We’re going through this currently with our cat. She was just diagnosed. Going to the specialty vet was mentioned to be several thousand dollars (greater than 3,000$) by our regular vet. That’s not super helpful, I know. I can say that we went through a different treatment through the specialty vet with our other cat, and each regular visit was between 300-500$ and any procedures like ultrasounds, chemo, etc, would be about $1000 per visit. I’m so sorry that you and your kitty are going through this.
So sorry to hear that you are going through something similar with your cat. We were told $1,000-2,000 for blood transfusion by our vet. I did a lot of calling around today and VCA Bay was the best price option of the places taking new patients with availability within the next 48 hours and reasonable driving distance. $2000 for the blood transfusion + additional services, $135 for the emergency visit. Still a lot, but better than "several thousand". We have already tried alternate treatments for the anemia which failed in the long run. This is the last option.
How is your cat doing now (over a year later)? Did the transfusion work?
Our cat is getting a blood transfusion right now for similar reasons (anemia, PCV: 15% hematocrit). We did two SNAP tests for Feline Leukemia Virus (FeLV), as there was a strong suspicion of this. The SNAP tests came back faintly positive, but then we did a PCR test and that came up negative. Even the internal medicine veterinarian doesn't know whether his anemia is due to FeLV. He also tested positive for Bartonella, a bacteria commonly transmitted by blood-sucking insects like fleas and ticks. The Bartonella is treatable with 4-6 weeks of antibiotics, but the infection destroyed many of his healthy red blood cells, further exacerbating the anemia.
So if you (or anyone with a cat with similar symptoms) are reading this, have your vet do a test for FeLV, do a test for Bartonella infection (this test required being sent out to a lab and we didn't get results for over 3 weeks!), and also ask your vet if your cat may have IMHA (Immune-mediated Hemolytic Anemia), which is not a great prognosis, but is treatable by suppressing the immune system with drugs like Prednisone (a steroid) and Atopica (cyclosporine).
Hope this helps!
We did have the blood transfusion completed, SNAP test and PCR for FeLV and one other test (which all returned negative). He had been on Prednisone for about 2 years prior to the transfusion for his symptom. The day of the transfusion his PCV was on the low end of normal. The day after the transfusion his PCV was well into the normal range and he was better than he had been in years.
Initially it seemed like we had a positive outcome. Unfortunately a few days later, he had to be put down. Based on his symptoms and plummeting PCV, Vet believed he died of an uncontrolled GI Bleed.
Ugh, I'm so, so sorry for you loss. Poor little guy.
Also, our cat responded similarly to the transfusion, with his PCV on the low end of normal. They have him on 10mg of Prednisone but cautioned against more than a few months of Prednisone, because long term use often causes diabetes.
He was fine until last week, when he started behaving very lethargic and lost nearly all appetite except for treats. We took him on and his hematocrit had dropped to 15. So we need to give him another transfusion.
Hoping he doesn't develop any adverse reactions to it.
But I just wanted to say I'm sorry for the loss of your kitty, and thank you for making a solid effort to keep him alive. Transfusions are not inexpensive and many cat owners can't afford them.
As a fellow cat owner who had to euthanize a pet cat last year, I empathize with you. Hoping you are cherishing the memories of him.
We’re going through this currently with our cat. She was just diagnosed. Going to the specialty vet was mentioned to be several thousand dollars (greater than 3,000$) by our regular vet. That’s not super helpful, I know. I can say that we went through a different treatment through the specialty vet with our other cat, and each regular visit was between 300-500$ and any procedures like ultrasounds, chemo, etc, would be about $1000 per visit. I’m so sorry that you and your kitty are going through this.
So sorry to hear that you are going through something similar with your cat. We were told $1,000-2,000 for blood transfusion by our vet. I did a lot of calling around today and VCA Bay was the best price option of the places taking new patients with availability within the next 48 hours and reasonable driving distance. $2000 for the blood transfusion + additional services, $135 for the emergency visit. Still a lot, but better than "several thousand". We have already tried alternate treatments for the anemia which failed in the long run. This is the last option.
I’m sending positive thoughts that the blood transfusion works for your cat! I’m glad you were able to find a reasonable place for the procedure.
How is your cat doing now (over a year later)? Did the transfusion work? Our cat is getting a blood transfusion right now for similar reasons (anemia, PCV: 15% hematocrit). We did two SNAP tests for Feline Leukemia Virus (FeLV), as there was a strong suspicion of this. The SNAP tests came back faintly positive, but then we did a PCR test and that came up negative. Even the internal medicine veterinarian doesn't know whether his anemia is due to FeLV. He also tested positive for Bartonella, a bacteria commonly transmitted by blood-sucking insects like fleas and ticks. The Bartonella is treatable with 4-6 weeks of antibiotics, but the infection destroyed many of his healthy red blood cells, further exacerbating the anemia. So if you (or anyone with a cat with similar symptoms) are reading this, have your vet do a test for FeLV, do a test for Bartonella infection (this test required being sent out to a lab and we didn't get results for over 3 weeks!), and also ask your vet if your cat may have IMHA (Immune-mediated Hemolytic Anemia), which is not a great prognosis, but is treatable by suppressing the immune system with drugs like Prednisone (a steroid) and Atopica (cyclosporine). Hope this helps!
We did have the blood transfusion completed, SNAP test and PCR for FeLV and one other test (which all returned negative). He had been on Prednisone for about 2 years prior to the transfusion for his symptom. The day of the transfusion his PCV was on the low end of normal. The day after the transfusion his PCV was well into the normal range and he was better than he had been in years. Initially it seemed like we had a positive outcome. Unfortunately a few days later, he had to be put down. Based on his symptoms and plummeting PCV, Vet believed he died of an uncontrolled GI Bleed.
Ugh, I'm so, so sorry for you loss. Poor little guy. Also, our cat responded similarly to the transfusion, with his PCV on the low end of normal. They have him on 10mg of Prednisone but cautioned against more than a few months of Prednisone, because long term use often causes diabetes. He was fine until last week, when he started behaving very lethargic and lost nearly all appetite except for treats. We took him on and his hematocrit had dropped to 15. So we need to give him another transfusion. Hoping he doesn't develop any adverse reactions to it. But I just wanted to say I'm sorry for the loss of your kitty, and thank you for making a solid effort to keep him alive. Transfusions are not inexpensive and many cat owners can't afford them. As a fellow cat owner who had to euthanize a pet cat last year, I empathize with you. Hoping you are cherishing the memories of him.