Feline leukemia virus
VirusWikipedia
48
MENTIONS
6
EPISODES
5
PODCASTS
Search complete. 48 mentions across 6 episodes found for "Feline leukemia virus".
Nov 5, 2026
Rita HoganGUEST
Yeah.
Rita HoganGUEST
Syndrome, right? That's, you know, feline leukemia virus, FELV and FIV, you know, IBD and IBS and diabetes, right? Hyperthyroidism, kidney disease.
Rita HoganGUEST
These are all things that so many, there's so many things in there.
Rita HoganGUEST
Vaccines, wounds, you know, yeast overgrowth, urinary tract conditions, spay and neuter support, which is not in the herbal dog because...
MeloCatHOST
So that's a good tactic to stay dry.
MeloCatHOST
Now, the second part of the question was talking about it has with FELV.
MeloCatHOST
Why does that particularly, you know, get your attention? I mean, a lot of these conditions are very life threatening and important.
MeloCatHOST
But why do you focus more on FELV in particular?
Stacy LeBaronGUEST
So in the United States, feline leukemia has been probably the one test that has been a direct link to euthanasia.
Stacy LeBaronGUEST
So most shelters and organizations in the U.S., if a cat tests positive for feline leukemia, it's going to be euthanized.
Stephen QuandtGUEST
So you can imagine it took a minimum of 50 of us working 8 to 10 hours a day every day just to maintain the basic care for these cats while we triaged, provided medical care.
Stephen QuandtGUEST
I worked in the medical division of this organization, and I was put in charge of the FIV-FELV ward.
Stephen QuandtGUEST
FIV and FELV are both immunocompromised illnesses.
Stephen QuandtGUEST
We had about 120 cats who were either FIV positive, FELV positive, or what's called double positive.
Kathleen Daley-BeckerGUEST
Absolutely.
Kathleen Daley-BeckerGUEST
Uh, Kathleen, Andrea, and I were just talking in the lobby about the FeLV tests that, uh-
Vaughn YoungGUEST
Oh, goodness.
Vaughn YoungGUEST
[laughs]
Katie MoynihanGUEST
[lip smack] Yeah.
Katie MoynihanGUEST
I mean, for me it would, would definitely be, uh, cats that are FeLV or FIV positive because we're already worried about their immune systems.
Katie MoynihanGUEST
Um, [lip smack] you know, if there's a cat who's on another immunosuppressive drug, certainly a cat...
Katie MoynihanGUEST
I mean, if you have a cat that's on chemotherapy, you've probably got bigger concerns anyway.
Grace GaynorHOST
You've got this.
Grace GaynorHOST
But today we're talking about two feline retroviruses that are easy to mix up on the NAVLE, feline leukemia virus or FeLV, and feline immunodeficiency virus or FIV.
Grace GaynorHOST
Both can cause immunosuppression, both can affect cats for years, and both are included on those quick in-house feline retrovirus screening tests.
Grace GaynorHOST
But there are some big differences, especially when it comes to transmission, clinical signs, and diagnostic testing.
Grace GaynorHOST
You decide to run a CBC, and you find anemia.
Grace GaynorHOST
You know that feline leukemia virus is associated with anemia, immunosuppression, and certain cancers, including lymphoma.
Grace GaynorHOST
So you're suspicious of FeLV or feline leukemia virus.
Grace GaynorHOST
What is your diagnostic test of choice? The answer is the FeLV screening test, which detects the P27 viral antigen in the blood.