia, it reduces the intensity of clinical signs and improves the cat's overall condition. Several studies have shown that many rHuIFN-a treated FeLV+ cats survived longer with a better quality of life than the untreated control cats. My only question about the studies is were all the cats infected with the same subgroup or strain? Don't know whether its better to administer every day... 2) In humans, interferon treatment is limited to certain # of months..Is it the same for cats? Not at such low does as 30 U/day. 3) Can you give interferon in food or water? Not a good idea -- You want as much interferon as possible to bind to the oropharyngeal mucosal receptors. Mixing interferon with food will drastically reduce - beyond having any effect - the amount of interferon that actually comes in contact with the mucosa. You can't put interferon in his water, either, because by doing so, you'll dilute the dose by millions and render it absolutely useless. The 30 U/ml dose started out by diluting a 3 million IU vial with 1 liter of saline; and then diluting that 3,000 U/ml again another 100 fold (1 ml of 3000 IU/ml solution with 100 ml of saline, or 10 ml with 1000 ml of saline) to get a 30 IU/ml solution. I've read that you have to administer with syringe so it goes on cat's tonsils.. *Absolutely*. Interferon doesn't work by going through the digestive system and into the circulation because a.: its destroyed by gastric acid in the stomach; and b.: the concentration in the blood is so little that its practically undetectable and too little to have any antiviral or immunomodulating effect. Oral interferon works by binding to mucosal receptors in the oropharynx where it triggers the release of cytokines. The cytokines, not the interferon, then circulate through the system and stimulate the cat's immune system. That's why they don't make oral interferon in pills! I could probably do with Tucson but not with BB. Does mixing it with food or some liquid and having him drink it destroy the usefulness of the interferon???? Speak to your vet about injections - easier for the cat and easier for you. Then you can use larger doses that might *really* work much better. I wish everyone did their homework as thoroughly as you! Best of luck, Phil |
#9
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"Chris" wrote in message ink.net... I've been following the thread FELF+ having Big Boy & Tucson as positives. I've held off on interferon and now am reconsidering... I wonder if anyone has experience/answers... 1) There seems to be some controversy about 7 day on-7day off approach... The rational behind the 30 U/d/cat, 7 on/7 off protocol was extrapolated from studies in which cats receiving high doses (1000 IU/kg IM) of recombinant human interferon-a (rHuIFN-a) developed antibodies which inactivated the rHuIFN-a after 3-7 weeks. The controversy arises from the theory that cats don't develop anti-rHuIFN-a antibodies at such low oral doses and although the low-dose protocol does not reverse viremia, it reduces the intensity of clinical signs and improves the cat's overall condition. Several studies have shown that many rHuIFN-a treated FeLV+ cats survived longer with a better quality of life than the untreated control cats. My only question about the studies is were all the cats infected with the same subgroup or strain? Don't know whether its better to administer every day... 2) In humans, interferon treatment is limited to certain # of months..Is it the same for cats? Not at such low does as 30 U/day. 3) Can you give interferon in food or water? Not a good idea -- You want as much interferon as possible to bind to the oropharyngeal mucosal receptors. Mixing interferon with food will drastically reduce - beyond having any effect - the amount of interferon that actually comes in contact with the mucosa. You can't put interferon in his water, either, because by doing so, you'll dilute the dose by millions and render it absolutely useless. The 30 U/ml dose started out by diluting a 3 million IU vial with 1 liter of saline; and then diluting that 3,000 U/ml again another 100 fold (1 ml of 3000 IU/ml solution with 100 ml of saline, or 10 ml with 1000 ml of saline) to get a 30 IU/ml solution. I've read that you have to administer with syringe so it goes on cat's tonsils.. *Absolutely*. Interferon doesn't work by going through the digestive system and into the circulation because a.: its destroyed by gastric acid in the stomach; and b.: the concentration in the blood is so little that its practically undetectable and too little to have any antiviral or immunomodulating effect. Oral interferon works by binding to mucosal receptors in the oropharynx where it triggers the release of cytokines. The cytokines, not the interferon, then circulate through the system and stimulate the cat's immune system. That's why they don't make oral interferon in pills! I could probably do with Tucson but not with BB. Does mixing it with food or some liquid and having him drink it destroy the usefulness of the interferon???? Speak to your vet about injections - easier for the cat and easier for you. Then you can use larger doses that might *really* work much better. I wish everyone did their homework as thoroughly as you! Best of luck, Phil |
#10
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Thank you all for your ideas... There seems to be so many opinions about
use of interferon... I have read that there is a feline version of interferon now approved abroad and going thru FDA app process now??? I wonder if its worth waiting for that. Also, it sure sounds like the most eff way of administering is thru injections--I guess folks with diabetic cats go thru that & I could learn to do it though with BB it would really be very tough at this point--as socialized as he is, he still won't let me pick him up and while he will sit on my lap, he jumps off if he feels you're trying to 'encircle' him--I'm sure with time that will change but right now, I don't think I could hold him down for injection... "Chris" wrote in message ink.net... I've been following the thread FELF+ having Big Boy & Tucson as positives. I've held off on interferon and now am reconsidering... I wonder if anyone has experience/answers... 1) There seems to be some controversy about 7 day on-7day off approach... Don't know whether its better to administer every day... 2) In humans, interferon treatment is limited to certain # of months..Is it the same for cats? 3) Can you give interferon in food or water? I've read that you have to administer with syringe so it goes on cat's tonsils.. I could probably do with Tucson but not with BB. Does mixing it with food or some liquid and having him drink it destroy the usefulness of the interferon???? |
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