My kitten has FHV. Will future vaccines still help if it's a carrier?

I'm assuming that your cat has an upper respiratory virus like herpesvirus or calicivirus. It is fine to vaccinate cats who have been already infected, especially since this is typically a combination vaccine that covers other viruses as well. There is some evidence that the intranasal vaccine could lessen the severity of signs in a cat who is having an outbreak, but if your cat is already infected the vaccine will not cure him. If you introduced another cat and Frank became symptomatic again (i.e. sneezing, watery eyes or nasal discharge) the new cat could catch the disease. That being said, these viruses are extremely common and many kittens have been exposed even before they are vaccinated. If you are concerned you could always consider adopting an older cat who already has been vaccinated.

Yes, it is possible he may have contracted feline herpes virus which can stay with him for life and often flares with stressful events. As long as he does not have a fever and is generally well then you may be able to proceed with vaccination which can help to reduce the severity and shedding of the infection

I have to say that I have never heard of a cat dying from FHV. It is normally a very mild disease, producing only a mild upper respiratory infection and occasionally conjunctivitis. Rarely immunocompromised cats (i.e.those that have other illnesses, such as feline leukemia or feline AIDS) can get pneumonia from FHV, but again, that's rare. Most cats that are chronically infected do well with supplementation with the amino acid lysine, which keeps the virus from rapidly reproducing, and keeps most cats symptom-free. In comes in a variety of formulations that cats will readily eat - try the brand Viralys, which makes powder, gel, and treats.

Hi there. I’m sorry Snow got sick! Yes, feline herpes virus usually stays in their system for life. Similar to people who get herpes virus cold sores. However, most cats do. Especially those who have been in a shelter. Most cats never have clinical signs after they recover. Some will have recurrence during times of stress, such as a move or boarding. Even more rare are cats that end up with chronic eye problems second to the virus. So, yes she will have it for life but unlikely that it will play much of a role in her life. I hope this helps! Best of luck to you and Snow! Thank you for using Pet Coach.

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

Hello, thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. I'm sorry you lost one of your kitties :( If you ask 20 vets this question you would probably get about 10-15 different answers. So, there is not one "right answer". Personally, if these were my cats, I would do the FVRCP vaccinations on all of them immediately and to be extra safe, I would booster them all again 3 weeks later. After that, just keep up with them yearly. Hope this helps. If you have more questions you can always opt for a private consultation where we can chat back and forth. That way you can ask as many questions as you'd like. Best wishes!

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!