Questions concerning feline herpes virus (FHV)

[Guest]

Hi everyone,

My cat was just diagnosed with having the feline herpes virus. She is one and a half years old and is a Russian Blue.

I will be seeing my vet later next week, but I wanted to gain as much info as possible on this virus. I took my cat for her yearly check up, and that's when my vet noticed that her lymph nodes were slightly swollen and she has a mild case of gingivitis. She has no discharge from her eyes or nose and only occasionally sneezes (or example, sneezes once every 2/3 days).

Since she has never shown signs of an outbreak (eye swelling/discharge) what are her chances of having a full blown attack? Could she just be a carrier and may not have an outbreak? I'm confused since the only information I have found is regarding full blown herpes virus attacks, not early or different symptoms (ie: gingivitis) like my cat is showing.

Also, should the breeder have known this and told me about this when I picked her up a year ago? From the information I have found, it seems that many cats are latent carriers and therefore do not show any symptoms and therefore keep infecting the general population. I took the kitten to a vet near me when I first got her. But at that time, the vet didn't do blood tests, just a fecal and a general exam with boosters. I changed my vet for this latest check up, and she suggested the blood test.

Last question, is there anything I can do now to help her immune system. My vet gave me an option to put her on drugs now as a deterrent, or to wait for an outbreak because it may be along time before or if one happens.

Sorry for all the questions. I am very new to this subject and some of the graphic images of a full herpes attack on the internet are pretty concerning.

I appreciate any info you can pass my way! Thanks.

[jason]

sorry to hear of this happening.

im not familiar with fhv but found this link and it may be helpful, apparently written by a vet.

what medications is your vet recommending (glad to see you pursued another opinion)? my guess would be to go forward with what your vet recommends (as indicated from blood work). perhaps others here can offer some more advise.

[Tina B and crew]

Lysine can be useful in treating the herpes virus...I know of several vets who administer it....not sure of the dosage though..I read somewhere 250 to 500mg a day. When any of my cats seem to get any sort of respiratory infection going on I usually start giving them about 1/2 capsule of lysine daily and 1/8 tsp of colostrum.

Here is some info:

http://www.marvistavet.com/html/body_he ... vitis.html

scroll down to Oral Lysine

http://www.vetinfo.com/cherpes.html

I think this is the site that mentions dosage...but I would check with your vet first.

[Guest]

Thanks for your replies and site suggestions!

Regarding the medications, my vet suggested to wait for an actual outbreak. OR, I could start my cat Nakita on daily lysine and then treat with Interferon when an outbreak occurs.

Nakita is showing no typical signs of FHV. Even the limited sneezing she had before has stopped in the last week. From what I have read, usually a cat will be diagnosed because of eye/nose swelling and discharge that is resistant to antibiotics. So the vet will do a culture, which will come back positive for FHV.

Nakita ONLY had slightly swollen lymph nodes (pea size) and gingivitis. I'm just looking for opinions to see if this could be something else, because of the different symptoms? I haven't read anything that says a cat will be diagnosed for FHV on a blood test alone. I could be totally wrong though, because I have found only limited info.

I'll be seeing my vet next week, but I'm just trying to gain as much info before I go see her so I can seem 'somewhat' knowledgable ( ) on the subject and can be assured that the diagnosis is correct.

Thanks again!

[jason]

I'll be seeing my vet next week, but I'm just trying to gain as much info before I go see her so I can seem 'somewhat' knowledgable ( ) on the subject and can be assured that the diagnosis is correct.

keep us posted.

[Traci]

Nakita is showing no typical signs of FHV. Even the limited sneezing she had before has stopped in the last week. From what I have read, usually a cat will be diagnosed because of eye/nose swelling and discharge that is resistant to antibiotics. So the vet will do a culture, which will come back positive for FHV.

Actually, there are other ways to diagnose, culturing would only be a means to determine the antibiotic approach. A PCR, cytology on exudate or other stain techniques can be done in combination to help diagnose the condition.

I'm curious, you said limited sneezing, then it stopped in the last week, was she on antibiotics at that time?

Nakita ONLY had slightly swollen lymph nodes (pea size) and gingivitis. I'm just looking for opinions to see if this could be something else, because of the different symptoms? I haven't read anything that says a cat will be diagnosed for FHV on a blood test alone. I could be totally wrong though, because I have found only limited info.

In my experience, lymph node enlargement is rare in rhinotracheitis, although it could be secondary of something else entirely, as in secondary bacterial infection, a reactive lymph node to other causes. I would at least ask your vet if there may be a concurrent infection of calicivirus, especially due to the absense of eye discharge, and given the gingivitis. I'm wondering if the gingivitis may have been mistaken for actual stomatitis, which can be a sign of calicivirus. A cytology in this case might prove more (and maybe a closer look into a full oral exam to rule out ulcers associated with stomatitis).

I don't think it would hurt to start her on L-lysine, *if* rhinotracheitis is the confirmed diagnosis, but I would hold off on the interferon until you've ruled out potential other causes (i.e., calicivirus). If you were to start interferon now, she could develop a sort of immunity to it, so it might be futile to treat an acute infection should it occur. Just my opinion, but I think I would wait on interferon. However, I would rule out concurrent calicivirus and test for FELV/FIV to ensure other infectious disease is not a concern, in which the interferon would then be better utilized if infectious disease were diagnosed.

[Guest]

Actually, there are other ways to diagnose, culturing would only be a means to determine the antibiotic approach. A PCR, cytology on exudate or other stain techniques can be done in combination to help diagnose the condition.....I'm curious, you said limited sneezing, then it stopped in the last week, was she on antibiotics at that time?

Thanks Traci for giving me info!! The vet did a Healthgene Feline Viral Profile (FP10) on Nakita and then she phoned in the results to us. Are you familiar with this test? Would this be enough to confirm for FHV?

Nakita has always sneezed the odd time, like I mentioned in my first post (ie: every 2 or 3 day). She hasn't been on antibiotics.

... a reactive lymph node to other causes. I would at least ask your vet if there may be a concurrent infection of calicivirus, especially due to the absense of eye discharge, and given the gingivitis. I'm wondering if the gingivitis may have been mistaken for actual stomatitis, which can be a sign of calicivirus. A cytology in this case might prove more (and maybe a closer look into a full oral exam to rule out ulcers associated with stomatitis).

What does a cytology involve? From my previous research, I was guessing calicivirus because of all the info about mouth problems. Also, we only found only found the swollen lymph nodes a couple of days before the vet visit. So they were not always there.

The vet didn't spend much time on Nakita's mouth. I will talk to the vet about this. I have tried brushing Nakita's teeth weekly, but it's no easy task! This cat is only 5 pounds but she squirms like a worm!

However, I would rule out concurrent calicivirus and test for FELV/FIV to ensure other infectious disease is not a concern, in which the interferon would then be better utilized if infectious disease were diagnosed.

The Healthgene test I mentioned above ruled out FELV/FIV. At least that was confirmed. So now we just have to figure out about the calicivirus.

Thanks so much for your suggestions Traci, I really appreciate it. I'll let you know when I finally get to the bottom of this.

[Traci]

The test was an antibody titer (or direct FA)....helpful in determining exposure and active infection, however, I still recommend ruling out calicivirus. Your vet may have included the calicivirus (FCV) in the original serology, might want to ask her about that. Problem is, some herpes viruses can be associated with calicivirus or bacterial infections, so treatment might vary...for this reason, it's important to rule out other bacterial infection, other virals, other causes. While gingivitis is uncommon in such a young cat, it concerns me that it could be stomatitis.

Cytology might include oral or nasal swab, sent to an outside lab for confirmation. If ocular discharge were evident, then a 'cytology' on the discharge, or scraping could be done (conjunctivitis smear or special stain), but I wouldn't suggest this unless there was clear evidence of ulcerative keratitis (ocular involvement, unresponsive to treatment).

A full oral exam might necessitate anesthesia, so be prepared if that is warranted. Your vet would look for ulcerations anywhere in the oral cavity, etc, and would try to distinguish them from clinical stomatitis. Depending on her technique, she may be able to consider just swabbing an area or two without anesthesia, then either staining or sending it off for confirmation.

Because of the gingivitis, I wouldn't attempt to brush her teeth until an antibiotic approach is taken to at least reduce the swelling. Inflammed gums and tissues can be very painful, so you might instead opt for either a quick course of antibiotics or an oral rinse/gel until the inflammation has decreased to a comfortable level for brushing the teeth. Your vet can advise further.

[guest]

Spunk, my blind punk, was severely damaged by herpes at 2 mo, but even she doesn't seem to be a carrier. Her only meds were related to her eyes; her left eye ruptured twice, so she had 2 or 3 surgeries to save it/them. Today, about 3 or 3 1/2 years later, she's happy, healthy, and a little stinker.