Feline Herpes

I have two cats, but this is regarding only one, my girl Jet. She's 7 mo. Old, spayed.

She was adopted from the shelter at 8-10 weeks of age. When she was adopted, the shelter told me she was around 3-3.5 months old. I learned from taking her to the vet for her post op check up (she was spayed at the shelter upon adoption), that she was not 3 months old as I was told, but she was more like 8-10 weeks old (in addition to her being EXTREMELY small for her age, I had a slew of other things that made me feel like she was much younger than I was told, her teeth for one, how she moved about, and her difficulty eating food). During her post op visit, the vet diagnosed her as having feline herpes, without doing any tests, but based on the fact that she had a fever, and was not eating. I had mentioned to my vet that she did sneeze at home a couple of times, however I told him I really felt it was due to the litter. The few times I heard her sneeze was when I was cleaning the box, and at that time the litter I used was pretty dusty, and she's always had a habbit of examining me and over seeing me while i clean out the box.

She's been taking lysine supplements till about a few weeks ago. I've been in a finacnial bind, and unfortunately have been unable to get her more lysine treats before she ran out (I order online). I have recently just ordered some, and are waiting for them to come in. But to be honest, I haven't noticed any Feline Herpes type symptoms from her....I don't know how to explain it. There is no fatigue, or fevers, or sneezing, not even when i clean the litter box, because i use a much less dustier litter now. She seems like a perfectly healthy cat...

I guess the question or what I wanted to know, is there a definitive test to determine if a kitty has feline herpes other than fever, coughing, sneezing, eye infections?? I honestly feel like she had a fever because the people at the shelter aged her wrong, and spayed her at such a young age (although i know you can spay as young as 8 weeks, i feel like that is TOO young), and that just left her vulnerable to getting ill...

I know feline herpes is common...and it can be easily managed...and also know lysine treats are harmless...but i really feel like, and have always felt like, she does not have feline herpes...i just want to know for my mental satisfaction. When i asked my vet, he said that there really is no other way to tell other than the physical symptoms..but I don't know. Should I get a second opinion?

Any advice/feedback is much appreciated.

Thanks,

L.A.

There is a test to accurately diagnose feline herpes.  It's the PCR URD (upper respiratory diseases) and it costs about $70 or so to do.  The vet will take a swab and then send it off to the lab for testing.  Most likely, she had an upper respiratory infection if you're not seeing all the other chronic herpes indicators.

stephanietx said:

 
There is a test to accurately diagnose feline herpes.  It's the PCR URD (upper respiratory diseases) and it costs about $70 or so to do.  The vet will take a swab and then send it off to the lab for testing.  Most likely, she had an upper respiratory infection if you're not seeing all the other chronic herpes indicators.

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I don't know why my vet would not mention this to me??

instead he told me that there really is no definitive test, and that vets go by the presentation of physical symptoms. 

i might have to find another vet. i have too many gripes with this guy..thank you for your input on this. 

i really feel Jet does not have feline herpes...

IIRC, the test has been out almost 10 years, but some vets don't think it's very accurate.  You can read more about the test on the IDEXX Labs page, https://www.idexx.com/smallanimal/reference-laboratories/testmenu/innovative-tests/real-pcr.html

Click on the "Tests" tab and then click on "Canine and Feline Respiratory Disease Panels, Tests and Profiles"

There's also a page on the side that you can print out and take to your vet.

Does she have a fever now?

Is she eating well?

Continuing to sneeze?  Sneezing attacks?

Discharge from the eyes or nose?

Clogged nose?

If the answers are mostly no, depending how you answer, there is a good chance she is fine.  Regardless, a cheaper way to give lysine is just to buy it in powder form at a health store and sprinkle it on her food.

StephenQ said:

 
Does she have a fever now?

Is she eating well?

Continuing to sneeze?  Sneezing attacks?

Discharge from the eyes or nose?

Clogged nose?

If the answers are mostly no, depending how you answer, there is a good chance she is fine.  Regardless, a cheaper way to give lysine is just to buy it in powder form at a health store and sprinkle it on her food.

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she is not exhibiting any of the above mentioned symptoms-at all.

I'll have to check her temp again, but the last time i checked (one week ago, i have been checking once a week for about 3 weeks now and its always between 99-100) it was normal. and as mentioned before, she never sneezes unless there is something irritating her, like dust. since i've stopped using a dusty litter, she hasn't sneezed (at least not in my presence) at all.

She likes the treats so i tend to stick with that. I have considered getting the powder, but the past 1 month has much been...well financially...not so good...so even getting the powder would have been an extra expense that i could not take on...

i'm going to save up some moola, and take her to see a different vet...and ask them to do the PCR URD test that @stephanietx  mentioned.

If she isn't symptomatic of anything, i would consider stopping the treats and see if any symptoms come back, and if not I'm not sure I'd spend money on a test that doesn't seem needed. Cats with felines herpes are obviously sick, have plenty of symptoms and lysine just reduces frequency and/or intensity of symptoms, but won't make the cat healthy.  It doesn't sound like you cat ever had it, but obviously doing the test is to be on the cautious side and that's fine

StephenQ said:

 
If she isn't symptomatic of anything, i would consider stopping the treats and see if any symptoms come back, and if not I'm not sure I'd spend money on a test that doesn't seem needed. Cats with felines herpes are obviously sick, have plenty of symptoms and lysine just reduces frequency and/or intensity of symptoms, but won't make the cat healthy.  It doesn't sound like you cat ever had it, but obviously doing the test is to be on the cautious side and that's fine

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i always felt like she didn't have feline herpes. she was diagnosed when she was 8-10 weeks old. She was a stray cat, and sick (had a fever) when i took her to the vet.

the vet just went off of her physical symptoms and diagnosed her..but he didn't actually do a test. and I had asked him at a later time if there was such a definitive test, and he said not really, or no.

she's been without lysine now for almost a month, because i haven't had to money to buy her the treats when they ran out, and she's perfectly fine. Its kind of confirming for me that she never had it..she probably just had an URI, which she contracted from the shelter from where she was adopted...

and you're absolutely right, based on the research i've done online, and visiting the "Cat Health" forum and seeing the many MANY posts on feline herpes, my cat is definitely not exhibiting any symptoms, even minor ones. 

Here are some pics of Jet that I took this morning. Being her cute little self. 


Watching me as i'm getting ready and doing my make up


Being cute and shy one minute


and then ready to viciously attack the couch the next minute

Herpes is very common and is often the root cause of URIs in cats.  It's often triggered by stress.  My RB kitty, Callie, was never sick a day in her life until we brought in a new kitty, then she got an URI and a UTI.  The vet surmises she was a herpes carrier and had never been stressed enough to bring it out.  Your kitty might just be a carrier or might just be really happy now and the virus has gone dormant. 

stephanietx said:

 
....Your kitty might just be a carrier or might just be really happy now and the virus has gone dormant. 

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That does make sense....

We did move in the past couple of weeks. And instead of being stressed, both my cats just seem much happier in the new place (bigger). And Jet especially so. She's even been less skittish..

Bottom line is it looks like you have a happy healthy cat and your vet might have been quick on the draw.....

Also, super cute pics!!

adorable kitty!

feline herpes is pretty common in shelter cats - depending on who you trust, somewhere between 90-95% of shelter cats have been exposed to feline herpes.  it's easily transmitted by sharing food, water, and litter.  so it's easy to see how so many shelter cats are exposed to it.

many healthy cats will carry the virus and never really show symptoms.  cats with compromised immune systems will show symptoms regularly.  i have three cats who share water, food, and litter.  they also groom each other.  there is a very, very, very high likelihood that all three of them have the herpes virus.  however, piglet is really the only one who shows symptoms regularly (she has a weaker immune system than my other babies).  during times of higher stress, like when we've moved, her eye gets really gunky and she might get sneezy.  her runny eye is the main symptom she shows.  but my other two very rarely show symptoms - once in a while, especially at stressful times, samantha might have some sneezing and eye discharge.

i don't know how necessary the testing for herpes is.  if we're able to get 500mg of l-lysine into piglet daily for at least 10 days in a row, her symptoms subside.  when we don't give her l-lysine, her symptoms come back.  i'm not going to waste the money on testing that is still debated by vets and will just tell me what i already know: piglet has symptomatic herpesvirus and responds fairly well to l-lysine treatment.