My cat has FHV-1. What can a vet do to help her feel better?

Hello, and thanks for using PetCoach. This is a great question! Yes, future vaccinations still have benefit, even if a kitten becomes infected with feline herpesvirus and it's "too late" to completely avoid the virus. Giving the vaccine booster can help decrease the flare-ups of symptoms, and decrease viral shedding from the kitten. Here's a link with more information on the virus and the vaccination, with the key excerpt listed below: https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/feline-herpesvirus-infection-or-feline-viral-rhinotracheitis "A cat that is a carrier of FVR may benefit from periodic boosters with the intranasal herpes and calicivirus vaccine (up to 2-3 times per year), which may stimulate local immunity against reactivation of the virus, thus decreasing the likelihood of recurrent infection and of viral shedding." Hope this helps!

No, feline herpes will not kill Meika but it has the potential to make her quite sick. It is the most common cause of respiratory infections in cats, and it can be treated symptomatically. If she shows signs of a respiratory infection, I would take her into the vet for treatment. Check out this website for more details on the virus: https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/feline-herpesvirus-infection-or-feline-viral-rhinotracheitis I hope this helps!

It's probably not a "cold". It is most likely herpes virus. If it is herpes virus, it will never go completely away. They will have recurring episodes. All you can do to minimize future episodes it is to reduce stress. You can try some Feliway diffusers, they may help. You can continue with the lysine but it has not really shown to be that effective in studies. There is another immune booster you can try though that seems to work pretty well. The link is below. ( https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/feline-herpesvirus-infection-or-feline-viral-rhinotracheitis ) ( https://www.feliway.com/us/Products/FELIWAY-CLASSIC-Diffuser ) ( https://www.petwellbeing.com/products/immune-sure-for-feline-immune-system-support )

Hello there! Feline herpesvirus (AKA FHV) is very common in cats coming from shelters, and the key clinical sign of the virus is watery, goopy eyes that recur during times of stress or other illness. It lives in the body forever, but goes dormant until something challenges the immune system, and then it rears its ugly head again. While there is a diagnostic test for FHV, it's not commonly performed as the virus is not usually clinically significant (it's not usually a big deal once cats leave kittenhood). Some cats will only have one bout with it, and then you'll never see symptoms again. The treatment that your veterinarian prescribed was likely to prevent or treat any secondary bacterial infections that Oliver may develop/may have developed - viruses have no treatment, but they can make an animal susceptible to bacterial infection, particularly when the eyes are irritated with all the goo they make during a viral break. Conjunctivitis (a bacterial inflammation of the conjunctiva) is a common secondary infection that this virus can cause. If you'd like to confirm that he has FHV, you can definitely request the test for it (this usually involves sending out samples of the eye discharge to the lab), but it will likely be expensive, and the treatment would not likely be different regardless of the test results. I hope this helps, and please feel free to contact me for a consult or post a follow-up question if we can assist further. Best of luck to you and your kitten Oliver!

This common with viral upper respiratory infections in cats. I am not familiar with isathal, though it appears to be an antibiotic, which won't help with viral infections. You try adding lysine cat treats, as in some viral infections, the lysine will inhibit viral replication and help the body clear the infection quicker.

In an uncomplicated case of feline herpes, cats will mount and immune response to it so the infection is minimal if it even occurs again. Their vaccines also protect them against it also. Cats with severe cases and poor immune can be chronically infected. Even though yours is not symptomatic with it anymore and has a good immune system, they are a carrier for life. They do make anti viral such as Lysine treats to help with viral infections such as this

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I would recommend making sure he does not have an underlying disease that may be predisposing him to these infections. Test him for feline leukemia (FeLV) and feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) at your veterinarian's clinic to rule these possible causes out. Some cats will have chronic viral infections their entire life and we just treat these as they come. If you are not giving lysine supplementation and not giving Purine Fortiflora, I would definitely recommend doing so as both of these have been shown to lessen the severity and duration of the herpes virus flare ups. I would also consider an upper respiratory culture to make sure that there are no other bacterial causes that may be resistant to the antibiotics currently being given. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.