I moved to the DC area 3 years ago and brought my kitten with me from SC. She was fully vaccinated and should have been protected against Panleukopenia (sometimes called feline parvo and can be deadly) but as no vaccine is 100% effective she became one of a very small percentage of cats that still contracted the disease. She declined rapidly over a 48 hour period- lethargy, vomiting, anorexia. She had a fever of 105 when I brought her to Friendship and they immediatly worked hard to bring her fever down. She developed bloody diarrhea later that evening after being hospitalized which was expected due to the nature of the disease. Her white blood count was extremely low as well. Even though the test for panleukapenia was inconclusive (which can be the case), Dr. Schultz was pretty certain that was what we were dealing with and treated accordingly. As she had an ifectious disease, they made sure that she was not exposed to any other cats and was put in isolation. My cat Hallie steadily improved and made a full recovery after 6 days in the hospital. Dr. Schultz and Dr. Faggioni were the two doctors taking care of her and they (along with the techs) gave me constant updates on how she was doing. I was allowed to visit her anytime 24/7 for as long as I wanted. This disease was new to me and the doctors were very kind to educate me on it and answer all of my questions. Hallie has made a full recovery and is doing very well. I am convinced that if I took her anywhere else that Hallie may not be alive today. Dr. Schultz, Dr. Faggioni, and the whole staff at Friendship saved my cat's life!
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