# Feline Herpes Virus



## lmk87 (May 28, 2012)

Hi All,

My sister recently got a Doll Faced Persian kitten from a local breeder. We recently found out that she has the Feline Herpes Virus and she has had repeated eye infections and seems to have slight ulceration of the gums.
She is small and her appetite is small too, though she is growing.

She has another moggie who we now presume also has the virus as he has repeated eye infections too.

She took some advice from a couple of vets (one was her own and one the emergency one she had to take her to for eye drops on a sunday) about it and one of them suggests that she contact a uni or research centre about the possible usage of anti-virals as herpes can cause multiple complications... the other a more laid back attitude and just said she is more likely to get a few eye problems...

Vet also suggested that the virus can come from inbreeding or some problems with breeding (or maybe feeding in the early months) not getting immunity from mothers milk etc. It since has emerged that the kitten was hand reared and didn't receive her mothers milk. She also arrived at the house with fleas. It seems my sisters ex partner had most involvement in choosing the cat and maybe did not do as much as maybe he should have when choosing a breeder.

Does anyone know much about the feline herpes virus? Not sure if this post belongs in cat health - but am asking here because of the suggestion that this comes from a breeding issue.

Anyone with any knowledge of this subject and advice about what to do?


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## OrientalSlave (Jan 26, 2012)

Cats only get FHV from another cat with it. Being inbreed or badly feed or whatever can make it easier for them to catch it and harder to get rid of it, but if they aren't exposed they won't get it.

I was about to type loads of advice, but the FAB has it all:
Feline upper respiratory tract disease

The only thing I would add is that hopefully your cats have been treated for fleas and worms and are now free of them.


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## carly87 (Feb 11, 2011)

Hi there

Could you be coaxed to contact me privately and tell me who the breeder is? It would be good to know so that I can steer potential kitten buyers away (I'm getting loads of calls at the moment for kittens and don't have any).


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## lizward (Feb 29, 2008)

You need to tell the breeder. If she is genuine she WILL want to know, if your vet is sure that the new cat brought it in (bear in mind that stress can cause a flare up in a cat that is asymptomatic so the fact that the cats got it after the new cat arrived does not in itself mean the new cat brought it in)

Liz


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## havoc (Dec 8, 2008)

> one of them suggests that she contact a uni or research centre about the possible usage of anti-virals as herpes can cause multiple complications...


There is thought that Famciclovir could be useful in preventing further complications from an initial herpesvirus infection. I believe it has been used for some time in cats to treat complications but is now being seriously considered useful as a preventative to reduce the risk of further flare ups and complications.
Well done that vet for keeping up to date.


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## lmk87 (May 28, 2012)

Thanks everyone 

Liz - we dont know for 100% certain however the other cat never had an issue previously and the vet said due to her being the pedigree, not been given mums milk etc it is more likely that she was the one who brought it in (??). BUt in truth I suppose we cannot rule out the possibility that the older one had it! You are right though the breeder should know and I will tell my sis this. Thanks.

Carly - I will find out and let you know. No problem.

Oriental - Thanks so much for the useful link. Yes she is treated for everything else now and lives in the lap of complete luxury as does the other cat she has 


Havoc - that is really interesting, the vet who advised us about this was very thorough and based at our emergency centre. It is a shame she only works there as otherwise I would go back to her all of the time! I think this is something we will look into further - kitten is insured to the hilts so hopefully it may cover if it turns out to be a viable option.

Thank you everyone for your replies - does anyone else have a cat with FHV here and also how worried should I be about going from my sisters house to mine - can I bring the virus back on my clothing to my kittys or am I being silly there? I suppose just hand washing etc will do it?


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## Lil Dee (Dec 7, 2010)

I've just had one of mine at the vets today due to her eyes looking like she has conjunctivitus.

The specialist opthalmic vet did a thorough examination of both her eyes which was not fun - and then I had to leave her there to be sedated and have some kind of scrape done of her eyes. They're testing for herpes (and other things !) as she has repeatedly suffered eye issues since I've had her.

She's home now, but a little worse for wear - they struggled getting the catheter in her foreleg for the anesthetic, so she's feeling well and truly like she's been in the wars :sad:

They did the FIV and FeLV test today, both negative as expected.

What I didn't think to ask about was if it was contagious. My other cat hasn't had any issues with her eyes at all, so I'm hoping my other cat is OK.

I'll let you know how things go when I get the results back from the lab test, but it may take a while due to the bank holiday before I get any results from the vets.

It would be "nice" (for want of a different word) to have someone to talk to about this.


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## lmk87 (May 28, 2012)

Hi Lil Dee,

Sorry that your poor little one has had such a trauma. X

I didn't actually realise that they could test for Herpes. Has she been on all of the usual eye drops for a while then has she? Ho wrong have you had her and is she pedigree also? 

With my sisters cat, it does look very "conjuntivitisy", very inflamed, red and lots of discharge and the eye infections came went and then just came back - she has been clear for a few weeks now though.

I dont know a lot about it but from what I do know, herpes is contagious and if it turns out that your one cat has it is is very likely that the others do too - once they have it you can't get rid of it, but it affects each cat differently - i suppose as herpes in humans does. 

The vet who suggested we take her to a research centre and look into anti-virals did say that it can cause problems in some cats and others dont get many flare ups etc - it really depends on the cat, as with humans. My sisters persian kitten has had repeated problems, the cat she lives with did have problems too but they weren't as bad as the persians and responded to treatment much quicker... and no issues since so...it seems to pick and choose which host it really wants to pee off.

If it makes you feel better, my sisters cat has been treated with eye drops (I'm sorry i can't remember the name of them) and currently the eyes are clear. That is not to say the infection won't come back (we know it will), but at least the condition can be managed. Also, although we hadn't heard of it until now, I think it is actually fairly common (though I am not sure how common)

We were really upset when we found out it was herpes but really, if it does turn out to be that at least you can arm yourself with information and treat accordingly at the first sign of a problem.

I know it's easy for me to say but try not to worry, I am sure your little one will be okay as ours is - and getting the tests done is the best thing you can do because once you know what is up, you know and then can do whatever needs to be done 

keep in touch 

xx


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## cookiemom (Jun 23, 2011)

Lysine can be very helpful in herpes outbreaks, I'd be very cautious about using antivirals profilactically, acyclovir requires very regular kidney and liver function testing when used in humans due to damage that may result from its use.

Interesting article here and about the virus treatment options and Lysine dosage:

http://www.winnfelinehealth.org/Pages/winn_Seminar_maggs_final_by_Wolf_web.pdf


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## Ian B (Jul 19, 2011)

If it helps, #3 cat, Max, has herpes and was poorly enough with the initial outbreak for me to rush him to the vets one evening at 7pm after I found him lay on a chair struggling to breathe, I honestly thought he was dying.

We didn't know it was herpes at the time, he'd just been treated with antibiotics for a *infection* a few days earlier, but once diagnosed and the correct antibiotics given the improvement was rapid and he's been symptom free, not even a sniffle, for 4 months now.

Following on from cookiemom's post about Lysine, I've been giving Max this Enisyl Enisyl-F Paste For Cats 100ml - £12.14 which is hopefully helping him.

Ian


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## lmk87 (May 28, 2012)

Thanks everyone - I have directed my sister here and sure she will find the feedback helpful.


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