It's been tough watching my little foster guy "Travis" be so sick. He's over his basic Upper Respiratory Infection and is now left with Herpes in his eyes. I've had him to the vet twice and paid for the last visit out of my own funds.It's hard for me to believe after being in cat rescue for as many years as I have, that I've NEVER encountered a case of feline herpes in the eyes on one of my own foster cats.
Truthfully, it looks like the most painful thing I've ever seen. Poor Travis, the inside tissues around his eye are ulcerated and puffy. I'm syringe feeding him daily and helping him get to the litterbox because he can't see to get there.
He's breaking my heart and I don't know what else to do for him. He's on every anti-viral, antibiotic... *sigh*
There have been no signs of my little Travis improving and it's been 10 agonizing days.
....tonight is a Christmas party at David's office and I just want to stay home and hold my little guy....
15 comments:
Travis is so lucky to have you caring for him! I can' even begin to imagine how he would survive if he wasn't in your warm, safe home.
Awwww...poor little sweetie. :( I'll send + vibes his way.
Rescue remedy? Warm compresses on his eye? I dunno.
Hang in there... it takes about 9 to 10 days to clear up and keep him away from your other cats, and in darkness or semi-darkness if you can. Here is some info on feline herpes.... http://www.peteyedoctor.com/620635.html
He should be ok in a little while.
OH, I pray little Travis gets better in time to enjoy Christmas.
I'm sure you already know... but I have found that sometimes an eye ointment from the vet doesn't seem to improve the eye. At times is actually irritates the eye. My vet suggests using an ointment for three days and if there's no improvement with the eye then trying another eye ointment.
I sent you an email with a link to a good holistic site. His immune system needs a boost poor little fella. Hope he feels better soon!
Cheers! Karin & the Fur-gang
A Cat's Tale: NO! I didn't know that the drops could make it worse. Because his eye has gotten frickin' worse since he's been using Ciloxin. I've already tried 3 other ointments and drops. Crap! Thank you for letting me know.
Karin: I didn't get a link from you! Please resend. Thank you!
Poor baby. ;-(
Have you tried Lysine? It's an herbal supplement and you can either buy it OTC in the drug stores or ask your vet for the paste form. Something in it helps fight the herpes... We have used it successfully with several of our rescues. Please keep us updated on little Travis... I'm rooting for the little man!
RhZ: Oh yes...I've become an expert on Lysine, unfortunately :(
Thank you for the wishes. I'm going to take him back to the vets today.
His eyes are bleeding :(
Aw, the poor sweetie. Keep us posted!
Hi here is a list of treatment options as a last resort perhaps you should ask the vet to vaccinate the kitten it may help alleviate the symptoms
Topical Antibiotics
These quell secondary bacterial invaders and are helpful in controlling initial infections or severe recurring infections. It is important to realize that antibiotics do not affect the Herpesvirus itself; they only work on secondary bacteria.
Topical Antivirals
There are several eyedrops available that act directly against the herpesvirus. They include: Herplex® (idoxuridine), Viroptic® (trifluorothymidine), and Vira-A® (vidarabine). These medications are relatively expensive and typically require administration five times daily. If the cornea is involved in the infection, this would be a clear indicator that antiviral medications would be needed.
Oral Interferon
This inexpensive oral solution uses a natural immune system modulator to suppress herpesvirus symptoms. Though interferon use has not been scientifically tested, it has certainly been in use for many years as something that seems to help shorten the course of infection. In tissue culture, herpes infected cells are inhibited much more easily by anti-viral drugs if they are exposed concurrently to interferon. Interferon has no side effects potential at the doses used and it appears there is no reason not to try it as it may be helpful.
Oral Lysine
Herpesviruses as a group are highly dependent on the presence of an amino acid called arginine. Without arginine, Herpes cannot reproduce. The amino acid lysine is taken up by the virus in favor of arginine. We can take advantage of this situation by saturating the virus with lysine and thus suppressing the virus' ability to replicate. Lysine is readily available in most health food stores as a tablet or capsule. One should be sure that the formula used is free of the preservative propylene glycol as cats can have blood reactions against this compound. A month or so of supplementation is required in order to determine if supplementation has been helpful.
Vaccinating Affected Animals
In general, vaccination is a process meant for healthy animals to prevent infections that do not already exist. But what about vaccination as a treatment for existing infection? In the case of feline Herpes infection, this may be a reasonable thing to do at least if one uses the nasal/ocular vaccine. The local vaccine produces extra immune stimulation to the area where Herpes infection is active and may help palliate the signs of infection. Injectable vaccine is not useful in this regard.
Anonymous: Thank you! Thank you!
I sent you over the list of treatment options as a final last resort Valtrex pills are used to treat humans ask the vet if they could be used on the kitten as a much smaller dose you would have to crush the human pills if they do not have a feline Valtrex let me know if any of them work - keep up the good work!!!!! Merry Christmas
This sounds and looks a lot like what Chai/aka Kringles and her kittens went through. I totally empathize with you - while their cases were not as bad as Travis', it was totally heartbreaking; poor Piglet's eye was swollen shut at one point. Although it did take a while, thankfully it will clear eventually. Happy thoughts your way!
Post a Comment